TV News Channel talking football when the government is about to fall

The Slovak government's fall is imminent, and the rolling news TV channel TA3 is broadcasting an old programme about rugby. No analyses, commentary, no images from Parliament, just a short news bulletin.  And afterwards, guess what,  another programme on sports, this time football. And then on the British library.  How fascinating.  Who cares about their own government. One goes out, another  comes in.  Every two years.

OH 2012: Výmysly, chyby a nepravdy v Pravde

Dnes sa mi náhodou dostal do rúk slovenský denník Pravda, podľa niektorých vraj mienkotvorný, z 27.  júla.  V športovej sekcii je rozhovor Adama Zelinku o OH 2012 pod názvom “Londýn zaujme.  ...”.  Čo je to za titulok?  Ako keby napísal: “Olympijské hry zaujmú”.  A. Zelinka už nič vlažnejšie a všeobecnejšie vo svojej nepochybne múdrej hlave nenašiel?  Alebo možno by sa aj našlo, ale rozmýšľanie bolí?  

Ale to najdôležitejšie sú faktické chyby, výmysly a NEPRAVDY na margo Kristiána Klímu, redaktora World Business Press Online, ktorý odpovedal na Zelinkove (niektoré naozaj tupé) otázky.  “Dýcha už Londýn olympijskou atmosférou?” Kristián Klíma: “NIE!...Bežných ľudí sa zatiaľ olympijský duch nedotkol". Holý nezmysel.  Ja som ten bežný človek žijúci v Londýne, vo Wimbledone.  Je to veľká štvrť, všade sa konajú akcie v olympijskom duchu, nielen na športoviskách, ale aj v knižniciach, školách a na uliciach.  Ľudia sa prihlasujú za dobrovľníkov na OH, chodia na pracovné pohovory, aby tam 14 dní mohli pracovať gratis, v médiách aj cez sponzorov môžete prihlásiť ľudí zo svojho okolia za nosičov olympijského plameňa,  ľudia sa všade bavia lístkoch, či ich majú alebo nemajú (o lístkoch viac nižšie).

Zelinka: “ Nevidno v meste nejaké ...suveníry s logami olympiády?”  Klíma:  Zatiaľ som si nič podobné nevšimol.” Tak si otvorte oči.  Ja sama nosím olympijský odznak s typickým angulárnym 2012, a kúpila som aj olympijské nálepky pre deti, tričká a perá s OH znakom..  

A zlatý kliniec rozhovoru – predaj vstupeniek. Klíma: “ Predaj prebiehal ako lotéria.  Ľudia si objednali lístky náhodným spôsobom. Nevedeli, na aké športové odvetvia a ani za koľko. Potom boli sklamaní.  Dostali lístky na športy, ktoré ich vôbec nezaujímali, alebo zistili, že získali vstupenky za tisíce libier, ktoré si nemôžu dovoliť. “ Kristán Klíma, to ste si vymysleli,  lebo ste  si pravdepodobne lístky neobjednávali, a nechcelo sa vam zisťovať, ako to vlastne bolo.

Ja som sa na procese kúpy lístkov zúčastnila osobne, bolo to takto:  Keď ste si objednávali lístky cez webstránku, klikli ste presne na športy, ktoré ste chceli, a na presnú sumu, za ktorú ste ich chceli.  Lotéria bola v tom, že ak si objednáte viac lístkov, mate väčšiu šancu byť vylosovaný.  Podmienka ale bola, že v bode , keď Vás vylosujú, vám strhnú toľko peňazí z bankovej karty (ktorej číslo ste museli uviesť), koľko lístkov ste dostali.  Ja som si objednala lístky presne na tieto športy, v hodnote okolo 50 libier každý: plávanie, šerm, triathlon, beach volejbal, ľahká atletika, športová gymnastika.  Všetky spolu asi v hodnote 500 libier. Keby mi náhodou vylosovali všetky, aby som ich dokázala zaplatiť.  Dostala som 4, za asi 150 libier.  Ale niektorí, v snahe zvýšiť si šance na vylosovanie, si objednali lístky za tisícky libier.  V jednom prípade, ktorý poznám, si dotyčný objednal lístky za 20 000, a dostal všetky!  Tak ich v tom bode musel zaplatiť.  Ak nezaplatil, prepadli mu všetky. 

Klíma:  “Niektorým sa lístky neušli vôbec a frfľali, že si olympiádu neužijú, hoci ju majú rovno pod nosom.”   Literárny skvost vo vyjadrovaní K. Klímu a jeho ďalší výmysel, pravdepodobne z intelektuálnej lenivosti.  Po prvé Londýnčania nikdy “nefrfľú” ako Slováci pri pive.   Oni sa kvalifikovane, verejne, jasne a slušne vyjadrujú v novinách, rozhlase a TV, obracaju sa na svojho MP  (poslanca) a žiadajú odpovede. Po druhé nešlo o to, že majú OH “rovno pod nosom”.  Ale o to, že za ňu platia, každý Londýnčan odvádza vyššie dane, aby sa olympiáda zaplatila.  Preto je to pre nich  také nefér.

A na záver ďalšia perla v otázkach Adama Zelinku:  “Je Londýn už teraz pripravený tak, aby sa mohla Olympiáda začať?”  Určite, rok vopred. To sa naozaj nedá komentovať.   Otázka na šéfredaktora Pravdy: zaslúžia si Vaši novinári a prispievatelia honorár? A čo čitatelia, vážite si ich natoľko, že uverejnite ospravedlnenie a veci uvediete na pravu mieru?

All Eyes on All the Stars at All Times

The Markiza TV news anchor (although 'anchor' is a huge over-statement for an autocue reader with no ad hoc input or any interviewing skills to speak of) Patrik Svajda introduces himself as the new star of the Markiza's equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing.  Halfway through the main evening news bulletin at 7pm here comes a long 'news item' of the new series of its own  dance competition, with - hold your breath - Svajda as a competitor, again!  And other 'personalities' (as they like to call themselves): actresses, singers and moderators, here they all come again. The same faces over and over again!  There is no respite from them.  Sitcoms, films, musicals, theatre, magazines, commercials...and now the evening news bulletins.  The abolition of shame. 

Slovak PM: "Nobody is going to tell ME when to speak!" And media fall reverently silent.

I have watched main news bulletins on both STV and Markiza TV channels tonight.  They brought a piece about the Prime Minister Radicova who has been refusing to voice her opinion of a very controversial issue involving the Finance Secretary Miklos, who is from the same political party as she is.  The teenage interviewers walked Miklos for 15 minutes without extracting a single answer from him.  And he poking fun on them!  No wonder if they were unable to challenge him in any way.  Then the studio showed PM Radicova shouting "Nobody is going to tell ME when to speak!  When I feel like speaking I will speak!"  However, neither TV channel offered an analytical piece or a commentary explaining why she has to speak when asked by media.  She IS accountable to her people, they elected her!  The people of Slovakia do not know that they have a right to hear an answer.  No one is going to tell them!  The dumb talking heads on TV screens who bring PM's self-justified proclamations explain  nothing to gullible audiences.  Slovak media are unable to make sense of the events they are bringing to the public arena. Or, more likely, they don't give a damn.

Yet another sparkling TV appearance of 'that man' (could it be Chmelar?)

I was invited to give a view on the London riots for the Slovak news TV channel TA3 on Aug 10th.  I had been closely following the events as I live in London close to Croydon where the most violent riots took place.  I had spent the day of the interview at Lewisham Hospital where I worked as an interpreter, having ridden my bicycle across the affected areas.  Incidentally, I started a conversation with a man who turned out to be the father of one of the rioters.  I asked him why his kid did it.  He said, he himself and his wife had never been in any employment, they had lived on benefits and that was all their son could see, he did not learn any work ethic from his parents.  He added: "and now the government is going to take the benefits from us, how are the kids supposed to respond?"  Subsequently, I reflected this view in my telephone interview, almost quoting what the man had said to me.
And then, a studio guest, Mr Eduard Chmelar, a respected teacher and media expert proclaimed: 'That woman is wrong'.  I was stunned. An omniscient sofa pundit spoke.  Presumably, he found some fragmented info on Jamaican families on the Internet.  Was he in London as I was?  Was it HE who rode a bicycle in dangerous neighborhoods?  Was it HIM speaking to the perpetrators? Does he think his position justifies his disrespect for his fellow journalist especially if she (me) is not present in the studio to defend her position?  He couldn't even read the name of the criticized person splashed all over the screen.  And such condescending untouchables teach media and communication at Slovak universities.  No wonder the Slovak media scene is short of culture and ethics.  Mind you, the presenter, otherwise outstanding Peter Bielik, did not challenge 'that man' and did nothing to let the viewers know that different people draw on different sources and thus have different opinions, especially if the subject is so complex as the London riots.  Out of reverence for a public figure decorated with journalistic awards? Who cares about viewers and their understanding.  I bet the chatterbox  Chmelar left the studio gratified, wallowing in his self-inflicted glory, congratulating himself on yet another sparkling TV appearance!
BTW, I am just watching a vivid debate on the BBC, and the views of the debaters are not just diverse but completely antagonistic.  I can picture 'that man' shouting at them from his sofa: "You are all wrong!"

New and ingenious ways of marketing at Markiza

The Slovak commercial TV channel Markiza has found a new way of marketing its new TV programmes.  A work of sheer genius!  Its executives stopped broadcasting an extremely popular Turkish soap opera for a week, and in its slots they started showing a new – and extremely stupid -  reality show called the Farm.  The change in the schedule is not reflected in any TV listings. The spokesperson has said the decision had been made for the sake of the people holidaying in that particular week so they didn’t miss out on their favorite series.  The soap opera is back on next week.  The Farm has been shifted to the slot straight afterwards.  The viewing figures show the Farm has as many viewers as the soap opera.  But I am going on holiday next week!   

'Clever' TV bosses

Slovak TV channels like playing games with their audiences.  When a pouting blonde presenter doesn’t get some facts right, or the producer makes a mistake in the continuity order, cue-ing a report and actually showing something completely different, a collective amnesia overcomes them all.  There is never any correction or an apology, or any acknowledgement of a mistake.  When I privately asked a senior representative of a channel why there is so much disrespect for the viewer  they answered ‘it’s our strategy not to attract attention to mistakes.  The viewers won’t notice anyway’.  How clever! 

Regarding the commercial TV channel Markiza, what is even more frustrating a testament to either i) the utter incompetence or ii) a complete disregard for its viewers, is that almost every day the daily programme bears no resemblance to its listings in newspapers and magazines. Viewers just never know what is on, and when. No apologies are ever given, Markiza executive doubtless idiotically believing that, again, we won’t notice.

Complicated mathematics in Markiza and TASR

On the website of the Slovak TV commercial channel of Markiza I have come across a news item sourced to the Slovak Press Agency TASR, in which, again, I have found evidence of careless and lazy journalism, or translation. The item reads:

'News Corporation owns only 39% of television shares which it planned to increase to 61%.  It would give the company total control over this electronic medium and a huge influence on the British media market.'

However, the facts are as follows: News Corporation owns 39% of BSkyB shares, and it planned to increase the share by 61%. 39 + 61 = 100. It means an increase to 100%. Wrongly copied or translated, again. Markiza and TASR, why are you employing such lazy and incompetent workers? I just hope they do not stylize themselves as journalists. It would be an insult to my trade.

Zložitá matematika

Na webstránke televízie Markíza som natrafila na správu o vývoji škandálu okolo médií Ruperta Murdocha, prebranú z TASR, s nepresnými a lajdácky podanými informáciami:

"News Corporation v súčasnosti vlastní iba 39 percent podielov televízie, čo plánovala zvýšiť na 61 percent. Spoločnosť by tak získala by [sic]úplnú kontrolu nad týmto elektronickým médiom a obrovský vplyv na celom britskom mediálnom trhu."

 Fakty sú takéto: News Corporation vlastní 39 percentný podiel v televíznej sieti BSkyB, čo plánovala zvýšiť o 61 %!  39 + 61 = 100.  Teda na 100%.   Zasa zle odpísané alebo preložené, a neoverené.  A navyše, BSkyB nie je elektronické médium, ale satelitná vysielacia organizácia.  TASR a Markíza, prečo zamestnávate takýchto lajdáckych pracovníkov?  Aspoň dúfam, že sa nevydávajú sa za novinárov.

Journalists or scribblers?

I cannot believe the sloppiness of some Slovak journalists writing on international affairs. One has to ask if they are journalists at all,  or rather scribblers who steal content from foreign websites and translate them carelessly into their own language.  I have come across such an article on the medialne.etrend.sk website.  Mistakes all over. Their grubby skills are apparent when mentioning the News of the World which they refer to as Now rather than NOTW.  How misleading, how lazy.

Lajdácky novinár alebo prekladateľ?

Žijem v Londýne a tak slovenské správy môžem sledovať iba na internete. Keďže sa neviem dočkať, kým tam STV dá svoju večernú spravodajskú reláciu (už čakám 2 hodiny), pozerám sa na slovenské blogy.  Natrafila som na adresu medialne.etrend.sk a samozrejme, že som si v prvom rade vyhľadala Murdocha a s ním spojený škandál v Británii.  A nemôžem uveriť vlastným očiam! Je to český alebo slovenský článok? Podľa adresy by mal byť slovenský, ale podľa obsahu ho nejaký skaderuka-skadenoha "preložil" do slovenčiny tak neporiadne, že si nezaslúži výplatu.  V jeho podaní je britský denník Times "list", Brownow syn má "nevyliečiteľnou cystickou" fibrózu, priatelia "Brownových" uviedli, že telefonát "je" rozrušil...Navyše, autor si neoveril skutočnosť, že The News of the World má skratku NOTW, a nie "NoW" a "Now" ako lajdácky píše on/ona.

The Murdoch affair in the Slovak TV

On July 11th, the Slovak public service TV, STV, in its main evening news bulletin spared 20 seconds on one of the biggest media crises in the UK or perhaps the world. It selected one and only one aspect of the crisis: Rupert Murdoch and the failure of his business expansion.  Indeed, it is impossible to squeeze in more, such as the crisis in police ranks or of the British journalism. And as the facts were too sparse, inaccurate and incomplete to hold the attention of the public, the presenter must have decided to entertain the viewers by infusing those precious 20 seconds with as many mistakes as she could fit in. And not just in the pronunciation of the proper names.  She failed to name the BSkyB company as the one R. Murdoch wants to buy off in the UK, she resorted just to a 'network of British TV stations' instead. She said that 'after the hacking affair the contract is in unforeseeable future'.  After! She suggested that the affair was over, whereas the power struggle is just beginning.  It is a standard behaviour for the Slovak media to serve inaccurate and incomplete information to their audiences because they know that no one will ever complain against the practice. Why bother finding out exact facts and verify the  pronunciation of such famous names like Rupert Murdoch?  However, every cloud has a silver lining and STV deserves credit for running the news item for 20, albeit farcical, seconds; the TA3 channel that stylizes itself as a rolling news channel, has had no mention of the affair at all.

And the headline of the whole news item was: the

Murdochova aféra a správy STV

Slovenská verejno-právna televízia dnes, 11. júla,  vo svojom hlavnom večernom spravodajstve venovala jednej z najväčších mediálnych kríz v Británii, a možno aj vo svete, 20 sekúnd.  V ich rámci  vybrala len jediný aspekt, a to Murdocha a zlyhanie jeho podnikateľského plánu. Pravdaže, do 20 sekúnd sa nezmestí zmienka o kríze v policajných radoch alebo o kríze britskej žurnalistiky. A aby ten výber suchých,  neúplných a nepresných faktov aspoň niečím zaujal divákov, moderátorka Hargašová sa ich rozhodla pobaviť tým, že v rámci tých vzácnych 20 sekúnd urobila toľko chýb, koľko sa len do nich dalo vtesnať, a nielen vo výslovnosti:  britský vicepremiér Nick Clegg nie je Nig Glegg ale Nik Kleg (slovesnký prepis výslovnosti),  a Rupert Murdoch nie je Rapert Márdok, ale Rupert Merdok. "Sieť britských televíznych staníc" ktoré Murdoch chce kúpiť, má svoje meno, BSkyB, ale moderátorka si asi myslí, že dať slovenským divákom presné údaje je hádzať perly sviniam.  A "po afére s odpočúvaním je zmluva v nedohľadne"? Akože po afére?  Tá aféra sa len teraz začína rozvíjať, je v plnom prúde, tak prečo moderátorka naznačuje, že je už po nej? A boj o moc sa len začína! Zo skúsenosti však viem, že slovenský divák sa nikdy neohradí proti nepresnostiam, ktoré mu jeho médiá servírujú, tak načo by si novinári a moderátori zisťovali presné fakty a overovali výslovnosť cudzích mien?  Ale keďže každý mrak má strieborný okraj, aj tu si STV zaslúži kredit, že takejto veľkej medzinárodnej udalosti venuje 20, aj keď úbohých, sekúnd, kým TA3, ktorá je vraj spravodajskou stanicou, o tom nemala dnes ani zmienku.