While we are all for ‘press freedom,’ what about the freedom of some journalists NOT to hold the same opinions as yourself? How can you know they were acting out of ’self-interest?’ Who is to say that YOU are not acting out of sef interest in printing this; in fact, as a journalist, everything they do, and especially everything they write -or gets published -is done ‘in their own interest,’ as they are paid to collect facts, then present them in a particular point of view. Just as your Blog is doing, by opinionating on the suitablity or not of other journalists actions that do not tie in with your own ‘viewpoint.’

(Why is it that every commentator on the so-called left -and even worse the ‘liberal’ leg of the political tripod (the inventors of that marvel; political correctness) believe that they have THE Holy Grail; the One and Only True Viewpoint? To me, the simple ‘Governments are Bad, Peace is Good’ dogma (still doing the rounds ever since the 40’s) that I devoutly followed like everyone else -when an impressionable youth, is just as old fashioned, reactionary and ultimately extemist in outlook (all Idealists seem to be zealots; they instinctively despise compromise) as fundamentalism, fascism, communism or dictatorship.

I know we need a press, politicians need watching. But Journalists are so powerful, with no other motive force than commerce no matter HOW they dress it up, that these days they need watching just as closely.

I would still rather be ruled by and have policy dictated by elected ministers than newspaper tycoons.