The Times Online.....

As I sat today, waiting for a seminar to begin, I felt all happy and nice, as the afternoon had seen the first sunshine of the year (I got a bit carried away however, and even brought out my sunglasses). But, just as I thought about who I needed to text, and what I felt like doodling (which is not to say that I don't pay attention, of course), my content little buzz unexpectedly fizzled. As I looked up, a 'panel' of ageing men (and one lonely little woman) had gathered in front of me, facing me. These people were journalists, and learning of their conquests did manage a few tingles down my spine. They were there to discuss ethics with my seminar group and I. How ironic.
The conversation quickly turned to, and stayed on, online journalism. Basically, as the internet becomes the centre of more and more people's lives, newspapers are dying. News is free and much more accessible online. However, this obviously means there is no censorship over what's being put on the internet. So those looking for the latest headlines are exposed to heavy bias and lies.
However, it made me wonder, tons of information may be available to us, but, as with newspapers too, it's our own decision as to what we listen to. Even though I could pretend to know what I'm talking about and lie about something, or write a really biased blog, even the most prestigious broadsheets have bias.
Especially when it comes to politics. Have you ever read a headline praising an MP, or giving Government and sort of positive spin? Please let me know if you have, because I really can't think of any evidence for this. It's human nature to complain, and even if an article is written by an experienced journalist that sees its way through 20 staff before making it in print, there'll be at least some shred of bias, somewhere.
But, as I said, it's our own decision to read, and believe what we like. But should I feel guilty for having a blog? Am I indulging in the messy, biased tangle of citizen journalism that's bringing the printing press screeching to a halt?
I was told recently, that two of the lecturers at my University, write false information into Wikipedia, just because they can. I guess their reasoning behind this is that it will teach people to rely on such a website for information. And that they're plain evil.
If I ever choose online news over a newspaper, I apologise to all the journalists out there whose careers I'm ruining. But you try reading the Sunday Times in the bath, and you'll understand.