Nick Davies rather rips into the quality of journalism in this country:
The implication of those two findings is truly alarming. Where once journalists were active gatherers of news, now they have generally become mere passive processors of unchecked, second-hand material, much of it contrived by PR to serve some political or commercial interest. Not journalists, but churnalists. An industry whose primary task is to filter out falsehood has become so vulnerable to manipulation that it is now involved in the mass production of falsehood, distortion and propaganda.
The amusement comes from Jackie Ashley’s column in the same paper on the same day:
Take an argument raging behind the scenes over something many people assume was settled years ago – equal pay. It isn’t sexy at Westminster. And yes, we have had legislation for some 35 years. But the pay gap between men and women remains large. The Fawcett Society and the EU say it’s 17% for full-time workers; the government admits to 12%. But for part-time workers, which includes millions of the poorest women, it’s a shocking 36%.
That’s a series of numbers culled from an Equal Opportunities Commission report. In that report (based upon ONS numbers) they actually said that part time female workers earned 36% less per hour than full time male workers. The actual pay gap between female part time and male part time workers (in the private sector) is 11% as I was able to calculate from the ONS figures. When I asked the EOC why they had not given that figure they told me that comparing part timers with part timers “would not be comparing like with like”.
So I assume (as I think anyone rational would) that the 36% figure wsa deliberately cooked up in the knowledge that everyone would forget the qualifier: that we are comparing part time to full time wages. As indeed Jackie Ashley (whether deliberately or through ignorance) has done.
So, most amusing to see Davies’ hypothesis proven on the very day it is put forward. The mass production of falsehood indeed.
And aren’t we lucky to now have blogs to put people on the straight and narrow?
PS, if Ms. Ashley does respond to my email on this subject I’ll let you know.
