English Language News

 Nation wide news bulletins across a nation, small or large, understandably reflect the language, political shade and culture of her predominant inhabitants.

Across China, Pu Tong Hua or the Standard Speak, is pervasive across the massive extent of her territory, from Hei Long jian in the north east to Tibet in the south west.  The national tv broadcaster, CCTV, uses an updated version of a language agreed upon the embarkation  of the Republic formed after the fall of the last imperial dynasty in 1911.

We are what we speak.   Our thoughts are articulated in the language we speak.  We often do not lose the ability to speak the language of our childhood, in the community or nation where we first grow up.

The reinforcement of constant language spoken by or to us is reflected in what is articulated in news media, whether spoken, written, read or listened to.  Nations with a mainly homogenous demographic have no issues with the choice of official national language.

What then faces countries with  a diverse population in terms of ethnicity, culture and language?    There are societies facing this situation due to past colonialism,  history or active recruitment of immigrants from different parts of the world.

The Republic of South Africa has a dozen official languages but English and Afrikaans rule the news broadcasts there.
Singhalese dominate in Sri Lanka.  Both Thailand and Indonesia stand out in using only their national languages as news broadcasts, with English notably absent - this is understandable as Thailand was never colonised and Indonesia was under the Dutch colonists.  However, both countries have diverse cultural groups in their domain.

The island Republic of Singapore has a national language of Malay and three official languages of Mandarin, English and Tamil.  Yes,  the free to air news telecasts are available daily in all the four languages.   Even public announcements on the MRT reflect these four languages.

The nearby Federation of Malaysia in contrast has elevated Malay to increasingly be the de facto lingua franca of national and official stature.   I understand there may only be a sole English language news bulletin on free to air tv in Malaysia ( on a commercial channel if I am not wrong).   The numbers of non Malays in the current 34 million population of Malaysia has decreased since the 1980s due to migration, official discrimination,  low birth rates and political climate.

The United States has had an image of welcoming migration.   Think of the lure of the Statute of Liberty,  Hollywood movies, university admission,  relatively low taxation amongst the Western nations,  lifestyle attractions and the power of so called democracy.  Even if Latin Americans propel in numbers to be an ever larger percentage of the USA population,  the Englush language dominates in news broadcasts, although Spanish cannot be ignored,  especially in the parts that truly and formerly were part of Mexico.   Immigrants from overseas continue to take to the English language like ducks to water, especially those from former colonies of the now defunct British Empire.

Australia  had a long term White Australia Policy, until it was dismantled by Prime Minister Gough Whitlam in the 1970s.   Since then it has embraced diversity in its welcoming of migrants, until recent developments domestically and in geopolitics.  It is said that capital cities
like Melbourne and Sydney have residents with backgrounds of around 200 nations.

The news media across Australia is mainly in the English language.  An exception is the free to air SBS service funded by taxpayers and going into its 50th year.  I recall being impressed by SBS streaming in news bulletins from across the world as early as the late 1980s.  I could tune in overnight to uncensored news presentations in their original non- English languages.  

Sad to say, since the reign of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Russian language news from Moscow and Mandarin language news from Beijing have not been allowed on SBS.   Instead SBS World Watch now streams in daily news bullletins of several languages from India, apart from Hindi.  There are perhaps 200 separate Indigenous cultures across the Australian continent, yet there is no regular news broadcast in any Aboriginal language.

English language news prevalence in daily news across Australia is spiked by access on free to air of news from the BBC, CBS, NBC, ABC USA,  Deutsche Welle, France 24,  CBC Canada, NHK and the Phillippines.

In recognition of the significant role of English as a practical international language of communication, technology, politics, finance and trade,  several newscasters of note provide world wide access of news in that language.

#yongkevthoughts

Breaking News

 I have an amused laugh when the term "breaking news" is used daily, whether online or on retro television.

Often when the details are finally revealed, it is not breaking or that important.

The misuse of exagerrated labeling or reference does cheapen words, descriptions and their meanings or implications.   No wonder many people I know do not bother to keep up with the news, or the overloading transmission of news.

Concurrent with the use of such terms as breaking news,  the news industry is observed to lure and bait readers, watchers or listeners with falling standards of integrity, rising sensationalism and agenda backed selection of what to report.

Trust by consumers of news holds it all together.  News that are increasingly seen or understood to be politically massaged lose their attractiveness.  On the other hand, some have argued that groups of believers take comfort in being reinforced and embedded in what they honestly reckon is their way.

News delivery that try to balance opinions and explain the diversity of views are getting hard to find.  The choice of words in headlines can also reveal the sell of the news provider.  Less we see are non prejudiced descriptions and more we see the obvious bent towards what they want us to be convinced about.

If you only know about news on channels of social media, you also do not escape what I mention above.  

Communication media seem to be categorised according to political colour.   We are less encouraged to maintain an open mind.  I do not want to take sides and can only see the ridiculousness of a circus of news transmission.

The world of newspapers, screen media and video clips have such a significant volume of material that any individual cannot handle.  Even if I want to be cocooned away from this calvacade of over kill, I get news in my personal or group messages online.

This information overload does test our intelligence, sanity and mental vibrancy.   The worst scenario to me is to subscribe for a fee or not.  Reaction to this can be to shut down, get sucked in or to be more cautious in what we hear or read.

"Breaking news"?  If this is followed by interviews or opinions that want the masses to toe the line, there is a canary in the coalmine.

Promotions for a product, service or opinion are also blatantly parceled as news.  The commercial communication industry needs funding and there is no such thing as a free lunch.

The upside is that the most discerning amongst us can see and understand better, sift the corn from the cob and spare our minds from poor quality stuff.

#yongkevthoughts

What "News"?

 

The way so called "news" is being dished up to us these days is not worth the time and attention we give it.

"News" is delivered to us on so many varied platforms, from social media video clips to the presenters still appearing on retro media.

There is street level news, of episodes that are hyped up, whinging accounts, tearful recoils, nasty damage, road rage, domestic violence and consumer matters.

There are advertorials, disguises of pushing for a commercial product or service.

There are self opinions flagged as news - just observe the background of so called experts interviewed.

There is the ten minute dedication to sporting matters.

There are the repeatitive
pronouncements and forecasts on the weather.

There are increasing  sections of news bulletins that promote the channel's own productions.

Some news broadcasters still maintain time for arts, culture and heritage.

Anything sensational is often pushed to the front of a news bulletin as "breaking", "exclusive", "do not miss" and
"live".

Increasing numbers of news watching fans feel stressed, intimidated and uncertain being fed content thar affects the nerves, mental uncertainty and visually provoking reactions.

News on the other hand can often coddle us by providing preemptive reminders that the next content to be presented may cause stress for some viewers.

How do news producers and editors choose what to reveal to us, especially on an endless circuit of 24 hour news streaming?

How do we differentiate propaganda, opinions and tampered news from the truth?

Perhaps the significant matter is what we are not informed of - instead of the constant barraging of selected information.

Be careful of news content that hardly criticise the side they support -  and over the top aggression against the side opposed.  Taking things out of context is a technique often utilised

Most relevant is who and what are behind the news we receive.   The contemporary world of well funded and often hidden backers no longer want to feed us with balanced viewpoints, alternative considerations and varied points.

There is a growing information overload.
It is up to each of us to better discern the quality and intent of what is flagged to us as "news".

What looks like initially ridiculous is the canary in the coal mine.  Choice of words, gaslighting attempts, AI modification and pumping of relentless messaging are assaults on the unique intelligence of each of us humans.

#yongkevthoughts

Shades of the News

So now we have one business, Nine, that operates across a wide spectrum of traditional, contemporary and emerging technical, media, entertainment and advertising platforms in Australia.

Increasingly we get the news content when and where we want and with most convenience to us. The coffee and breakfast are still tasty whether you are holding them next to a smart phone, laptop or newspaper.

The more significant issue facing each of us continues to be the validity and emphasis of what we are told and provided as information.

The lack of choice of providers in this regard is most pronounced with other aspects of daily life in countries with lesser options in expression and human rights. 

However, the consolidation of media players in societies with small populations like Australia can also negatively impact on popular opinions, communal thinking and the development of democratic trends.

Coverage of news in any country has always been a widespread and effective means of cultural and political control.
So called capitalist economies may seem to allow more diversity in news information, but what happens behind the ownership of the powerful media companies operating there can throw dark shadows.

Most news publications in Asian nations are owned and run by the political parties in power. It is an alien concept and practice to have so called independent news publications surviving and prospering. Previous such attempts like Asiaweek or in Asian editions of American and UK mouthpieces met the inevitable end of not being viable.

So what you read and digest in any form of media we come across has to be strongly tinged with a huge dose of caution and cynicism.

The current USA President is vocal on his stand against the output of media operators like CNN and the New York Times. Each of us also has a preference for what shade of journalism we support, often synchronised with our label of political thinking. 

We tend to get our already existing views of the world consolidated with what we like to be fed, whether on web sites or with our daily paper. 

This brings us next to deal with whether differences of opinion can be twisted to meddling with the so called truth or facts.

A fact is supported by untampered evidence while an untruth is not. An opinion need not be objective as it can be tampered by random experience and selective thought. News dished out to us can be facts, opinions or fake.

Whilst the journalistic profession can have serious concerns about integrity and expression while working for powerful enployers with much financial and political clout, let us remind overselves where the buck stops in news transmission.

If we do not buy it, news provided to us loses its meaning, relevance and capability.

#yongkevthoughts