It is incredibly disappointing that the new Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has so quickly sent out a message that the reforms of the Press following Levenson have gone as far as they need to. This is a clear signal that the Government is more concerned about placating the owners of our daily and weekly national titles who are so powerful than it is for defending the ordinary men and women whose lives are so easily affected by the errors and deceit that pass for journalism far too often. Our votes count a great deal less than the press coverage that the newspapers can offer. Last week the Mail on Sunday scandalously used investigative techniques to dig some dirt on the Citizens Advice Bureau and Trussell Trust. Sadly in the absence of any substance, they simply lied to create a story. At worst their story said that occasionally some of the people being given food vouchers may not be as much in need as they claim. The evidence for this is that an undercover journalist who was not asked to show any ID was handed some vouchers, and later some food. This was a story that generated so much anger that around £100,000 has been donated to Trussell Trust over the last week. It remains to be seen if those who told lies in the pages of the paper will acknowledge their complicity and apologise in this weeks paper. In any case I am using my own limited influence via twitter and facebook to persuade people to boycott the Mail on Sunday today. However what I can confirm is that my very reasonable and temperate letter sent last Sunday by email has had no response so far.

Against the backdrop of the foodbank story, let alone the extensive reasons why Levenson was set up in the first place and the agreement of the three parties to work together, this week the new Secretary of State has been interviewed on his own attitude towards the Press. He has suggested that the Government has done all it needs to on this issue. He is quoted as stating that “In terms of the role of this department . . . the work has been done, and it is now a decision for the press what they want to do next,” he says. “I don’t see any further role for government in this.” Sajid Javid does acknowledge that “any industry has its bad apples” but he argues that the UK press is “the best in the world”, adding: “It is fearless without favour”.

Politics is reportedly the art of the possible and there is always a need for compromise, but at some point even the most devious and malicious interpretation of the pragmatism needed to get things done, needs to be challenged. I have no idea if press is the best in the world or how that could even be assessed. What I do know is that there are some very fearless journalists and at its best, our press and broadcast journalism is very good. I have some good friends who are journalists. However at its worst we appear to have journalists and publications that sink lower into the sewer than most of us would want to consider that the sewer actually goes. I hope that despite these words, that behind them Sajid Javid is not trying to send a message to us and the press barons, that this is as good as it is going to get. With the background of the trial of Andy Coulson, Rebekah Brooks and their colleagues, and the appalling example from last weeks Mail on Sunday, if this is the best in the world, God help those living outside the UK.