Letter

The sick media

Dear healthmatters — There were once three aspects of British society universally admired across the Channel — the Royal Family, the NHS, and press freedom. Now there are two.

Wendy Moore’s biting critique of the British press in your Pilot Issue, ‘The media makes you sick’, reveals a profound crisis of misinformation and ignorance in Britain. It is a crisis that has had international impact on the community.

The British media, formerly widely admired for its traditions of impartial reporting, have been made a laughing stock thanks to the antics of the Murdoch-led tabloid press. The brazen interference in broadcast journalism by the Thatcher government has raised serious questions as to the government’s commitment to press freedom.

Late last year my federation — which represents 150,000 journalists in 40 countries — sent a fact-finding mission to Britain to investigate the problem of direct government intervention in the field of journalism. Such an event 20 years ago would have been unthinkable.

The launch of healthmatters, therefore, with its commitment to raising the level of understanding on complex social issues without resorting to sensational news values is good news for serious British journalists and for media watchers worldwide.

The British media could learn a lot from other countries in reporting on health. They could follow the lead of the Italian and French press which take the opinions of health service workers and their unions seriously without resorting to ‘angel’ or ‘parasite’ stereotypes. They could take a leaf out of the Swedish book on AIDS coverage which is sensitive and designed to serve the needs of the community.

There is also a great deal of concern abroad about the future of the British health service. It has been long seen as an integral part of the welfare state which is universally admired.

The decline of the British press and fears for the future of the health service seriously worry the international community. It would be a tragedy if the lasting impression Britain is to leave on the outside world is of Di, Fergie and the Windsor dynasty.