A former executive on British television confirmed that mainstream media (MSM) outlets are prevented from questioning the official government narrative. He also denounced these outlets for being "cheerleaders" for the government instead of upholding the tenets of journalism.
Mark Sharman, former Sky News executive and ITV producer, made these revelations during an interview on "The HighWire." Citing an example from his homeland, Sharman told program host Del Bigtree that the British Office of Communications (Ofcom) is responsible for keeping television stations in line with what the government wants to hear.
Bigtree played a short clip of the TV executive during his March 20 interview with talk show host Dan Wootton.
"[Ofcom issued] a warning – actually, it's like a little bulletin – that basically says 'Do not question the official government line.' To be fair, [it] said you can have opposition voices on, but … you must intervene if there's any danger of harmful misinformation," Sharman said at the time.
"I think that warning affected all broadcasters. Most of the major [ones] followed; only one or two smaller [broadcasters] got caught. One community radio was censored for putting something out. I think it's created an environment which will lead to the biggest assault on freedom of speech and democracy I've known in my lifetime."
Sharman concluded his interview with Wootton by saying: "I've never seen a warning from Ofcom like that, [and] I've never seen broadcasters toe the line. Rather than question the government, they became cheerleaders for the government."
"As I said on the other clip, I've never seen an instruction that warns broadcasters not to question government policy. But what's emerging is not really government policy, it's worldwide policy," the erstwhile TV executive told Bigtree. "It's not a coincidence that every country in the Western world reacted in exactly the same way. Anybody that questions the official line is taken down." (Related: The fall of the mainstream media and the biggest lies they told in 2021.)
Bigtree: We lose democracy if we lose free news
Bigtree said: "We are under attack, [and] we have lost the free press. The news was considered the fourth branch of government and if we lose a free news system, then we will lose democracy. The news must always be free [and] unaffected by the government, so it can always challenge government with whatever challenge it wants [and] never beckons to bias or agenda."
Sharman agreed with "The HighWire" host with regard to the free press being lost.
"It feels to me like free speech and democracy [is going down] with it. We're in a room – [but] the walls are coming in, the ceiling's coming down and the floor's coming up. You've got Big Tech on one side and [the] MSM on the other closing us out. Somebody at world level decides what the answer is, and we're all prevented from that point on from asking any questions," Sharman said.
"It's a very, very dangerous precedent. Who are these people that are deciding what's information and what's misinformation? Who are they to dismiss eminent scientists and doctors who question the official narrative and say it's misinformation? Since when did science stop? We're losing the ability to debate."
Sharman pointed to the BBC's Trusted News Initiative (TNI) as an example of how the "free" press is no longer free as people know it. According to the TNI website, it seeks to bring together "organizations across media and technology to tackle harmful disinformation in real time."
"Bear in mind [that] we have the BBC, which retains a reputation for truth around the world. I'm sorry to say it's not deserved at the moment. They employ their own disinformation reporter … and they also have the TNI. When you look at that, that's in partnership with Microsoft and Facebook – all the same people. They wouldn't have called it the Zuckerberg TNI, would they?"
Visit NewsCartels.com to read more stories about MSM outlets following the government narrative.
Watch the interview between Del Bigtree and Mark Sharman about mainstream media outlets following the official government narrative below.
This video is from The HighWire with Del Bigtree channel on Brighteon.com.
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