Laura Dodsworth and I have filed a complaint with Ofcom about a report issued by the Behavioural Insights Team and Sky urging broadcasters to use sophisticated psychological techniques derived from behavioural science to persuade people to support the Government’s ‘Net Zero’ agenda. Sky proudly boasted in the report that it was already using these subliminal techniques, which we think is a breach of Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code – in particular, the prohibition on using “techniques which exploit the possibility of conveying a message to viewers or listeners, or of otherwise influencing their minds without their being aware, or fully aware, of what has occurred”. Here is the gist of our complaint, taken from our letter to Melanie Dawes, the Chief Executive of Ofcom:
We are writing to alert you to a broadcast license complaint we have made about Sky U.K. Our complaint concerns a partnership between Sky and Behavioural Insights U.K., Known as the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), a limited company that was partly owned by the Government at the time the report was published. We believe this partnership – and, in particular, Sky’s adoption of BIT’s recommendations about how to help the Conservative Government successfully implement one of its most political contentious policy, namely, Net Zero – contravenes the Broadcasting Code.
The partnership we’re referring to resulted in the publication of “The Power of TV: Nudging Viewers to Decarbonise their Lifestyles” and the launch of Sky’s ‘Sky Zero’ campaign, which recommended that broadcasters make use of “behavioural science principles”, including subliminal messaging (“nudging” in the parlance of BIT, which is colloquially known as the Nudge Unit), to encourage viewers to endorse and comply with Conservative Government policy. Alarmingly, the report recommends broadcasters utilise sophisticated psychological techniques to change the behaviour of children “because of the important influence they have on the attitude and behaviours of their parents”.
The letter is worth reading in full.
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Great idea, and good luck. But what about the incessant propaganda from the lying BBC?
The BBC bangs the Davos – Gates drum – the only answer is total avoidance of BBC news.
So they are openly manipulating people and proud of it.
Thus tyranny is normalised by a shameless, cynical and perverse media; and the cretins still consuming it.
Some psychologists have done their ‘profession’ a great disservice these last 18 months.
I always knew psychology was bull. Now it turns out it is evil too.
Psychologists were always heavily involved in ‘eugenics’ theory and models.
Gates provides funds to all Global Media Corporations and MSM publications . There is no pluralism in the MSM – it is now just a droning propaganda monotone.
That’s right, tyranny didn’t end with the Nuremberg trials or the fall of the Berlin Wall. History, far from ending, continues apace.
But the media are not the source. That’s the Cabinet office and that’s far more serious for democracy.
“If you’ve recently read a newspaper, popular magazine, science journal or watched a major television news outlet, you have probably seen news item after news item regarding the Climate Crisis or the Climate Emergency.”
It all comes from an organisation called Covering Climate Now.
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2021/05/04/the-climate-propaganda-cabal/?fbclid=IwAR1I9gLY-MdHSquFEHbRFzOuOWCSGMGfk_oHU234Z78cEFSRcasEe4GA5ws
Its a pity the people putting out the Climate Crisis or the Climate Emergency propaganda don’t look up in the sky every now and again. Below is a photo of sometimes daily occurrence above my house in France, and having a relative who’s a highly trained jet engine technician I know for sure that’s not condensation trails up there.. Absolutely disgusting..
Mmmn.. a down tick for what exactly. I must have scored a hit with my photo. Taken by a real person at a known place, and backed up with technical expertise
Luckily very few people watch Sky News.
Surely you can do this for every MSM source over the last two years? Every blatant lie, coercive article, obvious nudge, manipulative advert and all the one eyed ‘reporting’?
Come on Toby let’s report everyone. Perhaps you could organise a campaign here? Flood OFCOM, advertising standards and the press complaints commission with demands they investigate?
No, Sky (no worse, certainly than BBC etc.) has stupidly trumpeted their behaviour which, as Laura and Toby point out, is completely at odds with what the regulator is supposed to be enforcing.
They have been daft and arrogant enough to put their cocks on the block. Now we need someone to enthusiastically wield the chopper.
About time people started calling out the media. They are an absolute disgrace and know exactly what they are doing. Toby Young understands how the industry works as do the Free Speech Union which is full of media veterans. Brainwashing the masses. https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/headlines-change-way-think
Try GBNews – they are trying!
However criticism of the vaccine narrative is censored by Ofcom under the “Emergency Powers” the MPs and Johnson are so keen to maintain ‘forever.’
Like ALL those happy multiculti families which are protraed on EVERY TV commercial? And those footballers whogenuflect to tblack criminals before each game?
I give up.
Laura, Toby, brilliant work!
But good luck in getting a sensible response from Ofcom, who are up to their necks in the same putrid scam.
When, after a great delay, they tell you to “Shut Up and Save the Planet”, as they certainly will, we need to consider what further steps are available. They are likely to need crowd funding.
I guess that, unfortunately, even those increasingly aware of our Beloved Leaders’ similar wilful distortion of facts, Policy Based Evidence Making, Project Fear and their blatant recruitment of the most incompetent and venal whores in media and academia, all in the service of Zero Covid (and their nice “Christmas Cards” from Big Pharma), haven’t realised the implications of this Net Zero nonsense, which will finally destroy the West.
Well done, thank you for fighting.
Cancelling my Sky subscription 4 years ago was supremely liberating.
Do it now folks, hit them where it hurts.
Buy yourself a Freesat box, where you have access to many channels and can record hundreds of hours of programmes.
I’ve been running one from the early days of HD broadcasting – a Humax product made in 2008; still working. Loads of junk channels, but at least they’re free to browse around.
Have you heard the term ‘Propaganda‘ before? The focus should be the censorship coming with the online harms bill.
Very dangerous legislation that they are deliberately keeping out of the news. Another step towards their slow tyranny by stealth project while the sheep stay asleep.
Well it’s having the negative effect on me. I’ve had two big bonfires this month and even went for a drive just for fun in my 25mpg car and because they keep going on about it all the time I have also stopped recycling too.
Almost guarantee you’ll get 40mpg out of it if you try hard enough. Though admittedly economy runs are rather tedious…
IMO possibly the most egregious aspect of this thing in the UK has been the way in which the government has used our money to manufacture consent and terrorise us. I think governments should simply be constitutionally prohibited from having any kind of “Nudge unit”.
I’ve been telling my better half this is what goes on in British broadcasting for years and not just Net Zero either; the whole Woke agenda is foisted upon the unsuspecting public too both in programming and especially advertising. This is precisely why I no longer watch U.K. tv. All of it is blatant propaganda; sickens me our once great country has turned into this cesspit.
There is a complete lack of knowledge about how the media (propaganda) industry works. Very disappointed that Daily Sceptic hasn’t done an article explaining the importance of Headlines and their psychological impact. The UK corporate media are engaged in a 24/7 war to demonise and isolate the ‘unvaccinated’.
Over 80% of people won’t read beyond the headline and the rest who do read on will have their mindset influenced by it. Behavioural psychologists and propagandists understand all the tricks.
https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/headlines-change-way-think
yea but no but yea old news gov invested in media millions yea but no but yea
Well done – more of it!
SKY is owned by Globalist Corporate Comcon which bankroll disastrous Biden and the US democrats and back the whole disastrous Net Zero agenda.
As in brain-washing children? Or do they have a preferred euphemism for it?
Good stuff but I hope you checked it for typos…
I wish you the best of luck. The whole of the MSM needs investigation but you have to start somewhere.
As Ofcom guidance has been at the root of covid reporting it’s a bit like asking the police to police themselves but I fully support your efforts.
Great to see action at last on the covert activities of the Nudge Unit. There is no place for such a thing in a supposed Democracy. Not sure though why most comments(richly deserved) are directed solely at the media. They’re just the Monkeys. The Organ Grinders are the Cabinet Office. Every politician must be aware of this covert political activity. So what’s to be done about that?