Robert Fisk losing it on Agenda

aodh_rua · 21-04-2004 11:40am #1

A mate of mine emailed me yesterday to say that Robert Fisk lost it on last Sunday's Agenda. He even threatened to sue. Anyone see the show? Did it really happen? Who or what was the cause of his explosion???

Dave · 21-04-2004 11:43am

Yeah, it happened. He was arguing with tom rooney. A reference was made to an article he had written in the independent by tom, I forget what was said, but a bit of a rucus ensued. It was pretty funny.

Harry2001 · 21-04-2004 2:51pm

Yeah it was funny! I thought he was going to have a heart attack - I think it was because he was sitting next to Eamon Dunphy and Eamon was having a go at the guy across the desk too

He was ranting about suing and demanded that the comment (can't remember what it was) be retracted

alleepally · 21-04-2004 3:21pm

Basically the Tom Rooney guy accused Fisk of lying about Israeli murders of Palestinians in 1982 I think. Fisk got really angry and even worse, this Rooney guy was so smug and arrogant. I even saw the flicker of a smile when he saw Fisk get so angry.

McWilliams isn't the best at handling heavy situations and he tends to gloss over things and is very tabloid in his approach. Fisk had to repeatedly ask him to disassociate himself (McWilliams) and the programme (Agenda) from the remarks made by Rooney. McWilliams eventually did although I would imagine the instruction came through his earpiece from the director. Great piece of TV though!

Morgans · 21-04-2004 3:35pm

My jist on it

Fisk reported that the israeli army were filling in mass graves in jenin after massacring Arabs in an article years a few years ago, when the reality was somewhat different. To this no one, not even Fisk denied. However, when Rooney called it a blood libel and teh result of the reporters hatred for jews, he responded with his outbursts. Fisk looked like he was going to cry for a while.

While Fisk is obviously a brave and knowledeable reporter in the region, i for one am sick to death with the fawning over him by Dunphy, Cooper, and other current affairs presenters. After admrining him when i first began to read up on teh subject, i view his reportage as biased as anything that comes from teh Israeli ministries, and I for one was delighted that someone was willing to challenge his views instead of, excuse the french, licking his arse.

McWilliams didnt want to retract the comments, possibly because he knows that there is a second side to the story. Something similar happened on the last word a couple of years back when fisk was arguing with Alan Dursuvic (sp), a pro isreali. Both made accusations, and Dunphy had to make a choice on whose side the program lay, with Fisk as his buddy and teh more regular guest, the inclident led Dursuvic to hang up.

Whatever about Fisk who has some if decreasing credibility ( i think this is right to say, and it is not just in my opinion), what Eamon Dunphy was doing discussing these issues is beyond me, and Rooney had every right to pick him up on it.

Elmo · 21-04-2004 9:43pm

And this show would do well in Prime Time?

Ok maybe I let it go

No maybe not.

flogen · 21-04-2004 10:52pm

I wonder if there is a link of it anywhere, would love to see it.

elmo, do you think it should be prime time? i only ever catch it on a sunday morning, and thats not very often either

Flogen

mike65 · 21-04-2004 10:54pm

My vision of hell - stuck in a lift with Fisk and Dunphy discusing politics! Fisk is very knowledgable but hoplessly biased.

Mike.

Winters · 22-04-2004 12:18am

I was watching it too ... really brought some entertainment to my Sunday night. Great too see when you just get back form the pub too. If i was on my PC I would have recoreded it. Pity it wasent switched on.

emertoff · 23-04-2004 6:54pm

Yeah I wish I recorded it too. Not often you see a 'debate' get as heated on TV nowadays. Seems to me as if Cooney would start a fight in an empty room. He is typical of the smug, all-knowing academic type who have no experience of anything practical. Saw him on PrimeTime a while back during the Iraq war and he was almost as bad then.

Elmo · 24-04-2004 2:17am

elmo, do you think it should be prime time?

Yes why not I mean they show Coro St And Emmerdale 3 times a week why not adgenda.

Those who like it on a sunday morning could see it
Those who like it on a sunday evening could see it
And those who like it on a sunday night could see it

why not?

flogen · 24-04-2004 2:56am

oh, i agree it should get a better slot, given that Im not a soccer fan its easily the best Irish made show on tv3 (wait... besides soccer it IS the only irish made show on tv3....), and its probably the one show that I would be interested in seeing more often, especially given the fact that it isnt shown anywhere else, unlike any other stuff they manage to get their mits on...

just wasnt sure by your comments if you were being sarcastic or not

Flogen

Robert Fisk losing it on Agenda

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