Tame journalism backs austerity

Sadly what passes for “investigative journalism” nowadays seems to be stories that would please the government.

Yesterday at 8pm Britain’s Channel 4 ran a documentary in its Dispatches series called “How the MoD [Ministry of Defence] wastes our billions”. It argued (probably correctly as it happens) that the ministry has spent billions propping up the defence industry. No doubt the programme was meant to counter the military’s own spin about how “our boys” will suffer if defence spending is cut.

Then at 8.30pm, before the first programme had finished, the BBC Panorama programme ran a programme called “Because We’re Worth It – The Taxpayers’ Rich List“. It looked at the 9,000 state employees who earn more than the prime minister.

It is sad that the mainstream media has fallen so easily behind the government’s agenda. There is a desperate need for an independent media – one which is willing to pursue stories that upset the authorities.