HAVING watched ‘Scandal’, the series charting the administration in America and their dependency on the media, I am still of the opinion that whilst art often imitates life, there remains no legitimate reason to uphold the misplaced logic, and that the end justifies the means.

In the final analysis good people sometimes do bad things, but rarely is the opposite true.

This brings me neatly to the theme for this week’s column.

I know you are aware that we are constantly subjected to information subliminally, through advertising, product placement in programmes, even the layout of the newspapers in newsagents, garage forecourts, supermarkets.

Remembering with fondness what a privilege it was to help Ken, at his railway station newsagents. Here I saw firsthand, that no matter what you were employed as, the magazines and morning paper you purchase to read, is the one that defines you as a person.

Convert union sympathisers hid theirs inside the pages of the one they were happy to show off.

Sugarholics along with marital love starved, husbands spiriting away top shelf magazines, chocolates, chewing gum, sweets into their briefcases then briskly walking down the subway to catch their train.

Gentle outwardly appearing, benevolent and polite, early morning passengers inadvertently and unwittingly, exposing their often-submerged hostilities towards the government, by their paper of choice.

After all we are in the end, the sum of what we have eaten, endured, who we spend our free time with, our hobbies, sport and past times, what we view on the tv, music we enjoy, plays and films we watch, the pubs and clubs we frequent.

However over and above all of this is the paper and magazines of choice. So much is published and given away free, either on social media, public transport, stations, airports, libraries. But when we buy our paper, it is because we wish to be informed in a way that best suits our personality and character.