Who is watching?

Nervous politicians and media people await the Leveson Report on the press. 

Can media moguls be trusted to regulate their own money-making ventures? 

Should there be more control over a free press?

And what about 'public interest' and public scrutiny?

History has shown that the public love to gobble up scandalous stories about famous people, whether or not they are true. It sells papers and much else besides.

In the changed world, where 24 hour news is available from many sources, each with its own flavour or bias, checking on facts, rather than chasing rumours generated by Twitter or Facebook, is an increasingly impossible job. Who watches the watchers? Who can be trusted? What can we believe?

How do the rest of us cope?

Obviously, the Bible doesn't address these issues directly, but it does speak clearly about lying and gossip, and not believing someone because they happen to be rich.

Paul was very aware that Christian people should live differently from the surrounding culture. 'So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshipping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behaviour, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.' (Colossians 3.5-10)

Paul's list of things we should have nothing to do with covers our modern obsessions with being greedy for the latest scandal, delighting in seeing the reputations of others destroyed, passing on scandalous allegations, and imagining the sexual failures of others, whether it is Silvio Berlusconi, or someone else. 

It seems to me that we all have to learn self-regulation, whether or not the press get muzzled. We are being watched by those around us, and we have a chance to live to higher values, refusing to wallow in the gutter with those who make money from it.

Best wishes,

Richard