Also:
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/articles/europe/22825-bbc-forced-to-admit-it-misled-over-palestine
There you have it, folks. Are we seeing the degeneration of actual news gathering or mere prejudice purposely being passed on as newsworthy journalism? For those who take in what supposed to be facts from a trusted media then to find much of it is dressed up and warped is hard to make. Without the sharp-eyed hawks around most of the rest of us who otherwise get carried away by biased information in efforts to shape a certain status-quo. Encouraging British or Western praise or disparaging remarks as Anti- Arab or Anti-Russia: ‘strategic’ ‘clever’ and ‘accurate’ British bombing but ‘damaging’ ‘killing innocent civilians’ Russian air strikes and so on. Yes, you got the picture. That’s indoctrination disguised as mainstream journalism these days; one has to read constantly against the grain and with a bucket load of scepticism. The above BBC issues are just some examples but more like it to follow I am sure.
The article about Palestine refers “For the second time in just over six months, the BBC has been forced to admit that its flagship news and current affairs program -Today - has misled its audiences over the situation in Israel and the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.”
“This week, in response to complaints from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and numerous individuals, the BBC’s editorial complaints unit ruled that the broadcast had breached the corporation’s editorial guidelines on accuracy and misled listeners.”
In other words, the BBC lied, with no apologies given which mean quite likely you will see or hear more of the same anytime soon. Lying has always been accepted by the general public but when it get downright and rotten then gets into propaganda territory or at best misinformation.
Today's propaganda comes packaged in nuanced messaging coming to us in subtle format and unintrusive. Gone are the days when propaganda was more in your face whether the independent sort like advertising or the more institutionalised government sponsored. What we see aesthetically we ought to perceive mentally no allowance for errors of judgements. In contrast today's discreet messaging, focused and consistent, coming to us through the multi channels of social media. Take a look how we have moved on or have we?:
Bolshevik attraction to Famine and Class War
'Papa' All caring otherwise murderer Stalin
Megalomaniac Hitler One Germanic Nation
Join the Superior Race. Quickest way to have White Skin
Saddam, King Nebuchadnezzar II no less
Saddam man of action our old conquering hero
Irresistible?
Needless to say, none of the examples above contained a grain of truth.
I am no longer sure what or who to believe in this fog of information we are being bombarded with on daily basis with art-like hand-outs. The BBC only came clean because they were found out. Did they know they were telling lies - you bet!
There is also a prominent use of language where semantics are vital. The media find carefully chosen words full of subtle bias to swing our opinions and shape our argument. Here are some examples: some they ‘defended’ while others ‘attacked’; when others ‘bombs may have killed’ when the other side ‘were responsible for killing’; ‘shot’ passed for ‘were assassinated’. America ‘achieved’ while Russia ‘they say they made’. Without stopping and thinking about the nature of their euphemism. Not many of us do, we tend to be happy wrapped up in our little but confused maze of knowing but without actually thinking. I am sure if we were to express our western culture in public, whether in Russia or China, we will be pushed to the nearest exit.
What we see, read and hear is not only mind informing but also mind forming indoctrinated innocently, consciously or not, driven by one like-minded judgement and opinions, we become part of the ensembles of an informed public. All carried forward by innuendos, implications, and rhetoric. All the while not realising of course that it is not information building but bias building. Our culture, even our moral judgements, are always being targeted and contradicted by ‘new’ 'cultured' and ‘progressive’ thinking by a mostly unwanted material. However, after the constant feeding of the same information by an assortment of biassed media sources; what was doubtful at one time magically transforms as truth. We become principled unable any longer to use our inherited social ability to reason or find where the 'truth' lies. One’s original or natural opinions or idiosyncrasies are expected to fit reluctantly with mainstream thinking if only to escape from being side-lined. What was once a lie becomes the static social norm. Suddenly justifying the ethics of seeing reason by following mainstream opinion finding comfort by staying with the fold; unthinking and herd-like. Unconsciously bogged down by a maelstrom of ideas but happily ensconced with being well ‘informed’. Carried away by the illusion of what I am thinking must be right because all others think the same, yes, ask anyone syndrome.
If you think all of this has been all a load of bull s**t bias you may probably be right but how was I to know any different. Maybe the BBC, CNN or even The Sunday Times know better, but I doubt it because they are full of it...
Hey, stop the world I want to get off!
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