Richard Branson: I think the power of the media is terrifying. The media have enormous power, and they therefore, again, have enormous responsibility. They have enormous responsibility to wield that power responsibly. And the media in America, I think, has a lot to answer for. I won’t go as far as saying it was deliberate. They certainly made the most of a spectacle. The gung ho attitude, say, of Fox Television, sort of going into Iraq; no thoughts at all for the civilians and the children. I thought the whole reporting was unbelievably irresponsible.
Recorded on:
Richard Branson: In Britain we’ve just banned smoking in public. And it’s working. People who were smoking in public are looking like they’re going to give up smoking in public. And I think the same applies to television.
If you give people decent television, and there isn’t absolute garbage next door to that decent television, people will watch decent television. Maybe they’ll learn a lot from watching decent television.
If you sit in front of American television networks, finding a story about almost any country outside America, apart from Iraq at the moment, is impossible. There is a war going on in Somalia at the moment. Ethiopia has invaded Somalia in the last three months. I don’t think many people in America would know that. It could have enormous ramifications for the whole of Africa. And you know, if militant Islam react really badly as a result of that invasion--
It just needs to be more debate, more discussion.
Recorded on: July 5, 2007 at The Aspen Ideas Festival
Discuss
Jen Something on January 8, 2008, 9:44 AM
He who controls the media controls the minds.
The sheeple are many, and war is not the only deception. Aspartame, voting in America is huge. The entire system is a scam if Democracy is a farce. www.blackboxvoting.org
Jen Something on January 8, 2008, 2:44 PM
He who controls the media controls the minds.
The sheeple are many, and war is not the only deception. Aspartame, voting in America is huge. The entire system is a scam if Democracy is a farce. www.blackboxvoting.org
P Conner on January 10, 2008, 8:24 AM
I believe the media is showing a reasonable and fair representation of the war in Iraq. If the war in Iraq is being misrepresented, then the US military commanders should be holding their own press conference. This is a democracy, and if the commanders do not like what the media is saying, too bad. Then fix it.
P Conner on January 10, 2008, 1:24 PM
I believe the media is showing a reasonable and fair representation of the war in Iraq. If the war in Iraq is being misrepresented, then the US military commanders should be holding their own press conference. This is a democracy, and if the commanders do not like what the media is saying, too bad. Then fix it.
Shane Smith on January 17, 2008, 9:22 AM
"I think the media is power and responsible and responcibly powerful and that means they need to be more responsible because of their powerful responsibility and they aren't responsible enough."
Gee, this guy is brilliant. Can I have my two minutes back please?
Shane Smith on January 17, 2008, 2:22 PM
“I think the media is power and responsible and responcibly powerful and that means they need to be more responsible because of their powerful responsibility and they aren’t responsible enough.”
Gee, this guy is brilliant. Can I have my two minutes back please?
Nicholas Ruggiero on January 18, 2008, 4:10 AM
I would say yes, in as far as their role in getting people spun up over minor issues, and propagating fear and distrust. After all its in their best interests to make things seem scary or controversial.
Nicholas Ruggiero on January 18, 2008, 9:10 AM
I would say yes, in as far as their role in getting people spun up over minor issues, and propagating fear and distrust. After all its in their best interests to make things seem scary or controversial.
Rachele Antenucci on June 14, 2009, 8:19 PM
So much is staged by our governments and media for finanncial gain it is without doubt that they are to blame for the premeditated murder (AKA war) in foreign countries. Say for instance the “premature babies being pulled from incubators” incident. The women featured saying this on international news turned out to be a daughter of a prime minister and was paid to tell an absolute lie. = Political Science 1A.
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