Wanted: Fiercely independent journalists

We are all being cheated and denied a truly independent media. Think Murdoch and the disgraceful antics of his personnel - hacking? - and the one-sided and biased reporting and commentary published in his newspapers. And then there is his Fox News, about which the less said the better.

We need journalists with courage - and proprietors who will back them.

"The obligations of the media are to inform, to scrutinise and to hold governments to account for decisions made in our name. The public interest should be at the centre of decisions taken in media organisations and should inform the culture of media organisations.

But the mainstream media are notorious for letting the public down. Why can’t the mainstream media fulfil this role adequately? Well the answer lies in timidity, conformism, a cynical and unwarranted sense of superiority in relation to the public, and vested interest.

There is little room for new ideas in the mainstream media. You see copycat rundowns and copycat angles on stories: the same view of what is newsworthy and the same assessment of the essence of the story, unfortunately too often ignoring the fundamental issue at the heart of a story for the trivial political squabble over a detail. Those in positions of power love this. As long as we are not engaged in questioning the basis of many assumptions, they can get on with the serious business of running the country without being challenged by a public distracted by trivia, led by media addicted to sloganeering politicians and media beholden to proprietors like Murdoch, Stokes, Packer and Rinehart whose interests they must protect."

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Reading the Chilcot Inquiry Report more closely

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Robert Fisk's predictions for the Middle East in 2013

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An unpalatable truth!

Quinoa has for the last years been the "new" food on the block for foodies. Known for its health properties, foodies the world over have taken to it. Many restaurants have added it to their menu. But, as this piece " Can vegans stomach the unpalatable truth about quinoa? " from The Guardian so clearly details, the cost to Bolivians and Peruvians - from where quinoa hails - has been substantial. "Not long ago, quinoa was just an obscure Peruvian grain you could only buy in wholefood shops. We struggled to pronounce it (it's keen-wa, not qui-no-a), yet it was feted by food lovers as a novel addition to the familiar ranks of couscous and rice. Dieticians clucked over quinoa approvingly because it ticked the low-fat box and fitted in with government healthy eating advice to "base your meals on starchy foods". Adventurous eaters liked its slightly bitter taste and the little white curls that formed around the grains. Vegans embraced quinoa as

Mahler's Prodigal Son

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