Roshan Pedder

I've been watching Ch4 news since our Jon Snow was a young man in jeans reporting from the US and other places. So we have grown old together and I still prefer it to the BBC which I rarely watch now. So believe me I don't make complaints about the Ch4 news easily. But an item today really illustrated how biased certain coverage is. The coverage of the so called pro democracy movement in Hong Kong has been relentless in the past and with very few exceptions it has only ever shown them in a very favourable light. The Chinese government is always referred to in very derogatory terms. Today(18th April) the expression "big brother from Bejing" was used. I am not going to quibble about any of that. My question and source of irritation is that why has no Ch4 reporter ever used a similar phrase about "Big Brother from Washington" when it bullies little Cuba with sanctions for the last 57 years, when even now it ratchets up sanctions on Venezuela and sends a naval convoy streaming down there in the best manner of gunboat diplomacy? Why is there so little outraged coverage of the sanctions imposed on Iran which have probably contributed to hundreds or more additional deaths there? At least Beijing has a direct connection and interest in Hong Kong. What right does the United States have to interfere so blatantly in the affairs of other countries? Not only is there no similar outrage against "BIG BROTHER" in Washington but there is hardly any serious coverage of these issues at a time when global solidarity should be the main aim of all - the media included. The references to the United States is always in this rather subservient fashion. Thankfully I haven't heard that atrocious and totally misleading phrase "leader of the free world" recently but I have certainly heard statements about how the world looks or has always looked to the US for leadership. Really? As in it's war in Vietnam? As in it's role in overthrowing democratically elected leaders all over the world but especially in South America and installing brutal dictators? "I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its people. The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves" Henry Kissinger. Or as in it's role of unquestioning support for Israel and it's devastating occupation of Palestine? The list is endless. So yes, criticise China, whenever necessary but let's see you have some semblance of balance and call out Big Brother in Washington with equal boldness.