It's amazing, the Sun is usually so far up the Polices arse it must hurt. Convicting people as soon as they are arrested. Taking immense joy at the violation of the lives of "crims". Now the police are looking into the activities of some of their staff and the Sun staff. The Police staff for accepting bribes and the Sun staff for paying those bribes.
The sight of Bloggers like Fleet Street Fox, normally strong Police supporters, almost Law and Order freaks, moaning at the activities of the Police because it affecting their colleagues is very sad. If we wonder why parts of the press thought they could get away with phone tapping it far easier to understand when the degree of self righteousness is fully exposed.
They see themselves as the Fourth Estate, beyond the law and so full of integrity that they should not even be questioned. Paul McMullan got away with his activities not because everyone would have done what he did, but because of the pervading view that the ends justify the means. The press see the ends as being holding governments to task, they are all Woodward and Bernstein and they should be allowed a free hand on the off chance that they, while rummaging through the bins of the rich and famous, may find a major scandal.
In reality they have the "Public Interest" defence but they have to be in a court to use that defence. What they want is to be beyond the law, while judging everyone else.
The claims that the raids are excessive are ridiculous up and down the country people will have been woken up by a search team with a warrant for investigations into far less serious offences. It may be true that it's heavy handed but when the hand was on the shoulder of others it was OK, especially if the journos got to tag along and sensationalise the events in there outlets.
Will we see are more sympathetic portrait of the accused and the people subject to the subtle investigation techniques of the police as a result of these events. No.
The sight of Bloggers like Fleet Street Fox, normally strong Police supporters, almost Law and Order freaks, moaning at the activities of the Police because it affecting their colleagues is very sad. If we wonder why parts of the press thought they could get away with phone tapping it far easier to understand when the degree of self righteousness is fully exposed.
They see themselves as the Fourth Estate, beyond the law and so full of integrity that they should not even be questioned. Paul McMullan got away with his activities not because everyone would have done what he did, but because of the pervading view that the ends justify the means. The press see the ends as being holding governments to task, they are all Woodward and Bernstein and they should be allowed a free hand on the off chance that they, while rummaging through the bins of the rich and famous, may find a major scandal.
In reality they have the "Public Interest" defence but they have to be in a court to use that defence. What they want is to be beyond the law, while judging everyone else.
The claims that the raids are excessive are ridiculous up and down the country people will have been woken up by a search team with a warrant for investigations into far less serious offences. It may be true that it's heavy handed but when the hand was on the shoulder of others it was OK, especially if the journos got to tag along and sensationalise the events in there outlets.
Will we see are more sympathetic portrait of the accused and the people subject to the subtle investigation techniques of the police as a result of these events. No.
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