To: letters@guardian.co.uk
Re: What motivates the media
Date: Monday 8 March 04

Dear Mr Preston,

I liked your article in today's Guardian ("Prime time for liars and sleaze artists"), but was surprised that you did not seem to know the answer to the very important question you posed:

Why does the media dance to the tune of Peter Foster and his ilk?

Not withstanding those good and admirable media people, like yourself, I am sure, and many others who work for the Guardian, much of the media dances to the tune of liars and fraudsters because it suits them to do so. It helps them to sell papers or increase viewer ratings, and/or to promote their own political agenda or views.

In fact, even the Guardian and its sister paper The Observer are far from being above reproach, as an article in yesterday's Observer illustrates: "Downing St rejects lurid claim about guru Caplin", which fits nicely into these papers bias against the prime minister, and many of whose readers will want to believe that the slurs are true. Perhaps they are. I don't know. It raises doubts even in me, even though I am more pro than anti Blair. Experience has taught me that there is often a grain of truth even among a pile of lies; and don't we all love to pick out the grains (true or not) which fit in with the views we already have?

The media - like money - is vital to modern society, but both are so extensively misused that very few people recognise just how bad (corrupt) things really are. When something is perfectly normal (usual) we are inclined (programmed and conditioned) to assume that it is normal (okay, or at least, not too bad).