Re: Molly – Daily Prophet – Lockhart – Sirius’s non-trial

[meboriqua at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 19605

--- In HPforGrownups at y..., "Amy Z" <aiz24 at h...> wrote:
> 
> Unfortunately, I think Molly's in good, or at least voluminous, 
> company with this one.  Most people know that tabloids and such are 
> gossip and lies, and they might even say "oh, that rag, I don't 
> believe a word it says," but they still read them and are affected 
by 
> what they say.  There's a strong tendency to believe something just 
> because it's in print, even if the previous week the same writer in 
> the same publication wrote things you knew were lies.  There must be 
> a name for this phenomenon, or perhaps one of our Latin scholars 
> could coin one.  (And a spell to counteract it would be good too, 
> while you're at it.)>

I definitely agree with you, Amy, and was thinking the same thing.  
Once something has been printed, the damage is often done, whether or 
not the information is true or nothin' but lies.  On a smaller scale, 
gossip does the same thing, and boy, does that start some vicious 
fights with my students! 

When it comes to Harry and his world, Harry is already a target - 
everyone seems to have an opinion about him because he is so well 
known.  He is a bit of mystery to many, and in CoS, he was ostracized 
pretty quickly, first for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, 
and then for speaking Parseltongue, and being misunderstood with his 
intentions for speaking it.  People are already suspicious of him, 
making it that much easier for Rita Skeeter to take a bit of 
information and run with it, thus turning Harry into even more of a 
media sensations.
> 
> Also, the issue has come up about how Rita Skeeter could be writing 
> for the Prophet.  That assumes that the DP is like the Times (New 
> York, LA, London, take your pick), but perhaps it's more like the NY 
> Daily News-—a tabloid that is highly unreliable and sensationalistic 
> but that is still the daily source of "straight news" for its 
> readership.

Hmmm... I'd say The NY Post was more tabloid-ish.  The Daily News is a 
step above, with its focus being primarily local news (even though 
their articles on NYC teachers make me livid).  I actually don't mind 
The Daily News too much.

--jenny from ravenclaw*******************************