Anyone else think it's a bit odd that we are hearing so much about N Korea this week?

[electra]

Or am I just paranoid? The whole arms race thing is always presented as a huge worry but I expect in truth it will not make much difference in the scheme of things - pandora's box is already open in that respect!

It seems to me that our government want us to hear about North Korea at the moment but it's presented as 'news'.

I think most of it is from Clintons visit to free the journalists is it not? (I may be wrong, thats just what Ive caught news wise)

Yes, that's what I thought initially but they are now going on about N Korea's nuclear ambition again.

Are you sure that's not just being mentioned as background? Where is it a separate story?

Stuff about N Korea has been rumbling on in the background for ages if you read the right publications. There probably isn't much else that is newsworthy atm (MP's all on their summer hols right now?) which is why the newspapers are picking up on it.

Well it's been going on since at least 2001 hasn't it? What I mean is that there are certain times when it would appear that the government wants us to hear about it...

But do we really think the Govt can control the media to the extent that they make the newspapers report things from abroad rather than any dubious goings-on at home? I'm not discounting this because I think the current Govt is without moral or scruple, but I hope that our media is a bit more independant?

It's a quiet news time. And everyone's bored with SF (said flippantly). So what else is there?

I'm not sure Callisto but I think we hear what the government wants us to - I don't personally think the press is particularly free. Though I'm willing to accept I may be paranoid!

Not so paranoid anymore - though a few years ago I would have dismissed it as such. One of the reasons that I don't bother reading newspapers anymore and rely on R4, the internet and the Economist for news is the increasingly partisan (and generally crap) reporting in the Torygraph and Times.