hello Mr. Zappa, do you have my morning paper?

(BBC News 24 broadcast on Thursday, 5th April, 2007 before 12.00)

BBC news 24 reporter, standing outside a news agents, goes onto say; 'this news agents is used by the father of one of the captured personnel, we are here to find out more about, the plans for celebrations'.

This surreal broadcast, ought to have given the game away, instantly, however taking a turn for even more bizarre, the reporter then asks the owner/manager;
reporter:Does .....'s father come here every day?
owner/manger; yes!
reporter; what does he say when he comes here?
owner/manager; he says, hello Mr. Zappa, do you have my morning paper?
reporter; When did you know that something was wrong?
owner/manager; when ....'s father did not turn up for his morning newspaper.

The narrative was being shaped, while the detainees were in air, and en route to UK, for the subsequent, news of the detainees giving exclusive interviews for the sums of money that they were being promised.

Obviously, the choice of the owner/manager for the broadcast, was to indicate the extent of the large pool of information, at the disposal of the media hounds, whom were ready with their chequebooks at the hand. Implying that these news hounds will find the stories they want to publish, if not from the horses mouth, then some other orifice on the horse, or even close proximity, of the horse, or street, neighbourhood, district, whichever is available, and ready to spill the beans.

Hence, absolving the pooh-bahs from direct implication, selling shiploads of news print into bargain too, blackguarding the villain of the moment; those Iranians.

Dodgy; Reporters, Translators, and Starters

It has been a surreal few days, although some would say no more than the usual instances of bizarre, and almost sublime conduct of the main stream media, and their sponsors whom we all have come to know as political leaders, movers, and shakers.

The event horizon, lay in the Thursday past, in the afternoon. Those nice news men on the telly had set up shop, for a good two minutes worth of hate. Sky News, was keen to get started, with its commentary come news, BBC 24 was busy setting out the narrative, Al-Jazeera trying to keep up, CNN International unusually calm.