John Willis, in the UK Guardian:
....It is on news and current affairs that American TV is shown at its most dispiriting. No nation needs independent and impartial media more than the US, a sprawling and diverse democracy in which only 16% of people hold passports.
[D]uring the Iraq conflict the problem wasn't just the US flag fluttering in the corner of the screens or the loose language from embedded reporters using "we"; it was also that much of the coverage, particularly on the cable channels, could have been written and produced by the White House.
When Fox star Bill O'Reilly interviewed retired generals before the attack on Baghdad, he airily dismissed their caution and told his viewers that the US should go in and "splatter" the Iraqis.
Fox News led the way as the military cheerleader, apparently giving both viewers and politicians what they wanted. The channel's proud slogan is "Real Journalism, Fair and Balanced", but as columnist Tom Shales put it: "The only word with any truth in it is 'and'."
There was little or no debate. America's leaders remained unchallenged. Any lack of patriotism was punished with McCarthyite vigour, even in the television industry, where CBS's Ed Gernon was summarily dismissed for a mild case of expressing his opinion.
You know it's pretty bad when a Brit disses our TV programs.
No comments:
Post a Comment