JERUSALEM

IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN. Caught up in a news cycle that cannot wait any more for news to actually happen, conflict politics is now dominated by media speculation on what is going to happen.

“We’re now living in a news cycle dominated by the future,” says Roy Beggar, former tabloid editor and press advisor to administrations around the world. “People don’ t want to know what has happened, or even what is happening. They need to know what is going to happen. From reportage to crystal ball gazing in a generation.”

Twenty four hour news began the trend, but it appears that even that is not enough any more.

“Any old YouTuber can give you 24-hour news from his bedroom,” insists Beggar. “Serious news organisations – and by that I mean those that want to make a profit – they have to compete with the mobile phone, which is basically news from everywhere all the time. So they have to go one further, where your average Joe cannot – the future. Give the punters the news before it has happened. Is that weird or what? But that’s where we are. And now consumers want to know the end before they’ve digested the beginning. I think binge watching on streaming services has also added to the mix. Why should mere time interfere with the consumption of product. News is governed by the same imperatives. Otherwise it’s stale. Half your audience know more than you do. And no amount of fancy pieces to camera can cover that. It’s why news organisations are falling like dominoes. They’re asking you to pay for something that is free everywhere. The only thing left to them is the future.”