As I get older and I see the institutions of British society twisted and distorted to fit the extreme neo-liberal agenda, I find myself advocating all kinds of responses which I would have found anathema even a decade below. One f these is that I definitely believe that the BBC should be abolished as a public funded institution, and the BBC poll tax (aka license fee) abolished.
The extent of BBC bias during the referendum campaign was breathtaking. I have worked, and specifically reported on the media, in dictatorships which had a less insidious and complete bias than the BBC has against Scottish independence. The relentless anti-Corbyn propaganda shows that the BBC exists to reinforce the neo-liberal narrative at all costs, both at home and abroad. Laura Kuenssberg achieved levels of disdain and ridicule in her report on Shadow Cabinet appointments this evening that ought to disqualify her forever from employment anywhere but Fox News. This was followed by “Reporting Scotland” and a long propaganda piece against the idea of a second referendum, replete with lies about pledges of “once in a lifetime”.
I do not think in the 21st Century we need a state broadcaster. If you want right wing propaganda, you can watch it on Murdoch, without paying a compulsory tax for it. I don’t want to watch baking, “celebrities” I have never heard of dancing, or people abseiling to win a holiday in Jamaica. If I did, I am sure I could find someone to provide it commercially.
The more worthwhile parts of the BBC’s output could be maintained or commissioned as arts spending and broadcast on commercial or internet platforms. You do not actually need a state broadcaster to have symphony orchestras and just a minute.
Even the Tories are occasionally right about something, and they are right that the BBC is a hugely bloated organisation, with 107 bureaucrats who earn over 100,000 and 23 who earn over 200,000. Forget all the ideas about reform. Just chuck the worthless bunch out on the street.
John Goss is a Putin supporting misinformation source which has been shown to lie time and again. Anybody who supports it, or quotes from it, should get their head tested.
What a pathetic explanation btw.
Saker (eg) is a Russian-funded misinformation organisation which has been shown to lie time and again. Anybody who supports it, or quotes from it, should do a personal assessment test.
FIFY.
Sorry RD. Yours was better.
Ba’al
The post was addressed to you to show which part of the thread I was reacting to – someone else with a clown gravatar was up to his usual name thowing guilt by association games.
Is a “personal assessment test” one of the old KGB responses to dissidents which is now making something of a comeback?
http://www.cchrint.org/2013/10/11/psych-ward-verdict-for-russian-protester-a-return-to-soviet-psychiatric-persecution-of-dissidents/
Gotcha, TY.
@ YouKnowMyName
That was partly why my 2nd complaint to BBC is the lack of availability of radio programme transcripts. It’s a blatant affront to transparency, accountability and accessibility, not to mention the ability to make an informed analysis of content.
I imagine these scripts already exist, but hardly difficult to create with the help of robots these days: http://www.niemanlab.org/2015/09/a-new-tool-from-the-times-of-london-lets-you-easily-detect-and-capture-quotes-from-a-video/
I can’t find the Media monitoring tool you mentioned – all these seem to focus on social media:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?&q=media+monitoring+tool+open+source
StopFake.org – might be legit, but I just checked it with the surname “Marushevska” – she was the pouting beauty who ‘independently’ virally inspired the US coup in Ukraine. (She seemingly spent a year at Harvard before ‘spontaneously’ making the video)
StopFake had this single comment on her http://www.stopfake.org/en/komsomolskaia-pravda-newspaper-imputed-a-video-appeal-of-maidan-activist-to-hollywood/ basically they deny the Pravda claim that her viral video was a setup. Pravda cries ‘spook!’ StopFake said ‘No’ – actually, having seen the video in context on it’s release, I’m with Pravda on this one
The official alternative view is from LiveLeak http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=676_1425163172&comments=1
Fiercely impartial as an organization LiveLeak is dedicated to ensuring no censorship or preference is shown based on political affiliation or financial consideration, tho’ they do use RT as a source for HD video. . .
I used to play squash with George Soros’s secretary – I can phone her up and ask for a direct quote?
“The extent of BBC bias during the referendum campaign was breathtaking”
I don’t think your fanatical obsession with independence just makes you the best judge of that.
I notice with interest, that certain people, Ba’al and Resident Dissident for example, even when it has been pointed out that the BBC has not covered the genocide in Ukraine, still stick up for Poroshenko. They present it, like the honest and honourable BBC, who gave us the Iraq spectacle, as opposition to the bad man Putin. They are so brainwashed
They cannot argue against the article by Eric Zeusse so it is all ad hominems on about Ukraine again, or some fictitious “massive build up of Russian troops along its border with the Ukraine both prior to and after its infiltration of Eastern Ukraine”. They have no argument against Kiev being responsible for the genocide. They cannot bring themselves to openly support Poroshenko. Instead they reort to the BBC and MSM long-tried and tested memes “Blame Putin” and “Blame Russia”. But in so doing they are supporting the fascists in Ukraine, even though they like to claim they are not.
Craig’s wisdom in some areas is incontrovertible, but over Ukraine he has not been as outspoken over the genocide as in Palestine. Because I value his knowledge and experience in the diplomatic arena I would like to see him address Ukraine a year on but whenever the topic is raised, usually by me, a new blog-post appears.
“I notice with interest, that certain people, Ba’al and Resident Dissident for example, even when it has been pointed out that the BBC has not covered the genocide in Ukraine, still stick up for Poroshenko.”
perhaps you should look at what we actually say about Poroshenko rather than making it up as is your wont.
“or some fictitious “massive build up of Russian troops along its border with the Ukraine both prior to and after its infiltration of Eastern Ukraine”
https://www.google.co.uk/search?sourceid=navclient&aq=&oq=russian+troop+build+up+ukrainian+border&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GGNI_enGB603GB604&q=russian+troop+buildup+on+ukraine+border&gs_l=hp..0.0i22i10i30l2.0.0.0.12520………..0.OjKUQm4x8JU
Grow up
John McDonnell will reap reward in the form of support from the Tamil community in Finchley and the UK generally.
John gave superb support to the petition to the British government to lift the proscription of the LTTE and to recognise the Tamil people’s right to self-determination.
The Sri Lanka government was carrying out an undeclared war against the Tamil people who have been struggling for more than two decades for the legitimate right to self-rule.
The government of Mahinda Rajapaksa, elected on a Sinhala chauvinist basis in November 2005, has consistently breached the 2002 cease-fire agreement with the LTTE. They have been conducting aerial bombardments, specifically outlawed under the agreement. In August, the Sri Lankan air force destroyed an orphanage in Sencholai, killing 50 children.
The anti-war opposition has been put under extreme pressure. Tamil MP Nadaraja Raviraj was gunned down in Colombo on November 9 and other activists have received serious death threats.
My colleague and great friend Sumithran Sivapathasundaram extends a warm thank-you to John McDonnell and I thank Sumi for all the help he has given to me over twenty years or more.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=20755
“Grow up” from somebody who cannot accept his own Labour leader. Do me a favour before you get a load of smiley faces. 🙂
Mr Goss
“Stopfake is a US funded misinformation organisation which has been shown to lie time and again.”
____________________
I shall intervene here because I believe it was I who first drew readers’ attention to that excellent website, the purpose of which is clear from the title.
Stopfake has not “been shown to lie time and again”. It is true, however, that you have CALLED it a liar time and again. Hence what you have written is itself a lie frim one who has been shown to lie time and again…
///////////////
BTW you once claimed that most of the founders of Stopfake had been Fulbright scholars (and, therefore, in the pockets of the Americans in your particular demonology).
I recall that I invited you to name the people in question on the basis of the list of names which appears on Stopfake’s home page. However, you declined to reply. Would you now like to have another go?
You old unreformed Stalinist, you! 🙂
Fred @ 9.56am:
There are bags of details before Robertson concludes that on the basis of “the objective evidence” in his study “the mainstream TV coverage of the first year of the independence referendum campaigns has not been fair or balanced.
“Taken together, we have evidence of coverage which seems likely to have damaged the Yes campaign.”
http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2014/feb/21/scottish-independence-bbc
Quite enjoyed that read..It’s a changing country/world and feels like there are good possibilities.
There is a lot I could say about TV, and what TV culture has become or produces. A degraded brainwashed confused none informed people…
I wonder who it’s really for, the establishment to entertain those it likes and finds acceptable, controlled influence, same old ‘family’.. But actually I find the very idea of it (not to mention it’s homogenised mass propaganda) wrong, and it has bad effects on people, inside and out…
Just as an example (not to pick on you specifically) but i’d hope you wanted to get on it to try and expose the narrative, show an alternative voice ect. And sure, there is need for pragmatism, but it is what it is, not just the BBC but TV itself. The whole notion and actual affects are hugely undemocratic. Why should my voice be more important that the millions who don’t get a say? and because of what it is, like the current government system, it can never be democratic and will always be a force against it in the final analysis ..
This is not to say in context (and in the past, BBC world service etc) it didn’t help democracy and people, it surely did. Desperate people in need of good information. Now it’s turned against those things. It’s establishment manipulation for itself…
I was only going to write a sentence and leave it at that *sigh* the rest just came out.
Guess this is why I have the instinct to get more people posting on this blog, it’s not that I necessarily think they should on this blog or any blog, it’s just the idea of some kind of balanced input into sociality. Just as much anyones as mine or others…
the particular News media tool that I was playing with has a few places of availability, including here for Web-Browsers
here as an App for iPhone
here for Google Play Store App for Android (requires signing-in)
more analysis of news here for Web-Browsers
I have used this last timeline program for example to easily identify Russian propaganda seeding in blogs, tracing back an attempt at viral take-up, quite easy to spot if they’re not trying very hard to obfuscate churnalism. I think the BBC are rather more skilled at their mostly omissive censorship, but they occasionally make obvious howlers too.
the news analysis programs are currently being developed by a small department in the EU, I think as a way for themselves to understand the babelic tower of EU news actualité – but as one of the pages says “All quotes both by and from, are derived by an automatic algorithm with no human intervention” and “NewsExplorer can export data for further computation and analysis”, they claim this is a work in progress.
When I parenthetically talked to a very nice top spook/spookette/spookit at the ‘Home Office’ they assured me that it would be impossible for the UK to take & store everyone’s data/metadata from the internet, [and even if they did he/she/it continued – which they never had done – are not doing now and never will] then there would be no tools available with which to search and use such an enormous data-mountain.
I immediately of course started searching for media analysis tools! There are quite a few made by CIA related Palantir and some by Cap’n Bob’s daughter Christine Maxwell – http://creativedisturbance.org/people/christine-maxwell/ (Chiliad stands out as a great success)
Here is some background on the Strategic Culture Foundation whose website Mr Goss is now pushing
http://20committee.com/2014/07/03/meet-russias-new-international-brigades/
“A Russian far right think tank”. Worth noting that other far right organisation the BNP shares Mr Goss’s views on the Rothchilds.
http://leftfootforward.org/2014/05/the-bnp-returns-to-its-roots-nazi-style-antisemitism/
Or that Mr Goss isn’t above making links to pages with openly racist comments to address his detractors.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2014/11/the-trident-test/comment-page-2/#comment-493037
My advice is that if Mr Goss wishes to play the links by association game with George Soros, Baal or George Soros that he should first step out of his greenhouse.
Goss
I can accept the Labour leader – that doesn’t mean I have to agree with him on everything.
BTW did you lie your way back into the Party again?
Don’t think I’ve mentioned Poroshenko at all. I see it has been pointed out that the BBC did not cover the genocide in Ukraine. That would perhaps be because there has not been a genocide in Ukraine lately. The use of the term ‘genocide’ for the displacement of people by a wholly avoidable war is not legitimate. Still, that is to assist Mr. Putin’s faithful servant in his efforts to divert any and all topics on which Craig expresses himself into an apologia for Putin’s landgrab. So no more feeding the тролль for now.
The BBC is far from perfect and has suffered insiduous pressure to follow the Establishment neoliberal and propaganda line.
It needs reform definitely. What it does not need is privatisation.This will play in to the paws of Rupert Murdoch,who salivates at the thought.
Privatisation of State assets has been a disaster,we do not need more.
Please do not jump on Murdochs bandwagon
Ps, I reflect, it’s wasn’t 9/11 that changed the world, it the invasion of Iraq more than anything that flipped this country on it’s head (though it was heading there anyway)…For the media to partake in that was the nail for me and I haven owned one or really watched TV since.
I’d like to see the whole lot scrapped, I don’t think it’s going to happen tomorrow and society transformed as a result, but it’s surely a future that will come about eventually… Something to look forward to, hope for, work towards.
The weather and infrastructure really doest help community in the UK. I think about India (not a culture like here) there is lot of actual community, and like many more “backward” places many treat government/corporate stuff with the contempt it deserves.
…Accept when it come to cricket in India’s case (obviously) but that’s all a TV is for. They are simply a service (bit like the French treat their cars) and when the wrong result happens it get’s thrown out of the window.
“BTW did you lie your way back into the Party again?”
If things improve under Jeremy Corbyn I will certainly consider re-joining the Labour Party, especially if those with their feet comfortably under the table and snouts in the trough decide to defect to a bluer shade of red. 🙂 Have you thought about leaving yourself yet?
“perhaps you should look at what we actually say about Poroshenko rather than making it up as is your wont.”
But that is just it. You don’t say anything about him. You just ‘blame Putin’ for the war that Poroshenko waged on his own people. Show me where either you or Ba’al has criticised Poroshenko. You can’t.
PPS,
In our case though, It really was the TV that produced the result in many ways. Not just what they did though it but the lifestyle and apathy and none engagement of citizens, because it’s not engagement it’s an isolating consumption device.
As to your link to ex-NSA agent John R. Schindler’s blog, the XX Committee, to criticise the Strategic Culture Foundation is laughable. No bias there then? It’s typical of you. Anyway, I am not pushing the SCF. I was posting the link to an article by Eric Zeusse who writes for a variety of outlets.
You could not find a response to the article so you attacked the organ it was pubished in, the old tricks. Still it is a slight improvement on Blame Putin.
Tell me this. Do you or do you not agree with the premise of the Eric Zeusse article? Yes, or no? If not, why not?
‘Tonight The Streets Are Ours’
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef8zXOTuNfM
I throw up thinking how Clarkson’s spread beyond our borders, bad enough inside. How do you ever live that shit down.
Great song. Great lyrics. On topic.
Glorious.
I notice with interest, that certain people, Ba’al and Resident Dissident for example, (blah, blah)…still stick up for Poroshenko.
Show me where either you or Ba’al has criticised Poroshenko. You can’t.
One hour and two minutes separates these two posts from John Goss. Alzheimers?
My bad. The perils of speed reading. Still, I’m looking forward to JG’s first criticism of Putin.
“There are bags of details before Robertson concludes that on the basis of “the objective evidence” in his study “the mainstream TV coverage of the first year of the independence referendum campaigns has not been fair or balanced.”
Everybody says the BBC is biassed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_the_BBC