As I type this, Sky News have decided to pause their coverage of the protests on the roof of the Houses of Parliament. They have had an avalanche of emails from viewers who say that the media are playing into the protesters' hands. BBC News 24 has also stopped. A couple of months ago listeners persuaded Radio 5 Live to halt a phone in hour on a subject which for the moment I can't remember. Even a few years ago, this would not have been possible. I sometimes tire of presenters constantly imploring viewers or listeners to "send us your views", but on these occasions, people can exhibit real power and cause programme editors to really think about the extent of the coverage they give to incidents like this.
Of course, today will be a day of contrasts. The I WANT A REFERENDUM campaign has a mass lobby of Parliament. Will this get the same amount of media coverage if the protesters obey the law? I doubt it very much.
Well I for one was enjoying watching them up there... I have emailed them to ask them to put it back on!
ReplyDeleteI expect the EU referendum protest will get little coverage because it's a dead issue. Who wants yesterday's papers, who wants last year's news?
ReplyDeleteNo the referendum will not because nobody outside the political elite cares much about that, whereas Heathrow affects millions under the flightpaths and as users of the airport.
ReplyDeleteThe main news channels are totally under the control of the state.
ReplyDeleteit does seem rather convenient that a few teenagers can evade security with 100ft banners on the very same day of the EU protest.
ReplyDeleteRef demo seemed very small really. Hardly the touchstone issue du jour.
ReplyDeleteI would like to think of it as a pure coincidence that the Heathrow protest on the roof of Parliament (where they were apparently let in by an insider)occurred on the same day as the EU protest and so deprived the latter of any news coverage.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to....but I don't.
This is pure NuLab news management.
So the TV companies get accused of "playing into the protestors' hands" and they stop broadcasting the story ?
ReplyDeleteThat's called censorship where I come from.
The BBC are Nu-Labour at prayer. I was at the EU referendum protest and it was very well attended with TV cameras but no sightings in the media at present. There is a rumour going round that the Lords still may save our nation on a technicality. At least that house would go down fighting!
ReplyDeleteSo Broon invites his Martian friends to distract attention away from his comy mates in the EUssr.
ReplyDeleteJeremy vine of course invites Lord Kinnock to talk utter crap (available listen again Balshies broadcastnig CEO)