The ongoing spectacle that is Brexit is playing out like a television show given far more seasons than its writers know what to do with.
It isn't entertainment, though. It is the haggling over the future and fate of the United Kingdom - one of the most important and powerful nations the world has seen, albeit now a reduced version of its former pomp.
How did it get to this point? How is Brexit remaining in such a seemingly unsolvable state? Isn't democracy supposed to work better than this?
That is a moot point but it raises the question of whether democracy can function at its best when its fourth estate - the news media - is being undermined and recast through the explosion of the internet.
It is romantic to assume the news media was always a pure and fierce protector of the people, a bulwark against manipulation, exaggeration and deceit.
News services cost money to set up, run and promote; any time large sums of money are needed, return on investment is expected.
The news media is no different and never has been. Backers and owners have long sought a return on investment and there is a long history of investors having some say in the reporting of the news.
But times have changed rapidly since the internet snaked its way into nearly every room of every house in the developed world.
When before, news companies had narrow windows each day in which to promote themselves and their reporting, today they have almost unlimited access to their audiences.
They also have access to far more people. When news outlets were geographically constrained, all residents of an area could critique what was being published. The disinfectant of public exposure had a moderating effect.
That can now be circumvented by news agencies casting their nets wider to gather, and talk to, targeted groups of like-minded consumers.
They may be sparsely spread but, when bundled up in the massive net that is the internet, they can form considerable blocks of consumers. Those blocks are centred around beliefs, not geography.
The "news" can then be tailored to those beliefs. White nationalists are one of those groups, something of which we are now all too well aware.
That is not to suggest the Brexit debate is connected with white nationalists, or that the problems the UK is facing could be solved by removing the internet.
But it is worth considering whether, if the claims, counterclaims, concerns and promises - raised in the lead-up to Brexit and on to today - were filtered through the lens of reasonable and accountable newsrooms, the debate would be as it currently stands.
Democracy is complicated. It is difficult - it is not only fraught with conflict, it produces conflict, demands it.
It then demands that conflict be thrashed out, debated, turned upside down and debated again. Only then can a population move forward with, if not unity, then at least a sense of acceptance.
That isn't happening right now in the UK.
The "echo chamber" cliche exists because it is real. It is viral and it is here in the South and in New Zealand, just as it is in the UK.
Democracy's three estates - the legislature, executive and judiciary - simply must be open to critique, discussion and curbing from a well-informed public. That is the news media's ultimate job. It is imperfect but it is essential.
Is the stumbling furore over Brexit a warning sign that the fourth estate is crumbling? If so, what do we do instead, to ensure democracy can remain viable?
Or is Brexit simply a complex, divisive issue being concurrently propagated and saved by the fourth estate? Time will tell. And in that time we must demand those who we receive our news from are held to the level of account democracy deserves.
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Comments
"The "news" can then be tailored to those beliefs. White nationalists are one of those groups, something of which we are now all too well aware.
That is not to suggest the Brexit debate is connected with white nationalists......"
But you suggested a connection anyway. Thank you for showing the very reason the MSM are losing ground. To hint at a possibility, to plant a seed and leave it to propagate. Nicely done.
I agree. I read an article by David Seymour (ACT) advocating the expansion of the NZ - AUST CER relationship to include Canada and the UK. This would allow for the free movement of 125 million people. I can imagine such a scenario would soon focus the minds of people trying to make this sort of issue just about white nationalism.
Brexit is evidentially connected with violent anti immigration elements. It also represents the fisher folk of England, competing with the Euro market. It's a shallow argument, Fitzroy, to use Editorial phraseology to have a go at the independent Press.
The Fourth Estate speaks truth to Power. Long may it, even if every critic thinks they have Power.
As far as the Brexit debate goes there is a sensible compromise that has been rejected by the UK Parliament called EFTA (The European Free Trade Association). This would allow the UK to negotiate its own Customs arrangements, restrict free movement of people and also have access to the EU's single market. Many "remainers" want out of the EU's political project as well but want to retain free trade arrangements and so EFTA seems sensible. The Conservative Party has managed to upset both sides of the debate and now rumoured (per media reports) to be financially crippled and appears to have lost the trust of the electorate.