To write or not to write.... It is still your choice, for now.

In the wake of news stories about Journalism being compared to Terrorism and bills being passed through government which make it a criminal offense to take part in lobbying unless you have registered with the government for the right to do so... is it any wonder that more and more people are literally being frightened into silence?

The phone hacking scandal which has been all over the news recently is just one of the gift horses that presented the government with the perfect opportunity to bring in new legislation's to overhaul the industry by placing restrictions on who can act as a lobbyist by passing a law in which you have to register for the right to lobby and comply with a list of rules and regulations which include passing business and personal information and making in an offense to spend over a certain amount of money on campaigning in the year coming up to Elections.

Why would you be interested in lobbying? Striving to influence decisions being made by the government? The News is a perfect example of how to influence opinion in the general public when it is presented in a certain way, alongside images portraying things which the viewers will react with emotionally when they agree or disagree with the content being shown. What about unbiased reporting is there even such a thing anymore in the Mainstream Media?

There was grave concern voiced about the Transparency of Lobbying bill from Greenpeace and other Charities because of the enforced cap on expenditure on political lobbying before an election.   

• Charities National charity campaigns such as those against fracking could also be affected by the new rules if the Electoral Commission rules that they favour one party in the election. At a local level they could also fall foul of the new regulations. (Quote from Independant)

This is alongside all the information from the leaks that were published from information released by Edward Snowden proving that we really are living in an Orwellian surveillance state and that our every move is being logged, categorized and analyzed by someone somewhere sitting behind mountains of personal data that we we neither agreed to have collected or were even aware that it was being collected until the whistleblowing light shone from a great height to illuminate all of these shady goings on.

So where does this leave those of us who would like to know the Truth about matters? Free Speech may not be what it once used to be in the UK but it is not dead and buried just yet. The established Media outlets are not the only source of information. More often than not you will see a story spreading through twitter days before it is picked up by the mainstream and being reported not by trained journalists but by everyday people who are reporting facts, posting images and talking about things as they happen in real time. Surely a way forward is for the audience to participate in the output of information that is being reported and for it to be just as important as that which is carefully dissected, prepared and streamlined to a certain agenda before broadcast.

Mark Glaser, a freelance journalist who frequently writes on new media issues, said in 2006:^[10]

The idea behind citizen journalism is that people without professional journalism training can use the tools of modern technology and the global distribution of the Internet to create, augment or fact-checked media on their own or in collaboration with others. For example, you might write about a city council meeting on your blog or in an online forum. Or you could fact-check a newspaper article from the mainstream media and point out factual errors or bias on your blog. Or you might snap a digital photo of a newsworthy event happening in your town and post it online. Or you might videotape a similar event and post it on a site such as YouTube.

Everyone has a voice, an opinion, thoughts... and yours are just as important as the next persons. Question is will you exercise your right to speak out? Over the last few years the Enlightening Times Magazine has sought to promote creative people from all walks of life who have dedicated their lives to their work. Our youtube channel, the blog and Magazine is opening its doors to YOU to make a difference whether that is through writing Articles or sharing Stories to promoting your life's work and that of others who have chosen to live their dream or to write news stories as you see them! If you would like to be added to the Magazine Blog as a regular contributor please Email Rashelle and she will set you up.

Due to the arrival of two beautiful baby boys I won't be editing the Magazine anymore but will be handing the running of the new site and future editions over to the very capable Rashelle who is very lucky to have lots of helpers lining up to assist with technical advice and support. I have loved every second of the Enlightening Times since its inception and would like to thank each an every single contributor who has helped bring the Magazine to what it is today. You are all awesome! Keep those Articles coming. :)

By Jade Moore for the Enlightening Times Magazine
All Rights Reserved 2014