The War on Media Part I

Attempting, once again, to show the breadth of abuses and nefarious attempts to control the media -- and the message -- by our unindicted-for-now-but-hopefully-not-for-long gangsters (currently residing in or around a big white house on Pennsylvania Avenue):

The End of News?
Michael Massing
t r u t h o u t

"Liberal bloggers have had some successes of their own. Partly as a result of their commentaries, for instance, the press has paid more attention to the so-called Downing Street memo of July 2002, in which Tony Blair and his advisers discussed the Bush administration's plans for war in Iraq. In addition to Daily Kos, prominent left-leaning blogs include Talking Points Memo, Eschaton, and, for commentary on Iraq, Informed Comment. While these sites are critical of the national press, their main fire is directed at the Bush administration. What's more, these sites are not supported by an interconnected system of talk radio programs and cable television commentary, and their influence therefore tends to be much more limited."

Why did you want to bomb me, Mr Bush and Mr Blair?
By Wadah Khanfar
Guardian Unlimited

"Al-Jazeera's quest for answers has been met with silence from both the White House and Downing Street."

Al That Jaz! Opportunity Found at al Jazeera International
By Rebecca Dana
The New York Observer & t r u t h o u t

"Why is David Frost joining al Jazeera, the network Bush almost bombed? And why might Nightline's Dave Marash and others sign up as well? Freedom, resources, plus a massive, somewhat fascinating audience.

Keepers at the Gate
By Manuel Valenzuela
Information Clearing House

He Who Controls Television Controls the Masses

"With Americans watching so much television on a weekly basis, discarding books of enlightenment for monitors of idiocy, preferring the drug of fantasy over the sobering realm of reality, no longer capable of analytical, logical thought, choosing to incorporate as their own the views, beliefs and opinions of corporate media, the keepers at the gate are free to do as they please, disseminating lies, distortions, manipulations, propaganda and fictions into our homes and the minds of our family, young and old, never discriminating and always flowing in the interest of the Establishment."

All the News That's Fit to Buy
By ALEXANDER COCKBURN
CounterPunch

How the CIA Paid for Judy Miller's Stories

The Bush era has brought a robust simplicity to the business of news management: where possible, buy journalists to turn out favorable stories and, as far as hostiles are concerned, if you think you can get away with it, shoot them or blow them up.

As with much else in the Bush era, the novelty lies in the openness with which these strategies have been conducted.

Pentagon Knew Contractor Was Planting News Stories
By Mark Mazzetti and Kevin Sack
The Los Angeles Times & t r u t h o u t

"US military officials in Iraq were fully aware that a Pentagon contractor regularly paid Iraqi newspapers to publish positive stories about the war, and made it clear that none of the stories should be traced to the United States, according to several current and former employees of Lincoln Group, the Washington-based contractor."

The Lincoln Group Cashes In on Iraq War
By Charles R. Babcock
The Washington Post & t r u t h o u t

"The Lincoln Group has a K Street address and an executive in charge of "insight and influence." It was not a household name in the Washington influence industry, however, when a controversy started after recent reports that the firm, while working under a US military contract, had paid Iraqi journalists to place pro-democracy stories in the media there."

NBC Takes Control of MSNBC
New York Times

(TUC Comment): More Media Consolidation=Less Diverse Reporting

"NBC Universal announced today that it has reached a deal to acquire majority control of MSNBC, the 24-hour cable television news network, from Microsoft.

The transaction could be the first step in ending a nine-year partnership between the companies, and puts NBC squarely in control of the network, which has lagged behind the Fox News Channel and CNN in the ratings race for years. NBC said it has an option to acquire 100 percent of the cable channel within two years."