He derides respected TV channels such as CNN and MSNBC, preferring to align himself with the right wing Murdoch-controlled tabloid channel called "Fox News" in which Trump can apparently do no wrong and all Democrats are woke liberals. He has also targeted America's best newspapers.
And then there are the now legendary Epstein Papers that undoubtedly contain painful truths. Trump and his oddball team have used every trick in the book to delay, block and hide those particular truths.
Being what several learned psychiatrists have described as a "malignant narcissist", Trump does not take kindly to any one or any organisation that tells a different truth from his own. He barks them down with playground declarations of "Fake News!" and "Fake Media!" and he misuses the judicial system to pressure media organisations for revenge or compensation.
Here in Great Britain, there is currently a lot of fuss and media noise about how Trump's January 6th 2021 speech was edited for a BBC "Panorama" documentary called "Trump: A Second Chance?" aired a year ago - several days before the US presidential election. If you didn't know - you might think that somebody had died or that some terrible wrong had been wrought upon the present occupant of The White House. Such has been the fuss.
Even in Russia and China, leaders' speeches need to be selectively edited by TV News channels. It would be unrealistic to broadcast the entire thing. And on January 6th 2021 while seeking to belligerently dispute a fair and democratic election result, Trump's rabble-rousing speech was fifty eight minutes long! For the purposes of the documentary, the makers just wished to give a flavour of what Trump had actually said.
With hindsight, I would say that it was unfortunate that the programme makers did not flag up that the two small segments of Trump's infamous speech that they had stitched together were, in reality, delivered over fifty minutes apart. It was a small mistake. However, the documentary as a whole was intelligent and pretty well-balanced. There was no sensationalism. It was in character with healthy BBC reportage.
All my life I have known the BBC like a brilliant friend - always there for me, reliable and true. It is a jewel in Great Britain's crown - a wonderful media organisation that has paved the way for other broadcasters in countless respects. Its simple mission is to "inform, educate and entertain" and as a recipient of BBC TV and radio programmes for seventy years, I can confirm that that is what it has always given me.
Of course, any broadcasting organisation will be imperfect when it comes to political reporting - simply because that service is delivered by human beings. Absolute objective neutrality is impossible. To be frank, I have always thought that, if anything, the BBC is biased towards conservatism, London and the educated middle classes so in the fuss about "Trump: A Second Chance?" I have been quite gobsmacked that several right wing voices have implied that the BBC is some sort of woke, leftist entity. I just cannot see that at all.
Trump's vindictiveness has become infamous and I suspect that the BBC will have to cough up a lot of money to appease the litigious old fellow. As I pay my TV licence fee every year, I very much resent the prospect that a tiny portion of my fee will now end up in Trump's bulging bank account. Even a penny will be too much.
God Bless The BBC!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Mr Pudding welcomes all genuine comments - even those with which he disagrees. However, puerile or abusive comments from anonymous contributors will continue to be given the short shrift they deserve. Any spam comments that get through Google/Blogger defences will also be quickly deleted.