There is an interview between Noam Chomsky and BBC’s Andrew Marr, in which Chomsky derided the false image mainstream journalists have of themselves as “a crusading profession, adversarial, we stand up against power,” saying it’s almost impossible for a good journalist to do so in any meaningful way in the mass media.
“How can you know that I’m self-censoring? How can you know that journalists are-” Marr objected.
“I’m not saying you’re self-censoring,” Chomsky replied. “I’m sure you believe everything you’re saying. But what I’m saying is that if you believed something different, you wouldn’t be sitting where you’re sitting.”
I think Chomsky said it so succinctly that I myself could have never. Now though it seems, the big social media platforms have come up with their own convoluted tactics to silence dissent. I can now see at least some truth in what Donald Trump has been saying all along.
A few weeks back I came across the news of Instagram deleting a post of Bella Hadid in which she was talking about being a proud Palestinian.
Today, I saw the news of YouTube deleting a musical tribute by Hadiqa Kiayani (about 1931 Kashmir Martyr’s Day) and Turkish singer Ali Tolga (about Failed 2016 Turkish Coup). Hadiqa and Ali had collaborated to produce the tribute.
I think this wave will only accelerate and masses wouldn’t even know about it as there are simply no viable alternatives to these big platforms and mainstream media keep mum on such things anyway.
Your thoughts?
“How can you know that I’m self-censoring? How can you know that journalists are-” Marr objected.
“I’m not saying you’re self-censoring,” Chomsky replied. “I’m sure you believe everything you’re saying. But what I’m saying is that if you believed something different, you wouldn’t be sitting where you’re sitting.”
I think Chomsky said it so succinctly that I myself could have never. Now though it seems, the big social media platforms have come up with their own convoluted tactics to silence dissent. I can now see at least some truth in what Donald Trump has been saying all along.
A few weeks back I came across the news of Instagram deleting a post of Bella Hadid in which she was talking about being a proud Palestinian.
Today, I saw the news of YouTube deleting a musical tribute by Hadiqa Kiayani (about 1931 Kashmir Martyr’s Day) and Turkish singer Ali Tolga (about Failed 2016 Turkish Coup). Hadiqa and Ali had collaborated to produce the tribute.
I think this wave will only accelerate and masses wouldn’t even know about it as there are simply no viable alternatives to these big platforms and mainstream media keep mum on such things anyway.
Your thoughts?
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