My OperaBBC Scum
Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
I used to have a vague respect for British newsreaders. I used to think they were probably alright people - decent, impartial folk with a bit of nouse. But no more. I really do believe that the television news has gone downhill in recent years.
I think I'll start by reproducing here an extract from an e-mail I wrote to a friend recently. I hope she doesn't mind. I have all the bad habits usually associated with writers, and one of them is storing correspondence to be used later as raw material for writing. Anyway, here is the extract in question:
It's true I do have a lot of anger (as our American cousins would say). For some reason it tends to come out on my blog. Probably because I hardly ever express it in my daily life. I was watching the news today, and I wanted to kill the reporters. They're such morons. The news has really gone downhill in recent years. They say things like, "With the fleets of three nations here, the sea resembles some ancient ocean." Why does many ships equal "ancient ocean"? And it's just such a redundant comparison. "The sea" resembles "an ocean". Are these people really professional reporters? They are cunts. And this evening one of them talked about a nuclear reactor being "a ring of metal shaped like a doughnut". Shaped like a doughnut? So, that would be a ring, then, like you said in the first place, you despicable cunt. I hate these people. Worst of all is the way they all say "Briddish" now, instead of "British". They should definitely be killed for that. And their reporting just isn't objective, anyway. There was a report about Emperor Akihito visiting Saipan to pay his respects to those who had fallen in battle there, and the reporter said something like, "But the event became merely another celebration of nationalism, with Shinto priests flown in from the notorious Yasukuni shrine, which glorifies war. There are young Japanese coming to the beach to swim, but they are not thinking of the horrors of war, and they are not interested in the lessons of history." How the fuck does he know? Has he personally interviewed them all?
So, I get very frustrated when confronted by evidence that the world is being run by morons. And it comes out on my blog. Please forgive me.
And I hate Tony Blair. If any further evidence of his evil was needed, we have the ID card bill that he's trying to force through.
I would very much like to 'name and shame' the news presenters in question, because it seems to me they are representative of a new rotten-ness in our society, but unfortunately I can never remember their names. I believe all the above examples, however, to come from BBC scum, because that is the channel we normally watch for news in our house.
I would like to conclude by saying that what prompted me to write this entry was not the BBC, however, but tonight's ITV news. On there, a Muslim cleric was interviewed by the presenter.
If anyone can tell me the names of the cleric and the presenter for sure, I would be very interested. The presenter asked the cleric if he unreservedly condemned the recent London bombings. He said that he did, and that he condemned all violence, whether committed by the terrorists or by Western powers in foreign countries. At the end of the programme, this presenter stated that the cleric had refused to condemn the bombings unreservedly on the ITV news. In other words, the presenter is a liar. Whatever the cleric privately believes, he certainly condemned the bombings. I suppose the implication is that if you condemn our Western violence, too, then you are not condemning the bombings, because our violence is good, and no one should dare to put it on an equal footing with the terrorist violence. In other words, the presenter is ITV scum.
This kind of thing seems to be more and more common recently.
Anyway, at least Ken Livingston has the balls to stand up and tell the truth - the bloody obvious truth. Good on yer, Red Ken.
I think I'll start by reproducing here an extract from an e-mail I wrote to a friend recently. I hope she doesn't mind. I have all the bad habits usually associated with writers, and one of them is storing correspondence to be used later as raw material for writing. Anyway, here is the extract in question:
It's true I do have a lot of anger (as our American cousins would say). For some reason it tends to come out on my blog. Probably because I hardly ever express it in my daily life. I was watching the news today, and I wanted to kill the reporters. They're such morons. The news has really gone downhill in recent years. They say things like, "With the fleets of three nations here, the sea resembles some ancient ocean." Why does many ships equal "ancient ocean"? And it's just such a redundant comparison. "The sea" resembles "an ocean". Are these people really professional reporters? They are cunts. And this evening one of them talked about a nuclear reactor being "a ring of metal shaped like a doughnut". Shaped like a doughnut? So, that would be a ring, then, like you said in the first place, you despicable cunt. I hate these people. Worst of all is the way they all say "Briddish" now, instead of "British". They should definitely be killed for that. And their reporting just isn't objective, anyway. There was a report about Emperor Akihito visiting Saipan to pay his respects to those who had fallen in battle there, and the reporter said something like, "But the event became merely another celebration of nationalism, with Shinto priests flown in from the notorious Yasukuni shrine, which glorifies war. There are young Japanese coming to the beach to swim, but they are not thinking of the horrors of war, and they are not interested in the lessons of history." How the fuck does he know? Has he personally interviewed them all?
So, I get very frustrated when confronted by evidence that the world is being run by morons. And it comes out on my blog. Please forgive me.
And I hate Tony Blair. If any further evidence of his evil was needed, we have the ID card bill that he's trying to force through.
I would very much like to 'name and shame' the news presenters in question, because it seems to me they are representative of a new rotten-ness in our society, but unfortunately I can never remember their names. I believe all the above examples, however, to come from BBC scum, because that is the channel we normally watch for news in our house.
I would like to conclude by saying that what prompted me to write this entry was not the BBC, however, but tonight's ITV news. On there, a Muslim cleric was interviewed by the presenter.
If anyone can tell me the names of the cleric and the presenter for sure, I would be very interested. The presenter asked the cleric if he unreservedly condemned the recent London bombings. He said that he did, and that he condemned all violence, whether committed by the terrorists or by Western powers in foreign countries. At the end of the programme, this presenter stated that the cleric had refused to condemn the bombings unreservedly on the ITV news. In other words, the presenter is a liar. Whatever the cleric privately believes, he certainly condemned the bombings. I suppose the implication is that if you condemn our Western violence, too, then you are not condemning the bombings, because our violence is good, and no one should dare to put it on an equal footing with the terrorist violence. In other words, the presenter is ITV scum.
This kind of thing seems to be more and more common recently.
Anyway, at least Ken Livingston has the balls to stand up and tell the truth - the bloody obvious truth. Good on yer, Red Ken.
City Fistcityfist # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
Quentin S Crispquentinscrisp # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
I don't read a newspaper every day, but I quite like The Independent.
Fatimahzenya # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
I had to watch BBC news when I was in Egypt since it was the only english news show for a long time until they started airing ABC and CBS on Sat there.
I find most reporting is mindless garble... they speak as though they weren't educated in the field they are working.. and maybe they weren't?
I do understand your fustrations.. what really upsets me is how BBC bashes the USA all the time and points fingers as IF they are not involved in the same efforts.
go figure !
Hope you are ok as I see today London is facing more crap from more mindless people...
I am affraid to say I really don't think it will ever end. and soon it will be here in US.
Maybe the air we breathe is making everyones minds dead
Keep safe and intouch,
Hugs to you friend,
Eve
Quentin S Crispquentinscrisp # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
Small examples:
The incidents of the 7th of July were referred to as "murders", and as "horrific". These are clearly biased judgements. We, as viewers, can make up our own minds about these things, and for news reporters to try and make up our minds for us is insulting and manipulative.
E-Man in JapanScouser # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
And why does CNN have to advertise itself on its own channel anyway? If we're watching the advert, it means we must be already watching CNN! Just a sensless and frustrating waste of time. When you open up your Big Mac, do you find endless fliers and pamphlets advertising Ronald MacDonald? Of course not! Red haired Ron already knows that if you got any more crap IN ADDITION TO the bloody gherkins, etc., that you expressly asked to be left out, you'd be turned off for life.
And that's what I tend to do with CNN. Just turn the bloody thing off and get my news off the internet. But, for God's sake, lo and behold, the CNN website has pop-ups!
Quality reporting, if ever I've seen it!
Quentin S Crispquentinscrisp # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
While I'm here I'd like to say I loved the recent episode of Doctor Who with the title 'The Long Game', which seemed to be fairly obviously a satire of Rupert Murdoch's media empire. The monster was a pretty good likeness, too:
Fatimahzenya # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
that is so funny and true.. Newschannels are so odd in all ways.
Don't ever watch Fox news .. they are pro Bush and everyone else doesnt matter and they call themselves FAIR AND BALANCE NEWS REPORTING
Fatimahzenya # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
I hear that Sky news is a sister to Fox news? I didn't know that.
I only have 3 options Fox Cnn or BBC oh I forgot MSNBC how is that one?
You have the right to be upset they do say the damest things.
Eve
E-Man in JapanScouser # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
All's I get out here is CNN on cable, and then the usual terrestrial ones, which are all in Japanese so it takes a little more concentration.
The good thing about the Japanese news channels, though, is that my wife stays quiet all the way through (because she's watching it too).
When I put CNN on, however, she just chats away, making comments about George Bush's hairstyle, or the fact that Condoleeza Rice has a weird name (the 'Rice' part, of all things!!!), and I can't hear a damn thing for the short time that any news is on! (She gets bored because she doesn't speak English, but doesn't realize THAT I DO!)
She quietly watches the endless adverts, though....!
Fatimahzenya # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
I have this problem in Egypt .. I don't want to hear Arabic news or programs and my house mate does
You can see more on the net some even have programming live
Eve
JCLJCL_75 # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
JCL.
Quentin S Crispquentinscrisp # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
Strangely, I found myself, on Saturday night, in the company of someone who works for ITV News. A discussion ensued re the objectivity of British television news. Apparently it was precisely his job - or part of it - to make sure that standards of impartiality are met. He knew about the incident with the Muslim cleric. He said that it was indeed a slip, and that he believed it was unscripted. He seemed to believe such cases are rare.
I don't think they are.
Philphiznlil # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
Quentin S Crispquentinscrisp # Wednesday, July 20, 2005 11:09:48 PM
Or is that 'grease'?
Anonymous # Monday, April 18, 2011 9:34:30 PM