j'accuse

This missive comes to you from the fair city of Frankfurt. I’m here with a troop of Maltese expats to visit the International Book Fair that is being held over the weekend. Last night was mostly dedicated to savouring local foods. In this case “local” meant a variety of pieces of meat served boiled on a bed of sauerkraut. It’s no surprise that this country is never short of money.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, is wasted − even when it comes down to eating bits of animal.

We ordered a mixed plate of Frankfurt specialities that is supposed to be washed down with Apfelwein. The mixed platter came after our mandatory goulash as a first course and turned out to be an assortment of boiled meats and sausages ranging from some poor cow’s tongue to the liver and blood sausages that hang on to the plate like a sad afterthought.

Thrift, I was saying, is redefined here and the only time the cook seems to have loosened his hand is with the fat used to pan fry the oven potatoes that accompany the festival of arteriosclerotic ecstasy. Never was a hungry crew’s appetite dampened so quickly − our eagerness to sample the local fayre vanished instantly and we vowed to try more familiar fields for tomorrow’s meals − back to the more familiar grilled, barbecued or roast.

The Publishing Industry

I learnt this week that the European Publishing Industry is “the world leader in its field, employing 135,000 people and contributing €23 billion to EU GDP.” (Education & Culture Commissioner Vassiliou). That’s quite a large sum of money. Living in Luxembourg we can easily witness the flourishing French publishing world and the same can be said of the UK, German and Italian world of books. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s (Saturday) visit to the halls of Frankfurt’s Messe to be able to see first hand what is buzzing right now in the field of publication.

We are lucky to have obtained the services of an elite guide for the fair. We’re due to meet Malta’s latest international laureate − Immanuel Mifsud, fresh winner of the 2011 European Prize of Literature. Immanuel joins a list of unsung Maltese heroes who have broken new barriers outside the country. He’s also a former blogger with his “Il-Blobb tas-Sibt filghaxija” that was one of several literature related blogs that existed for a while on the Maltese blogging scene.

The Zenger Affair

One of the books I am currently reading (yes, I do have that habit of starting many books at the same time) is “New York” by Edward Rutherford. It’s a novel that follows the fate of different families in New York through the ages. Last night I read about the incredible case of John Peter Zenger − the printer of German origin who found himself in the middle of a landmark libel case in 1733. It’s important to note that at the time libel − or seditious libel − was a very grave crime since it normally was instituted by a person of authority who felt that his person had been smeared or libelled by someone else.

In essence, libel was a convenient tool used to quell criticism. Here was a libel case under a Common Law inspired libel law being tried in colonial America. Having published a series of articles criticising the Governor of New York, Zenger was to be tried by jury and what happened on the day of the case changed the course of libel law and its application. Until the Zenger case, “truth” was no defence in the case of libel. Whether or not the facts alleged to be libellous were true was irrelevant. Essentially, once it was proved that a particular bit of news was libellous, proving that such news was factually correct would not change the verdict. Until the Zenger case that is.

Alexander Hamilton, speaking in defence of Zenger, convinced the jury that accepting this kind of criterion would mean leaving a strong instrument of censorship and control in the hands of authority. Allowing the defence of truth would allow such institutions, like the free press, to perform their function within the system of checks and balances in our society. Hamilton’s role in the case also led to a new saying “if you want a good lawyer, go to Philadelphia” (Hamilton was a Philly man).

Press on

I am a strong believer in the role of the press, of books and of ideas in the functioning of a proper democracy. As John Milton wrote in his Areopagitica − “He who destroys a good book, kills reason itself”. There’s much truth in that. A nation, even a small nation such as ours needs to recognise the value of authors recounting different narratives and ideas. Authors provide opportunities for reflection; they may provoke and challenge or they may charm with vignettes and pictures of our society. In any case, the worst we could do is to censor the truths they tell about ourselves.

The press too needs to recognise the dignified importance of its role. It needs to shed the baggage of politically manipulative impostors who have burdened and sullied its image. Local political talk seems to focus on futile accusations related to partiality and the elusive mantra of absolute impartiality. Journalism does not need eunuchs or hypocritical gurus and coaches posing as the voice of objective impartiality. It needs clear ethics, clear ideas and above all the accountability that allows it to shout “publish and be damned”. Give me a journalist with a declared bias any day rather than the sanitised pantomimes that have neutered our thinking with the extended sagas of Broadcasting Authority illusions of par conditio (equal treatment).

That’s all from the city of books. It’s 1 o’clock on Saturday morning so I can only wish you, as one of the greatest journalists would wish his listeners, “good night, and good luck”.

 

www.akkuza.com and www.re-vu.org will feature reports from the Frankfurt Book Fair