Below is the text of an email interview with John Pilger, conducted ahead of his conversation with Professor Richard Keeble on “Why journalism matters”.
The event will take place tonight, Monday October 12, at 6pm in the EMMTEC building on the University of Lincoln’s Brayford Campus.
- You’ll be discussing “Why journalism matters”. Do you have to make any caveats about what kind of journalism matters?
Like almost everything, there is the good, the bad and the indifferent. Journalism matters, in my view, when it tells the stories of people rather than acts as the agent or conduit of power and the status quo. That can apply in all sections of the craft, from foreign reporting to sports reporting. Our lives are dominated by the insidious propaganda of authority; journalism ought to be an antedote.
- James Murdoch, chief executive of News Corp, recently described “state-sponsored journalism” as “a threat to the plurality of news provision.” Do you think this is the case, and is the state the only threat?
I don’t think James Murdoch should be given the credibility of your question. He is the son and corporate clone of a man whose life’s work is the debasement of journalism.
- You’ve twice been named “Journalist of the Year”, so one would expect other journalists to emulate your work to some extent. Why do we rarely see similar reporting in the mainstream press?
There is very good reporting from time to time in the press — Chris McGreal’s work in Palestine; Ian Cobain’s disclosures about MI5 and torture. However, these are honourable exceptions to a system that is little more than an extension of the established order. You need to look at the ‘samidzat’ on the world wide web, including indy broadcasters such as realnews.com. Once you’ve learned to trust certain writers and sites, you can create your own reliable world of reportage and truth-telling.
- How important are alternative / dissident media? Will outlets like Z Mag ever become as well-known or popular as the mainstream media?
The ‘alernative/dissident’ media you refer to is the real mainstream, because it’s more in tune with reality, facts and people. I think the public is beginning to see the corporate media as a system of propaganda, a monoculture whose differences — rather like party politics — are illusory.
- What do you think places like the Lincoln School of Journalism should emphasise when teaching the next generation of reporters?
Lincoln is already contributing to this in the way journalism is taught by the likes of Richard Keeble, author of a series of excellent ‘handbooks’. For me, what is most important is alerting young people to the hidden agendas in the corporate media: teaching them to be sceptical about power, not about people. Too often, the reverse is true.
