Comment Central interviews... David Aaronovitch

David Aaronovitch and I go at it about his column this morning.

Comments

[Spartacus]

Talk about competitiveness in the media - I was afraid it would end in fisticuffs.

David's article reminded me of a fantastic Yiddish word, trepverter: "retorts that came too late, when you were already on your way down the stairs".

[Beefeater]

It's funny; my girlfriend and I agree on most things, but as it happens she reads and enjoys the Mail whereas I can't read it without getting irritated. It comes down to what you think about opinions.

For me, reading the Mail is like biting into a meringue - you keep wondering where the substance is. So for example from today's mail online website: "EU's Green Drive could put £3,300 on a car". The story tells us that 'bureaucrats in Brussels' have unveiled proposals that they estimate will add an average of £2,500 to the price of a car. Apparently car manufacturers claim that the additional cost 'could be as much as £3,300'. Where's the reasoning behind the proposals, the explanation of why cars will be more expensive, or the discussion of whether this cost should be passed on to the consumer? Nowhere. To my mind, this story needs a proper fisking.

She on the other hand likes the human interest stories and doesn't worry too much about the rest - on the grounds that it's a 'fun' paper and shouldn't be held to the same standards as serious journalism.

[Gabriel]

If I was into conspiracy theories I would suggest that the Mail is an establishment plot to make right-wing people look as stupid as possible. A similar case can be made in reverse for the Guardian.

If it's true that these are what BBC people read, it explains a lot.

[ReubenSheldon]

criticism of the Daily Nazi - at last! It isn't a newspaper it's a comment paper made for the small minded. I like to read it once in a while to see how angry it can make me by the time I've finished it. The answer to this is usually quiet to very. If you want people to tell you what to think, order you subscription now.

[Daggo]

Jesus...I was beginning to lose the will to live there, about 7 minutes in.

I'll never criticise the Today programme for rushing its contributors again.

[Steve]

Most of the people who criticise the Mail do so simply because it doesn't reflect their own politics. It's a right-wing newspaper - so what? The Guardian, The Independent and the Mirror are all papers of the left. The Mirror ranted against the Conservatives during their years of power just as much as The Mail does against Labour today. Beefeater complains because The Mail doesn't elaborate on a story about EU and cars. Looking through today's Mirror I could pick out dozens similar. "MP's face sex hell" - " No cop state for Muslims". All just as shallow and vapid as the Mail's stories but, of course, this is a Labour paper. Both are the playing fields of celebrities and their agents and neither pretends to any intellectual depth in their columnists. The Daily Nazi is well matched by The Daily Commie but I'm not a socialist and so I don't feel the duty to get angry. Beefeater is right. It all comes down to what you think about opinions. I make no comment on The Guardian or The Independent because no-one could take either of those papers seriously.