I read the News Today, Oh Boy!

If you live in the United Kingdom and read the newspapers or watch the news on television or listen to news on the radio you would be under the impression that the main item of news is politics and not even the events of politicians but predictions and opinions about politics. If politicians are about to make some announcement, that is news and trailed. When those politicians make the actual announcement, then that is also apparently news and is doubly reported; once the announcement has been made a commentator (inevitably a journalist ) opines on the announcement.

At one time, news was about what had actually happened – events; it was not a means of predicting what would happen or commentating on what had happened. If famous news outlets think it right to predict or commentate as part of the news, then that is the reason why people are now confused when the study the news as to what is fact, what is fiction and what is opinion and what is true and what is false and what is worse that false news – propaganda.

I particularly object to journalists giving their opinions and analyses as though that their views were a legitimate part of the news.  News is about events, not opinions unless those opinions are news in themselves.

We are now so used to the cycle of pre-news announcement, announcement, post news announcements and opinions on the announcement that we assume it is all news when most of it is actually propaganda.