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(Just) Triumph of the Trivial(?)
[NYT, PAUL KRUGMAN, 07/30/04: TV news stopped reporting on candidates' policies] ...The failure of TV news to inform the public about the policy proposals of this year's presidential candidates is, in its own way, as serious a journalistic betrayal as the failure to raise questions about the rush to invade Iraq.
The U.S. occupation of Iraq has officially gone underground
[Working for Change, Bill Berkowitz, 07/29/04: Compliant right-wing corporate media is helping Bush hide his illegal & disastrous Iraq War] Paul Bremer, the former U.S. administrator in Iraq, has packed up his trademark boots and gone home. Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, the deputy chief of military operations in Iraq, and Dan Senor, the former U.S. main spokesman in Iraq, no longer grace our television screens. And the controversial John Negroponte, who is now running the show out of the largest U.S. embassy in the world, is rarely seen or heard.
The Ghost of Vice President Wallace Warns: "FASCISM Can Happen Here"
[Common Dreams, Thom Hartmann, 07/20/04: "The American fascists are most easily recognized by their deliberate perversion of truth and fact"] "...The American fascist would prefer not to use violence. His method is to poison the channels of public information. With a fascist the problem is never how best to present the truth to the public but how best to use the news to deceive the public into giving the fascist and his group more money or more power."
NJC director, Moon critic out of a job
[WP, 07/19/04: Criticizing a "Messiah" is a NO NO] Ken Grubbs was director of the conservative National Journalism Center until he wrote a piece criticizing Washington Times founder the Rev. Sun Myung Moon. Now he's out of a job.
NY Times Admits It Was Wrong about Iraq
[NYT, 07/19/04: Will the NYT's help Iraqi families their reporting helped destroy?] As we've noted in several editorials since the fall of Baghdad, we were wrong about the weapons. And we should have been more aggressive in helping our readers understand that there was always a possibility that no large stockpiles existed... [We] fault ourselves for failing to deconstruct the W.M.D. issue....
Happy Talk News Covers a War
[NYT, FRANK RICH, 07/18/04: The press performs like they're Stepford Wives] ... In the now legendary White House press conference of March 6, 2003, not a single reporter, electronic or print, asked a tough question about anything, including the president's repeated conflating of 9/11 with the impending war on Iraq (eight times in that appearance alone).
Voice Of America changes prompt staffer protests
[USAToday, Barbara Slavin, 07/14/04: Half of the VOA staffers have signed a petition alleging right-wing news coverage] A revolt is underway at the venerable Voice of America radio and TV network, which is under a congressional mandate to broadcast news abroad objectively.
Want to understand media bias? Follow the money.
[Mike Hersh, 07/08/04: For those slow to pick up on THE OBVIOUS] Evidence of rightwing mass media bias abounds. Most in the corporate media support the current Bush Administration - as they supported his father's, Reagan's and Nixon's. The media almost universally endorsed Bush's rush to war by echoing lies to rally public support - and demonizing or ignoring opponents.
Midwest Theaters Ban 'Fahrenheit 9/11'
[AP, 07/06/04: Keeping the red states ignorant] The president of a company that owns movie theaters in Iowa and Nebraska is refusing to show director Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11."
Begala Slams Novak over Whitewater Lies
[thetalentshow.org, 07/05/04: Whitewater was such a successfully trumpted-up "scandal" that wingnut journalists are too "blinded by faith" to ever contemplate the truth of hard evidence to the contrary] On Meet the Press, Bob Novak declared: "I don't believe that the Whitewater case was ever fully investigated. People died, and I believe Bill Clinton beat the rap on Whitewater." On Crossfire's 7/2/04 show, Begala demanded Novak retract his statement "where you implied that President Clinton was involved in people's deaths over Whitewater? That's the most outrageous things I've heard said about an American president."
Even More Distortions from Newsweek! Michael Isikoff's distortions are so plentiful they must be willful
[House of Bush, Craig Unger, 07/03/04: An unstable blog-front-page link for this date] [A long list of documented "errors"]
In Media Decision, the Little Guys Lost A ruling that blocks or delays the FCC's relaxed ownership rules hurts bids by smaller firms to battle with giant rivals.
[LAT, Sallie Hofmeister, 06/29/04: My hackles are raised at the confluence of fascist-friendly changes in America] Determined to stop Big Media in its tracks, consumer advocates, members of Congress and some federal regulators declared victory after an appeals court in Philadelphia reversed the FCC's bid to ease media-ownership rules. Yet in many ways, Thursday's decision by the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals is a boon to the big guys. The largest companies in the industry, including Walt Disney Co., News Corp. and Viacom Inc., were largely unscathed by the court's ruling. Meanwhile, the real losers were the relatively small newspaper and broadcast concerns that were hoping to bulk up to better compete against the giants.
Media accused of Iraq bias
[Aljazeera, Roshan Muhammed Salih, 06/27/04: Falluja resistance was not a small group of isolated "extremists" repudiated by the majority of the town's population. Rather, Falluja had been in revolt against occupation since last year when US troops opened fire on a group of 100 to 200 peaceful protesters, killing 15.] During the US siege of the Iraqi town of Falluja in April, a journalist reporting from the city claimed the international media was telling the world the wrong story.
Fahrenheit 9-11 censored in PA Republican voter stronghold?
[Tom Flocco, 06/27/04: Sets new all-time records in cities where it isn't CENSORED] Michael Moore’s controversial new movie Fahrenheit 9-11 was completely blacked out in densely Republican vote-heavy Delaware county and faced near total censorship in the fifth largest U.S. market--Philadelphia and its Delaware Valley suburbs... [Related: Fahrenheit 9/11 is No. 1 at box office]
Public Broadcasting Veers to the Right The Bush White House is using political appointees to dramatically transform public television and radio programming.
[Alternet, Chellie Pingree, 06/26/04: Pretty soon there will be no reason to have a radio or TV except to play 'safe' CDs & DVDs] The decision by CPB to fund two programs -- one hosted by Tucker Carlson, who speaks for conservatives on CNN's "Crossfire," and one moderated by Paul Gigot, editorial page editor of The Wall Street Journal, at the same time that "NOW with Bill Moyers," which receives no CPB funds, is cut from an hour to 30 minutes [is proof of Public Broadcasting's further tilt to the Right.] [Related: Statement of Common Cause President Chellie Pingree on New Yorker PBS Story]
Fox News Spins 9/11 Commission Report
[F.A.I.R.-Baltimore Chronicle, 06/25/04: For the Public Record] On Fox's "Special Report" newscast (6/16/04), anchor Brit Hume charged that the media were mischaracterizing the [September 11 commission's] report.... In fact, it's Hume that is misrepresenting the AP story--quoting from the story's lead, but then changing its meaning through an [intentionally?] inaccurate paraphrase.
In Ruling Expected Today, FEC May Block Political Documentary Filmmakers' Ads
[The Hill, Alexander Bolton, 06/25/04: Meanwhile, corporate pimps Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity (et-cetera...) can use public airwaves to attack Democrats 24x7x365] On Michael Moore may be prevented from advertising his controversial new movie, 'Fahrenheit 9/11,' on television or radio after July 30 if the FEC today accepts the legal advice of its general counsel... that political documentary filmmakers may not air television or radio ads referring to federal candidates within 30 days of a primary election or 60 days of a general election... The FEC ruling may also affect promotion of a slew of other upcoming political documentaries and films, such as 'Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War,' which opens in August, 'The Corporation,' about democratic institutions being subsumed by the corporate agenda, or 'Silver City,' a recently finished film by John Sayles that criticizes the Bush administration [and] 'The Hunting of the President,' which investigates whether Bill Clinton was the victim of a vast conspiracy. [Update: FEC declines to rule on ads for anti-Bush films]
This is What Murdochracy Looks Like
[dissidentvoice.org, Ahmed Amr, 06/11/04: Machiavellian oligarchs control the news-of-record to manipulate the US and World] A new political system, Murdochracy, has gradually degraded the political landscape of America and made it hostage to the whims of a few unelected media barons. The mass media conglomerates now dictate public agendas and determine policy outcomes.
Reagan: Visions of the Damned (Part One)
[dissidentvoice.org, Media Lens, 06/11/04: Will thoroughly disgust you with those running the world] Mainstream media performance alternates between two distinct modes of reporting: the first, “fig leaf,” mode presents a view of the world that is overwhelmingly biased in favour of the powerful interests that control, own and support the media, and of which it is a part. Within this bias, room is made for powerful nods and gestures in the direction of honesty and balance.

The second, “full propaganda,” mode involves straight forward, no holds barred bias. This is seen in time of war, on royal occasions, on the anniversary of great military victories, and at times when leaders pass away.

Reagan: Media Myth and Reality
[F.A.I.R., 06/10/04: Republican corporate media is doing a "shock & awe" display of their LIE POWER] Media pundits are extolling Reagan's 'extraordinary popularity,' but the facts are different. Gallup polling data show that during his first two years, Reagan's approval ratings were quite low. His 52 percent average approval rating for his presidency places him sixth out of the past ten presidents, behind Kennedy (70 percent), Eisenhower (66 percent), George H.W. Bush (61 percent), Clinton (55 percent), and Johnson (55 percent). His popularity frequently dipped below 50 percent during his first term, plummeted to 46 percent during the Iran-Contra scandal, and never exceeded 68 percent.
Plug Pulled on Rome Radio Stations Covering Bush Protests
[MediaChannel, 06/07/04: A favor from one fascist ruler to another] Italy's largest electric company pulled the plug on two left-wing radio stations the morning of U.S President George W. Bush's visit to Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.
Right-wing pundits play doctor; diagnose Gore as "insane"
[MediaMatters, 06/01/04: The Right-wing (which includes ALL major media) ridiculed Gore (parroting RNC spin-script) for saying the obvious, hideous truth] Following are some responses to former Vice President Al Gore's May 26 speech (sponsored by MoveOn.org and delivered at New York University), in which Gore called for the resignation of six top Bush administration officials.
Inquiry into opinion polls urged
[BBC, 05/31/04: In the UK, they can at least raise the issue of "skewed" polling for a desired result] The government is being urged to hold a full inquiry into opinion polls and to introduce new laws to control them if necessary.
The New York Times has burned its reputation on a pyre of lies about Iraq
[UK Guardian, James Moore, 05/30/04: Good review of the "message massage" by Chalabi, the NYTimes and neocon 'operatives'] When the full history of the Iraq war is written, the most scandalous chapter may be about how American journalists, in particular those at the New York Times, allowed themselves to be so easily manipulated by both Ahmad Chalabi, an Iraqi exile with his own virulently pro-war agenda, and the Bush White House.
To Tell the Truth
[NYT, PAUL KRUGMAN, 05/28/04: Is the fog lifting? It's time to question America's mentally-sick oligarchy, too!] Some news organizations, including The New York Times, are currently engaged in self-criticism over the run-up to the Iraq war. They are asking, as they should, why poorly documented claims of a dire threat received prominent, uncritical coverage, while contrary evidence was either ignored or played down.

But it's not just Iraq, and it's not just The Times. Many journalists seem to be having regrets about the broader context in which Iraq coverage was embedded: a climate in which the press wasn't willing to report negative information about George Bush...

Watchdog Group Report: Most NPR Sources are Conservative
[NY Newsday, by Peter Goodman, 05/26/04: The absence of Amy Goodman and other "Liberal" commentators on WYPR and other NPR affiliates is explained] Despite a perception that National Public Radio is politically liberal, the majority of its sources are actually Republicans and conservatives, according to a survey released today by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, a left-leaning media watchdog.

[FAIR: A study of NPR’s guest list]

''The priorities of the Godly'' Why does the oligarch-media think nudity offends but torture doesn't?
[Yellow Times, Paul Harris, 05/25/04: Would Jesus think "our leaders" are Christians? No, he would not.] ...what got my friend’s knickers in a knot about the ABC news item was not the photos themselves...[it] was the... warning for viewers which reads: WARNING: The following graphic depictions include nudity. Viewer discretion is advised. ...my friend... wrote that he sees “something distinctly disturbing about a society that can show pix of corpses being gloated over by pretty young army girls, of bloody and battered bodies -- the result of torture -- and of human beings being humiliated, abused and degraded ... and this to carry a warning that [ONLY] the [completely blurred] nudity may offend.

"Either that, or this is a way of subtly boosting the humiliation of the Iraqi people -- 'only the sight of your bodies offends us -- not what's done to them.'

"Or both.”

'E&P' Editor on CNN Urges Press to Consider Iraq Pullout
[E&P, E&P Staff, 05/14/04: Why are major media "the last to know"? They obviously resist non-Bush avenues of thought] Appearing on CNN Thursday morning, E&P Editor Greg Mitchell renewed his call in a recent column that newspaper editorials strongly consider advocating a phased U.S. pullout from Iraq, or at the minimum begin a "healthy debate" on this subject. Mitchell cited a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll which found that 47% of the respondents said they favored withdrawing some or all troops from Iraq. This was up from 37% a month ago. "So it's odd," he said, "that the largest newspapers are seemingly not even taking this position seriously."
I, Visa Why is U.S. immigration terrorizing British reporters?
[Slate, Dahlia Lithwick, 05/13/04: Why are British reporters suddenly being treated like they come from an "unfriendly" country?] Last week a British reporter was detained by immigration officials and then expelled from the United States for traveling here without knowing.... that a decades-old unenforced rule was suddenly being enforced against friendly tourists long accustomed to entering the country without a visa at all. Elena Lappin, a freelance journalist from the United Kingdom (who has written for Slate), was stopped at Los Angeles International Airport, subjected to a body search, handcuffed, frog-marched through the airport, and then held in a cell at a detention center overnight—all because she dared travel to the United States without a special journalist visa.
Keynote Address to the National Conference on Media Reform
[Common Dreams, Bill Moyers, 05/13/04: For a network to be available on cable today, you must either be owned by or affiliated with one of the 6 media giants: Time Warner, Viacom, Liberty Media, NBC, and Disney] Never has there been an administration so disciplined in secrecy, so precisely in lockstep in keeping information from the people at large and – in defiance of the Constitution – from their representatives in Congress. Never has the so powerful a media oligopoly – the word is Barry Diller’s, not mine – been so unabashed in reaching like Caesar for still more wealth and power. Never have hand and glove fitted together so comfortably to manipulate free political debate, sow contempt for the idea of government itself, and trivialize the people’s need to know.
Re. Campaign Ads’ Truth vs. Lies, Media is no help to voters
[TDH, Bob Somerby, 05/12/04: It's the news media's job to tell voters who is lying, but they won't do it] Bush is shattering all spending records as he floods the air with his campaign ads. If these ads are misleading voters, you’d think the press corps, demons of diligence, would want to help those voters find out. In fact, in a year when so many ads are being run, you’d think the press itself would be flooding the zone with critiques of the crucial commercials.

But as usual, the “press corps” has slumbered, snoozed and snored as these ads have effected our White House campaign.

Postcards from the edge: "We saw the pictures"
[TomDispatch, Tom Engelhardt, 05/10/04: A DYSFUNCTIONAL AND/OR COMPLICIT CORPORATE MEDIA ALLOWED THE TORTURE SYSTEM TO DEVELOP] From the beginning, this administration was never embarrassed by the words, by the news that did leak out from its black hole of injustice. That such a system was being developed was obvious to anyone who cared to look, or bothered to read even our own press closely, or consulted groups like Human Rights Watch which are concerned about such matters. [Print news matters less, now - Joe Six-pack doesn't read. And since Republicans dominate the TV & Radio news, the abuse & torture "culture" was allowed to grow.]
MUZZLING MICHAEL, MUZZLING ME US Censorship is Growing
[GREG PALAST, 05/07/04: "The Black voter purge story would have never seen the light of day in the USA, despite its front-page play over the globe, were it not for Moore opening his book, “Stupid White Men,” with it." And now Disney refuses to distribute Moore's documentary film on Iraq.] This is not the first time that Michael Moore attempted to take our BBC investigative reports past the US media border patrol. In fact, our joke in the London newsroom is that if we can't get our story on to American airwaves, we can just slip it to the fat guy in the chicken suit. Moore could sneak it past the censors as 'entertainment.' [Note: Moore may find a new distributor for his "Fahrenheit 911" documentary that criticizes Bush. But other distributors are smaller than Disney, so the censors have already won because the film will be shown in fewer cinemas.]
How the media blew the Iraq (WMD) story
[Newsday, SUSAN MOELLER, 05/05/04: What - or Who - changed journalism into 'copy-paste'?] In contrast to coverage during the Clinton era, when many reporters made careful distinctions between acts of terrorism and the acquisition and use of WMD, in 2002 and 2003 many stories stenographically reported the administration's perspective and gave too little critical examination of the way officials framed events, issues, threats and policy options.
Disney Fears Jeb Bush, Blocks Michael Moore Anti-Bush Film From Distribution
[NYT, JIM RUTENBERG, 05/05/04: MORE CENSORSHIP] The film, "Fahrenheit 911," links Mr. Bush and prominent Saudis — including the family of Osama bin Laden — and criticizes Mr. Bush's actions before and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks....

Mr. Moore, who will present the film at the Cannes film festival this month, criticized Disney's decision in an interview on Tuesday, saying, "At some point the question has to be asked, `Should this be happening in a free and open society where the monied interests essentially call the shots regarding the information that the public is allowed to see?' " [Boycott Disney! Scroll to see form]

Gore to Launch Youth Cable TV Network
[Reuters, Michael Learmonth, 05/05/04: MTV for Jesus-groupies?] ... Gore led an investor group that bought Newsworld International from Vivendi Universal for an undisclosed sum. He plans to relaunch the yet-unnamed channel to focus on public affairs and entertainment for 18-to-34-year-olds and it will not have a political affiliation.
Even on Fox, five pundits agreed—the press has been hammering Kerry
[Daily Howler, Bob Somerby, 05/04/04: Confident of their power, wingnut 'celebrities' take time out to say they feel sorry for Kerry's treatment in "the liberal press"] ...So there you see the chat which occurred on our most conservative channel. All five pundits agreed—Candidate Kerry was getting slammed, by liberal rags like the Times and the Globe. No, we don’t believe that Kerry’s treatment matches the startling coverage of Gore. But it’s time to ask two important questions. First: What’s the current state of play as the Times and the Globe cover Kerry? And second: If Kerry is actually being mistreated, will “good guy” pundits dare to complain? Or will they hide beneath their desks, as they did in the case of Al Gore?
SINCLAIR PRODUCES CENTRALIZED RIGHT-WING CONTENT FOR 'LOCAL STATIONS' AIRS FAKE NEWS BROADCASTS PRODUCED BY BUSH ADMINISTRATION
[Center for American Progress, 05/01/04: REQUIRES JOURNALISTS TO READ PRO-BUSH STATEMENTS] Check out sources, details of an extreme wing-nut (but I repeat myself).... [Related: The Death of Local News; and Bush Administration Releases Fake News Reports Touting Medicare]
Cheney Praises Fox News Channel Vice President Calls Network 'More Accurate' Than Others
[WP, By Mike Allen, 04/30/04: Fox News Channel kisses Republican butt sooo good!] The comment came as Cheney took questions from supporters at 5,245 parties that were held in 50 states to energize grass-roots volunteers building a precinct-by-precinct army for President Bush's campaign.
Another right-wing media mogul exposes his ignorance Sinclair's ABC-affiliated stations won't run "Nightline" tribute
[Poynter Online, 04/30/04: Iraq had NO connection to 9-11, Idiots! Iraq's invasion and occupation was promoted by Chalibi's LIES (while on the Pentagon's payroll!) that Iraq had WMD and was planning to attack the US, but the real reason for US attack & occupation may be buried in Cheney's Energy Plan.] Sinclair statement: "...Before you judge our decision, however, we would ask that you first question Mr. Koppel as to why he chose to read the names of the 523 troops [out of 700+ reported?] killed in combat in Iraq, rather than the names of the thousands of private citizens killed in terrorists attacks since and including the events of September 11, 2001. In his answer, you will find the real motivation behind his action scheduled for this Friday." [Related: McCain rebukes Sinclair 'Nightline' decision]
The Right To Be Wrong And the elephant in the New York Times newsroom
[Slate, Jack Shafer, 04/29/04: You would think the New York Times would apologize for their part in wrongfully fanning the flames for war based on LIES. Instead, they just pretend it didn't happen.] ...some defective news stories [like WMD] moan like tormented spirits and wish for nothing more than to atone for their own errancy.
Bush's believe it or not
[Asia Times, Jim Lobe, 04/24/04: University of Maryland poll showed a correlation between people's ignorance and their political affiliation] [The administration is intentionally promoting the public's ignorance with] the repetition by Bush (most recently in his press conference last week) and other senior officials, such as Vice President Dick Cheney, that Iraq had once used WMD, and the fact that in the electronic mass media, in particular, Iraq is still discussed in the context of the "war on terror".
Lesley Stahl of ''60 Minutes'' says she regrets Iraq WMD stories
[Virginia Pilot, KATE WILTROUT, 04/23/04: Lesley gets it right!] “I look on those two stories as mistakes, journalistic mistakes,” Stahl told a crowd of about 1,000 gathered in the Princess Anne High School auditorium. “I made them, and I regret it.”
Air-Time for Bush Triple that of Kerry It's NOT Just An Incumbency Advantage
[WP, Howard Kurtz, 04/20/04: Wing-nut TV says, "Bathrooms smell better after Bush uses them"] In the daily battle for airtime, Bush has drawn more than three times as much live cable coverage as his Democratic challenger, yet another example of the advantages of incumbency.
Judge orders 'Air America' back on radio
[NYT, 04/16/04: Is there something else behind the hassling of non-wingnut media...?] A New York State Supreme Court justice ruled Thursday that the liberal talk-radio network, Air America Radio, be put back on the air in Chicago, a day after it was dropped there because of a contract dispute.
NRA Building Its Own 'News Company'
[AP-Editor & Publisher, Sharon Theimer, 04/16/04: What is so hard for Al Gore seems easy for the NRA...] The nation's gun lobby is creating an "NRA news" company that will produce a daily talk show for the Internet, buy a radio station and seek a television deal to spread its gun-rights message nationwide.
How the “NewsHour” Changed History
[F.A.I.R., Norman Solomon, 04/16/04: Saying the thing that is not-and then re-asserting it.] When the anchor of public television’s main news program goes out of his way to tell viewers that he’s setting the record straight about a recent historic event, the people watching are apt to assume that they’re getting accurate information. But with war intensifying in Iraq, a bizarre episode raises some very troubling concerns about the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.
Finding a way around Right-wing News Control
[Baltimore Chronicle, Marc Cherbonnier, 04/13/04: A look into the heart of the media problem] The objective of scripted news is to reinforce what is said over and over to make it more a "fact." But what if such "facts" are lies, what then? That is called brainwashing. They are brainwashing you.
Dealing With Defective Defectors Media won't correct their BIG Mistakes
[Slate, By Jack Shafer, 04/13/04: Will media learn from this? Are YOU in suspense?] Most media operations will run corrections for misspellings and other trivial miscues. But the blanket self-repudiation of "We were wrong" comes hard—if at all—to journalists when a big chunk of their story collapses.
Two reporters ordered to erase tapes while covering Scalia speech
[Atlanta Journal Constitution, DENISE GRONES, 04/09/04: Rather than omit fascist opinions in his speechs, Scalia says them outloud and then has his blackshirts destroy all recordings] Two reporters were ordered Wednesday to erase their tape recordings of a speech by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia at a Mississippi high school. Scalia has long barred television cameras from his speeches, but does not always forbid newspaper photographers and tape recorders. On Wednesday, he did not warn the audience at the high school that recording devices would be forbidden. [But] During the speech, a woman identifying herself as a deputy federal marshal demanded that a reporter for The Associated Press erase a tape recording of the justice's comments. [Update: Justice Scalia's Apology]
350 WAYS TO FOOL A VOTER (PART 2)! Bush’s claim is designed to mislead. Three major scribes lay it out
[Daily Howler, Bob Somerby, 04/07/04: Right-wing pundits seem to compete for the neatest spin script, then the Bush Gang picks out their favorite for repeating ad nauseum] ...Could 9/11 have been avoided? We don’t have the slightest idea. For the record, co-commissioners Kean and Hamilton both say they think it could have been thwarted. But the Post should let readers know what Clarke has said. Krauthammer’s column is now a script, designed to mislead on this issue.
Gore TV Deal Is Stalled At The 11th Hour; Major Investor Pulls Out
[NY Observer, Joe Hagan, 04/05/04: Don't you wish you had a recording of who threatened who] ...one of Mr. Gore's crucial investors got cold feet in the last stage of the deal and...Mr. Gore's group and the channel's owner, Vivendi Universal Entertainment, could not agree on a price.
Smear Without Fear
[NYT, PAUL KRUGMAN, 04/02/04: An accident happened: the usually smooth Republican media machine had a hiccup] In short, CNN passed along a smear that it attributed to the White House. When the smear backfired, it declared its previous statements inoperative and said the White House wasn't responsible. Sound familiar? [Related: Read the Daily Howler to learn about "scripts."]
Bush's press slaves
[Salon, Philip J. Trounstine, 04/02/04: It's time for the Washington press corps to probe candidate Bush just as enthusiastically as they have John Kerry.] [The excuse:] That the press corps has not [professionally investigated Bush] is due, in part, to the fact that most U.S. newspapers were complicit in gathering support for the war in Iraq and, in part, to a natural impulse, in the wake of 9/11, not to be disloyal to the nation.
Al Gets Gore-TV
[NY Observer, 03/31/04: Sanity News on TV arrives for a few] The Observer has learned that former Vice President Al Gore and business partner Joel Hyatt, an entrepreneur and Democratic fund-raiser, will close the deal to pay around $70 million to French-owned Vivendi Universal this week, making them the owners of the tiny digital-cable channel Newsworld International (NWI), moving Mr. Gore from politics to mini-media-moguldom.
Wal-Mart Censors
[AlterNet, Lakshmi, 03/30/04: In addition to censoring magazines and books for "too much cleavage" on their covers, Walmart now censors video documentories that it (and the GOP) thinks are unpatriotic]
Mini-Media Reporter Apologizes for Iraq Coverage
[Editor & Publisher, 03/30/04: "By neglecting to fully employ their critical-thinking faculties, the media not only failed their readers and viewers, they failed our democracy," Mercier said.] ...a young columnist for a small paper in Fredericksburg, Va., has stepped forward.

"The media are finished with their big blowouts on the anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, and there is one thing they forgot to say: We're sorry," Rick Mercier wrote, in a column published Sunday in The Free Lance-Star.

Operation Iraqi Infoganda
[NYT, FRANK RICH, 03/29/04: " This phenomenon has been good news for the Bush administration, which has responded to the growing national appetite for fictionalized news by producing a steady supply of its own."] Real journalism may be reeling, but faux journalism rocks. As an entertainment category in the cultural marketplace, it may soon rival reality TV and porn. Television is increasingly awash in fake anchors delivering fake news, some of them far more trenchant than real anchors delivering real news.
First Amendment Problem
[InTheseTimes, Cynthia Moothart interviews Greg Palast, 03/26/04: Palast is interviewed about the threat of lawsuits in suppressing investigative journalism - and, in his case, suppressing the reporting of provable scandals threatening "The Heart of Democracy" itself. ]
When Rupert Murdoch speaks, Condi Rice jumps
[Madison' Capital Times, John Nichols, 03/24/04: Condi talks when extremist views are sympatico] ...So it seems that, when the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States calls, the Bush administration's national security adviser is not available. But when Rupert Murdoch calls, well, how could Condoleezza Rice refuse?
CLEARLY NEWS Clear Channel execs donate MUCH more to Bush, Republicans
[USAToday, Jim Hopkins, 03/24/04: The largest radio station network in the country (over a 1,000 stations) is "clearly biased"] Clear Channel executives... have given $42,200 to Bush, vs. $1,750 to likely Democratic nominee John Kerry in the 2004 race. What's more, the executives and Clear Channel's political action committee gave 77% of their $334,501 in federal contributions to Republicans.
Millions protest against Iraq war
[aljazeera, Ian Bell, 03/22/04: "Mass manipulation of media continues. Note most all corporate media headings (and "progressive" news, too) used words "thousands" and "tens of thousands" even though a million marched in Rome alone, while, it appears, only Aljazeera news correctly used the word millions."]
Ask No Questions The US press may finally be realising it was hoodwinked over the war ... but the coverage of Madrid proves it hasn’t learned
[Sunday Herald, Ian Bell, 03/21/04: Synchronized propaganda] After the election of the Spanish socialist party and the decision by its leader, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, to remove Spain’s troops from Iraq, newspapers in the United States were almost of one voice last week. This was, they told their readers, “appeasement” of al-Qaeda.
Bush's Medicare Videos, for TV News, Come Under Scrutiny
[NYT, ROBERT PEAR, 03/19/04: Evidence shows obvious illegal propaganda and willful manipulation of coverage, but the Republican-controlled congress will likely allow it.] Federal investigators are scrutinizing television segments in which the Bush administration paid people to pose as journalists praising the benefits of the new Medicare law....The government also prepared scripts that can be used by news anchors introducing what the administration describes as a made-for-television "story package."
Report: Newspapers Were Deceived by Iraqi Defectors
[Editor & Publisher, 03/17/04: How was it that the Iraqi defectors were accorded such "credibility" by government and the media when they obviously had political/war-profit agenda of their own?] "Feeding the information to the news media," Landay and Wells write, "as well as to selected administration officials and members of Congress, helped foster an impression that there were multiple sources of intelligence on Iraq's illicit weapons programs and links to Bin Laden. In fact, many of the allegations came from the same half-dozen defectors, weren't confirmed by other intelligence and were hotly disputed by intelligence professionals at the CIA, the Defense Department and the State Department."
Supreme Court's Gag Rule on Us 'The Powerful Have Only Gotten More Powerful'
[Village Voice, Nat Hentoff, 03/10/04: A hideous and illegal administration uses its elbows] Independent organizations—not tied to political parties—wanting to place broadcast ads criticizing George W. Bush will have these obstacles, as detailed by the AFL-CIO: 'Beginning 30 days before the first primary or caucus . . . December 14, 2003 . . . Section 203 [of McCain-Feingold] will criminalize broadcast references to the President [sic] in a series of geographic blackouts that will continuously ripple through the Nation, blocking every broadcast outlet, wherever located, whose signal can reach 50,000 persons in an upcoming primary or caucus state until June 8, 2004. This blackout will become national in scope on July 31, 30 days before the August 30-September 2 Republican National Convention . . . and it will then continue without interruption throughout the remaining 60 days until the November 2 [s]election. Thus, from July 31, 2004 until the election, it will be a crime for a union, corporation, or incorporated non-profit organization to pay to broadcast any 'reference' to the President [sic] by 'name,' 'photograph,' 'drawing' or other 'unambiguous' means anywhere in the United States.'
World and US Differ Dramatically in View of Bush, Thanks to Our Media
[AP, 03/07/04: READ, WATCH, FEAR! CORPORATE MEDIA'S PROPAGANDA. KNOW IT FOR WHAT IT IS] AP poll shows an astounding disparity between how the rest of the world perceives Bush's role on the global stage and how Americans see that role. While a whopping 60% to 90% of people in several countries see Bush as having a negative role in world affairs, 57% of Americans say they think Bush has a positive role. Why do they think that? Because the US media WANTS them to think that and withholds reality from the public on a daily basis, thanks to the corporate monopoly that now exists over news content in mainstream TV, newspaper, and radio. For example, after Howard Stern criticized Bush, he was removed from the airways in several markets. [Related: How Europe Sees Bush: 'Irrationally Belligerent, Disdainful of Allies, in Thrall to Special Interests and Rather Stupid']
A GUTTER RUNS THROUGH IT
[The Daily Howler, Bob Somerby, 02/23/04: Somerby bashes Drudge and the press corps, "generally"] ...What ever happened to coverage of Bush-in-the-Guard? Several readers have written to ask. The answer is simple: At some weekend cocktail party or other, the Insider Press Corps agreed it was scared, and decided the discussion had gone far enough. Result? On Meet the Press, Tim Russert promoted Bill Calhoun to general—and accepted his unlikely tale without a word of caution or comment [the 'general' had his 'facts' all wrong]. The rest of the press corps dropped the tale like a rock. But this is the course the corps always takes when it gets involved in such a discussion. After years of ignoring a story, they initiate a sudden, frenzied discussion—in which they can’t get simple facts straight, and often focus on the wrong issues. Then, on a dime, the story is dropped. It’s as if the whole thing never happened.
Dean's Rough Ride
[The Nation, William Greider, 02/23/04: For the record, reporters and editors deny that this occurred. Privately, they chortle over their accomplishment.] ...reporters, as surrogate agents for Washington's insider sensibilities, blew him off. Dean's big mistake was in not recognizing, up front, that the media are very much part of the existing order and were bound to be hostile to his provocative kind of politics.
NEW YORK TIMES REPORTS ILLEGAL FLORIDA VOTE PURGE ... THREE YEARS AFTER KILLING STORY
[MediaChannel, by Danny Schechter, 02/22/04: For this error and many many others, will the NYT Editor take responsiblity and resign?] The New York Times has uncovered Katherine Harris' wipe out of thousands of voters ... only three years after killing the story exposed by the BBC TV and the Guardian. Here, 'News Dissector' Schechter, formerly of ABC's 20/20, asks how the Times could editorialize on a story they never ran in the first place. And note the Times still can't bring itself to say that the color of illegally purged voters is ... Black.
Finally! Hard Evidence that Google Slants Its Material to Corporate Interests
[AP, By Michael Liedtke, 02/22/04: More corporate money WARP - it's everywhere!] A paid ad by the environmental group, Oceania decrying the polluting practices of cruise ships was pulled after two days because it was critical of a google sponsor, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.
The 'Liberal Media' Ignored Story that Bush and Cheney Begged Daschle Not to Investigate 9/11
[Alternet, Morton Mintz, 02/18/04: Dashle said Bush and Cheney lied they hadn't begged him and all the major media just ignored it] ...The following Sunday [9/26/02], [Daschle] was Russert's guest. After playing a tape of Cheney's statement, Russert asked Daschle, 'Did the vice president call you and urge you not to investigate the events of Sept. 11?' Daschle flatly contradicted Cheney: 'Yes, he did, Tim, on Jan. 24, and then on Jan. 28 the president himself at one of our breakfast meetings repeated the request'... This was highly newsworthy - how could it not be? The next morning, however, leading national newspapers -- including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and USA Today -- printed not a word about it. It was another big press pass to George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
British government considering dismantling BBC as punishment for being right!
[Sydney Morning Herald, 02/16/04: The lesson: KISS ASS OR SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES] Britain's government was considering a plan to break up the BBC and remove its independent status in the wake of a bitter row with the state-funded broadcaster over the Iraq war, a report said today.
DUNNING DEAN -- Did the Doctor Get Gored?
[Media Channel, Michael Hammerschlag, 02/13/04: Why doesn't the "Liberal" press attack Republicans?] No other candidates received a tiny fraction of the harsh scrutiny Dean did. "They only do this to one candidate at a time," says Rosenstiel.... In contrast, George Bush has received a virtual blanket pass for 3 years of lies, blunders, stupidity, and war.
Media chiefs back Kerry campaign
[Guardian, Owen Gibson, 02/11/04: Corporate media raised $hundreds of thousands for Kerry's campaign to stop Dean] US political commentators have speculated that Mr Kerry has enjoyed the support of the media community in an effort to head off the challenge of Howard Dean, who has fallen back in the race despite being the frontrunner before the primaries began. Mr Dean made statements last year about wanting to break up media conglomerates.
The Corporate-controlled News Media repeatedly let Bush officials get away with lying and distortion
[NYBooks, 02/08/04: A bought and paid-for media did copy-paste instead of journalism]Michael Massing offers a devastating critique of pre-war reporting -- especially by the New York Times -- on Iraq's alleged WMD: "Despite abundant evidence of the administration's brazen misuse of intelligence in this matter, the press repeatedly let officials get away with it.
THE UNMAKING OF A PRESIDENT-2004
[OpEd by Carl Jensen, 02/07/04: Media's obsession for un-regulated profit and influence mauled Gore in 2000, and it's near to destroying Dean] What happened in [Dean's] campaign that inspired the media to turn on Dean and throw their support to uninspiring Kerry?

A clue may be found in a story published in the Washington Post on November 19, 2003. The Post reported that, "In an interview Monday night (11/17/03), Dean unveiled his idea to 're-regulate' utilities, large media companies and businesses offering employee stock options. He also favors broad protections for workers, including the right to unionize."...

Dean's idea of re-regulating two out-of-control business sectors produced criticism from some of his competitors and surely struck a raw nerve within monopolistic utilities and mega-media companies. [Related: The Awesome Destructive Power of the CPM]

MediaChannel to launch Media For Democracy 2004
[CommonDreams, 02/04/04: "Media for Democracy leverages the latest Internet advocacy technology to give voters a stronger voice against mainstream media that fails to serve the public interest." ] MediaChannel.org is taking the electronic grassroots revolution to the next level by launching today a new online initiative that holds big media to account for their election coverage ( Media For Democracy 2004 ).
Press board member quits over Hume award
[USAToday, Peter Johnson, 02/03/04: Lady journalist has professionalism, ethics and courage] Is Fox News Channel "fair and balanced," as its motto claims? Or is that slogan a clever marketing line designed to hide Fox News political tilt to the right? And with its success -- by far, it's the No. 1-rated cable news channel -- have journalists failed to challenge Fox News on its boast? These questions have been raised before. But now, a well-known journalist may reignite the discussion: Geneva Overholser, former ombudsman of The Washington Post, has resigned from the board of the National Press Foundation because it plans to honor Fox News anchor Brit Hume at its annual dinner in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 19.
Censored 2004: The Top 25 Censored Media Stories of 2002-2003
[Project Censored, 02/01/04: ]
#1: The Neoconservative Plan for Global Dominance
#2: Homeland Security Threatens Civil Liberty
#3: US Illegally Removes Pages from Iraq U.N. Report
#4: Rumsfeld's Plan to Provoke Terrorists
#5: The Effort to Make Unions Disappear
#6: Closing Access to Information Technology
#7: Treaty Busting by the United States
#8: US/British Forces Continue Use of Depleted Uranium Weapons Despite Massive Evidence of Negative Health Effects
#9: In Afghanistan: Poverty, Women's Rights, and Civil Disruption Worse than Ever
#10: Africa Faces Threat of New Colonialism
#11: U.S. Implicated in Taliban Massacre
#12: Bush Administration Behind Failed Military Coup in Venezuela
#13: Corporate Personhood Challenged
#14: Unwanted Refugees a Global Problem
#15: U.S. Military's War on the Earth
#16: Plan Puebla-Panama and the FTAA
#17: Clear Channel Monopoly Draws Criticism
#18: Charter Forest Proposal Threatens Access to Public Lands
#19: U.S. Dollar vs. the Euro: Another Reason for the Invasion of Iraq
#20: Pentagon Increases Private Military Contracts
#21: Third World Austerity Policies: Coming Soon to a City Near You
#22: Welfare Reform Up For Reauthorization, but Still No Safety Net
#23: Argentina Crisis Sparks Cooperative Growth
#24: Aid to Israel Fuels Repressive Occupation in Palestine
#25: Convicted Corporations Receive Perks Instead of Punishment
BBC AT WAR M'LORD HUTTON BLESSES BLAIR'S ATTACK ON BBC'S INVESTIGATION OF IRAQ WAR CLAIMS
[GregPalast.com, 01/29/04: More is happening that meets the eye, squared.] As of today, the independence of the most independent major network on this planet is under attack. Blair's government is "cleared" and now arrogantly sport their kill, the head of Gavyn Davies, BBC's chief, who resigned today.

"The bleak future for British journalism" portends darkness for journalists everywhere - the threat to the last great open platform for hard investigative reporting. And frankly, it's a worrisome day for me. I'm not a disinterested by-stander. My most important investigations, all but banned from US airwaves, were developed and broadcast by BBC Newsnight, reporter Watts' program. [Related: Who Got to Hutton? Investigator Admits Doing a 180 to Exonerate Blair]

Sawyer's Interview with the Deans is a 'Textbook Case' of Media Ineptness
[LAT, Alexander Stille, 01/28/04: And the wingnuts rejoiced at her wonderful job!] Diane Sawyer's interview with Howard Dean and his wife last week was a textbook case of everything that is wrong with television coverage of politics. It reduced his campaign to the banal level of mere personality and perceived missteps, replacing issues with image - it was a frame-up. Out of the 96 questions that Sawyer asked, 90 were about personality and temperament and only six were even vaguely about issues; virtually all 96 were hostile and negative.
Study: Dean Trails in Race for Positive Press --Network Election Coverage Down 62% From 1996
[The Center for Media and Public Affairs, 01/21/04: Statistics indicate a willful and orchestrated skewing of coverage against Dean] A majority of nightly network newscast evaluations of Democratic Presidential frontrunner Howard Dean were negative during the 2003 "preseason," while three-quarters of the coverage given to the other eight candidates was favorable, according to research conducted by the Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA). The study also finds network airtime devoted to the campaign is down 62 percent from the year before the 1996 election, the last race involving an incumbent president.
Satire? The latest White House script for reporters “Howard Dean is so angry!” “He has no credibility on foreign policy!” “He wants to take away your grenade launcher!”
[Salon, Rich Procter, 01/19/04: Was it just coincidence that the entire press corps turned against Dean at the same time...] HERE ARE YOUR NEW CAMPAIGN SCRIPT TEMPLATES....
CBS Cuts MoveOn, Allows White House Ads During Super Bowl
[MediaChannel, Timothy Karr, 01/19/04: This looks suspiciously like favoritism or bullying...] CBS on Thursday rejected a request from MoveOn to air the 30-second spot, saying "Child's Pay" [a 30-second ad that criticizes the Bush administration's run-up of the federal deficit] violated the network's policy against accepting advocacy advertising, a company spokesperson told reporters. At the same time, CBS is allowing ads placed on the docket by the White House... [See MoveOn's Super Bowl ad CBS wouldn't air]
THEY’RE WITH STUPID! • Brit Hume assembled a panel of stars. And all of them said The Same Thing!
[The Daily Howler, Bob Somerby, 01/13/04: Talking about O'Neill...] THEY’RE WITH STUPID: Brit Hume had assembled a panel of “all-stars” for last evening’s Special Report. And he asked them for their views on former Treasury Sec Paul O’Neill. Eager to hear a lively debate, we leaned forward in our chairs. But when the “stars” began to chat, all of them said the same thing!
Is Paula Zahn Just a Media Whore? You Decide
[Atrios blog, excerpt from CNN's transcript; 01/11/04: Reader comment: "What is not apparent from the transcript is how Zahn kept interrupting Trippi, from the [VERY edited] transcript it looks like Trippi is interrupting Zahn."] CNNFOX's Paula Zahn wanted to attack Howard Dean for asking why Bush adamantly refuses to tell the truth about 9-11. So Zahn tried to put campaign manager Joe Trippi on the spot by reading only PART of Dean's quote, while refusing to read the FULL quote. Happily, Trippi challenged Zahn right to her face, accusing her of "trading on rumors," refuting Zahn's distortion, and demanding that she read the rest of the quote. Read the exchange and click on the "comment" link below it.
The domination effect • Since the beginning of the war in Iraq, the US has sought not just to influence but to control all information, from both friend and foe
[UK Guardian, By David Miller, 01/08/04: Censorship and propaganda are 24-7 and dominate corporate media] "Information dominance" came of age during the conflict in Iraq. It is a little discussed but highly significant part of the US government strategy of "full spectrum dominance", integrating propaganda and news media into the military command structure more fundamentally than ever before.
MoveOn.org, The New York Post and Media's Double Standard
[Media Channel, 01/08/04: Corporate media demonstrates OBVIOUS right-wing bias!] Witness a media double-standard in action: Compare mainstream media responses to a January 5 Ralph Peters' New York Post column -- likening Howard Dean to Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels and Dean followers to Nazi Brownshirts and the Gestapo -- against the responses to MoveOn.org "Bush in 30 Seconds" ad campaign, which featured two submissions that likened President Bush to Adolph Hitler.

While there continues to be widespread and negative media attention -- orchestrated in large part by the Republican National Committee and Anti-Defamation League -- in response to the two 30-second segments on MoveOn, there as yet exists no response to, or coverage of, The New York Post's decision to publish Peters' hate-filled invective.

Blood Kin
[St. Petersburg Times, By CHRIS FLOYD, 01/06/04: Are news editors ethics partisan?] Imagine these banner headlines, circa, say, 1998: President's Brother in Biz With Red Chinese! President's Brother Beds Prostitutes as Corporate Perk! President's Brother Hip Deep in War Profiteering: The More Blood His White House Sibling Spills, the Fatter the Family Coffers! Hoo-boy! There would've been a hot time in the old media town with all that, eh?
A Journey into Rupert Murdoch's Soul
[CounterPunch, By ALEXANDER COCKBURN, 01/05/04: A MUST READ!] [The] core thesis [of Murdoch's business plan] is that Murdoch offers his target governments a privatized version of a state propaganda service, manipulated without scruple and with no regard for truth. His price takes the form of vast government favors such as tax breaks, regulatory relief (as with the recent FCC ruling on the acquisition of Direct TV) monopoly markets and so forth. The propaganda is undertaken with the utmost cynicism, whether it's the stentorian fake populism and soft porn in the UK's Sun and News of the World, or shameless bootlicking of the butchers of Tiananmen Square. [Emphasis added.]
George Will's Ethics: None of Our Business?
[Common Dreams, by Norman Solomon, 01/04/04: George Will was among a number of prominent individuals [who are the others?] to receive $25,000 per day from [right-wing extremist] Conrad Black.] In October 1980, Will appeared on Nightline to praise Ronald Reagan's 'thoroughbred performance' in a debate with incumbent President Jimmy Carter. But Will did not disclose to viewers that he'd helped coach Reagan for the debate - and, in the process, had read Carter briefing materials stolen from the White House [Chris Matthews was the rumored thief!]... [In 2000], Will met with George W. Bush just before [he] was to appear on ABC's This Week. Later, in a column (3/4/01), Will admitted that he'd met with Bush to preview questions, not wanting to 'ambush him with unfamiliar material.' In the meeting, Will provided Bush with a 3-by-5 card containing a crucial question he would later ask the candidate on the air.
2003 Media Follies!
[Working For Change, Geov Parris, 01/01/04: Understanding what’s actually happening has never been more important. But in the US, it's becoming less and less possible to get 'whole truth' news] This is the eighth year that I’ve looked at the most overhyped and under-reported stories....Every year...it's gotten worse, and the gulf between what people in this country and those elsewhere in the world are told about the same events has continued to widen.

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