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Peter Barron

Are we unfair to MPs?


One or two of you have written to us this week to complain that we're unfair to politicians, assuming they're up to no good and generally giving them a hard time.

Newsnight logoIt is true we've done an awful lot of items in recent days concerning dubious employment practices, dodgy donations and the general lack of transparency about the goings-on of the honourable members.

Do we do too much? It would be good to hear your thoughts.

I certainly subscribe to the view that the majority of MPs are honourable, hard-working people whose primary aim is to serve the public.

I also sympathise, a bit, with the view - expressed again by Alastair Campbell this week - that the and loves a crisis, real or imagined.

But, given all the sleaze crises that politicians have suffered in recent years, it is amazing that even a small number still appear to be willing to bend or ignore the rules.

And while - in this age of transparency - our MPs continue to resist the kind of scrutiny and sanction that others in the public eye face, it is surely right that we ask the likes of Crick, Grossman and Paxman to keep asking awkward questions.

Peter Barron is editor of Newsnight

Steve Herrmann

Feedback on pictures


There鈥檚 been some good, well-informed feedback from you on the status of pictures on personal and social networking sites. Several 鈥 I think rightly - highlight copyright as the key issue.

I think Juno has a point about people confusing ease of access to material with freedom to use it. I hope we don鈥檛 do that.

I also think Jay has a point when he says he 鈥 and probably others 鈥 don鈥檛 necessarily pay close attention to the terms and conditions for use of the photos they post on various sites.

Alf 鈥 the idea of 鈥渋ntended audiences鈥 is an important one, and I agree it does and will create ethical dilemmas, not just around images and video, but personal information in general. Maybe the best advice to us on the matter is from Nick: treat others as you鈥檇 like to be treated yourself.

Thanks for the responses. The whole issue is being discussed by various people in the 蜜芽传媒, and I鈥檓 sure we鈥檒l revisit it soon.

Steve Herrmann is editor of the

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