I've been a fan of Gogglebox on Channel 4 for a number of years. I find it illuminating and amusing. The format is simple: have groups of 2 or 3 TV viewers -- family members or friends -- comment on each week's television programmes, either in praise, condemnation or mockery. The attraction of watching their reactions is that you come to know them and their individual tastes, prejudices, etc, and the producers make a special effort in choosing people with a witty or sardonic viewpoint, pithily expressed. Some of the best are unintentionally funny simply because of their naivety or ignorance.

The programmes chosen for comment are mainly light entertainment or current affairs rather than news and politics. Last night I watched a short segment of the latest Gogglebox that unusually dealt with the negotiations surrounding the war in Ukraine and the efforts by Trump to reach a ceasefire. The reactions of five or six of the resident groups were shown, and they were highly instructive.

A shot of Zelensky in his uniform of black shirt casual brought forth a sympathetic clucking of concern, as a mother for her besieged son, and I think I heard the word "hero" expressed, though I wouldn't swear to that. A brief shot of Starmer was greeted with appreciative heartfelt remarks that he was dong his very best to "hold the balance" between the US and EU in their differing levels of support for Ukraine.

In other words, the general feeling of the groups mirrored exactly the spin and slant that the media is employing in print, TV and radio. This is that Russia is the wicked aggressor of a 'full-scale invasion" (copyright BBC) and that Trump is sincere in trying to bring peace to the region (no mention in the reports shown of course that the US is supplying most of the arms to keep the war going. And no backstory of the West urging Ukraine to join Nato and Boris Johnson's sabotaging of peace talks. Etc etc etc.)

So what, you may ask, is the point of posting this on TGN? For me, watching just 10 minutes of this Gogglebox was a necessary corrective to my worldview and my involvement here. Because we are vigilant and instinctively untrusting of the media landscape we tend to forget (or I do) that the vast majority of the "ordinary" viewing public accept without query or doubt the BBC version of political reality. The people featured in the programme are not stupid or unfeeling or unkind, but their exposure to alternative and dissenting views is not far from zero. Coming here each day and following the links to Chris Hedges, Brian Berletic, Grayzone,, the Judge, ML, Caitlin Johnstone (and on and on) it's fatally easy to believe that most other people are as broadly interested and informed. Ten minutes of Gogglebox soon settled that.