Whilst we wait for the Leveson report to be regurgitated by the media, a quick round up of comments on Twitter and Facebook reveals that the media fear that Leveson will take a few extreme examples of outlandish behaviour and tar an entire section of the population with their bad example; that statistics may be manipulated, that too much emphasis will be on celebrities, and that the conclusions and opinions published in his report will have been manipulated to represent the agenda of a few insiders and movers and shakers.

Just like a Tabloid, in fact…

“The Daily Leveson”, available in your newsagent; great for lining the budgie cadge.

Saul November 30, 2012 at 19:06

Does anyone really think that David Cameron and his government will bring
in legislation to regulate the press?

There’s more chance of a referendum on Europe.

Observor November 30, 2012 at 12:29

A lot said about the innocent being bullied but what about the guilty who
are bullied, harassed, humiliated and made a plaything of a mendacious tabloid
mentality that convinces the great masses that they have ‘lost all their
rights’ etc (even in death)

Richard de Lacy
November 30, 2012 at 11:02

Regulation of the press would be yet another assault on our birthrights as
British subjects, and yet I do feel for the innocent victims of the media,
especially those who do not have the necessary funds to sue for libel.

Just a thought – why don’t Stephen Fry, Steve Coogan, Hugh Grant each
donate a few million quid to start a ‘fighting fund’ to help low-income,
non-celebrity victims of press misbehaviour take the offending organ to court?
They could ask their friends in show business and government to
contribute.

m.barnes November 30, 2012 at 09:18

Couldn’t disagree more with the general tenor of article and comments here
that Leveson was some kind of waste of space and meaningless.
I am sick and
tired of self-righteous, self interested articles from the print press about
how important what they do is, how precious their profession, how vital –
VITAL! – they are to freedom, democracy, and holding the powerful to account.
Am I living in the land of the looking glass or are they? If they are all of
the things they claim then they have power – they are not simply clear vessels
reflecting the ‘will of the public’. And if they have power then who holds
them to account? Please nobody say ‘the market’ – the market is not an animate
object. And please don’t say other newspapers, because that is not the case
either.

I am not waving a flag for Hugh Grant and I feel sorry for the Dowlers but
that hacking story was more complex that it appeared. In fact there is a case
for arguing that the Guardian, through faults in its reporting(!), caused an
awful lot of journalist to lose their jobs. A couple in Glasgow had a son who
killed himself because a campaigning journalist in a broadsheet newspaper
chose to, over several articles, mis-represent their daughters death in
pursuit of some obscure class point. I remember those articles and remember
thinking they were a bot one-eyed at the time. That same couple were treated
unsympathetically, even with contempt, by the paper’s editor when they had the
nerve to complain. Who did they think they were? Didn’t they understand how
important this journalist was? How important the Press are? Now lets
substitute ‘Papers editor’ for ‘NHS Manager’ – how does that scan now?

If me or mine ever fell victim to a terrible accident or crime that was of
interest to the print media I would have to, in addition to all the other
things I would be coping with, hire a lawyer to make an announcement that I
would quite like my privacy respected and would everyone please leave me
alone. Explain to me how that can possibly be right?

Cameron set up Leveson to kick a can down the road and then hopefully the
great unwashed would have calmed down – silly things – and he could ignore
whatever was found. After a whole load of ‘oh, yes, your soo right, it was
terrible. What were we thinking!’ the print press are now busy saying leave
everything as it stands. I can safely predict Cameron will get universal
praise – no self-interest there then eh? I can safely predict that Leveson
will be buried and that Saloon will remain open for business – no licensing
hours or minimum pricing will apply there. I can safely predict in a few years
time there will be another Leveson by another name, another bout of
hand-wringing, another bunch of non-famous people whose lives will be damaged
by the press, and another round ordered at the bar of The Last Chance
Saloon.

Press freedom is fabulous – unless you are one of the poor bastards run
over by them. What do we call them? Collateral damage. Well if so, don’t sneer
at MP’s or Military when they use the same expression.

Humble Observer
November 29, 2012 at 20:03

O/T, sorry Anna.

As Labour wun int Rotherham yet, appen?

ps: one last push at the reverse midas touch…:(

Johnnrvf November 29, 2012 at 19:33

Leveson is either merely a sock puppet OR someone of the elite who desires
the status quo to continue and therefore his report will be only be useful for
lighting fires with; the only industry politics has ever been proficient
in.

Dick the Prick
November 29, 2012 at 20:22

1st lesson I got taught in my Tory days was don’t fight the meeja, it
needs volunteers. Leveson is naval gazing fluff mining. To see the full
beauty of inquiries it does well to return to Chilcott. Will Hutton writes
for the Observer, i say writes but it’s more like wiping his arse on a piece
of paper, scanning it, then e-mailing it to some death row mentalist
awaiting his maker for shagging a porkupine in the school canteen, head
first in the deep fat fryer screaming pray hossanah Marjorie Daws at the top
of his lungs; anywho, whatever he’s for you can be damn sure it’s utter
bollox. I buy the Guardian because it is proper funny. Leveson’s done a job,
let’s just fucking forget about that shite, eh?

Elena ‘andcart
November 29, 2012 at 19:24

It has all really upset me. But I ever was a naive fool.

Ancient + Tattered
Airman November 29, 2012 at 19:23

I wonder what the whole shooting (make that shouting) match has cost the
taxpayer so far? A pretty penny no doubt.
Colour us stupid. We deserve
it.

Mina Field
November 29, 2012 at 19:47

£3.9 million is being quoted. £1700 per page of the report.

Yosemite Sam
November 29, 2012 at 18:09

So they’re all guilty of Institutional Tabloidism?

JimS November 29, 2012 at 16:41

I caught the first few minutes of Leveson’s announcement before I had to go
out to do more important things.

I’m afraid I disagreed with his first words – I don’t believe any sane
person cares tuppence that ‘poor’ Millie Dowler’s ‘phone was ‘hacked’, no
doubt by using the default setting. That was just the Metropolitan Media and
Politics bubble doing its usual X-Factor/Big Brother/Princess Di dog-tail
chasing act. Either these people’s minds really are all full of the pap that
they inflict on us or it is just one big scam to numb the collective mind to
the real issues of the day.

OK, Leveson was a nice well-paid party for the Metro Legal set. Now chuck
it in the bin and let us have a people’s inquiry into Parliament with
the power to conduct a real root-and-branch reform. A jury with teeth and
claws in fact.

Friend of Dog
November 29, 2012 at 17:16

Wonderful idea. Will, unfortunately, never happen this side of the
revolution.

DtP November 29, 2012 at 14:53

Not for nothing but to have Cleggy break with the coalitious, homo erotic
spooning fest over this irrelevant whitewash does seem to offer a 50 page
glossy supplement as to the utter banality of the whole government. I’m a bit
of a Tory but some of the stuff this government has done re: ATOS, greenbelt,
banking reform, school academy status, tax rates etc do give rise to
legitimate concern eyt Cleggy goes native over a report that no-one really
gives a monkey’s about just appears pathetic, really. Anywho, bored witless by
the whole sorry charade.

Anna
Raccoon November 29, 2012 at
14:55

I am solidly with you Dick – bored witless by the whole sorry charade,
indeed…..

Caedmon’s
Cat November 29, 2012 at 13:50

The Daily Leveson will be worth considerably less than the material that
subsequently lands upon it in the cage..

Span
Ows November 29, 2012 at 13:56

Indeed!

Dolefinger November 29, 2012 at 13:44

“I mean there’s enormous pressures to harmonize freedom of speech
legislation and transparency legislation around the world – within the E.U.,
between China and the United States. Which way is it going to go? It’s hard to
see.”
Julian Assange

First they came for the Press Barons, but I didn’t complain because I was
not a Press Baron.
Then they came for the Bloggers, and the
Internet.
And a bad time was had by all.

Moor Larkin November 29, 2012 at 11:49

Having watched “Exposure Parts One and Two” – produced under the apparently
strictly-regulated itv television network – I tend to think the pot and the
kettle are well-matched. One has no lid and quickly fills the rooms with
steam, whilst the other is sealed tight except for the piercing whistle that
demands attention. Both are powered by the same hot air and can only operate
when somebody else lights the fire.

English Pensioner November 29, 2012 at 11:42

He has been asked to report on a subject and like all those before him will
feel bound to make “recommendations”.
Perhaps there is a bonus for
producing more than in the previous public enquiry or just a desire to outdo
Lord Justice Whatsisname , who produced it (Leveson in in the running for the
post of Lord Chief Justice)..
One day, someone will stagger us all by
producing a report saying the existing rules are far to stringent and should
be relaxed – That’ll be the day!

Saul November 29, 2012 at 11:37

Borrowing Budgies?

Tabloids up before The Beak?

As the report will be reported in The Tabloids, by The Tabloids, I suppose
they can put any spin on it they want to.