Imagine if PBS decided they wouldn’t air Donald Trump’s speeches live because they think you can’t handle his words. Instead, they’d broadcast it with a delay, giving their “experts” time to filter and dissect his message for you. Sounds dystopian? That’s exactly what happened in Belgium when the state-funded broadcaster RTBF (Radio-Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française)—essentially Belgium’s version of PBS—delayed airing Trump’s speech under the guise of protecting the public from so-called harmful rhetoric.
RTBF claims it was enforcing a “media cordon sanitaire”—a term they use to justify isolating and filtering content deemed too dangerous for public consumption. They argued that Trump’s words, labeled as racist, xenophobic, and inciting hatred, required their “interpretation” to prevent viewers from being influenced. In essence, RTBF acted on the belief that the public isn’t capable—or trustworthy or smart enough—to handle unfiltered truths. Or, more aptly, they want to keep them far away from
State-Funded Censorship: Filtering Democracy
This isn’t journalism; it’s censorship with a propaganda spin. RTBF, a taxpayer-funded broadcaster, claimed they weren’t censoring Trump but merely acting responsibly to “avoid trivializing or normalizing such remarks.” Translation: they’ve appointed themselves moral gatekeepers, deciding what ideas are acceptable to the masses.
This should set off alarm bells for Americans. This is the next step for NPR or PBS -screen political speeches for “dangerous” content before airing them. This is a clear example of the state-media complex stepping into the role of the thought police, dictating what can and cannot be heard.
Bouchez’s Fight Against the Media Cartel
Georges-Louis Bouchez, a Belgian politician, called out RTBF’s decision, “Who are these experts who determine good and evil?” he asked, rightly accusing them of overreach. Bouchez highlighted the growing trend of media platforms claiming moral superiority while eroding the principles of democracy by controlling narratives. “The RTBF information management is not the Ministry of Censorship and Propaganda,” he fired back. […]
— Read More: rairfoundation.com
