Friday 11 September 2009

Goliath

Jari Tervo's new satirical novel Koljatti (Goliath) has caused something of a stir in Finland, where the country's current prime minister has found himself mirrored in terms that are none too flattering. Commenting  in Parnasso on the book's portrayal of the clash between media and politics, Jarmo Papinniemi quotes one passage where the central character ruminates on the nature of political reporting:
This is modern journalism.

It uses the tools of crime scene investigators. No longer do they wear baseball caps with the word "PRESS" on them. Now the caps say "CSI". Politics is crime.

Journalism is a trial in which the media is both judge and accuser. The defence is a formality, and it should be confessional in nature.

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