For the tax-dodging, hedge fund owning proprietors of Britain’s newspapers, radio stations and TV channels racism is a daily tool used to distract and divide. That doesn’t mean that they are not racist and does not mean that their racism is a pretence but its key motivation is political.
The Sun, Mail, Telegraph, Times, Express, Standard and Spectator are adept at promoting racism with varying degrees of subtlety dependent on their respective target audiences. Sometimes, for example when discussing Brexit or the EU, xenophobia will be more prominent; other times, if the target is Wales, Ireland or Scotland, the bigotry is sectarian. The repeated aspect of all prejudicial perspectives by these newspapers is othering in order to affix spurious blame.
Recent additions to the media’s racism pool are radio stations LBC and talkRADIO and they will be joined soon by Andrew Neil’s GB News TV channel. On radio and TV professional screamings heads and Gits rant stupidly, avoiding analysis, inspection, knowledge, research and didactic reasoning. The creation of imaginary enemies, of wrongdoers and of arbitrary reasons for behaviour are necessary tools for the far-right influencers because their entire output is distraction. Neil made clear his intent via his choice of staff for GB News including Tom Harwood, Michelle Dewberry and Alexandra Phillips; the last named claimed Enoch Powell was the real victim of his ‘rivers of blood’ speech.
The racist propaganda of the media needs pseudo-professional fake-independent bodies to act as its security against valid criticism. On Monday March 8th (2021) Executive Director of the Society Of Editors Ian Murray responded to some observations by (former) Duke and Duchess Of Sussex on the ingrained racism of newspapers particularly regarding the coverage of the life of Meghan Windsor. Murray wasn’t happy. He began with the favourite line from gatekeepers of racism by demanding evidence, despite the evidence being screamed all over newspapers, radio and TV every day: “It is not acceptable for the Duke and Duchess to make such claims without providing any supporting evidence.”
Murray called the blatant double standards in the reporting of the complainants compared to that of their sibling and in-law as just “reporting, investigating and commenting on the couple’s lifestyle and actions.”
With a straight face he declared that “the UK media has a proud record of calling out racism” and “the press is most certainly not racist.” Those are the mendacious words of a PR guy defending criminals.
Another favourite line of professional media is to contrast itself in a superior way to social media and Murray did not forget to include such a remark. “It is also unreasonable for the Duke and Duchess to conflate the legitimate coverage provided by the edited and regulated UK media with the wild west of social media.”
An interesting sideline was Murray’s reference to Duke and Duchess doing interviews with “media in the US.” He revealed the bitterness of those he represents who are sore that they didn’t get an interview.
Murray’s statement was petulant, very dishonest and pathetic. Most professional media outlets in the UK are broken beyond repair. They are opposed to information, veracity and integrity. Their existence is not “press freedom.” They are toys and tools of a small wealthy elite and the likes of Murray are their lickspittles.
Recommended reading: Marcus Ryder for Huffington Post
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