whose idea was it to share this snoozefest?

1984 - George Orwell
Almost like pages from that book... acutely so.
Hmmm... maybe? Under the cover of humor...

Before 1978 I'd been brainwashed into thinking Belfast was a wasteland of destroyed buildings filled with murderous terrorists. I went there, and it's a handsome city (not as nice as Dublin, granted) and full of the most beautiful people.

The media is not there to keep you informed. It's there to keep you scared.