Tuesday 23 May 2006

A Journalist's Inclination

Every journalist ought to struggle against that inclination of his to call brave those efforts of which he approves; yet typically it seems to him to be the most tiresome obligation, for which he has neither the pip nor the principle. An example:
Hilary Benn’s foray into war-torn, drought-plagued Somalia last week was a brave attempt to focus attention on the land the world forgot. [1]
It’s not as if Mr Benn was ordered to take Hill 523, armed with nothing but a bread-knife and a winning smile. Rather, he had a quick shuftie around a refugee camp, and then he came home, pledging to spend somebody else’s money. Biggety perhaps, but hardly brave.
[1] Simon Tisdall, “The land the world forgot”, The Guardian, 23rd May 2006.

1 comment:

niconoclast said...

Verily is Hillary a chip off the old bloc.