Over the last few months I have been approached by nearly a dozen media representatives wanting to interview me about a documentary on prepping, self sufficiency and survival each are planning. It seems that we are in fashion at the moment. Some big names are looking at us and wanting to know more.
Now I usually respond the same way with a statement saying that I’m not interested with the following reasons;
- I don’t trust them not to make us out as nutters
- I see them as partially to blame for the state the country is in
There is more but I think that says all I need to say.
To expand;
- Anyone who mentions survival or prepping is linked my the media to the tin foil hat brigade and made out to be an anarchist that must be watched before he blows somewhere up. If anyone is in any way an outdoor type they are shown as a bit odd and guns and knives always get a mention even if the guns are BB guns and the knives are Swiss Army type knives. They always concentrate on the weapons and the potential fror misuse as well as the fact we are planning to leave everyone else to die.
- Their role is to report the news, not report it with a bias. If they were reporting what our political class do, which is in my opinion, is their day job, truthfully and without bias even the dumbest of our voters would have seen the light years ago. Yet they reported on celebrities and the Big Brother and X Factor bread and circuses instead and distracted the easily led gullible public instead. They collaborated with the politicians and enabled them to do what they did. Only now when the politicians don’t need them and they are clamping down on freedom of the press are all the stories coming out and the evil empire shown without clothes.
Once I have responded most just disappear, a few respond with a polite thanks and disappear while a couple have responded and attempted to sway me by pointing out that they have different roles or ask if anyone else is interested. I appreciate their views and thus I have asked on this site for people to talk to them. I also see them on the sites browsing. As long as they follow the simple rules in place I’m OK with that. I have no interest in monitoring or manipulating them. I only wish they reciprocated
In case you are wondering. I actually think that now could be the time for preppers to get their viewpoints aired. The public has started to look at what is going on, is waking up and reading alternative news sites such as blogs and not liking what they read there. Personal opinions fair enough, but supported by facts and deductions and they don’t make stupid mistakes because most know what they are talking about. They are trying to make ends meet and they are starting on the self sufficiency trail and looking at new things, to them, such as keeping chickens, growing their own food and reducing their expenses all around. People will be receptive to prepping and it will educate people in what we are doing. Is is a good opportunity.
However, it could be used to show how selfish people are looking at hoarding and keeping livestock in the suburbs despite the potential health issues to others and pointing out how to identify us. Legislation could easily follow and I think we have more than enough already and we would have even more of our freedoms removed. By careful editing, choices in photographs and a biased narration no matter how careful you are you can be made out to be the devil incarnate and our sheeple will demand that something be done to you. Led on by our politicians and their favourite pressure groups.
I’m of the opinion that the onus is on the journalists to show us that they can be factual and unbiased;
- An expose of the climate change scam and those useless windmills
- A cost analysis of the EU
- A documentary on political promises and their subsequent actions after elections such as the court case that says they don’t have to keep campaign promises and other such items
- A documentary on Justice, or in our case, justice UK style, with jail for those that don’t pay taxes while burglars go free
- An expose on Self Defence laws and how we are powerless against armed thugs while guns are solving the problem in the US
- An expose on tax and what it is spent on
- Etc.
There are many things they can do to help raise awareness in the eyes of the public in the UK to what is going on. If they want help on any of that then I can point them to a few facts and there are people willing to talk but that doesn’t fit their agenda.
Over the past few years we have had several scandals linked to Watergate such as Climategate over the falsified emails, that other gate where Gordo forgot his microphone was on, etc. In truth though none of these is anything like Watergate or any of the great reporting issues of even thirty years ago and I doubt our journalists today would dare to do anything like that. How many would go to jail to protect whilsteblowers? Now they report them to the police for punishment whilst they go on tour with terrorists to show how nmisunderstood they are and how racist we are for not agreeing with their backwards culture. Far from the press being the guardians of our society, they are merely another arm of the government.
Whilst I wait for them to prove their intent with actions and not words. Anyone interested in speaking to any journalists then let me know and I’ll put you in touch.
My other half rescued two bantam chics last year from her college from being put down due to lack of students to look after them, they honoured us with two eggs two days ago, (I think they heard me saying they were going in the pot if they don’t come up with the goods soon) she’s acting like it was her that had the eggs ! !
Good article and in my opinion well written – certain individuals coming under fire in recent days regarding bribes/cash payments says a lot about the press as well as the people working in the law and order dept.
Can you really trust the media? Not totally because after they have broadcast their item it is ‘out there’ and cannot be retracted and the damage is done whether by accident or design.
The only time you can ‘trust’ these folk is if you can have final editorial control over the article or item concerned – then if they get it ‘wrong’ you have an audit trail to enable you to prove the point.
Would I want to get involved with these people? Not unless I had total control, as above, with a written contract.
Unfortunately journalism is all about results, whether that is how many newspapers are sold or winning the ratings war between the BBC and the independent channels. Gone are the days of a cosy little chat around a camp fire type documentary, nowadays it’s all about sensationalism, drawing in the viewers/readers and leaving them baying for blood so they tune in again next week, or buy another newspaper tomorrow. Unbiased reporting of the facts is so last century.
My advice to anyone contemplating talking to a journalist is simple: don’t do it. They are just ordinary human beings like the rest of us but they have a job to do and that job depends on results; if they don’t come up with something sensational enough their editors will soon fire them. You really don’t want your picture appearing on national TV or in newspapers, the locals will know exactly where to go in an emergency and will take your preps by force if necessary. There is also the likelihood that you’ll appear on a government database somewhere as an undesirable of some description and your stores will be at risk of being impounded “for the greater good”. Keeping your head down and not drawing attention to yourself is the safest bet no matter how much you’d like to get the real message out to the public. Most of them aren’t interested anyway.
Knowing very well the world that most journalists are trained in ( brainwashed) I would not waste my time dealing with them, The Murdoch empire fiasco is a good example, also last nights CH 4 program about extremists was another focusing only on the excentricities of the main players and not the exual root cause of why they are growing in popularity. Nat Geo has just dont a set of shows that portrays us all as doomsday gun nuts waiting for armageddon. Why ? because its cheap shock horror lets ridicule the prepper type programmings that gets the prolls watching.
There no high volume viewer ratings and advertising revenue to be made about mainstream prepping because its more akin to Gardening Weekly than Apocalypse now.
And the arogrance of many of these film makers is astounding, They arrive on a forum, state what they what hoops they want us to jump through, leave a method of contact then expect us to throw ourselves at their feet.
I have seen these odious creatures destroy peoples lives time after time just to make one 45 minute long documentary.
I dont think we need to advertise what our community / world entails because we only want to attract people and families who can think for themselves and who are already well aware of what is going on in the world around us. Those sorts of people become situationally aware then seek information out about prepping and survivalist and find their own way to us.
What is unbalanced is search engines filtering systems and the urls that lead people to prepping forums.
One of the journalists actually said I would have a bit of editorial control. I would have enquired further but got sidetracked but even if he said I had total control I would still feel the same because editorial control is only good if you can stop the show getting out.
If not you then have to sue them with all the associated costs and their pot of money is much bigger than yours. In fact they even have a pot just for this sort of thing. Look at the recent court case where we successfully reintroduced double jeopardy and trial by media. The power of the media to bypass laws with impunity. Of course the phone hacking is being blown out of all proportion by the politicians and celebrities in revenge so it is changing.
There have been several professions whose reputations have been damaged over the last 30 years. It is time they got back to their core principles.
Well said SD. Great post. I can see your fustration, you’d love to give your help and advice, but the obvious back lash just is not worth it.
What if they could produce a series on the line of a Ray Meares type thing instead of a one off documentary which is open to ridicule ?
Bobby,
I’d love to help and raise the issue with others but I can see myself being manipulated because of my beliefs. A simple factual statement can be taken several ways especially when it has a biased commentary attached.
First rule of survivalism is NEVER become a Refugee
The second is OPSEC, Privacy and Security are part of Opsec.
I agree with much of this article and the general sentiment. I do think though that the different parts of the government in a wider state ie politicians (off all parties) the police, the courts, army, cival service, tv and press represent the dominant views of the ruling elite. Everything the state does is to act in the interests of the elite who control the varies arms of government, like the press.
They think they are right and will go on forever. They are the ones in for the biggest shock when TEOTWAWKI happens.
Tango,
It is because they are sheltered from the real world by a media that does not present the unbiased truth and with their advisors that filter out what they are told they are like Hitler delusional. I sure hope that it is more than a shock they get.