I had to smile at Adam Raphael on today's Dateline London: firstly, for defending teleprompters (and saying that the BBC sacked him because he was no good at reading from them) and, secondly, for telling it straight about the programme he was appearing on.
The programme was enjoying another of its 'ten-minute hates' against Donald Trump when (to a cry of 'Why?' from Jef McAllister) Adam Raphael said that someone on the panel had to defend Trump (before adding that he very much hopes he'll lose the election).
His defence of Trump was that he'd drawn attention to the "huge disaffected element" in the US that has lost out from globalisation and mass immigration. He compared that to the Brexit vote here in the UK.
He then added:
And frankly the liberal consensus, which I'm afraid we all represent round here, we have ignored it too long.
Well, he ain't wrong about that. With occasional exceptions, Dateline London is a platform for "the liberal consensus", week in and week out.
(Much like many other parts of the BBC's output).
(Much like many other parts of the BBC's output).
******
Last night's Newsnight went on Trump too. Again.
This was another James O'Brien interview with a Trump supporter, and it was a carbon copy of his last interview with a Trump supporter.
The aim was clear: to 'roast' and humiliate the Trump supporter.
And, just like last time, the Trump supporter (Jason Meister) was duly left writhing in agony on the floor.
JO'B even allowed a few seconds of 'dead air' to humiliate the hapless Trump supporter even more.
JO'B's many (left-wing) admirers on Twitter again went into spasms of ecstasy. Their contempt for the 'roasted' Trump supporter was unbounded. Everyone went home happy (except Trump-supporting Jason).
It would be interesting to watch James O'Brien interviewing a Hillary supporter. I suspect it would be very different in tone and content.
Of course, that would require the focus to shift for a few minutes off Trump and onto Hillary...which hasn't happened very often so far (to put it mildly). Hillary has been like the ghost at Newsnight's banquet. (Hillary the Friendly Ghost).
James will doubtless be hoping for at least a couple more interviews with yet more hapless Trump supporters before November. He looks so cool doing them in his sharp suit, to the general applause of Twitter, and seems to really enjoy this kind of thing.
(Some uncharitable types might say he looks very smug about it too, but that could just be his face. We can't help our faces - unless we have plastic surgery).
Heat over light, of course. And not exactly serious broadcasting.
And not really impartial broadcasting either.
But if it increases Newsnight's very low ratings, maybe it's worth it (for them).
This was another James O'Brien interview with a Trump supporter, and it was a carbon copy of his last interview with a Trump supporter.
The aim was clear: to 'roast' and humiliate the Trump supporter.
And, just like last time, the Trump supporter (Jason Meister) was duly left writhing in agony on the floor.
JO'B even allowed a few seconds of 'dead air' to humiliate the hapless Trump supporter even more.
JO'B's many (left-wing) admirers on Twitter again went into spasms of ecstasy. Their contempt for the 'roasted' Trump supporter was unbounded. Everyone went home happy (except Trump-supporting Jason).
******
It would be interesting to watch James O'Brien interviewing a Hillary supporter. I suspect it would be very different in tone and content.
Of course, that would require the focus to shift for a few minutes off Trump and onto Hillary...which hasn't happened very often so far (to put it mildly). Hillary has been like the ghost at Newsnight's banquet. (Hillary the Friendly Ghost).
James will doubtless be hoping for at least a couple more interviews with yet more hapless Trump supporters before November. He looks so cool doing them in his sharp suit, to the general applause of Twitter, and seems to really enjoy this kind of thing.
(Some uncharitable types might say he looks very smug about it too, but that could just be his face. We can't help our faces - unless we have plastic surgery).
Heat over light, of course. And not exactly serious broadcasting.
And not really impartial broadcasting either.
But if it increases Newsnight's very low ratings, maybe it's worth it (for them).
It seems to me that the MSM throughout the democratic world are currently engaged in a conscious cover-up of Clinton very serious health problems. I think this is essentially further breaking the bond of trust between public and media and is very, very unhealthy for democracy.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the MSM can carry on with the cover up for much longer - this is after all the age of the internet and believe the information on Clinton's health problems is currently narrowing her lead over Trump.
When the MSM finally admits the truth, it will cause a lot of people to query what has been going on. It's a bit like the EU referendum when you suddenly thought "WTF is going on - are we living in some sort of police state" when they started wheeling out ex generals, police chiefs and others who once would have been expected to maintain an apolitical stance to instruct us to vote Remain.