Sunday, February 12, 2017

JOHN CHUCKMAN COMMENT: BBC THE TIMES AND THE INDEPENDENT ALL ATTACK RUSSIA'S SPUTNIK AT THE SAME TIME - WE ARE SEEING A WAR IN THE WEST ON FREE THOUGHT AND EXPRESSION - IT'S JUST POORLY DISGUISED AS SOMETHING ELSE


COMMENT POSTED TO AN ARTICLE ON SPUTNIK


We can't judge for ourselves?

We need someone - someone, by the way, serving their own self-interests in maintaining control over the distribution of information - to tell us that what we read or watch is pernicious?

What a ridiculous position these press people take.

Well, of course, we no more want their opinions on independent press than we want someone's approval for a book we choose to read or a movie we choose to watch.

The underlying tendency towards a kind of media authoritarianism in the views of these people should be clear to all, and it very much is dangerous.

Imagine the boldness of coming right out in public and essentially telling people they should not be watching or reading certain things?

They should be ashamed at displaying such attitudes.

But it does tell us all something very important that they are not ashamed.

And we very much need to be on guard and defend our natural right to inform ourselves.

Below is another aspect of this cheap propaganda war not all readers may be aware of.

Recently, when I use my Google bookmark link for Russia’s Sputnik, Google frequently inserts a warning page telling me that it is dangerous to proceed, a page which includes a button marked “Back to Safety,” as though I were approaching a phishing or pornographic site.

This from the company that started, years ago, with a motto, “Do no harm,” but, of course, today Google is a vest-pocket affiliate of CIA, an outfit which does almost nothing but harm