[Peace-discuss] Fwd: [SRRTAC-L:11672] Cross-check news sources?

[Alfred Kagan]

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>From: Mark Rosenzweig <iskra at earthlink.net>
>Subject: [SRRTAC-L:11672] Cross-check news sources?
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>The following story illustrates a new imperative for librarians: 
>cross-checking our news sources for breaking international news.
>Mark R.
>>
>>
>>'The implosion of US media'
>>Date: Tuesday, September 09 @ 09:38:38 EDT
>>Topic: Media
>>
>>By Mike Whitney, Al Jazeerah
>>
>>Public Broadcasting ran a documentary recently on the inner 
>>workings of Aljazeera TV. It should be forced viewing for all 
>>Americans. The chaotic office scenes of the "chain smoking news 
>>hounds"  rooting about for every bit of breaking news would 
>>undoubtedly remind many viewers of what was best about the American 
>>"free press" in days long gone by. The sad reality, as most of us 
>>know, is that the US media has degenerated into an air tight 
>>chamber manned by toothy manikins with lacquered hair and Brooks 
>>Brothers suits, whose job it is to provide a corporate friendly 
>>view of the world.
>>
>>The amount of self censorship and disinformation has gotten so 
>>extreme, that I find myself cross checking virtually every 
>>important story that comes over the wire from either the New York 
>>Times or the Associated Press with sources outside the US. The 
>>results are predictably dismal.
>>
>>The lead up to the War in Iraq gives a good illustration of this 
>>problem. Prior to the war 65% of the American public did not 
>>support the conflict without UN approval, and nearly 70% wanted to 
>>give the weapons inspectors more time. Hardly, a ringing 
>>endorsement of Bush's planned aggression. Regardless of this 
>>conspicuous opposition, the televised media presented the views of 
>>people opposed to the war a mere 3% of the time. Dissenting voices 
>>were simply drowned out by the myriad military analysts and pro war 
>>pundits that the stations hired to promote the war. (Data provided 
>>by Fairness and Accuracy in Media)
>>
>>Similarly, and even more outrageously, The New York Times and The 
>>Associated Press propagated nearly every false story ( ie including 
>>the aluminum tubes fiasco; Saddam's palaces being used for chem-bio 
>>weapons; trucks being used as mobile labs; false allegations from 
>>Iraqi defectors )  that contributed to convincing the people that 
>>Saddam posed a imminent threat to US national security. A claim 
>>that we know now was so wildly exaggerated that it is laughable, if 
>>not criminal.
>>
>>During the war the same commitment to misinformation, public 
>>relation gambits and filtered news persisted. ( ie the Jessica 
>>Lynch story; photo ops of toppling statues of Saddam) Both print 
>>and televised media managed to go the duration of the war without 
>>showing even ONE photo of the 10,000 innocent Iraqis who died 
>>needlessly in the conflict. This was a masterstroke of such 
>>calculated cynicism that it hardly deserves comment. It shouldn't 
>>surprise anyone then, that there was no mention of the estimated 
>>5,000 cluster bombs that were dumped on the Iraqi population by US 
>>and British aircraft. I'm sure that the media czars realized that 
>>footage of disfigured, dead Iraqis might not shore up support for 
>>the Bush Crusade.
>>
>>Following the war, it has been basically more of the same. Unlike 
>>the UK where  reporters from the BBC have fulfilled their 
>>"watchdog" role by relentlessly holding the Blair Government 
>>accountable for misleading the British public, here, in the "land 
>>of the free", the Bush Administration's prevarications, 
>>obfuscations and boldfaced lies have been treated with a "business 
>>as usual" attitude by his obsequious friends in the press. Neither 
>>Congress nor the media have made any serious attempt to investigate 
>>the obvious deceptions and fabrications that steered the country to 
>>war.
>>This can only  considered a catastrophic failure in the system and 
>>a blow to the idea of transparency in government.
>>
>>You have to give the Bush Administration credit, they knew from the 
>>onset that their extreme right wing agenda had no chance of being 
>>executed without a subservient and well oiled propaganda machine. 
>>The "information management" by the state-media alliance 
>>functioned at a level of efficiency that would have made the 
>>Soviets envious.
>>The people of the US are only beginning to grasp the tyranny that 
>>naturally flows from a monopolistic, corporate media. We were 
>>hoodwinked into a war that was intrinsically immoral, and now, we 
>>are painted with the same brush in he eyes of the world as the 
>>criminals in the White House.
>>
>>  The betrayal of the media is, perhaps, more excruciating than 
>>Bush's adventurism. There's simply no way a democracy can survive 
>>without an informed public, and yet,  as the media giants continue 
>>to consolidate, the hard facts get more scarce and the likelihood 
>>of the truth leeching out gets even more remote.
>>
>>No one in the United States ever believed we would be looking to 
>>[the Arab TV stations of Aljazeera, Abu Dhabi, and Al-Arabiya]  for 
>>lessons in free speech.
>>
>>But, that's what it has come to.
>>
>>Editorial Note: Aljazeerah.info is not related to the Qatari Aljazeera TV.
>>
>>Reprinted from Al Jazeerah:
>>http://www.aljazeerah.info/Opinion%20


-- 


Al Kagan
African Studies Bibliographer and Professor of Library Administration
Africana Unit, Room 328
University of Illinois Library
1408 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801, USA

tel. 217-333-6519
fax. 217-333-2214
e-mail. akagan at uiuc.edu