Paper Review
10 Apr
A classic piece of non-story journalism making the front page of a newspaper and stirring up what Charlie Brooker describes as ‘Nowtrage – the lame and unconvincing tabloid outrage designed to create a self-perpetuating storm of controversy.’
The publication: Bristol Evening Post. The non-story: An 18-month driving ban for a Bristol woman who has just twelve months to live and the gist of the 860 words of bilge? A terminally-ill woman who, as terminally ill people do or are doing, is dying. She has cancer. She was caught drink-driving by police. She broke the law. She got caught.
For no real reason, the article makes the point that it was the day after her first session of Chemotherapy and that for this reason, the police had the temerity to carry out their duty of protecting and serving the public. As a result of having been caught breaking the law, in what the – 12 months to live – individual describes as a “stupid mistake,” she has been handed an 18 month ban from driving.You do the Math.
The Evening Post has gone to town with planting the seeds of public and moral outrage that a woman who is dying is unable to have the simple luxury of driving from A to B in her final days-be it for appointments or pleasure trips. The article dwells not on the fact she was twice the legal limit of intoxication and that she had collided with a parked car when she was in ‘control’ of her vehicle whilst making a trip to Tesco to buy some cat food.
It isn’t until some way into the article that we see the extent of the individual’s stupid and life threatening behaviour that could have ended so much worse, the article states:
“The night before the crash, friends had come over for pizza and wine to try to cheer Mrs Brown up after her first gruelling session of chemo.”
“The following day she was “feeling a bit grotty” and hadn’t planned on going anywhere, so she slowly finished off a bottle of wine from the night before.”
It is devastating that a life is being cut short by a disease such as cancer, but it does not justify any sympathy or leniency for the illegal actions of someone who is living out their final days.
If anything, the article should highlight the appalling level of care provision for people with illnesses that cannot get to hospital appointments and the need for additional resources and healthcare facilities such as home visits.
