Quote:
Originally Posted by Coen
1)
2) Even if a particular institution were gagged, they are often not the sole source of information - otherwise there would be no debate and you'd be part of the corporate line anyway. If the voters (aka public) wants information there is all sorts out there but I suspect much of it is not in the 10s sound bite & 30s attention span people have for any particular topic they are not directly passionate about. In other words hit the books, journals and so forth and do your own homework rather than wait to be fed a line by a reporter talking to an expert, do the equivalent of talking to the expert yourself. Ring up the experts (assuming you'll not leak information to the press).
|
Cohn
A few things. I was a public servant advising politicians for many years and believe me when we advised ministers etc we always had to do it in what you describe as "in the 10s sound bite & 30s attention span" mode. If we didnt our paper got sent back to be done again (they're just as dumb as us believe me). Secondly, having access to information from other sources does not really fix the problem. More often then not its more important to know what the Minister has been told, what he/she has not been told and most importantly what he/she has been told but chooses to ignore. Believe me, thats of vital importance if you're going to get to the bottome of whether the legislation your being presented with is justified or appropriate.