283. The trouble with journalists these days

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I‘ve lately had several interesting experiences with traditional media, including the BBC and Spanish papers. The routine is well honed. They ask for an interview and contact you with a few questions. Your answers are then edited, taken out of context, mixed in a perverse ratatouille with information, not always true, they’ve gathered elsewhere (in what they call investigative journalism, basically writing a few sentences in Google and clicking on a random selection of clicks presented) and printed as an article or interview where truth, inaccuracy and misrepresentation fight in equal terms for space. Headlines are concocted with the sole objective of generating clicks and complete disregard for veracity or coherence with the body of the piece. You are only safe from misrepresentation when between quote marks. The final result is reminiscent of Frankenstein, not the beautiful and insightful Mary Shelley romantic novel, but its main character, the conflicted, well meaning, ugly monster 

Length: 998 characters

Location: Hereford, UK

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