Following the British government's decision not to allow its citizens the right to watch Press TV, the English language edition of Iranian television, I see it is now pushing to have the Astra satellite which relays the channel internationally blocked throughout Europe.

Over the last few weeks I've watched a number of Press TV recordings which have been posted on YouTube and so far I'm confused.

Where are the demon-eyed, spittle-spraying mullahs threatening to obliterate us in a nuclear firestorm?

And why are their news programs (professionally produced in studios that look like they have been stolen from Newsnight) - such as the four part "Who Rules America" by the former NBC journalist, Danny Schechter, - CONSIDERABLY better than ours?

Granted, Iranian TV, like all state-sponsored news channels, is more than willing to push the odd propaganda piece (no more so than RT, which whilst offering some insightful analyses also takes great delight in poking fun at the West) and thus should be treated with caution. But who is fooling who when our government prevents us from watching solid journalism which just so happens to be critical of us? I mean, isn't this what the BAD GUYS do?

Press tv isn’t a solid journalism with a bit of propaganda, it’s a joke of a station which pushes anti-semitic views, holocaust denial and is the propaganda arm of a government ruled by a madman.

Isnt a reason to ban it though really.

There would be no reason to ban it if the government did not feel we had a few "home grown" nutters who might be stupid enough to take on board that sort of stuff.

So, you're saying PRESS TV denies the holocaust and - presumably - features no Jewish voices?

No im saying it pushes anti-semitic views and holocaust denial and is the propaganda arm of a madman. It is less of a serious news source than Fox News

It asks Jews to push anti-Semitic views and holocaust denial? Are they compelled to appear at gunpoint. They must be since I can't imagine too many would choose to co-operate with an anti-Semitic, holocaust-denying channel.

Yep, thats exactly what i'm saying, gunpoint and everything

Well, it was a rhetorical question after all given that it's patently obvious those operating out of international outlets aren't.

Another fool for the not-to-be-taken-seriously drawer.

Considering that you are arguing we should take the international joke that is PRESS TV seriously, they day you don’t think im a fool is the day I realise I have f@cked up massively.

PRESS TV and FOX news, news outlets for people who simply want their prejudice justified

One gets the impression that this is a very large drawer filled with the names of anyone who dares to disagree with your views.

The OP's general point is somewhat redundant in the light of government pressure to make all tax-payer funded research in UK universities 'open access' & freely available for everyone. This is really happening. Whether anyone will read it is another matter, but it hardly fits your agenda of 'keeping people ignorant'.

Such research will be far more reputable than any state-sponsored TV channel and will no doubt include many publications/papers fundamentally at odds with UK government policy, or indeed prevailing western/capitalist ideologies etc.

Anyone know why HMG wants to block this channel? ... what reason has been given?

Seeing that Lauren Booth works for them, it is very tempting to think of the station as a joke ... but that should be up to the individual to decide, not HMG.

I'm not suggesting Press TV doesn't contain its fair share of moonbats. But it's not like British television offers any great example to hit other channels with.

It's less a case of fitting the agenda than fitting the topic of the thread - Iran and the lack of any Iranian perspective for us to consider before our government decides to, say, support air strikes (or worse) against countless facilities containing nuclear material. That stuff doesn't go back into the box, you know.

Conversations with the vast majority of people about any topic of global importance ought to tell you that there's no need for the government to do anything at all to keep the majority of people 'ignorant'. They quite happily keep themselves that way with no outside help whatsoever.

So basically the difference bwetween Press TV and Fox News is that this bloke:



isn't this bloke:



Maybe I'madinnerjacket should consider bunging a few Western politicians?

That could have more to do with allowing their commercial mates open access to any useful research than any altruistic sentiments.

I'm also concerned with Cameron's recently announcedintention of "removing more red tape" from planning and new legislation. He cites an increase in judicial reviews without detailing the reasons for those judicial reviews. If you strip out the JRs launched in immigration cases, the number has actually fallen in recent years. Similarly, ending or at least reducing Equality Impact Assessments before legislation is presented to Parliament, is simply removing another tool of democracy and equality.

[url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/david-cameron-vows-to-crack-down-on-appeals-that-delay-new-laws-planning-decisions-and-policies-8327505.htmlHe's basically telling us all that "Nanny knows best"[/url

In all this talk of relaxing planning legislation and making things easier for developers, the one thing he hasn't yet done is reintroduced "garden grabbing"; the practice of selling off large existing plots for redevelopment at higher density. It was one of the first things the coalition abolished when they took power, but surely bringing it back would benefit the economy - after all, we're in the economic equivalent of a war as Cameron suggested yesterday and tough times call for tough measures and we're all in it together.

Correct. If it isn't soaps, sport or alcohol, the government will get away with banning whatever they want.

I'm just checking here.

Is "Not having the Iranian point of view" essentially the same as "Not getting the Palestinian point of view"?

I bet Press TV doesn't have the Taxpayers Alliance on every week.

Who needs Dr. Goebbels' propaganda when you have the BBC?

Reading through an article in the science section today my eyes fell upon a statement which the Beeb would have us believe is now a scientifically determined fact (given the countless times it has been wheeled out over the last eighteen months):

[i"The Iranian government is publicly committed to Israel's destruction"[/i

Which is odd given that even Israel’s minister of intelligence and atomic energy, [url=http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/israeli-minister-agrees-ahmadinejad-never-said-israel-must-be-wiped-off-the-map/Dan Meridor, doesn't believe it.[/url

It speaks volumes about the indoctrination of supposedly non-partisan BBC journalists when someone like Shukman can confidently make such a claim - despite evidence to the contrary [i[uone paragraph further into his OWN REPORT[/u[/i. Comically, he makes this very point - describing Israel and Iran's collaboration on a cutting edge particle accelerator as "astonishing" - although clearly not astonishing enough for him to doubt the validity of his far more astonishing presumption, including the hopelessly slanted suggestion that this is "a land of ancient hatreds" (which any half-decent account of Middle Eastern history could provide copious examples of the opposite).

I should say this isn't the first time I've seen Shukman injecting suspicious politics (especially relating to the Middle East) into his reporting. I'd like to think he - like most of his colleagues - is simply toeing the company line, but over the years there have been journalists who've been more than willing to accept more than one master.

I'm not sure that Ahmadinejad wants to be bezzy mates with Israel though, if I'm honest.

Godwin's.



And the most hilarious over-reaction I've read on here in a while.