Fun, new censorship | 21.09.06
From what I could make out, CNN’s Stan Grant could not have been more pro-coup than he was this morning. Thaksin was a “divisive figure”, he kept repeating, so the Thais were happy to see the back of him. He even cited local newspapers as the gauge of public sentiment.
That gave me an idea, abortion is a divisive issue in the States. Why not just have some M-1s roll over abortion clinics and be done with it? I can guarantee you that there will be some citizens among the 300 million who greet the troops with flowers!
Mind you, however, that I said “from what I could make out”. Unbeknownst to our hard-headed correspondent, his very live reporting was being censored by the fun, new coup stagers. The broadcast was blacked out twice when Thaksin’s name was mentioned and CNN ran a corresponding footage of him. I don’t know whether the censor needed a visual cue to know what Grant was talking about, or perhaps only Thaksin’s picture, and not his name, was verboten. But the effect was uncannily familiar. No, this sort of think never happened during Thaksin’s “Iron Fist” rule. I’m thinking rather of my two years in the People’s Republic of China.
Well, to be very precise, it wasn’t the same thing. As far as I know the Thai authorities have no capacity to block CNN’s satellite signal. That isn’t necessary, though. Most Thais who can get CNN do so through the cable company called UBC, me included. Since UBC is not supposed to contain commercials, the cable people needed to interrupt the signal during the commercial breaks of live shows. What comes on instead changes every now and then, but the most recent version is a red screen with a roster of American idols (think Britney and Christina) fading in and out one after another. UBC viewers will know exactly what I’m talking about, and it was precisely that screen that appeared in place of Stan Grant’s report about the toppled prime minister.
Sure, some people will say that’s an improvement over the evil “Square Face”. I mean, if a military coup is, why not censorship? Flowers for the Censors!
PS Yesterday, an ITV camera cheekily panned to not-for-viewing areas of the studio, which was crawling with the Men in Green. Cozy, the host said.
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