A foundation for the future of journalism
..journalism, and the people who practise it, and the men (yes, it's almost all men) who control newspapers, have never been held in such low esteem by the public they are meant to serve. It is easy for we journalists to be defensive: this skulduggery was practised only by a small minority, and one of the prices to be paid for having the vibrant and diverse press we have in Britain is occasional unruliness born of competition. But that's not quite the point, and in any case it shouldn't be left to journalists to defend journalism. Better Thomas Jefferson, who said that, given a choice between government without newspapers and newspapers without government, he would unhesitatingly choose the latter.
That's because journalism, one of whose purposes is perfectly described by the Palestinian-based writer Amira Hass as "to monitor the centres of power", belongs to us all. Free speech, which we take for granted in the mature democracies of the West, is not the exclusive property of journalists, but is in public ownership, and beyond valuation. Against the backdrop of Leveson, it may be deeply unfashionable to say so, but journalism in all its forms can be, and usually is, an overwhelming force for good.
As we trawl through the gutter of the Street of Shame over the forthcoming months, it will be as well to remember that. In this context, today sees the launch of The Journalism Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to promote, develop and support free, fair and independent journalism anywhere in the world through projects that have a direct and positive effect on people's lives.
For instance, one of the characteristics of the Arab Spring, whose unpredictable after-effects are still being played out across the region, is the revolutionary zeal to take advantage of newly won freedoms. The Journalism Foundation, in partnership with London's City University, is setting up the first practical training courses for journalists in Tunisia, where more than 100 media companies have been granted business licences and 20 newspapers have launched since the downfall of the regime.
