What the papers don't say: Not many news stories around today about David Shayler,
the former MI5 officer currently standing trial at the Old Bailey on charges
under the Official Secrets Act.
But Google News' list of recent 'Shayler'
news stories speaks volumes about the UK government's relationship with
the media and, perhaps, the truth.
'After the judge's ruling on Monday, several articles detailing Mr Shayler's
anticipated evidence - and the government's efforts to keep it secret - were
withdrawn from newspaper websites across the country.' [The
Age].
[Realplayer, QuickTime] In camera: Online fly-on-the-wall
video clips can bring a sense of reality, of life, to a news event in a way
narrated TV reports or newspaper articles can't, says William Powers.
'This is no mere passive journalism of the I-Am-a-Camera school. It's clear
the piece was carefully edited. Given that the editing was done on deadline
(the piece was up on the Web site before 6 p.m.), the results are downright
artful.'
Mark Stencel, vice president for multimedia at washingtonpost.com, tells Powers
how his team stumbled on the unnarrated video form during the 2000 presidential
race:
'There were parts of the conventions where it was more interesting to have
the delegates tell what was going on there than for us to tell you what the
delegates were doing.' [Atlantic
Monthly].