Seven weeks ago working through a stack of London dailies while heading home one paper was special. The Independent, which had recently been purchased by new owners. Naturally a new design followed, and naturally questions emerged about the editorial voice. As part of a full statement regarding the redesign Editor in Chief Simon Klelner took a clear stand:
We hope you like how the new Independent looks. But we would most like to be judged by the quality of our content. We make no apologies for erring on the side of seriousness; these are serious times and we believe that what is most needed on the media landscape is a newspaper that is truly free of proprietorial influence and political affiliation (something no other paper can claim) to make some sense of the world around us.
You may not always agree with what we say, but it is spoken from the heart, and from a standpoint that's untainted by commercial or political imperatives. We have never been fearful of taking an unpopular stand, nor of highlighting issues that others might think unfashionable. We shall continue to do that. And as the election approaches, the need for a truly independent voice is greater than ever.
In the end, however, it's you, the reader, who will judge us. We take your views very seriously (hence an expanded letters section) and look forward to hearing your opinions on the new Independent. In the meantime, we hope we can count on your vote.
A statement of transparency, integrity and reader participation. In era where facts are increasingly commodotized editorial or curation emerges as the more precious and scarce commodity. However, with either easily comes bias. Where as once your selection of media reflected social status, proudly displayed on the train or when delivered each morning, today status comes with the device.
But bias emerges and already nascent media exhibit bias. We expect it in newspapers, and of course round the clock cable news, because it meets a human desire to want to reinforce one's world view. But personal media as well exhibits great bias.
A publication that clearly states its purpose is notable. Naturally, those having bias prefer not to draw attention to it for fear of turning off unsuspecting customers. But, something for everyone surely interests no one.
Comments