It's as I always thought, and the hacking scandal only goes to prove it - journalists are a strange breed. In what other profession do you get such a chasm of polar opposites. At their best journalists are among the finest, idealistic, high-minded, genuine people - altruistic, sincere, honest, caring and often courageous and of impeccable integrity. But alas ..... there are the others.
If the popular belief still holds that prostitutes occupy the basest profession, then people have overlooked the vile individuals that occupy the most putrid levels of journalism. In truth, you would have to plummet deep into a mire of the densest cesspool to find just how low it is possible for some 'respected' journalists to sink.
Believe me, hacking wasn't the worst of it. Some of these people, in the search for headline sensation, have been responsible for the deaths of innocent people, deaths for which they were never called to account. They wrote their drivel, drew their money, and left other people to deal with the tragedy and suffering. The papers sold well.
It would have ben the right thing, it would have been the decent thing for those with responsibity and political power to intervene decades ago. It would have been right to demand standards, and it would have been right to ruthlessly deal with those in the media who confidently and casually ignored all standards.
It could have made a difference: an intervention on the side of what was right against those who felt they didn't need to worry about right as long as the could sell the lie and sell the paper at the same time. But the politicians chose not to confront, chose not to question and chose not to stick their necks out. Instead, they turned their gaze, whistled to the wind and pretended they didn't see what was happening when sections of the media perpetrated their most appalling excesses, and in doing so left each innocent victim of the media, past, future and present to their own devices. It was always the wrong choice, and I believe they made that choice out of fear. And in a way, I confess I understand why.
The whole thing is so depressing, I'm going to leave it there. Better by far to go in search of one of my favourite watering holes in illustrious Mayfair. That way, I can leave all that hacking annoyance behind me and I can concentrate instead on some really important and serious matters. My son wants a new iPad. It will cost, he says, about 500 US dollars. He says he needs it, and I can't see why. But then, how am I to really know? What to do?
A few glasses of good wine and some out-time should make it all a lot clearer. But perhaps it may take more that one visit to sort this particular dilemma. In case you have a mind to join me, here are the latest special offers for Mayfair hotels. Ideal, if you are visiting London soon.
As for venal journalists and iPads, I will for a time merely reflect on the saintly thought to accept the things I cannot change, while hoping that some extra change may indeed come my way if it turns out that I need to buy the iPad. All, I'm sure, will be well.
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