I experienced it again today.'
The blank screen.
It all started because I was reading a newspaper article about 34 women being killed by knives* in Austria so far this year.
In order to get more information I went to a news source which I use from time to time. The story I found there was headlined German knife deaths rival London's (or words to that effect). I think I glimpsed that 5 people had died in 5 different German cities in knife attacks at the weekend. But I couldn't swear to it for suddenly -
as I was reading the article the computer screen started doing strange things and then a notice appeared on screen telling me I was 'forbidden to use this resource'.
Obviously a mistake I thought.
This is a news website in the public domain.
I've been using it for years.
But no, try as I might I cannot return to it.
A technical hitch or Big Brother censorship?
How can we know? We cannot know because today
as in 1984
too many people self censor - which does not bode well for our future.
When will we ever learn?
*now had an opportunity to reread the original newspaper article and it turns out they weren't all killed by knives - other means included shooting, suffocating and strangulation.
Hi Gwil. I have been waiting to see other people's views before making a comment. Do you think there should be right wing and left wing newspapers or should they be relatively neutral like the Independent? It would be good to read the news has it is. In other words is it possible not to be a little biased?
ReplyDeleteHere on the main state controlled radio station all the news is slanted heavily towards the left. I like a good selection of newspapers so I can see different viewpoints and luckily the Vienna coffee houses are great places to find them. You can dwell over a coffee for a couple of hours and nobody will think anything of it.
ReplyDeleteIn other words all is grist to the mill.
DeleteIt has happened to me with websites but access is blocked before I start reading/
ReplyDeleteI read a variety of newspapers in cafés too. It is interesting that some newspapers leave things out altogether if it doesn't sit their politics and the same with the BBC who leave news items out like when Diane Abbott's son was arrested for assaulting a police officer at the Foreign Office on the same afternoon as the London Bridge stabbings. It still does not come up on a BBC search.
Perhaps 'news'papers is not the right word anymore. The radio is even worse. There'll quite often be an interesting story about an incident in the night leading the 7 am news and then that's it. By 8 am it has disappeared never to return and been replaced by some left wing political propaganda masquerading as news. Some commentators say or imply that you can't get a job at the state radio station or on their tv news if you're not a card carrying socialist.
DeleteAustrian socialist party SPO is in meltdown. They managed only 20%. It'll either be a Conservative OVP - Green coalition or a minority government.
DeleteHow will it go tomorrow in UK Rachel?
DeleteBadly. People should be careful what they wish with their tactical voting.
DeleteIt’s like a game of snakes and ladders.
DeleteSomebody set themselves on fire outside number 10 and the battle of the bean field, all got little publicity at the time.
ReplyDeleteI watched some Westminster Brexit debates on BBC World and noticed that they broke away abruptly from a speaker and went to their reporter outside for a meaningless comment when something they didn't like was about to be said. I know this because I'd flip to CNN who these debates too and got these speeches. BBC World in addition had their reporter outside situated in a place where only EU flags could be seen while CNN showed both sets of flags, I thought that spoke volumes too.
Delete'CNN who transmitted these debate too'
Delete