“However, the broadcaster says that its new show is ‘unique to British television’ because the panellists will discuss ‘burning issues’ without a moderator to control the debate … Each week five panellists, from a pool of nine, will appear on the show each raising an issue that will be thrashed out among the group … ‘This is something really different for a TV news platform,’ said John McAndrew, director of content for Sky News. ‘Straight-talking, opinionated contributors, no conventional host’”.
No conventional host. Ring any bells yet? A panel probably stacked with right-wingers, five of them, and no moderator? OK, The Pledge has nine rotating pundits, rather than seven, but otherwise this is a direct copy of The Five, which airs each weekday from 5pm to 6pm EST on Fox News Channel (fair and balanced my arse). There is no moderator, although co-host Greg Gutfeld effectively doubles up to act as one.
The Five, as with much else on FNC, claims to offer some kind of balance, and right now this is provided by the token Liberal co-host, Juan Williams, although in practice he is just there to be shouted down by the motley convocation of right-wing ranters. So what kind of wisdom does The Five impart? Could we see the same on Sky News?
Last month, co-host Kimberley Guilfoyle opined that the US Senate should only confirm Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nomination if he indicts Hillary Clinton. Five days later, Eric Bolling suggested “taking some liberties” from Somalis in the USA in response to the Brussels attacks. Soon after that, The Five’s hosts agreed that Hillary Clinton created ISIS. Bolling claimed that Obama “doesn’t believe we should be fighting the war on terror and let alone winning it” (“He’s the Nobel Peace Prize winner. He’s not going there”).
Greg Gutfeld accused Hillary Clinton of “Bigotry against men”. Bolling declared that Republican Presidential candidates should refuse to answer questions on gay marriage, abortion and contraception. This is the “debate” format that Sky News has borrowed. Doing the same as FNC - loading the panel with right-wingers and shouting down dissent - is not going to make for the exciting TV that Sky bosses claim.
This is the Fox-ification of UK broadcasting by the back door. And that’s not good enough.
4 comments:
No surprise there, then. If anything it's a logical "development" in corrupt far right Brit mainstream media.
The fall in news reporting standards has been almost precipitous. Things are so bad they are both farcical and laughable in their predictability.
Just one example: On C4 News, the ineffable lying neocon Hilsum propagandist appeared in Palmyra. Apparently, according to the scarf wearing loonette, it was Assad's government forces who destroyed the World Heritage site with "indiscriminate barrel bombs rolled out of aircraft"! As opposed, of course, to the discriminating British/US manufactured cluster bombs the Saudis are massacring Houthis with in Yemen - you know, the conflict Hilsum and her disgusting type ignore, just as they ignore the war crimes of Turkey, just as they ignore the economic disaster that is Nazified Ukraine.
If people like Assad have to be held to account - and they do - then so should liars and two faced media hypocrites like Hilsum.
As for Sky and Fox News, their only use is as an arse wipe. Even then they'd have to be decontaminated first. Does anybody with more than one brain cell believe a word coming out of Nazi Central and its Fourth Reich?
Sounds a bit like Loose Women for wankers, really.
Does anyone even watch Sky News?
It could be the only "news" programme where the panellists outnumber the viewing audience
For all those who long to bring back the glory days of 18 Doughty Street. Anyone?
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