Harassing migrants by the far right

EllanVannin

The media have a lot to answer for with their continual broadcasts of various protests taking place. This is what's creating the unprecedented violence in this country. Paps are there ready for any violence taking place to record and re-record causing unnecessary frenzy among those already hyped up just to pip each other at the post for the most violent-looking situation for front page news. Only thing on their minds is mega-bucks !!

The anti-vaxers will be on cue as will the airport disruptors tomorrow. More unnecessary work for the police, eh, trisher ??

No, the media aren't responsible for the rise of right-wing ideology. It's been bubbling under the surface for years. Brexit gave it legitimacy and the need to "blame" others for the current crisis has fuelled it. If anything, the media has underreported right-wing politics in the UK.

It seemed to be a protest about many things
They were conspiracy theorists.

EllanVannin

The media have a lot to answer for with their continual broadcasts of various protests taking place. This is what's creating the unprecedented violence in this country. Paps are there ready for any violence taking place to record and re-record causing unnecessary frenzy among those already hyped up just to pip each other at the post for the most violent-looking situation for front page news. Only thing on their minds is mega-bucks !!

The anti-vaxers will be on cue as will the airport disruptors tomorrow. More unnecessary work for the police, eh, trisher ??

Should we just now have media anymore?

Or just only the “right” kind

The media has a big influence on democracy in this country, and for those who missed it, a Fox News style programme is preparing to launch in the U.K.

Murdoch☹️

My 'right' kind is someone else's 'wrong' kind.

However, wouldn't it be better for all Press to be independent and not owned by the same few people with the same agenda? And for them to be all bound by basic principles re telling the truth- rather than just spreading propaganda.

Yes, it’s scary Whitewave. Unfortunately biba everybody’s truth is different!

It's not so much about the "truth", except in extreme examples. It's far more subtle than that. It's about what the media chooses to report (or not) and how information is manipulated to appeal to the emotions (amongst other techniques).

I would like to see understanding bias and propaganda as a topic in the school English curriculum. All of us are exposed to more information than at any other time in history and I feel it's essential that in a healthy democracy that everybody should be able to spot what's factual and how our emotions are manipulated. We have access to the information needed to debunk myths, but many people don't choose to use it.

I have very strong feelings about every vote being an informed vote. It's fine to have different values and to disagree, but I believe people should at least think about the decisions they want making in their name and be prepared to defend them.

(Jumps off soap box.)

Callistemon

^It seemed to be a protest about many things^
They were conspiracy theorists.

Alleged conspiracies have for a long time been a tool of extremists to promote an agenda.

This is what I meant by everybody’s truth is different growstuff and I think you are spot on.
We all have inborn prejudices and biases, and emotions play a huge part in our decision making, and can easily be manipulated, as witnessed by the success of marketing and advertising.
It has become more apparent in recent years how this manipulation is used in politics, and was clear before the referendum. Perhaps it has always been so, but there are now more sophisticated ways of using propaganda, such as via social media.
It is more important than ever, that people are aware of how this works, and would be a start if it was addressed in schools (along with philosophy classes).

Greeneyedgirl

This is what I meant by everybody’s truth is different growstuff and I think you are spot on.
We all have inborn prejudices and biases, and emotions play a huge part in our decision making, and can easily be manipulated, as witnessed by the success of marketing and advertising.
It has become more apparent in recent years how this manipulation is used in politics, and was clear before the referendum. Perhaps it has always been so, but there are now more sophisticated ways of using propaganda, such as via social media.
It is more important than ever, that people are aware of how this works, and would be a start if it was addressed in schools (along with philosophy classes).

That’s why we must look at everything with a critical eye and not accept a single thing at face value.

Question everything we are told.

Greeneyedgirl- excellent post. I used to laugh about 'conspiracy' theories- but now, I can see that they do turn out to be very close to the truth- with Politicians like Cummings, ERG and Johnson, Trump in USA, Putin, and those in Bresil, North Korea and Bellarus- we need to be very sceptical about what is fed to us by the closely related media with the same political aims.

We used to have rules that prohibited one person, or family or business from controlling too much of the national press. Margaret Thatcher relaxed the rules in return for Rupert Murdoch's support in 1979. She allowed him to own The Sun, The News of the World, The Times and The Sunday Times.

Since then no UK Prime Minister has been elected without the support of Rupert Murdoch - who is not even a British citizen but an Australian living in the USA.

Rupert Murdoch was one of the foreign billionaires and tax exiles who by controlling the right-wing press persuaded their readers to vote for brexit. These people push their own agenda, and have no concern for the good of the British people.

In the USA Rupert Murdoch's Fox News was largely responsible for the election of Trump. Now he is to set up a UK version of Fox News, and no doubt that will have the same malign influence here.

Who believes that this situation is good for democracy?

This report shows how media ownership became even more concentrated in a few hands between 2015 and 2019

www.mediareform.org.uk/media-ownership/who-owns-the-uk-media

Ellanvanin

I believe it is you who has said if issues about racism were not aired there would be no racism and now you are saying that protests and demonstrations should not be given any media coverage.

Surely that is censorship and the sort of tactic used by dictators who make their populations bend to their will, even to the point of informing on those who express any sort of criticism of those in power?

Eloethan

Ellanvanin

I believe it is you who has said if issues about racism were not aired there would be no racism and now you are saying that protests and demonstrations should not be given any media coverage.

Surely that is censorship and the sort of tactic used by dictators who make their populations bend to their will, even to the point of informing on those who express any sort of criticism of those in power?

Yes