
<p>If the public meetings of the January 6<sup>th</sup> Committee looked more like a tightly scripted television serial than a traditional legislative hearing, that is because it was. ; It was nothing less than a political propaganda performance crafted by a television producer.</p>



<p>In an unprecedented move, the January 6<sup>th</sup> Committee hired a chap named James Goldston – the former president of ABC Television News and producer for “Good Morning America” and “Nightline.” ; (Another example of the disturbingly close ties between media and the political world).</p>



<p>According to an unnamed Committee Source, Goldston was hired “to bring its news-gathering and storytelling skills to create a dramatic nightly presentation about the attack on the Capitol.”</p>



<p>In an article in The Wrap, Brandon Katz writes that his source said that “previously unseen footage of the attack, produced packages and other tools, will be leveraged to make the hearings compelling, rather than just a series of witnesses.” ; In other words, crafted propaganda.</p>



<p>The idea of turning a traditional legislative hearing into a documentary was consistent with the Committee&#8217;s mission to prosecute the case against Trump. ; What Goldston did for the Committee was to connect the Committee&#8217;s goal with a format designed to enhance its salesmanship.</p>



<p>The selection of material, evidence, and testimony parceled out to the public was crafted by Goldston for maximum impact. ; Each public session of the Committee was prearranged as a docudrama – a concocted reality show. ; Information presented or withheld for ascending impact.</p>



<p>In hiring Goldston, the Committee resorted to the basic tools of propaganda to give its preconceived narrative greater public impact. ; Unlike most congressional hearings, this one was carried by the networks as if it was regularly scheduled programming – the latest installment in hyperbolic insurrection narrative.</p>



<p>Even the media reviews of the January 6<sup>th</sup> Committee television mini-series sound like movie hype – “dramatic” … “blockbuster” … “sensational” … “gripping”.</p>



<p>The January 6<sup>th</sup> Committee broke a lot of important traditions – Pelosi first banning members appointed by the GOP … then appointing Republican false flaggers … mandating the one-sided Committee with a specific outcome &#8212; and overtly utilizing media propaganda techniques and tools to create a public production. ; ;</p>



<p>Apart from the events of January 6, 2021 – or the merits or accusations of criminality &#8212; the Committee has been a corruption of the legislative process in its brutal partisanship. ; Turning the legislative hearing process into a stark partisan infomercial is bound to have repercussions in the future. ; ;</p>



<p>It is one thing to televise a hearing, but quite another when it is scripted and rehearsed &#8212; and the legislators turned into actors literally playing assigned parts from the prepared script. ; ;</p>



<p>The only thing missing was the “Produced and directed by James Goldston” at the conclusion of each performance.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

ABC Producer Stages January 6th Committee
