CCTV FOLLIES 11.20 EDITORIAL SHIFT?

Hamas not spared the shameful footage of hostages dragged into Shifa -Does latest Gaza report suggest a shift in line? -Xi out of sight but not out of mind! -Lurid tabloid news reports from US resumed

Israel battling Hamas in Gaza is the big news story of the day. In a real sense, it is the only news story of the day, journalistically speaking, and while imperfectly covered, with some biases showing and other biases addressed, it is newsworthy in a program that is otherwise stuffed with photo-ops, conference openings, and propaganda spiels.

It’s a slow news day for domestic news from China, which is understandable in a way, since the star of the show, the default top story of the news is absent. The man who makes it all happen is still jet-lagged and in recovery. Where’s Xi?

The weekend news, also light in content, was mostly devoted to Xi reruns, repeats and a recap of Xi Jinping’s magnificent sweep of San Francisco where the streets were swept clean and festooned with red flags of welcome. As CCTV showed it, Xi was the star in a carefully curated drama, a visionary leader among leaders, a dominant man among men.

In contrast, the Monday news lacks its usual center of gravity and gr…