The Sunday Times was once a great newspaper. It has had some great editors, and some very good ones – you may be surprised to learn that I include Andrew Neil in that. Whether you agreed with them or not, virtually all of its editors for 200 years have been formidable intellectuals. Until now, as the apotheosis of Murdochian corporatism, it is “edited” by a genuine intellectual featherweight, Mr Martin Ivens.
When called out on the lie that David Miranda had been arrested at Heathrow after visiting Snowden in Moscow – a lie crucial to the fabric of deceit they had twisted into a story to justify the “snoopers’ charter” – Ivens did not apologise or explain, he merely had the lie excised from the online edition with no explanation. The print edition was already out, and despite the fact that the online “story” which had already been full of holes, now made no sense at all, they continued with it.
I had produced an undeniable (and undenied, anywhere) analysis of why their story had to be a lie, pointing out the confusion of agents and officers, that neither the Russians nor the Chinese have killed an MI6 officer for 50 years, and that the Russians know who almost all the MI6 officers are anyway.
A gentleman called William Douglas sent my analysis to Mr Ivers, asking him for his views. Ivers replied:
Dear Mr Douglas,
:
: I think you should address your remarks to
: 10 Downing St. If you think
: they have lied to us then so be it.
:
: Yours faithfully
:
: Martin
That really is it. The editor of a once great newspaper does not think it is any business of his whether he publishes lies or not. He does not consider that there was any responsibility on himself or his journalists to find out whether the story was true before they published it. They did not attempt to take any other views or do any checking. And now they claim that what the Sunday Times publishes is not the responsibility of the Sunday Times, but rather it is the responsibility of government.
When the correspondent responsible for this disgraceful “story”, Tom Harper, gave his car crash CNN interview, I did not read too much into it. He managed to discredit his story across the mainstream media of the entire world, except of course in the UK, where it was covered up. It provoked great hilarity. For me, it wasn’t actually fun, it was like watching a child dismantle a jellyfish with a beach spade. The jellyfish is not only helpless, it does not even know it is being dismembered. Mr Harper may have the constituents of a brain, but they are distributed around his wobbly torso in disconnected nodules.
Harper’s astonishing admission that “We just publish what we believe to be the position of the British government” caused all of CNN’s audience to rock back in their chairs. But I just took it that a not very bright young man was misspeaking on TV. He did however say almost precisely the same thing twice, in response to two different questions.
But what we have now from Martin Ivens, in his response to Mr Douglas, is confirmation from the Sunday Times editor himself of exactly the same line. It is not the editor’s responsibility whether it is the truth or not, he just publishes what the government tells him to publish. The responsibility for what the Sunday Times publishes lies with the British government.
It is not just that Ivens is a lightbrain with zilch professional pride and a disgrace to his profession. He is in fact totally redundant, and his proprietor Mr Murdoch is sharp enough to realise he actually does not need to spend £200,000 a year on a Sunday Times editor. Software now exists which can put the government’s words straight into the paper without Mr Latham and Mr Ivens having to put their input of – actually absolutely zero – into the process.
Murdoch could then give the gentleman who cleans the toilets a raise of £1 an hour and entitle him the Editor. In fact, perhaps that may be how Martin Ivens got the job, as he seems to have no other qualifications. Oh, I do apologise – I realise I just gratuitously insulted the gentleman who cleans the toilets, who at least has a function.
Craig at his best! I muss say that that this response to a reader is just unbelievable…
They do have a function and that’s being a functionary for the establishment. I don’t mean the cleaner when I say that.
If the gentleman who cleans the toilets is made the editor, perhaps Mr Ivers could be assigned that gentleman’s previous duties. Then he would be doing something useful at least, and the Sunday Times might be worth something other than as toilet paper.
Kind regards,
John
Craig ,excuse the off topic ,but do you think that we’re now looking at a Grand Coalition deal in Westminster with Labour as the silent(abstaining )partner?
Or he could get that gentleman to stock the toilets with the toilet paper branded The Sunday Times.
On a separate note, it is not just the ST, you should see Sky News peddling the news on the telly with the sock puppet talking heads.
The British establishment is turning increasingly pathetic, with complicity of the press and media that have sold out.
T6homaspotter2014
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Thomaspotter
Years ago, only now its more blatant.
Thanks Craig
The oracle on how these things transpire
Sadly, now The Times is just another tabloid – half its size in physical dimension and increasingly even smaller in that of intellect too:(
I remember reading a blow by blow account of war events in Yugoslavia in the Sunday Times.
What about Syria/ If newspapers print the govt line what hope for the Syrians please?
Well said Craig, but, we have to differ on Andrew Neill, he is a journalistic terrier, but, with a royal unionist brand on his backside.
I agree with you Becky, their coverage is increasingly sounding like that of the the Guardian. AXArised and backscratchingly comfy, like an armchair.
What sound does a stamp licking tongue make Mr. Ivens?
This was the same line that one of the ceebbeebee/beebeecee news editors; “if government/political leadership tells us something, then we accept that as the truth”.
Ivers is only reaffirming this fact. The naivety that the oligarch owned media or for that matter government owned propaganda outfit passed as news organisations will carry the truth, is the basis of the success of these scoundrels to lie day after day, without ever getting caught or people doubting them.
Stop using the oligarch owned media as sources of information. These disinformation constructs should only be used as pointers to a hidden agenda that needs to be exposed. The plutocrats want to own your mind, they own your puny lives, but are afraid of your minds. These minds they cannot control directly so indirect root of the oligarch owned media is the construct of choice. On the other hand the vile, nauseating keyboard brigade are injected to this blog and elsewhere to reinforce the same controlled narrative.
That is just vintage Craig. “Nodules”.
The crappier the media in general gets the better Craig gets
Sorry for re posting this here. I’m just trying my best to provide another story for next Sunday Mr. Ivens.
Tonight it looks like these three sisters and their children have been allowed to leave the country.
The BBC’s security correspondent Gordon Corera was weaving the default position for them tonight, putting out the speculation that these sister’ might have contacted police and ensured in conversation that they would only go to Jeddah.’
Now that scenario would have set all sorts of alarms off and the opposite would have happened, but it did not.
So, did the British police/gchq let these sisters go, with full knowledge of their goals, ffs they have been listening to the conversations with their brother, already in Dyria, a narrative they can control, a narrative that support the official agenda to eavesdrop on Muslims, and, take the focus away from other activities that are going on?
This so called kidnap of children could have easily been controlled by them, they had the handle on them first time they tried to leave, why were they allowed to leave second time round?.
What happened when Murdoch’s Sunday Times published the Downing Street Memo and thus discredited the whole WMD pack of lies?
“Harper’s astonishing admission that “We just publish what we believe to be the position of the British government” caused all of CNN’s audience to rock back in their chairs. But I just took it that a not very bright young man was misspeaking on TV. He did however say almost precisely the same thing twice, in response to two different questions.”
Unfortunately this isn’t as foolish as it sounds.
The BBC have argued, in defence of the position Harper outlined, that their duty is to report, not all the arguments on a particular matter, but the govt position and that of the opposition.
They argue that this is right and proper because they’re the elected representatives of the broad debate within the country.
That seems to be the way it works.
Broadly.
So to, for the NYT, the former ‘paper of record’ suffering under the pressure of Boards demanding ever-increasing percentage growth with each quarterly report to the board members; you know the ones with the lion’s-share of shares who feel a camaraderie with the guy who has one share?
Remember; the NYT gave us Judith Miller without a second thought to the readers….
A truly remarkable state of affair,when the editor of the Times takes his cue from the government.
Journalism in the UK,is on the verge of losing all credibility,in my opinion the Telegraph,acts in a similar fashion.
But what can be done to combat the blatant,misrepresentation of the truth,or will we just have to hope, that we the public can spot these, prevarications.
“Journalism in the UK,is on the verge of losing all credibility”
lol. I know the guardian did some stuff that’s useful, kind of, a bit…But what creditability? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNgFDFibit0
I go outside UK or small independents.
Excoriated seems an appropriate word.
Poking to see if he’ll squeak Craig ?
It seems to me that Cameron is guilty of wilfully trying to mislead us, how could he not know/ok it ?
The consensus seems to be, that it was intended as another prop in the wall of fear around the establishment, in order to restrict our freedom,
by spying on us.
Pesky internet foils fuckwits. Again. Apt.
Defo
I have discovered who the Sunday Times anonymous source actually was, because unlike them I have a capacity for investigative journalism. Will publish when I get a couple more bits of other info.
I have discovered who the Sunday Times anonymous source actually was, because unlike them I have a capacity for investigative journalism. Will publish when I get a couple more bits of other info.
Good digging Craig; your initial posts on Sunday won the game, this evisceration of Mr Ivens wins the set, and if you reveal who the source was that clinches championship point!
Craig; Outstanding. That would be a genuine coup.
Looking forward to the revelation. Well done, Craig!
I’m looking forward to this revelation. Amazing work Craig.
My thoughts? Ok post, but could be shorter maybe…
It illustrates to me the limited importance of this blog is served the best (imo) in the same why as I potentially see the Greens serving. Not in the effort join a party or win votes by it’s prominent figures, but to act more as free agents with the resources/group power available.
And how exactly is obviously beast hashed out by the whole group. Making it stronger ect. But as i’v also said before- suggested an idea of getting a journalist on board, etc, So making it less of less a blog. So less inclusive, interactive etc, also maybe an idea.
To me anyway, as a free agent/activist, member of the public. These added insights into the state have some importance. And with a level of trust within the framework of fallible human beings, fine for what it is I guess…I could care less about posting stuff myself. But I imagine more of the same unfocused stuff, same old BLT clique, Craig worship (historically guilty as charged) etc.
Ps on fallible human beings….Of course (by myself) i’m not among those people. Nor should anyone else be. So I expect strong disagreement. Perfect opinions only please. The mods await you…
The problem is that too many if not most readers of these propaganda diversions want to and do believe what is printed in the MSM, this is why they are repeated. They know that the government and news media lie or spin most of these stories but they are comforting lies that point away from the intractable problems and repression they must submit to in their daily lives.
Resistance is difficult and some say futile but people know the truth even though a worthy goal will not set them free.
“It seems to me that Cameron is guilty of wilfully trying to mislead us”
It seems to me Cameroon is guilty of a litany of crimes and ongoing lies. Does he do any other?
I’m still waiting for him to be held account for subverting the justice system, gross political sentencing. Acting as an agent for the interests of private individuals over the counties interests. But being a total traitor is probably not foremost in the list…Not holding local war criminals to account is probably more significant subversion of justice. But he’s well into that game himself.
Let’s hope for a taste of justice.
I think sometimes, they will trip up badly soon…. But fuck, they are flat on their face, Yet nobody in the whole establishment, MSM, law, etc, has the slightest notion to hold them to it.
No, we must join with Him, Gandalf. We must join with Sauron. It would be wise?
I think that it can go on like this speaks to the toxic nature of this establishment. Reminds me of north Korea’s gift politics…Yes just sigh the oath, your important now.
Craig, was the secret Home Office source a certain “Tyler Drumheller?” probably not. . .
meanwhile, a 75 year old blog author is ‘celebrating’ 3 years incarceration tomorrow of Julian
http://warisacrime.org/content/british-trash-magna-carta-bowing-us-diktat-assange
and Norway has offered to help the current situation by arresting Edward Snowden!
http://www.thelocal.no/20150617/norway-refuses-to-let-snowden-in-for-free-speech-prize
BBC R4 did briefly report this a.m. that 2015 has seen sixty-million homeless due to war, a massive increase over the last decade according to the U.N. BBC didn’t connect any dots as to why this might be, that might involve thinking, journalism, nodules etc