To protest: the encouragement of public expression of distaste or objection towards an idea, action, or law. A solid form that rises from within Britain’s unwritten constitution; within her democratic system. For hundreds of years, Britons have gathered in their masses to outline what the people need; what the people want. Protests come with the freedom of expression; the freedom of opinion; the freedom to be who you want to be. But what they don’t come with is violence; that is, until the police ride in, ready to strike.
2021 has been…well…interesting. Only three months in and we have already seen the power of protests and sadly, the violent undertakings of the police. With the hopes that a new year would bring more positivity, we are yet to see a change in our political landscape and are set for a tumultuous ride.
Does the media already have a pre-assigned agenda?
Most media outlets pride themselves on objectivity, refusing to provide opinionated and territorial claims that would brandish their companies. The BBC, ITV, and Sky all work towards this centre of gravity, a place where opinion is placed on the back shelf and left to wither and turn grey, only to be found years later in old age, too shrivelled to survive.
Just last month, the UK was prey to tens of protests across the country: protesting for female safety on the streets; to ‘kill the bill’; and against wearing masks and lockdown. Whilst we have witnessed – and for some of us, even experienced – varying themes and assets arising from a clearly begruntled and quite stagnant population , one thing is clear. There is definitely a disparity in media coverage; a prejudice if you will. And this is not democratic.
How easy is it to abandon your values and report objectively?
We are all human – drive and passion are constants in our bones; in our DNA. Can you feel that? That little tiny flutter in the middle of your chest that continues to burn, so strongly that one day, there is this fiery hunger, this unquenchable thirst. And that’s when you know you have it. That’s when you become a threat to the very institutions which hold us all together.
“Is this why the media struggles to completely objectify their reports?”
Our values are embedded within our flesh, sewn together like seeds in a pretty garden plot. They are not something you can just abandon like an old tissue or a rotten apple. These values are what make us unique, what gives us that drive to wake up in the morning and without them, we are lost.
Is this why the media struggles to completely objectify their reports? Why they seemingly provide a disparity in duty and care?
Vigil vs anti-maskers march – who will win?
Without any context, if asked this question, what would the general response be? If both came head-to-head, who would the police support? Who would the police criminalise? Women who were gathering at a peaceful vigil in memory of a young woman targeted, kidnapped, and murdered on her walk home at night? Or anti-maskers, branding the Coronavirus as a mythical beast invented by politicians to ‘control’ the population? Seems like an easy question doesn’t it. Why isn’t the answer then?
On Saturday 13th March, thousands gathered in Clapham Common to pay their respects to a young woman abused by the system and failed by those who should have been there to protect her. Women gathered around a bandstand lain with flowers, shining candles that lit the night sky to provide a beacon of hope.
“our faith was tarnished”
There they were, standing peacefully; standing with respect; standing in solidarity. But then they came. The men and women in yellow and black. The men and women with no empathy, no compassion. The men and women who came and conquered.
Only four were arrested but the damage had already been done. Whilst the police force was left unscathed, our faith was tarnished. The bloodied shouts, the brute hands gripping those innocent women – all reminders of a troubled country, a troubled nation.
One week later and things took a turn for the worse…
On Saturday 20 March, thousands gathered in London to protest against lockdown measures, marching from Hyde Park to Westminster in a frenzy of agitation. Roads were blocked, signs were held high, and arrests were made. But there was no violence. Not one police officer laid a finger on the protestors. Not one. How’s that for democracy?
Does the full story ever make it to the news?
The media is a wonderful thing – when it wants to be. It is a stark representation of the level of democracy that exists within our country and the opportunities available to each and every soul; to speak our minds – when it suits. But does the full story ever make it to the news?
“are we always given the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?”
What is completely fascinating about the news is its dynamic and energetic nature. From Westminster to Buckingham Palace, Manchester to Leeds, the news is everywhere. It listens, it follows, it tells stories. But are we always given the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
What even is the truth? Our nation is bound so tightly by webs of lies and misdemeanours that even I don’t know what is real and what is just a figment of my own imagination, or even worse, this distorted collective imagination we all seem to be bobbing along to, like our favourite track on the UK Top 40 – if you even listen to that.
Can the media move forward?
The media industry is a vast landscape, a wilderness with outposts spread few and far between, with opinions dying just as others are thriving. In some ways, it is a treacherous path. It is so easy to sink into what appears to be a pool of opportunity and freedom but instead turns into a pit of hopelessness and despair. The media is only as good as its reporters and sometimes this tends to be forgotten. Sometimes, what we report is not the whole truth and it bears the question – will it ever be?
Madeleine Raine
Featured image courtesy of Clay Banks via Unsplash. This image has in no way been altered. Image license is available here.