If we needed any confirmation about the sad state of our newspapers here in the UK, this morning’s editions surely provide the evidence that the once noble institution of Fleet Street has waved the white flag and surrendered.
Yes, I know they all moved out of Fleet Street years ago. That was probably the moment when the rot set in. The challenge of modern media and new methods of communication could have opened up new horizons and spurred investigative journalism on in its task of holding the establishment to account. Instead, most of our once great newspapers are now owned by proprietors who have little interest in real journalism and news reporting, preferring to instruct their poor staff to produce comics that peddle savage attacks on the politicians they don’t want us to vote for, while failing to hold the ones they support to account.
I used to care about the future of many of these newspapers. But why waste our money on this rubbish? Perhaps it is time to say good riddance.