Wrong again, Graun! People ARE avoiding the news – except major developments. And for a good reason…
Propaganda: It seems people are avoiding the mainstream news outlets because they are seen as purveyors of fake – or at least severely slanted – news.
Brexit isn’t the reason people are avoiding the news – but The Guardian only touches on the real reason, perhaps because it is too close to home.
People are turning away from mainstream news outlets because they are perceived to be pushing a particular agenda:
Britons also say they are losing trust in the news, with the authors attributing this to increased political polarisation: “Even the most trusted brands like the BBC are seen by many as pushing or suppressing agendas – especially over polarising issues like Brexit and climate change.”
Doesn’t that seem more plausible than Brexit fatigue, when
according to one BBC insider, the BBC News website attracted 28 million unique visitors in January on the day of parliament’s first meaningful vote on Theresa May’s Brexit day, while 25 million checked the website the following day when it was covering the no-confidence vote in the prime minister?
Brexit certainly hasn’t harmed This Site’s audience. Vox Political‘s highest-ever visitor total was recorded on March 23 this year, when I reported on the ‘Revoke Brexit’ e-petition that became the most-signed petition on the government’s website: 93,008 views.
It’s certainly possible that some Britons are giving up on the news in order to avoid the blanket coverage of Brexit that has made it headline news practically every day since before the EU referendum.
But when
alleged Brexit fatigue among the British public has also been used by some news programmes to justify declining audiences,
it seems far more likely that the news media are trying to find an excuse that does not mention the possibility that they are pushing their own agenda.
Doesn’t it? Or is that paranoid conspiracy-theorising?
Source: Third of Britons say they avoid news out of Brexit frustration | Media | The Guardian
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Wasn;’t there a report recently that 700,000 people had cancelled their TV licence in 2017, and another 800,000 in 2018? When the BBC loses 1.5 million viewers in 2 years, you know MSM is losing it’s clout.
The only interesting read on the Guardian is the climate catastrophe reporting, which at least isn’t tainted by their neo-liberal ownership. Nor have they yet found a way of blaming climate catastrophe all on Corbyn.
you have it 100% right there mike, except for the BBC. there is a growing number of people, now, looking to ditch the licence fee in protest at the way both the government and the BBC are treating OAP’s. you can, and should in my opinion, make a phone call and state you do not need a tv licence and that you revoke any envisioned contract with both the BBC and capita, who collect and enforce the licence fee, in fact there are at least 2 versions of a poster doing the rounds that make it clear that they will be prosecuted for trespass and charged for letters and other contact.
the main stream media, of course, will not report that fact. it does need to be reported wider than just a few groups in facebook, or as i usually call it facecrap.
Years ago I did a Media course and one of the few teachings that stuck with me was the idea that the news is ALWAYS edited. Management decide what goes in and whose opinion about it gets an audience, and whose doesn’t. And never has this fact been more glaringly obvious than now. I’ve given up listening to R4’s news programme on the way to work, because it’s depressing to hear the same old slanted lies. I’m also afraid that someone may think I’m screaming at them and I’ll get done for road-rage! Thanks for your thought-provoking articles.
I seem to recall this Givernmrnt installed a political officer in the BBC heirachy when it came to power, but, we have all witnessed thr skullduggery of the Sun rag when it touches on politics, but it also seems that the Sun readership now regard the Sun as one of the tablets brought down the mountain! Is it cannabis that causes this?
I don’t think it’s wise to accuse all Sun readers of reefer madness!