The Media and the Message

I was off sick for three days this week, and so lay around listening to Radio 4.  On every news item the BNP’s appearance on Question Time was the lead item or one or two down.  It's been driving me barmy.  How X at the BBC responded to Y criticising the decision to put them on.   Y would then be interviewed.  On the next news broadcast the news item would sound, “Speaking on the Today programme, Y said that the decision to” . . . and so on.  The news became one of those closed cycle systems where shit - compost - food - shit.    Also, to add to the surreality, people get the two acronyms BBC and BNP mixed up, so you’d hear some BBC spokesman saying, "It's not remiss of the BBC to have the BBC on Question Time.  The BBC won a certain amount of the vote at the European elections.".  The Beeb and my part of blogosphere have gone on about nothing else.

It's like a royal wedding.   Speculations about The Other People on the Panel.  Groans at the make up of the Panel.   Interview with Griffin's make up girl (her retching).   Comments from Gok Wan about the cut of Griffin's suit. Body language experts saying that Griffin is relaxed/uneasy/lying (‘cos you saw his lips moving).  Columnists murmuring, It was a grey day at the end of an Indian summer and the protesters were falling like leaves.  I was back at work today.  We get the latest feeds from the BBC news and every third item has been about the BNP, Nick Griffin and the BBC

Manipulated by the media?  I can feel its oil covered hands massaging every bloody muscle in my brain and a puppet master jerking at my eyes so I end up focussing all three on Question Time, which is something I have never watched for more than 10 minutes in my life before.  It pisses me off like mad that I’ve got sucked into it as well.

I've also been listening to Clive James's latest instalment of his autobiography, The Blaze of Obscurity, which tells of his time as an interviewer.  He said,  "Television gives a general impression.  Nobody ever remembers what you said, but everybody remembers how you came over."  So only the anoraks will be listening for inconsistencies and impossible policies in Griffin's answers.  The rest will have their minds made up or else may just notice that as well as being a fascist he is also a horrible guy.  

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Comments

[Frank S]

Great post. Captured the fatuously febrile BBC atmosphere to a T! Not much good came from the QT itself - other than to provide yet more evidence of the shallowness of Jack Straw, the petulance of Chris Huhn, and the bias of Mr Dimbleby. Baroness Warsi came over well - as quite sharp and lucid. But the star may have been Bonnie Greer, for keeping so calm, and with the occasional thoughful comment.

[Rosie]

The two women were the best value. Also, as well as being articulate and intelligent, they are classy women with beautiful voices and both are good looking. They are also of the non-white complexion that Gargoyle would like to offer voluntary repatriation to. Who wouldn't rather have those two as fellow citizens than the lumpenGriffin?

[Curious Freedom]

Seeing as you like my comment I thought I'd post here too, word for word:

Rosie

I don't publish comments by Nazis.

[Curious Freedom]

Sexist shite deleted.

[Curious Freedom]

More sexist and fuckwitted crap. Very tedious.