MICHAEL WALSH JOURNALISM SINCE 1983: Over hundreds of years the Press, now known as mainstream media, has been labelled The Fourth Estate: i.e., ‘The public press, that had an unofficial but often great influence on public affairs, was called the fourth estate. In the 19th century, the fourth estate came to refer exclusively to the press, and now it’s applied to all branches of the news media.’

Unquestioned is the mainstream’s power to influence the trusting minds of readers, listeners and viewers. The mystery is why so many – despite their knowing that ‘TV lies persistently, instinctively and by habit’ still switch on, gulp down and repeat the day’s propaganda.

Is all lost? No, not at all. In terms of influencing public opinion, social media users have proved themselves up to the task of destroying the insidious narrative of government-controlled mainstream media. It is admitted – the European Union has brought in similar laws to those used by the Soviet Union to curb public debate. They claim: ‘The new Digital Services Act (DSA) claims to ‘keep users safe online and stop the spread of harmful or illegal content that violates a platform’s terms of service.’

MUST READ ‘There go your illusions of free speech’ EUROPE RENAISSANCE (October 13 2023).

The media’s narrative on the ‘War on Terror’, the illegal regime changes in scores of countries, COVID-19 and now the David vs. Israeli Goliath has been decisively overturned by social media and blog posters. ‘It’s very simple. In the Soviet Union, we don’t believe our propaganda. In America, you actually believe yours!’ ~ a Soviet journalist to American journalists.

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‘In all my years in journalism, I have never felt so ashamed of my profession as in the last four weeks. The job of the journalist is to ask questions. To find out the truth. To be absolutely fearless in following leads, wherever they may take you. Today in Britain, political journalism means just parroting the official War Party line. It soon became apparent that the government narrative on Salisbury had more holes in it than a slab of Swiss cheese. Suppositions were reported, day after day, as proven fact.’ ~ Neil Clark is a British mainstream journalist, columnist and broadcaster.

‘I worked for the BBC’s English-language outlets as an editor and senior editor for 35 years. With regard to Israel and Zionism, any questioning of BBC impartiality would attract accusations of anti-Semitism and would certainly spell the end of one’s career, no matter how privately and confidentially such criticism is conveyed.’ ~ former senior editor for the BBC.

‘Of course, the claims that Russia poses a threat to Britain are absolute baloney. As are the claims that Russia threatens the Baltic States. There’s more chance of Count Dracula being elected Prime Minister of Romania than a Russian invasion of Britain, or indeed Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia.’   ~  Neil Clark is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

‘Television lies.  All television lies.  It lies persistently, instinctively and by habit.  Everyone involved lies. A culture of mendacity surrounds the medium and those who work there live it, breathe it and prosper from it.  I know of no area of public life – no, not even politics – more saturated by professional cynicism.  If you want a word that takes you to the core of it, I would offer ‘rigged’.  Is it dishonest for the presenter to imply that the pundit in the chair is free to offer any opinion, when the truth is that 50 pundits were telephoned but only the fellow prepared to offer the requisite opinion was invited?’ ~ Matthew Pariss. British Press Awards Columnist of the Year. Daily Mail, 21st April 1996.

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‘If you have nothing to fill it (television) with, then turn to blacks and the coloureds… you can always find a sufficient number of blacks who are only too glad to get on television.’ – Reverend Wilfred Wood, Chairman, BBC’s Religious Advisory Committee

‘The papers conducted by Lord Rothermere and Lord Beaverbrook are not newspapers in the ordinary acceptance of the term. They are engines of propaganda, for the constantly changing policies, desires, personal wishes, personal likes and dislikes of two men… it is power without responsibility’ – Stanley Baldwin, British Prime Minister 1924-1929 and 1935-1937.

‘We are all Marxists now.’ – Sir. Charles Curran, BBC, 10 October 1970. ‘The BBC is hideously White.’ ~ Greg Dyke, BBC Director-General. June 21. 2007.

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‘I have heard MPs and senior political aficionados complain that if they were to say on BBC what they really think, they would never be invited again, and not to be invited again could make a quick end to an aspiring politician’s prospects.’ – Roy Bramwell, Inter-City Research Centre. Blatant Bias Corporation.

‘You cannot hope to bribe or twist, thank God a British journalist – But seeing what the man will do, unbribed, there’s no occasion to.’   – Humbert Wolfe (1885 ~ 1940)

‘This is, in theory still a free country, but our politically correct, censorious times are such that many of us tremble to give vent to perfectly acceptable views for fear of condemnation.  Freedom of speech is thereby imperilled, big questions go undebated, and great lies become accepted, unequivocally as great truths.’ – Simon Heffer, Daily Mail, June 7 2000.