The very reason why Bill’s work lives on and still has such amazing potency is that, in a world full of ‘banality and mediocrity’, of sophistry, of casuistry and speciousness, of the kind of fakery and shallowness Brand Man and his ilk make their stock in trade, his words retain the mark of genuine authenticity. They are like water in a desert to those of us thirsting for something real in a world of fabrication and deception.
A covert game is being played with protest groups in this country which requires that the general population (and media) readily believe the propaganda of establishment voices. This game has absolutely nothing to do with protecting the public and everything to do with protecting corporate profits.
Why Doesn’t Alex Thomson Have the Guts to Resign? The Plight of the Captive Corporate Journalist.
Channel 4 News is not like the rest of the mainstream media, it is fearless and engaging, endlessly dedicated to getting to the truth and making jazz hands along the way, its eccentric personalities a hallmark of its independence.
Pampered Pooches – Man’s Best Friend in the Age of Celebritry by Alison Banville Channel 4’s flagship investigation show, Dispatches recently reported on the rise in demand for designer dogs and how this has led to an illegal trade in imported puppies. This demand, as the programme highlighted, is driven in no small way by the desperate need some people […]
Channel 4 News is as rooted in The Propaganda Model as any other corporate news outlet, its reporters routinely parroting government statements rather than challenging them resulting in a fatally narrow discourse from which alternative, genuinely critical and radical voices are excluded.
Vivisection – A Compilation of Evidence by Alison Banville (BSNews Editor) The email below was posted to an activist list in the UK in response to my assertion that vivisection is useless. My reply follows his email. ‘How can certain surgical procedures be tested via computer modeling or tissue cell-cultures, for instance? Organ transplants were first tested on animals, heart […]
Yes, ‘as good as it gets’ is highly ironic because it is precisely the ‘better’ end of the corporate news spectrum that is the biggest problem. It’s easy to spot the Fox News brigade, but when a programme pontificates about, and poses as, ‘objective’, cultivating an image of fierce independence holding the powers that be to account, then practices nothing of the sort but offers only a parody of what they purport to represent, then that adds immeasurably to the suffering in the world.
In January, 2012, BSN editor, Alison Banville joined a panel discussion in The Guardian about benefit reform: The panel discusses the shadow work and pensions secretary’s return to William Beveridge in his comments on reform Diane Abbott: ‘Benefits are just part of the picture’ My colleague Liam Byrne is absolutely right to say that we need a debate on social […]
Give Those Guys Their Own Show by Alison Banville News at Ten on Tuesday 8th November broadcast a report on Iran’s nuclear ‘threat’. Middle East correspondent John Ray breathlessly rounded up by warning us that ‘time to stop the Iranian bomb is running out!’. Does John supplement his income by doing voiceovers for movie trailers? He could. He’s perfected the […]
Exchanges With a Young ITN Journalist by Alison Banville From: Alison Banville To: “RIA.CHATTERJEE@ITN.CO.UK” <RIA.CHATTERJEE@ITN.CO.UK> Cc: “NATASHA.KAPLINSKY@ITN.CO.UK” <NATASHA.KAPLINSKY@ITN.CO.UK> Sent: Friday, 21 October 2011, 18:35 Subject: occupylsx Hi Natasha and Ria, Can I ask why Ria, during your second report on the closure of St.Paul’s on this evening’s show you said ‘there are major fire safety issues’. You must have been aware […]
A Welshman stood at the Golden Gate his head bowed low
He meekly asked the man of fate the way he should go
‘What have you done?’ St. Peter said ‘to gain admission here?’
‘I merely mined for coal’ he said ‘for many a year’
St. Peter opened wide the gate and softly tolled the bell
‘Come and choose your harp’ he said ‘you’ve had your share of hell.’
