Despite what some argue, strong regulation is a bulwark against the disaster of US media being replicated here in the UK
Who, what, where, when and why? Five questions that are at the heart of our trade. Answer those questions in relation to any news story, and we’re doing our jobs as journalists. They underpin everything we do, what we write in a newspaper or online, what we say on TV or on the radio.
It feels to me, however, that we sometimes need to ask one of those questions of ourselves: why? It doesn’t have to be every day or all the time, but given the power we have, it’s important. What is the point of the media in a democracy? What are we here for? We can influence massive societal changes. Indirectly we even wield political power, able to influence policy, perhaps even able to help change governments. And with power as we’re all well aware, comes great responsibility. Former Sunday Times editor Harold Evans understood this down to the marrow in his bones, and he chose throughout his storied career to leverage that power for the greater good of society.
