Journalist Nick Robinson has likened the behaviour of Boris Johnson to a ‘dictator’ for broadcasting directly to the public on social media.
The former BBC political editor, currently a host of Radio 4’s Today programme, called the Prime Minister’s social media use a ‘form of propaganda’ and said it was undemocratic to avoid proper scrutiny by journalists.
I’m really not sure how you respond to such idiotic dross. It would seem that we are incapable of scrutinising words for ourselves. We need journalists such as Robinson to do it for us.
Actually, no, we don’t. And that’s where this is coming from. The media is being sidelined and they don’t like it. If they weren’t so obviously biased and weren’t activists pretending to be reporters, maybe they wouldn’t be in this situation. As it is, the sooner the legacy media disappears, the better. If Boris wants to speak directly to the electorate to whom he is accountable, that’s a good thing, not a bad one. If it pisses off self-righteous twats like Robinson, that’s a bonus.
Meanwhile, I suggest Robinson avails himself of a dictionary and turns to entries under the letter D and looks up the definition of dictator.
Moron!
He would undoubtedly find “Donald” (Trump), another evil dictator employing the same tactics, thereby proving his claim.
/sarc off…
“The media is being sidelined and they don’t like it.”
Yes and they don’t seem to know what to do about it. This kind of nonsense won’t help either. What a pity.
I wouldn’t call Nick Robinson a serious journalist. He’s a typical biased BBC journalist tending towards the left and Remain. He is also very smokerphobic.
Neither would I. I’d rather politicians talked directly to us without the filter of Robinson and his ilk. I’ll make my own mind up.
How will Nick Robinson and his like pay their mortgages if we don’t pay our TV license fee telly tax and disintermediate him and his fellow travellers?
Oh Noes. Let’s find out…
Robinson “said it was undemocratic to avoid proper scrutiny by journalists”
Oh really? And just when did we vote for them then?
The man is a total fuckwit
He certainly has delusions of relevance.
“Delusions of relevance.” Dammit, Longy! Another keyboard bites the dust.
I aim to please.
I know who Piers Morgan is, who is Musician Kennedy? Is he/she/it/xe/them/xem a Musician called Kennedy or is Musician their (xer/xis etc) first name or what?
No idea. Nor do I have any desire to find out.
More worrying for people like Robinson is that Johnson is a fairly erudite public speaker who people can understand when he talks in public.
With Corbyn, he spends so much time gurning, rolling his eyes, prevaricating and wondering about the question from all possible angles most people cannot decipher and repeat back anything the man says.
And as you say, I suspect that Robinson’s nose is also out of joint because it is the god given right of the Robinsons of this world to interpret what politicians say for us, telling us what they *really* mean, than to let them speak uninterrupted or even answer a question without yabbing over the top of them… just look at that prick Marr last weekend interviewing the Home Secretary…
Seriously, how can it be worse to read or hear the PM’s actual words, than to have them fed to us by some self important journalist who has added his own spin? Delusions of relevance is absolutely on the nail. You need to find another job mate, because in the internet age you are no longer needed.
Perhaps the fact he earns £300,000 may have something to do with his ire.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/15/new-bbc-row-justin-webb-asks-nick-robinson-paid-100k-do-job/
No way on God’s Earth does he earn £300,000pa. That might be what he is paid, but what he actually earns is a great deal less.
A very great deal less.
I’d consider paying him a groat, but that’s because I’m a charitable cove.
This post reminded me of one of the most belligerent and obnoxious unions, the print worker’s union, railing against the fact that computers had made type setters surplus to requirements. Print journalists are now in the same boat as those type setters were, their services are no longer needed.
Remember Churchill always spoke to the nation and the people liked him for it. Let me see when was that, oh yes there was a little skirmish in Europe where we were getting rid of dictators and standing up for democracy!
Saw the Queens speech today, love the pageantry. The politicians speaking before were telling us what the public wants ie another referendum. Are they walking around with ear muffs on? We told them twice now what we want and they still don’t get it.
They will never agree on a deal as they are too full of their own egos so we might as well just leave . Then we can move on , which if any politicians are reading this, is what the country wants!!!!
When we’ve defunded the fake charities and various NGOs, closed the department for media culture and sport, and ceased all foreign aid, maybe we can worry about the pittance we spend on the Queen’s speech. Until then, not so much.
Nick Robinson needs to “learn to code”.
He’s just realised that nobody needs his distortion of the truth any more.
Nor does the existence tax to fund the Propoganda Channel look as if it will be around for much longer.
Good riddance.
What I like about listening to his People’s Question Time is that he is not being constantly interrupted by some arse of a journalist. So you can listen to each thread and his answers and make up your own mind about it.
Actually, that’s a good point. He is asked a question and we can hear the unedited response. If we don’t like it, we can make up our own minds.
I would suggest Nick reads a book written by the German journalist Udo Ulfkotte who explains how he was bought by the political establishment. ( There is a translation of a lecture he gave on the http://www.lewrockwell.com site ).
Nick is high up in the BBC and he didn’t get there by writing unbiased articles. Having said that he has always come across as an abject wanker. Mediocre is too good a description for him and his ilk.
It’s the combination of lack of self-awareness and hubris in the man that galls. As if we need him to tell us if politicians are lying. Yes, we know they lie. We also know that journalists do as well, so best stick with the primary source. Nick Robinson and his whole profession is surplus to requirements and they mostly have themselves to blame.