The Great Pretenders: the Mainstream Media / Why the Blogosphere > “the Media”

Posted on May 25th, 2007 by Richard Catto 4,266 views

The Mail & Guardian and iAfrica.com published yesterday essentially the same story, in which they both discuss the blog of sa male prostitute, the recent cause of Patricia de Lille’s irate outburst against anonymous bloggers, but without actually saying that.

It’s dishonest. It’s disengenuous. It’s so totally totally fake, and I am weary of these "clever" manoeuvrings and word games that the mainstream media like to play.

So why do they do it? Why do they not report the story honestly and straight-forwardly?

Because according to the legal advice they received, that would leave them vulnerable to charges of helping the sa male prostitute blogger to spread his defamation. Exactly the same line that de Lille trotted out in her original complaint. And exactly the same advice which was contradicted yesterday by some other online legal expert, Reinhardt Buys.

But the mainstream media prefers to play it safe. They prefer to lay masking tape over the truth. They prefer to cloak reality in euphemisms and play their "air guitars of journalism".

They prefer to deceive their readers.

And that is why the Blogosphere is greater than the mainstream media.

We do not fear what you fear.

And that fearlessness enables us to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The Truth that you are too scared to tell.

And that scares the heck out of some, such as Patricia de Lille, who wants that we should FEAR.

We will not.

References:
iAfrica.com: Tell-all sex blog targets celebrities
mg.co.za: Tell-all sex blog targets SA celebrities
David Bullard: Name and shame offensive bloggers

Filed under air guitars of journalism, Blogosphere, blogs, David Bullard, iAfrica, Mail & Guardian, Patricia de Lille, sa male prostitute, Simon Grindrod |

11 Responses to “The Great Pretenders: the Mainstream Media / Why the Blogosphere > “the Media””

1. Richard Catto Says:
   May 25th, 2007 at 06:41

   “First of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself – nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.”
   - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address, March 04, 1933

2. Karen Says:
   May 25th, 2007 at 08:39

   “Cull also pointed out that another website or blog posting a link to the sex blog would be aiding and abetting in defamation.”

   How can one aid and abet defamation IF what the so called rentboy is saying is true?

   They are just trying to scare bloggers from running this story across the bloggesphere – Does Cull also belong to the ID? Has there even been a case of anyone who linked to a story on a dodgy blog getting hit for “aiding and abetting defamation?”

   Maybe the rentboy is telling the truth, what then, that’s not defamation – just bad taste. Oscar Wilde ened up in jail like that. I would never even begin to open that can of worms if I was any one of the “victims”

   It’s probably not classy or tasteful or ethical this spilling all the beans bit – unfortunately, in our country it is not legal to pay for sex, but if you do it – you take your chances and hey, cowboys don’t cry.

3. Richard Catto Says:
   May 25th, 2007 at 09:12

   All lawyers should be Cull-ed.

4. chickaboo Says:
   May 25th, 2007 at 13:45

   So does that mean – when perezhilton.com blogs that he thinks so and so a celebrity is gay then he is liable for libel ? Or when a tabloid like say HEAT magazine hints why Brad will dump Angelina – are they liable for libel if it’s not true and makes her out to be a home wrecking biaatch ?
   Gosh this could get you into a circle of precedents that would stomp on the value of freedom of speech and press hehe.

5. Vincent Maher - Media in Transition » Media is a grown-ups’ game, not for kiddies Says:
   May 25th, 2007 at 15:27

   [...] a few of them seem to think being small-time is tantamount to bravery. The Cape Town News blog explains how mainstream media are too scared to link De Lille’s call for the government regulation of [...]

6. Vincent Maher said “Media is a grown-ups’ game, not for kiddies” | Cape Town news Says:
   May 25th, 2007 at 17:32

   [...] Actually the media is already talking about it, but in the cagey, indirect, dishonest way I criticised. [...]

7. Karen Says:
   May 26th, 2007 at 05:22

   Libel and defamation cases are so difficult to prove – most people in the public eye just take these rumours and gossip with a pinch of salt because they know that they are either groundless or else they’ll necer be able to prove them in court.

   With celebrity or fame or being a politician these things happen.

   I can understand the newspapers being careful, they have to even if it isn’t necessary – they have a big financial investment in staff and infrastructutre etc, but electronic media wtf?

   Maher is just over-reacting. It was though unnecessary to get quite so bitchy about this blog.

8. Johan Swarts Says:
   May 31st, 2007 at 10:29

   Amen, brother. My middelvinger vir sensuur sal altyd hoog die lug in gehou word. Never stop doing what you do.

9. Richard Catto Says:
   May 31st, 2007 at 10:40

   Thanks, Johan.

10. Vincent Maher - Media in Transition » Right, so now you’re all looking a little silly Says:
    May 31st, 2007 at 20:31

    [...] that the traditional media was being criticised for not spreading this message a week ago and turned out to be right. Like I said in my previous [...]

11. Richard Catto Says:
    June 1st, 2007 at 01:10

    I don’t follow Vincent’s points. He seems unhappy with me.

    That’s about it.

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