TV news makes many sins of omission and other propaganda techniques are in there.
However, you often find much more propaganda, lifestyle propaganda, in other programs on TV.
This lifestyle propaganda is all about showing people what those that control the TV output believe to be acceptable behaviour.
Here we have a truly stunning example, with 4 adults ganging up to bully a 16 year old girl, and her father, who is watching, seems to be happy about it.
In the previous post I stated that things on Russia Today should be taken with caution, and I’ll happily stand by that.
It should also be noted that things on the BBC should also be taken with the deepest caution.
Here is a link to one of the worst interviews I have ever heard. Stephen Nolan of BBC Five Live is speaking to some members of a hacking group. The interview is prefaced with another interview which is there solely to make the listener feel hostile to the people who are then subsequently interviewed. The childishness is apparent from the first minute as before we get to the hackers we are encouraged to feel the pain of someone who likes computer games. This deep-rooted pain is because he couldn’t play online for a few hours.
After it has been established by the inconvenienced gamer that these evil-doers are doing much worse things than selling arms or starting illegal wars and so on, we then get to the hackers themselves.
Throughout the discussion Nolan adopts the style of a by turns angry or disappointed father, speaking to a child who just doesn’t quite get it.
It really is an extraordinary listen, and even the most ardent defenders of the BBC are going to have trouble with this one.
A youtube version of the interview has cut the preface, and gives a slightly different impression too.
Media studies gold, all of it.
This man has had a rather coloured history, and one should usually take things on Russia Today with caution. Nevertheless, he does have some very important things to say…
My second little piece of information today , after this one regarding the perception management going on at the moment, is about some of the business stories flying around.
I’ve taken the opportunity in the last couple of days to speak to some people who could be said to be “insiders”, but in different things and in different places.
I learned many important things, most of which have already been mentioned but a couple are worth going over again.
The first is that despite what is being trumpeted by Cameron, Osborne et al and the wider No camp, I can tell you that the workers in at least two of the companies that are supposedly going to leave Scotland (they’re not) have received internal emails telling them that, despite what they have seen on TV and in the paper, there is no threat to jobs and conditions if Scotland votes Yes.
Have you seen that side of it reported as much as the invented threats? Aside from finding it out for myself by actually asking people, which most of the mainstream media seem disinclined to do, only Andrew Wilson in the Scotsman commented on the same thing (my contacts were in different companies but they all seemed to receive similar letters or emails).
So while politicians skipped from studio to studio trying to make people worry for their jobs and the rest of us believe all branches and offices would close, the CEO of RBS was drafting a letter to staff calming them and pointing out that no jobs or operations would be affected by a technical legal move.
Now, let’s go on to the second one.
I happened to be speaking to a market insider who definitely knows what they are talking about.
Much of our discussion has already been mentioned by many other people in the field.
Some of it was that the financial services sector of an independent Scotland could be very strong indeed, in fact, it could be significantly better than it is now. Further to that my contact added that the people in the industry are almost ALL convinced of this and the rhetoric is merely the calling in of political favours or being done in the hope of future political favours.
Furthermore, any future uncertainty, which would be bad for both new nations, can and will be quickly and easily dissipated as long as it is clear to the markets what is happening. The UK govt are at the moment recklessly playing a weak hand and calling in and/or promising every favour to create the illusion of continuing uncertainty, for which there is no sane reason, unless you are trying to be a bully. And after a yes vote, there is no reason at all to continue to play the bully.
Did you know that Mark Carney and George Osborne have chosen NOT to go to the G20 meeting in Australia? Now why would they do that?
They would do that because the moment Scotland votes Yes, despite all the nonsense, they want to be here to get a deal sorted IMMEDIATELY.
After a Yes vote, there is every reason for all sides to very quickly come to an agreement, and that will happen.
The Tories are playing a dangerous game of sleight of hand in order to bully and frighten the Scottish people into voting no, but at the same time their politicians and functionaries are already on hand to ensure that what they are trying to scare you with doesn’t happen, and it won’t.
Are people this dishonest the kind of people you want to run your government?
Look at this photo of Ruthie. Here we can see her with a clearly enormous crowd of backers behind her.
Or is that really the case?
In truth, I don’t know. I wasn’t at that one. It might have been busy, it might not have. If you were there, let me know.
(UPDATE) – Apparently there was a “decent” sized crowd at that one, still suspect you might want to look up Claque though.
I was however lucky enough to be milling around when I saw a similar style thing being recorded, and I think a couple of images might provide some perspective.
You see, as with the image above, it is easy enough to create the impression of a large crowd of backers even if you don’t actually have one.
It all depends on the position of the camera. It is highly possible that there weren’t many people there, but a camera position this close in gives the impression of people spreading out on all sides.
Now here is another of these Better Together/No Thanks/I Can’t Believe It’s A Real Campaign type recording shoots from today, taken from a different angle…
Please notice the small number of people and that the camera is right up in front of the speaker (I’ve no idea who he is) with the people just behind.
This could easily, without explicitly saying it, suggest that there are more people there than there really are. The media of course wouldn’t mention the relatively few people there however and just show the shot with people spreading out on either side and behind the shot, making it look so so busy.
If you turn the camera around a bit you might also find Anas Sarwar waiting his turn to be filmed in front of the “huge” crowd of people. This could even be used to give the impression, if you so wished, that there were different crowds of people following all the No politicians around worshipping them. 
It’d all be bullsh*t though.
Finally, if you want to see what a REAL big group of people supporting a cause looks like, here’s two consecutive Saturdays on the steps of The Glasgow Concert Hall…
I just sat through this with Putin’s press attaché.
I think it is as close as I have seen to someone involved in politics in an official capacity just coming on TV and replying to everyone question with “F*ck the lot of you”.
For the 60th episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast I spoke with John Robertson.
John is the 
academic that recently published extensive research showing that the BBC has been favouring the No side in the Scottish Independence debate.
The story however did not end there as the BBC began a series of, well, sleekit manouevres to play the man and not the ball. This resulted in, amongst other things, his appearance in front of a committee in the Scottish Parliament at which certain members seemed determined to continue the defamation.
We talked about the research, the aftermath and John’s more general opinions on the media and why Scotland should be an independent country.
My dog Marvin also made his first appearance on the podcast, throwing in his political tuppence-worth.
Hope you enjoy.
This is the direct download link (right click and save as)
You can listen to the show online at its web page
Or you can subscribe with itunes
We are also now to be found on youtube
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“How much of Scotland’s economy will be left intact if a Scottish Assembly gets the go ahead on March 1? Will our coal mines go gaily on? Will Ravenscraig or Linwood thrive? Will Bathgate flourish and Dounreay prosper?”
– Daily Express editorial, February 1979
How did that one work out again?
For the 32nd episode of the Scottish Independence Podcast (well, actually if you count the specials it is more than that, call it the 32nd interview) I spoke with Lynda Williamson, who works at Newsnet Scotland.
We spoke about how Newsnet got started. What were the reasons and motivations for setting up? What do they hope to achieve with it?
From there we moved on to to Lynda’s reasons for supporting Independence and finally on to the broader media scene in Scotland, why things generally tend to come from one side more than the other, and who else is trying to provide a corrective.
Hope you enjoy…
This is the direct download link (right click and save as)
You can listen to the show online at its web page
Or you can subscribe with itunes
P.S. If you’d like to help this and the other podcasts keep going, please go here.
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