6:30 When you have a reporter brimming with ambition (the same ruthless ambition that actors, singers, comedians and other media stars have), the most important thing is their career. Everything else, including the truth, is subordinate to that.
Sometimes there is a happy coincidence: the reporter boosts his career by breaking some amazing truth. But given a choice between the two, career usually wins. Such is the nature of the ambition of many in the media.
Many major politicians become a type of media celebrity in their own right and it is worth viewing them in that light - as ambitious celebrities. It explains a good deal about their behaviour, especially their marked lack of interest in veracity.
To hold their own with reporters, actors, singers and comedians, major politicians must be brimming with ambition too. They must do as other celebrities do, discard inconvenient veracity as they discard it, put their career first and play the Great Game to win. In an important sense, it's the same game.
2 comments:
We, as the public, need to make veracity relevant again. They get away with telling lies because nobody challenges them. Even if we never get to question them, we can all do our tiny bit to hold everyone to truthful standards. Cultural change is slow, but the only real long-term solution.
Sam - I agree, we can do our tiny bit for truthful standards. It may be more effective than we know, but as you say, cultural change is slow.
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