If the hallmark of society is compassion and our ability to respect each other, then these are sour, dysfunctional times. The other evening I had a brief chat with a friend about the tragic death of Caroline Flack. Normally a thoughtful and kind-hearted guy, his couldn’t-care-less attitude was jarring. Now I didn’t follow her on Instagram and seldom watch Love Island, which she hosted for several years. But the fact that someone so loved was in such distress that she would consider suicide her only option … it saddened me.
Read MorePast caring?
How one slogan can sweep a nation
Has it sunk in yet? The thought of five more years of Boris Johnson “unleashing Britain’s potential” by doing whatever the bloody hell he likes? I had to take Corbyn’s advice and have a "period of reflection" before offering my thoughts. Well, one prevailing thought actually. The Tories didn’t win. Labour lost. And I don’t mean in the passive, where-were-they? sense. We are talking chronic self-harm here.
Read MoreSlowly but surely
The internet has opened many doors, bestowed copious gifts on humanity, but a forum for reasoned debate is not one of them. You don’t have to scroll down very far in a Facebook/Twitter post, or a comments section below the line, to read a vile insult, meet a troll or find a promising discussion derailed by angryboy69 or some other keyboard warrior with an axe to grind.
Tortoise is trying to do news and comment differently. Their tagline is “Slow Down, Wise Up” – a reflection on how overwhelmed most of us feel by the sheer volume of media flying around and a riposte to the obsession with breaking news. Fans of Aesop’s fable will get the point. You can read BBC Media Editor Amol Rajan’s piece from last year to learn who’s involved and how they plan to make money.
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