In Upcoming Documentary, RTE Will Focus on Yet Another Victim of U.S. Bombing
Posted by eastwesteurope08 on June 9, 2009
On the face of it, it is about a humanitarian cause. bombs and mines left over from the Viet Nam war have left an appalling trail of suffering in Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia. The United States deserves some criticism for this and the world must do what it can to help victims and clean up the mess.
But, once again, RTE documentary programming will be focusing on victims of American foreign policy. The succession of such programs in recent years evokes sympathy for Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, leftist guerrillas in L:atin America, and now the neocommunist dictatorship in Laos.
There will certainly be some criticism of the Laotian government. But it’s a fair bet that the Vientianne dictatorship will get off lightly compared with rightist juntas in Latin America of the 1970s or other rightist targets. When it comes to foreign affauirs coverage beyond Europe, there is little real difference between RTE and Radio Havana Cuba. It is invcestigative journalism, but the invrestigations all poiint in the same direction and have the same predictable conclusion.
the commercial media under BCCI auspices do not present a counter-balance. The themes of equality, empowerment, inclusion and sustainability – the motifs of the political left – are increasingly built into BCCI guidelines, thus flavoring the “independent” sector too. Where RTE leads, Newstalk wil;l follow. One only has to listen to THE WIDE ANGLE or similar programs to hear the result.
A whole range of global issues and perspectives is simply unreported in the Irish broadcast media, except when introduced for target practice or a minimal level of plausible deniability.
