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Freedom Fox's avatar

Growing up in the US I remember the local PBS station carried TASS evening news out of the Soviet Union immediately after the network evening news (CBS/NBC/ABC) ended.

They defended their decision to air it as a requirement of civic responsibility, to hear the words and ideas of our adversaries whether we agreed with them or not. That was democracy and freedom in action.

I took that as truth. And went so far as to find Radio Moscow on my AM dial (in Miami, was broadcast from Havana). And would read Pravda in my local library's periodical section. Not because I was an aspiring Marxist or USSR lover. But because I believed the idea of civic responsibility, hearing both sides was important for civic life.

This is no longer what PBS preaches. Or anyone in major media. They now say hearing both sides is dangerous. And it is democracy and freedom in action to censor and ban any speech that goes against the official narrative.

I heard the words of my nation's adversaries, in their own words. I wasn't persuaded by them. I was informed by them to know what official state propaganda sounded like. I could hear their words and compare them to my lived experience and know they were lying. And how they lied. Not about everything. There was enough truth in them to keep it from being a comedy routine or parody. But they'd use many truths to imply credibility to the few, more important lies.

It was educational. My civic responsibility. Prepared me for a lifetime of having to evaluate the media on its own merit, not face value.

And I'm constantly reminded of what TASS, Radio Moscow and Pravda was saying fifty years ago when I watch, listen and read the words of our media in the US (and Canada) today. Because they are EXACTLY what the Soviet Union said all those years ago about the US and west. Verbatim in many instances. If I time traveled from the 1970's to the 2020's I'd think the US lost the Cold War and the USSR had won.

At least my mind is prepared for it. Thanks to the old PBS concept of civic responsibility. Hopefully kids these days are as curious as I was and are actively seeking out the words and ideas of those of us considered adversaries of official state narratives. Which they can compare to their own lived experience. I'm confident the truth of what we are saying will prevail. And so are the officials censoring and criminalizing us; it's why they censor and criminalize us.

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Daithi's avatar

Great article that outlines the history of the propaganda machine. I remember listening to Peter Gzoski in the mornings. He was excellent. The last time I turned on CBC in the car, the discussion was about indigenous lesbians. Fascinating stuff so I switched to Sirius Classic Vinyl. Time to shutter the CBC.

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