The Press and the Establishment. Part One.

Part One of "The Press and the Establishment"

The first thing that I must make very clear is that I have an axe to grind. When it is ground to a very fine edge I wish to use it, figuratively, to cut through the defensive wall that surrounds the Press Complaints Commission. [PCC]

The second thing that I must, hand on heart proclaim, is that until three years or so ago I never, even lightheartedly, thought about "The Establishment".

Strangely the growing need for a sharp axe to attack the wall around the PCC fostered and directed my thoughts about "The Establishment". The reason being, that at that time, two of the top men in the PCC were "Knights of the Realm" and, trustingly naive that I was, through my rose tinted spectacles I could see them charging, on snow white steeds, to the aid of a common man. How wrong I was.

Very briefly:
I "self" published "An Adult Stocking Filler", a book of short stories.
A local paper in West Sussex reviewed it.
There was a major inaccuracy in the review.
Played for or not the inaccuracy supported a sarcastic theme of the review
I delivered a letter by hand to the office of the paper. In the letter I pointed out the inaccuracy to the Editor.
Two weeks later, by the same method, I again pointed out the inaccuracy to the Editor.
The next day I received a reply, from the Editor, to my first letter. It stated, simply, that my remarks had been noted.

Purely by chance, in a free local paper, I saw a notice informing readers about the PCC. I wrote to the PCC and complained about the inaccuracy.

A very long and protracted correspondence then followed, I must shoulder some of the blame for this. Initially I was very impressed with the modus operandi of the PCC and their proclaimed aims, I commented along those lines to them. When, eventually, the Commission came to a decision I was totally amazed with it and, consequently and subsequently, developed a very deep sense of injustice about several aspects of how my complaint had been handled.

This blog about "The Press and the Establishment" will be continued in Part Two.

Frederick W Gilling. Thursday 29 October 2009.