Yesterday’s Guardian (UK) published an interview with Jean-Claude Dassier, a TV news executive who admits that the French media has colluded in presenting a skewed version of the suburban uprisings that continue even tonight. Dassier told an Amsterdam conference of news broadcasters that he would rather lie about the riots than allow the truth to promote a right-wing agenda:
Jean-Claude Dassier, the director general of the rolling news service LCI, said the prominence given to the rioters on international news networks had been “excessive” and could even be fanning the flames of the violence.
Mr Dassier said his own channel, which is owned by the private broadcaster TF1, recently decided not to show footage of burning cars.
“Politics in France is heading to the right and I don’t want rightwing politicians back in second, or even first place because we showed burning cars on television,” Mr Dassier told an audience of broadcasters at the News Xchange conference in Amsterdam today.
It’s good of Dassier to admit the obvious. The American media should take their cue from Dassier, as they have clearly done with his idea of news coverage, and also admit that they want to avoid reporting the story properly in order to keep their consumers from understanding the truth of what’s happening in France.
For the Greater Good
Should it come as any surprise that in a Socialist leaning Government, the Greater Good can be interpreted as accepting that the safety of the common citizen is expendable, to prevent an advantage to political opponents?
Sixteen Candles
One for each day of rioting in France. How many of those days received serious scrutiny by the US media? Three? Four? Yet, the rioting continues unabated despite the media lack of interest.
Paris Riots or how Nazi Germany managed to sneak u
In some ways it is tragically funny that the French have responded to the burning of their country
French person makes statement that makes even other French people cringe
Wired News
…Ahmed Meguinia, a political activist who saw some of the Paris region’s hardest-hit areas during the past week, said…that there was a lack of media coverage explaining why ethnically segregated inhabitants of some of Fr…
Le Intifada — 17 days and growing
It’s really hard to decide whose side to take in this situation. “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” right? Except when he’s a Muslim thug or an arrogant Frog. Guess I’ll just sit back and watch the fun a little longer. Maybe now that the Germans hav…
All is Not Quiet in France…
Contrary to what you might think, and what the French press might want you to think, all is not quiet in France. Don Surber comments on the French press’s effort to influence politics by not reporting on the rioting. (Yes,
THE SIMMERING
THE SITUATION IN FRANCE continues unsettled as before. Some see improvement as the number of car fires is less. Interior Minister Sarkozy gets booed inspecting police. The internet and cellphones are tools for action. Copycat attacks hit Belgium and