What could have caused the current rise in outspoken, vitriolic journalism? People like Jeremy Clarkson have publishing articles in the tabloid press which are becoming increasingly hate filled and crass. Thousands of people have now complained about an article Clarkson published a couple of days ago, in which he mouthed off about Princess Meghan. Yet this is typical of such so-called journalists. They obviously do it to get attention: they want to appeal to people who think that reading such shyte somehow renders them independent, free thinkers, rebelling against the so-called snowflake mainstream. Thus they print any baseless absurdity which comes to mind, deliberately trying to antagonise and insult, not caring who they insult. In fact,  the more insulting they become the better, as it gives their core readership a false sense of superiority. The result, ultimately, is the total degradation of journalism.

I can’t help wondering, though, whether this trend started online. The internet is now a Wild West of heresy and speculation, claim and counterclaim. Bloggers and YouTubers constantly compete for an audience, making all sorts of claims in order to get hits, struggling to stand out. The result of this free for all is the rise of conspiracy theories and quackery, as every self-ordained influencer vies for attention by attempting to appear more and more outspoken. Online discourse is thus slowly reduced to a hodgepodge of reactionary nonsense as people begin making claims which are less and less qualified. Unfortunately this trend is now being echoed in the print media, especially the tabloid press,  so it has reached the point where I would not insult my shit by wiping my arse with rags like the Sun, Mail or Express. Like online influencers, journalists are under more and more pressure to stand out, to appear to be breaking the mould. The things they print therefore become more and more crass and unjustified. This is one of the nastier effects that the online world has had on the physical one, and I dread to think where it will end.