Arbitrators of the Domineering Estate,

The press have too much power. I ask what does each individual reporter gain from presenting a version of events that may not describe the full sequence but triggers a reaction or creates a prejudice within his or her reader. Do they gain greater wages? Do they get a pat on the back from an editor or owner who has an agenda? Do they have to work less?

I was tempted by a vacancy advertisement for a maternity leave cover reporter for the Glenrothes Gazette and St. Andrews Citizen. Only St. Andrews would have such a pompous moniker for their local newspaper. ”Citizen” is an unusual word in our country because of the monarchy, to label something a citizen is to suggest it is strong, bold, noble and independent – adjectives the inhabitants of St. Andrews would have no problem describing themselves with, the truth is they wouldn’t stand a chance anywhere else.

Of course, I have a commitment to a line of work, but words and writing have always interested me. Initially, I liked admired my own beautiful handwriting. The widespread use of computers has not ended my enjoyment, I like presenting facts, ideas and opinions, I think often about structure and words. I notice instances in other people’s work that I am uncomfortable with, unfortunately, this extends to speech. Don’t dare say, “I’ll try and do that.” The correct form should be, “I’ll try to do that.”

I don’t think I want to public conception; I just want them to be more discerning. The public seems to adopt opinions and schools of thought without having much evidence. The public accepts beliefs too easily. I don’t know if Gordon Brown is hopeless but it seems everyone has decided he is. Today, we are told that David Milliband said that the motives behind government policies need to be better explained to the public so that they could understand changes they implement.

Such actions are needed but people need to realise that politicians are not to blame for everything. Every time I walk down to the local sports centre, I can guarantee that some local youths will shout some “smart” comments at me. I would never be so daring as to confront a stranger, who is minding their own business, in the street. They seem to fear little. They gain nothing from the encounter, but it adds to my dissatisfaction with my environment. Realistically, the police cannot be expected to deal with such a brief, and relatively harmless, instance. The damage is already done due to the upbringing of the miscreants and unless they change their behaviour and attitude towards society, they will get the punishment they deserve – a life close to the poverty line. Of course, these people will be future statistics used in parliamentary debate and a politician is criticised for inflicting change, people will forget that the actual people behind the statistics made no effort to better the lives of others. These are probably considered distinctly right-wing views but I guess all that we can hope for from the politicians is efforts to make sure that everyone gets what they deserve. Part of the job of the press is to make sure everyone understands what they deserve.