In These New Times

Ever since Press TV Ltd was incorporated in the UK, it has frequently been under fire from various bodies in the kingdom, the same regime that shelters and offers citizenship to anyone who aligns with their policies. Sometimes, they even go as far as to appointing them as knights.

Surely, such honorary awards from the monarchy will not be considered for Press TV as it has chosen to stay independent. Rather, all possibilities will be explored to inflict damage on this, as Rupert Murdoch’s Sunday Times so eloquently described Press TV as ‘domestic enemy.’

The question that springs to mind is, how could this dangerous ‘domestic enemy’, gain such an amount of viewers in the UK, to have its policymakers endlessly searching for ways to discredit its hard earned reputation.

The answer is rather simple! As Press TV itself has stated, it is the ‘voice of the voiceless.’

Maybe, these policymakers should ask themselves why such a large portion of their population remains voiceless.

Instead, pitiful hype’s have been, and still are, orchestrated against Press TV, with the aim of shutting it down.

In 2009, a group of individuals appeared to be concerned with a so called misleading Press TV advertisement on London’s transportation services. The large advertisement banners on London’s buses read “Press TV – giving a voice to the voiceless. 24/7 news truth.”

But despite their futile attempts, the young Iranian born news network, that has recently been the new buzz word in the media outlets of the monarchy, have successfully kept connecting itself to more viewers. Indeed frustrating for the global elite. US State Department cables released by WikiLeaks has demonstrated how the British Foreign Office has told the US Embassy in London that it is “exploring ways to limit the operations of … Press TV” in the interest of freedom of opinion and expression.

Every time Press TV is mentioned in British media, it is followed by ‘state-funded’, ‘mouthpiece for the Iranian regime’ or ‘funded by the Iranian government’, and therefore cannot be exercising any freedom of opinion or expression, but instead it seeks to incite hatred and division.

Must one remind the monarchy’s journalists to stop being lazy and step up their game? Al Jazeera collects its funds from the emir of Qatar. BBC receives its budget from the British government. And the same goes for a list of news outlets.

To claim that Press TV incites hatred, when in fact calling it a mouthpiece of the Iranian government every time it is mentioned, is itself inciting hatred and division. And it shows the double standard and partiality of these outlets.

Ken Livingstone, former Mayor of London, stated the real problem the high-ups have with Press TV.

“The problem with Press TV is it’s most probably the only channel available to most people in Britain, where you can see the Palestinian case fairly presented. And, that is something that, there are very powerful interests that don’t want that out there in the public domain.”

Indeed a ‘voice of the voiceless.’ During the 2009 Gaza war, Press TV’s viewership increased as it, unlike its competitors in the UK, fairly presented the war.

Further, Press TV also covered the protests against the monarchy’s costly royal wedding, while most British media outlets did not.

The rulers of Great Britain should come to terms with their Britannia not being so great any longer. With some 3.5 million children in the kingdom living in poverty, many of their citizens do feel ‘voiceless’ when every channel and newspaper neglect them and instead pays attention to the royal families luxurious ceremonies.

Press TV on the other hand, has offered a voice, to the silenced man in the street. And instead of showing appreciation for having increased the average citizens’ well-being, the high-ups in the UK have chosen to put up a fight with Press TV so to silence it.

Gandhi, who accepted the British challenge for a fight, years ago, said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.”

PM/PKH