On Quality Journalism

Posted by
MadScientist (Düsseldorf, Germany) on 11 October 2008 in Architecture and Portfolio.

Friday evening, stock markets in panic, one of our fabulous public service broadcasters features a special broadcast on the financial crisis. 15 minutes, just the facts. So I thought.

After a short and incomplete description of the situation our Financial Minister, Peer Steinbrück, is interviewed. The interviewer wants to know if the German government plans to initiate a national rescue plan like other European governments intend to do.

Steinbrück: No comment. Too early to second-guess now.

The interviewer tries to modify his question once more, and once again, but Steinbrück is unwilling to answer. The only hint he wants to give is that there are some preparations and that institutions in need for help would have to fulfill strong requirements. Thank you, Finance Minister, end of broadcast.

Huh!? Why is this TV bletherer, who gets his salaries from public money, unable to insist on an answer to his questions? Why does a democratically elected politician think that people at home - taxpayers - don't have to get to know about our government's next steps that will cost some billion Euros? Why aren't we told if private banks will survive this adventure? Of course nobody wants to fan fear, but is it too old-fashioned to expect at least a hint of transparency in a democratic constitutional state? Why not a single question on HRE, its to be expected financial needs of 100 billion Euros next year and these tax-haven companies with voting rights at HRE Holding?

As I've already written in earlier postings, I really don't know anything about this financial stuff. The few factoids I've learned are from a few blogs ('Rebellen ohne Markt' (rebels without a market, German), 'The Big Picture', 'Weissgarnix' (know-nothing - German), Dealbreaker) and 'Marketwatch'. It's a shame to get no, absolutely no valuable information from our super-expensive, super-influential and super-superficial public broadcasters.

(Image: bays of St. Victor's Cathedral, Xanten)

My (old) coffee-table book of selected postings.

More MadScientist: eclecticimaging.tumblr.com, the guy behind this blog

Comments (8)

akarui from Kagoshima, Japan

Nice up view. Have a nice weekend.

11 Oct 2008 8:18am

@akarui: Thanks! Same to you!

Howard F. from South Pasadena, Calif., United States

Incredible perspective shot and fantastic graphic. Well done.

11 Oct 2008 8:46am

@Howard F.: Thanks, Howard! What would my photography be without these magnificent churches?

GJC from Kyoto, Japan

Fine image with a clever perspective. The frame is very well divided.

11 Oct 2008 10:23am

@GJC: Thanks a lot!

Laurie from New Jersey, United States

Lovely image. Your words and observations have distracted me from your wonderful images! Now stop that! :-D

You make me think too much about something which I feel totally helpless about and have no control over! Oh well sigh...

11 Oct 2008 1:03pm

@Laurie: Some of these uncontrolled games in the markets will come to an end, sooner or later. But I'm afraid we will have to pay a big price for this. More about this on Sunday. And thanks for the compliments! :-)

dj.tigersprout from San Bruno, CA, United States

just splendid -- this looking up thing is really paying off for you!! ;) excellent lines - a beautiful and engaging shot!!

11 Oct 2008 5:37pm

@dj.tigersprout: I sometimes wished to fly like a bird in these amazing churches and to be able to have a look at all the details. :-)

Observing from West Cheshire, United Kingdom

Unparalled beauty, and expertly captured.

That Steinbruck refuses to be drawn into giving an answer basically means that he is a good politician, only dummies give answers on TV. Bush, Blair or Brown never give a straight yes or no.

No matter 'what' question is put to Brown he automatically responds with buzzwords:

... we will ensure stability in the banking world..... I know how hard working families are feeling so I want to make clear that we will do everything to help those families...... This is a global crisis but we are in a better position than any other country to come through it.

No mention is made of the billions of pounds of the ''public money'' that has been invested and is now lost.

The General Executive of Shell said today that oil prices have come down, but it will take time for pump prices to drop. WHY ? Gas prices have increased by 150% and still rising WHY, I thought gas was coupled to the oil price !

No MS, what we need is a revolution to get rid of every corrupt government and all its taxes.

12 Oct 2008 1:56am

@Observing: Time has come. "Peace to the hovels! Death to the palaces!" (Büchner)

Twelvebit from Victoria, United States

It's a shame to get no, absolutely no valuable information from our super-expensive, super-influential and super-superficial public broadcasters.

Why? That's their job, to run interference for the criminals running the country. Television is nearly 100% devoid of serious content. You can argue it's just a response to the demands of the market, but I think that's just an excuse, and worse, an abuse of what should be a public trust.

The General Executive of Shell said today that oil prices have come down, but it will take time for pump prices to drop. WHY ? Gas prices have increased by 150% and still rising WHY, I thought gas was coupled to the oil price !

That's interesting, because gas around here has gotten cheaper in the last couple weeks and prices appear to still be on the decline. Could it be because we have a presidential election coming up? Nah, right? --it's all just part of the "free market."

Of course nobody wants to fan fear, but is it too old-fashioned to expect at least a hint of transparency in a democratic constitutional state?

Apparently. See "US 2008 Presidential race," where, during a worldwide crisis and US economic meltdown, and in the midst of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Pakistan, the big issue before the electorate is that Obama knows a guy who used to be in the Weather Underground --30 years ago, when I was a kid, and that Obama's middle name is Hussein. But I guess it doesn't matter because, perhaps, that's all most of the electorate is capable of understanding. Certainly the economic issues are far too complex and require far too much knowledge and intelligence to be understood by 95% of the population, no matter where in the world that population resides.

12 Oct 2008 4:50pm

@Twelvebit: abuse of what should be a public trust: Correct. I could even live with that if we were not condemned to pay for these anencephalic media experts.

gas price cheaper in the US: I think this is just because of fluctuations of currencies (especially dollar vs. euro) and the unwillingness of power suppliers to lower the prices. I think Mike means 'heating gas', not fuel.

economic issues are far too complex [...] to be understood by 95% of the population: I think another Great Depression will tell a different story. As soon as people notice that it's getting real bad now (an empty wallet and worthless credit cards are strong indicators), they will turn against everything of authority, no matter what political colour this authority has. This is a dangerous situation. Btw.: the crisis is discussed by more people than I thought of, I think those vociferous stirrers just get too much attention.

Twelvebit from Victoria, United States

I could even live with that if we were not condemned to pay for these anencephalic media experts.

You can't escape paying for it. We don't have state financed television here but we're still paying for it less directly. The airwaves are a public commodity (granted, our corporate rulers have been working overtime to banish the concept of "public" from our discourse, except when it is applied to the public paying for corporate losses and misdeeds) and here the airwaves are merely given over to corporate cronies at a fraction of their actual value, thus robbing the public of its property. It's no different that if the government gave oil companies oil off public lands for $10 a barrel (or should I say when instead of if?)

12 Oct 2008 6:53pm

@Twelvebit: The total clearance of public silverware will come to its end when there's nothing left to sell. After that, companies go bankrupt and then are 'rescued' by the state. I would call this a long-term confiscation of the public. In a democratic world this would not mean the worst of all developments. But hard times are sort of a stress test for democracies, ask a German near you.