Tuesday 21 March 2017
We've come a long way.
Yesterday morning I was watching one of my Italian TV channels. There are 3 to choose from.
I'm trying to teach myself Italian and when I have time I watch 30 minutes of Italian news before or during breakfast.
After the news the screen immediately went blank. When this happens, as it does now and then, a notice appears to tell me that the next programme, usually a sporting event, is not available outside of Italy.
But this time there was no such notice and I wondered if there was something wrong with my television.
After two or three minutes of staring at a blank screen, I checked some other channels. They were all transmitting normally.
And then I saw it. On the information bar which I could access on the functioning channels: the missing programme was about anti-semitism.
Something clicked.
And the euro-cent dropped.
Anti-semitism is a sensitive subject in some countries. Too sensitive to be broadcast, especially if it's a live transmission with a studio audience. I mean somebody could stand up and say the P word.
In Italy the programme was deemed to be suitable for viewing. And that's OK. After all, it's a topical subject, in these times of mass migration.
Here presumably it was deemed not suitable for viewing. Which is not OK.
The censor's cut?
1984?
We're beyond that.
Well beyond it.
We've come a long way.
Of course I may be wrong.
There's always that possibility.
Isn't there?
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I never speak of it. It is too easy to be misunderstood. It is not a good subject for programmes with live tv "audiences" . I would not watch anything in this country.
ReplyDeleteIt was not that I wanted to watch the show - I didn't - but my concern is to do with "the thin end of the wedge". When "they" decide that there a debate on TV is "not suitable" for "the masses" we are standing on the top of a slippery slope, because no-one knows where this kind of "big brother" attitude will finally lead to. Somebody once said, and I paraphrase, if you give up your freedoms in the interests of having a quiet life you will end up with having neither.
DeleteI knew your point and it is correct.
DeleteThis kind of censorship was recently given the green-lighted by the example of the new EU law which says the EU can pull the pug on debates in EU Parliament that they don't like the content of and even delete the official dvd/cd archived records of such debates. Once again Germany is leading the anti-freedom of thought and opinion charge! Witness that so many roads lead to Putin's door.
DeleteWill watch some news on a mainstream German TV channel and will compare it with real news. Should be an interesting experiment. I've read several reports that the flagship news magazine Der Spiegel is already beyond hope.
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