[WSIS CS-Plenary] UN at odds over internet's future

[Bertrand de La Chapelle]

Dear Ronald,
 Thanks for this reply. I never meant the press is "pleased" to be spinned. 
And I agree with your remarks. 
 Still, in the case of the french press, it turns out that the cozyness of 
the relation between politicians and the press - particularly televisual - 
is becoming so intense that nobody knows anymore who is spinning who. At 
least three major (ex)ministers are married or have regular affairs with 
high-profile (ex)news anchors and the density of lunches, dinners and other 
interactions among the two groups gave birth to the (in)famous expression : 
la communauté politico-médiatique. 
 If you put in context the ownership of major TV stations and newspapers by 
groups or individuals that have a clear political orientation, preference or 
personnal links to major politicians, the work of independent journalists is 
becoming somewhat more complex. Not to mention the situation in Italy. 
 But to come back to the WGIG report, I think we could benefit a lot from 
your advice on how to present in the best possible way the major lessons 
that CS wants to put forward after this important experience. Could you help 
us ?
 As a final note, did you watch the EPIC 2014 film on the future of the 
press ? It's available at :
www.robinsloan.com/epic<http://www.robinsloan.com/epic>and I would be
very interested in your analysis of the future it paints.
 Best
 Bertrand
 On 7/21/05, Ronald Koven <rkoven at compuserve.com> wrote:
 
> [Please note that by using 'REPLY', your response goes to the entire list. 
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> _______________________________________
> 
> Dear Bertrand --
> 
> What makes you think we are pleased to be manipulated by pols ?
> 
> The general disillusion with politics starts with the attitudes of the
> press, and that stems from the perception that politicians try to
> manipulate us journalists. When they actually succeed for a time (as they
> inevitably must occasionally do since they control so much information),
> that only increases the resentment once we realize we've been had.
> Journalists are only (all too) human.
> 
> When things go wrong for politicians -- toutes tendances confondues, one 
> of
> their first lines of defense is to blame it on the stupidity, venality, or
> whatever of the press. Surely, you don't mean to fall into the trap of
> accepting that old political trick, do you ?
> 
> Best, Rony Koven
> 
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