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Wednesday 15 August 2012

EDL Bristol Bill? Shouldn't that be 'We are Bristol' Bill?

The manner in which reporting of the EDL is systematically skewed by the mainstream media was revealed once again in this week in Bristol's online news source Bristol 24/7 which ran with the headline "EDL in Bristol: £495k bill revealed for police operation." As regular readers of this blog well know, there are almost invariably two sets of protesters present at any EDL demo, with self-styled 'anti-fascists', usually under the UAF banner or under another Socialist Workers Party front group with a title beginning "We are . . .", in this case "We are Bristol", attempting to violently confront the EDL. The statistics relating to arrests since the EDL's inception speak for themselves, for the numbers of anti-EDL protesters arrested greatly outnumber those from the EDL side. However, perhaps I should rephrase that, for the statistics are not permitted to "speak for themselves", but are instead compelled to speak through the mouth of the mass media which once again does a fine job of deliberately misrepresenting them to create the desired, and totally false, impression. How is this done? Take a look below at the manner in which Bristol 24/7 reported the Bristol arrests:
There were just 16 arrests on the day: for offences of going equipped, going equipped for damage, found on enclosed premises, affray, racially aggravated section 5 public order, Breach of Sec 60 Refused to remove face covering, assault police (x2), violent disorder (x2), section 3 public order (x2), drunk and disorderly (x2), theft and common assault.
What strikes the reader immediately is that an article that adopts a critical stance and hostile tone towards the EDL does not mention the identities of those who were arrested, conveying the impression that they were EDL protesters and that the crimes enumerated were committed by the EDL. However, within 24 hours of the demo, when a total of 14 arrests were reported as having been made, it was said that only two of these were from the EDL side, the rest being drawn from the ranks of the counter-demonstrators, particularly from members of the violent 'Antifa' anarchist contingent who set fire to the content of wheelie bins and attacked the police.

If you are a reader of Bristol 24/7, can you honestly say, taking the above into consideration, that you can trust its reporting as being factual and impartial? Could it not equally have run with the headline "We are Bristol: £495k bill revealed for police operation"? Clearly, it should have employed a headline less partisan in orientation.

  

 

2 comments:

  1. this kind of skewed reporting is helping to destroy the public's respect for the MSM.
    i believe that nearly all elements of the MSM are accessed or used by a decreasing percentage of the public.
    the MSM, the papers in particular, do not seam to have fully realised the effects their dishonesty, (loosely described as spin), is having on their support.
    especially with regard to the 'net and the ease with which jo public can sniff out the truth if so inclined.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's certainly the case that people are getting their news from a much wider range of sources these days, but the power of the old broadcasters and mass circulation press to shape public opinion should not be underestimated. The BBC of course, is the most powerful of all. However, like all institutions it would seem, the established mass media appear to be losing a degree of trust amongst the public.

      Delete

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