Rita Skeeter - the background in the British Press (Longish)

[junediamanti]

No: HPFGUIDX 82671

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Geoff Bannister" 
<gbannister10 at a...> wrote:
> --- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "junediamanti" 
> <june.diamanti at b...> wrote:
> 
> 
> June:
> > IMHO the Daily Prophet is not the Times.  It is the Daily Mirror 
or 
> > the Daily Mail (these are tabloid newspapers and therefore 
> > downmarket) the Mail is conservative aligned and the Mirror is 
> > largely pro-Tony Blair.  The broadsheet press do not largely 
employ the likes of Rita Skeeters.  
> > >> 
> Geoff:
> I beg to differ. The wizarding world appears to have two papers -
>  "The Daily Prophet" and "The Quibbler".

Your opinion - and valid - I'm not quarrelsome!

However, if I'm wrong - would you please point out the Times 
equivalent of Rita?
> 
> I feel that the DP would be nearer to "The Times". The latter 
paper 
> is often considered to be very much "the" paper and it carries 
> official information. The Court Circular for example details 
> movements of the Royal Family and there will be reports of goings-
on 
> in Parliament often extracted from the official record Hansard and 
> much political action outside of Westminster is frequently 
covered. 
> The DP is obviously the mouthpiece of the Ministry of Magic and 
under 
> a considerable degree of control by Fudge 

Many newspapers in the UK are mouthpieces of the government because 
their owners will it that way.  This was notorious under the last 
Conservative administration (Murdoch owned papers in particular) but 
regrettably the Labour Government (pace Alastair) seem to have 
picked up this ball and run with it.

Then shall we compromise in our search for an RL Rita and select the 
Daily Telegraph - perhaps Rita is Petronella Wyatt (LOL)?


> 
> "The Quibbler"? To those who know it, I would equate it to 
> the "Sunday Sport".

Yes indeed. Americans would recognise the National Enquirer or 
People Magazine.

I hold by my views that JKR is saying what she feels she needs to 
about the British Press, and to do this has created an amalgam of 
many of the elements that make it up into two publications only. 
Possibly a full depiction of the WW journalism would take another 
book entirely.  I do know that JKR has actually had legal run ins 
with the press (regarding privacy) which I believe must inform some 
of her writing.  

I see elements of a good many british newspapers (across the class 
and political spectrum in the UK) in the Daily Prophet.  I also see 
a good many of the uglier aspects of our press in JKR's depiction of 
the Prophet.  Furthermore, I hold to my earlier opinion that she is 
also making a nod to the very real government intervention in the 
press - which in the UK of spin - we know to be true.

If anything she says lights fires in the young people who read the 
books not to take everything that is printed in the press as 
absolute truth, but rather as deserving of a healthy scepticism 
then, power to her.

Whatever we think about the press in the RL - there is no excuse 
whatever for the DP treatment of Harry.  

June