The Sunday Times has 'Fury as the hostages sell stories' as the lead on its webpage. This caught my eye. Firstly, this was to be expected, no? In a world where everyone from Rio Ferdinand to Jade Goodey has an autobiography, there can't have been many people watching that lady who didn't think she would 'get a book out of it'. I call her 'that lady' becasue I have tried to ignore the petty details of this facile feud - and also because that's how she is viewed in the media ("the only female sailor!" they cry - so what?!).
Secondly the question must be who is furious? From the article I got the feeling the Times itself is furious. Which is a bit rich, since this drawn-out squabble lurched to its inevitably bemusing conclusion under the 24hour, rolling and intense glare of the jingo press. Before the hostage's release every angle of the story was sold - first to the press then to the readers. But now the pig has dropped a second litter this summer and the race is on to be the first to buy and the first to sell.
I'd imagine a more accurate headline would be 'Fury as hostages sell their stories to other newspapers!'. Because you can bet your last marine that Murdoch's rags would jump on the chance to do an tritely in-depth profile of this lady, and splash all over the Sun, the News of the World, The Times and Sky News tomorrow morning.
So really there is no fury - just indifference and acceptance, as with so much of what we watch and read.
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