1 min read
It's the little things that brighten the day, such a a nice cleansing row.
Just picked up a call from Press TV, asking me to do a programme. I replied that I would have nothing to do with the channel. 'Why?' asked the mock-incredulous producer.
'Because', I said,'you are a propaganda arm of a regime which seeks the removal of Israel and Israelis from the face of the earth and funds terror organisations. I think your channel is a disgrace'.
'Don't you want to hear who else is on the panel?'
'I don't care who else is on - it doesn't affect my position.'
'Your position is a disgrace. You have your facts messed up. What evidence do you have?'
'I'm not interested in an argument with you. I won't do your programme, and that's all there is to say'.
What fascinates me about the conversation is that it is a departure from the usual line, that Press TV is independent, not propaganda. Because the producer chose to respond to me not by saying that I could put my case to Iran, that it has editorial control or any of the usual sophistry, but by actually arguing with me about Iran and defending it.
So the next time you hear some self-justifying spin from Press TV, remember what its own employees think - that Ahmadinejad is the good guy.
(Actually, I do wonder who else was on the panel?)