RT

Quite honestly, and given the surreal events worldwide and at home over the last couple of years, everyone needs to keep a very open mind about this still. More than one person I've spoken to finds the fact that Porton Down is conveniently just a 10 min drive from Salisbury city centre slightly more than just co incidence.

Meanwhile, as a aside, some friends of ours were attempting to sell their house in one of the cordoned off areas
when all this happened, and also have tickets to attend some World Cup matches in Russia this year.

See I would argue the complete opposite, which probably suggests the BBC is doing the job it's supposed to be doing.

It does feel though the BBC has had it's wings clipped more by this government than previously under Labour, but that opinion is probably formed more from the views I now see on social media, something that wasn't a factor a decade ago in myself judging BBC coverage.

I'd rather that RT was taken off air for breaking existing Ofcom regulations than any form of government interference which will be used against the UK by RT's propagandists and the Kremlin.

Press TV was taken off for breaking existing OFCOM regulations, didn't stop them claiming government interference.

That's veering very close to "Some people say" territory though...

Because it's what some people are saying !

I'm not suggesting for one moment the media should report those thoughts (beyond perhaps vox pops taken in the city, and few would wish to express that opinion on camera anyway).

The (broadcast) media are doing exactly the right thing, reporting what they observe, and what the authorities are telling them, and nothing else.

I wonder how 'That's Salisbury' are getting on with this story BTW !?

Iran practices draconian censorship of its own media and that of foreign broadcasters.

The case of Press TV reminds us how close we are occasionally to being no better than Iran.

It should never have been taken off air.

Press TV was eventually taken off air for what basically amounted to a paper work.issue. They had numerous opportunities and warnings to fix it, but chose instead to go along the "we're being oppressed" line than actually meet the basic requirements of holding a broadcasting licence in the UK.

Nice and then not so nice ....

RT's editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan tells me I'm a "very nice man, a gentleman." Then warns that British media will be expelled from Russia if RT is censured in the UK. At least she was smiling. Camera: @mattgodtv Producer: @LizaShuvalova pic.twitter.com/64YHneNEok

— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) March 15, 2018

Here's a couple of packages.

Just flicked over to RT... they have the Senior Assistant General Secretary of the RMT commenting on the nerve agent story, asking (with no sense of irony whatsoever) of what qualifies Gavin Williamson to be a diplomat.

He then went on to call RT impartial and call the BBC "the government's propaganda wing".

I think some of the channel's defenders (including Steve Hedley of the RMT) are utterly delusional if they think it's anywhere near impartial.

Indeed - no irony, to convenently forget that Mr Williamson became a 'diplomat' (and completly the wrong descriptive word to describe the defence secretary) through good old fashioned career promotion.

A bit like how a transport union senior assistant general secetary of the union, started out 20 years ago mearly driving a bus, tube or train..

Still, as long as the contributers fee is paid by RT into his bank account by 9.30am tomorrow morning, I'm sure he'll sprout nonsense if asked, for any media organization, and change his opinions accordingly.