Scandalous

Murdoch Confesses To Propaganda On Iraq

Posted by on February 3, 2007 at 5:46 pm. 25 Comments :

Last Friday, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Rupert Murdoch sat on a panel where he lamented what he described as a “loss of power” due to the ascension of the Internet and other new media. The notion that this captain of one of the most dominant media conglomerates in the world is trembling in the shadow of bloggers is simply absurd. Especially when you consider the fact that his company is also a dominant player on the Internet with an aggressive acquisitiveness that includes MySpace, the world’s largest online social networking site.

But there was a more shocking exchange that took place that ought to have caused more of a stir amongst professional journalists and all freedom loving people. It was an exchange that revealed something that most conscious beings knew, but which I have never seen explicitly articulated.

Murdoch was asked if News Corp. had managed to shape the agenda on the war in Iraq. His answer?

“No, I don’t think so. We tried.” Asked by Rose for further comment, he said: “We basically supported the Bush policy in the Middle East…but we have been very critical of his execution.”

Let me repeat this: “We Tried!”

Rupert Murdoch in DavosSetting aside the nonsense that they had ever been critical of Bush’s adventures in Baghdad, having confessed to being deliberatly deceitful raises some questions. For instance, how can anyone ever again take seriously Fox News or any of Murdoch’s other instruments of bias? How can News Corp. continue to pretend that they are “fair and balanced?” How can any other media company exhibit the slightest expression of respect or patronization?

And speaking of other media companies, where are they now? The Chairman and CEO of a media empire that includes the number one rated cable news network, and numerous newspapers around the world, has just admitted that he tried to use that empire to “shape the agenda” in support of a partisan political goal with consequences of life, death, and global destabilization. Why has the media, who you might think would have some interest in this subject, virtually ignored these remarks? We know they were there because, on the very same day, there was a media tempest over remarks by John Kerry on whether Bush had turned the U. S. into an international pariah. That trumped up commotion was led, of course, by Fox News. Even the Hollywood Reporter downplayed the most startling portion of Murdoch’s presentation by headlining their story: “Big media has less sway on Internet.” They apparently felt that that was a more weighty revelation than the attempted thought-control exposed by Murdoch.

Where is the outrage? Where are the calls to disband this mammoth and unlawful propaganda machine? Murdoch, who was made an American citizen by an act of Congress because, otherwise, he could not own an American television network, should have his citizenship revoked and be deported back to Australia. Think of the precedent this sets for any other wealthy and ambitious ideologue that seeks to manipulate public opinion. There are plenty of wealthy and ambitious ideologues in the Middle East and elsewhere who may view Murdoch as a role model.

At the very least, it needs to be broadcast far and wide that News Corp. and Fox News are nothing but a tool of the neo-con operatives in government. You might say we already knew that, but this is different. We are not merely accusing them of this stance, they have now admitted it. And it can not be tolerated! Not by any standard of journalistic ethics. Not by a nation that values a free press so much that it incorporated that freedom into its Constitution.

Update (8/22/07): Here’s the video:

Meet The (Message Control) Press

Posted by on January 26, 2007 at 12:01 pm. NO Comments :

The trial of Scooter Libby, for lying about outing an undercover CIA agent, has always promised to deliver long held secrets of intrigue and deceit from the White House. And with the participation of so many figures from the media (i.e. Judith Miller, Matt Cooper, Bob Novak, Tim Russert, etc.), there has also been the tantalizing prospect of embarrassing divulgences from that arena as well. Now the first of those promises is being kept.

When former Cheney communications director, Cathie Martin, testified yesterday, she outlined the options that the vice-president should consider in response to allegations that the White House was manipulating intelligence to promote its case against Iraq. Her testimony included the following:

Option 1: “MTP-VP”, she wrote, then listed the pros and cons of a vice presidential appearance on the Sunday show. Under “pro,” she wrote: “control message.”

“I suggested we put the vice president on ‘Meet the Press,’ which was a tactic we often used,” Martin testified. “It’s our best format.”

I can’t wait to hear Tim Russert’s response to this revelation that his program was a preferred dumping ground for administration propaganda. Martin detailed practices designed to bury bad news and otherwise distract the press. Then she complained that reporters didn’t accept her word and even stopped calling. That speaks well of certain members of the press, but also reveals how transparent her machinations must have been.

In addition to cracking the door a bit on the VP’s media connivances, it was also disclosed that Cathie Martin is the wife of FCC chairman, Kevin Martin. In an administration rife with cronyism, it seems a little too convenient that the VP’s director of communications is sleeping with the head of the federal agency responsible for regulating the media companies she has been lying to.

Fox Promo: Not The Usual Left Wing Bias

Posted by on January 22, 2007 at 6:46 pm. NO Comments :

Well, it’s happened. Fox has finally let the shroud fall revealing themselves for what we all know they are: A rabidly right-wing mouthpiece for Republican dogma. Over the weekend they broadcast this promo on their feculent air:


The actual video can be seen at Hot Air, where they are moaning orgasmically at what they view as their pet network finally standing up for itself. In fact, one particularly comical comment has ritethinker opining:

“…If all you were ever fed was corn, and you were told that corn is only served on the cob, what would be your reaction to say a bowl of cream corn? […] Could it not be possible that the people feeding you corn on the cob were misleading you? […] Along comes this company offering cream corn. […] That doesn’t mean Fox is slanted to the right, it just means you are getting the cream corn you were never offered before.”

Putting aside the ironically apt use of corn as an analogy for what you see at Fox News, ritethinker correctly characterizes Fox as the purveyor of the processed and mashed variety of news as opposed to its natural state, on the cob. Fox viewers, no doubt, take comfort in the pre-masticated gruel they are being served.

What on earth might have inspired Fox to throw the Wingnut Closet door open so wide? Why now?

This is an obvious cry for help. They have been watching their ratings sink precipitously for the past 12 months. Double digit declines, month after month, have got to hurt. And in most cases they are being dragged down by their resident bloviating bully, Bill O’Reilly. Add to that the fact that the objects of their partisan affection in congress are either gone, or demoted. They no longer have the legislative safety net upon which which they have come to rely. To the contrary, what they have now is a congressional majority that has been a punching bag for Fox for the past decade. Oversight hearings anyone?

This is the behavior of desperation. They are terrified of what the future holds. They can’t sit back and do nothing, but they have no clue what they should do. So they lash out hoping to incite their most loyal fans to renew their sycophantic idolation and somehow pull them from the brink of the abyss. To that end they have decided to abandon any hopes of being an impartial, international media outlet. Here is another promo they ran this weekend:


I’m not sure that foreign news bureaus are going to find that to be a particularly professional journalistic posture. Fox is clinging to deadenders in the states to try to stave off the inevitable. Their ratings have been moving in tandem with the American populace. As Bush’s approval goes down, so does Fox viewership. With the public’s negative reaction to Bush’s latest Hail Maliki pass, Fox knows that the people are no longer hypnotized by the fear mongering of this administration, and of Fox itself. Consequently, they know that their prospects are as bleak as Bush’s. So they resort to this pathetic overreaching which only confirms that they have completely run out of ideas. I almost feel sorry for them. Ummm…..scratch that.

The Military Assault On Free Press And Thought

Posted by on January 18, 2007 at 1:40 am. NO Comments :

Another journalist is being threatened with incarceration for expressing herself, this time for reporting on a soldier who is being threatened with incarceration for expressing himself.

The majority of the American people oppose the occupation of Iraq and that majority is growing daily. So it should come as no surprise that soldiers are arriving at the same conclusions. After all, they are both Americans and people. A recent survey by the Military Times shows that about two thirds of them disapprove of the President’s handling of the war. But if you wear the uniform, don’t get the idea that you can express your views to your fellow citizens. And journalists shouldn’t get that idea either.

At one recent event, the President traveled to Fort Benning, Georgia, to dine with the troops. But the base commander prohibited any of the soldiers there from talking with the assembled reporters. This is just one example of many embarrassing episodes, including some where the brass offer up obviously pre-screened and coached “random” spokespersons. Unfortunately, embarrassment is the least of the problems generated by this censorious trend.

In the course of its execution of the Iraqi occupation, the U.S. government has not been shy about engaging in overtly propagandistic behavior, including paying for stories to be planted in Iraqi newspapers. But they have also brazenly threatened journalists with prosecution for doing their jobs. Recall Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez on“This Week”:

“There are some statutes on the book which, if you read the language carefully, would seem to indicate that that [prosecution] is a possibility.”

Well, they’re at it again. Sarah Olson is a free-lance journalist from Oakland, CA, who interviewed the first commissioned officer to refuse deployment to Iraq, Lt. Ehren Watada. As a result she has now been subpoenaed by military prosecutors who want her to testify at Watada’s court-martial. If Olson does not comply with the subpoena it could wind up costing her six months in jail or $500, along with a felony conviction. She told the San Francisco Chronicle…

“It’s not a reporter’s job to participate in the prosecution of her own sources. When you force a journalist to participate, you run the risk of turning the journalist into an investigative tool of the state.”

Olson is now receiving support from the Society of Professional Journalists, who have written a letter to Army officials on her behalf. They say in part…

“It is highly objectionable that any journalist be forced to become an agent of Army prosecutors. Even more repugnant is compelling a journalist to aid prosecutors who are challenging a military officer’s right to free speech.”

It is really too bad that a conscientious and brave officer is being persecuted for taking a principled stand against a war that is illegal and immoral. You can learn more and offer help for Lt. Watada at this website: Friends and Family of Lt. Watada.

It is also too bad that a responsible and dedicated journalist is being persecuted for telling this soldier’s story. You can learn more and offer help for Ms. Olson at this website: The Free Press Working Group.

Both of these patriotic Americans need and deserve the support of all people who value free speech, justice, peace, and an unshackleded press that is necessary to preserve these values.

The Same Kenneth Tomlinson

Posted by on January 16, 2007 at 4:59 pm. NO Comments :

The irrepressibly corrupt Kenneth Tomlinson has informed the White House that he will not seek renomination as chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).

This is the same Kenneth Tomlinson that “improperly used his office, putting a friend on the payroll and running a “horse-racing operation” with government resources.”

This is the same Kenneth Tomlinson that presided over the Voice of America as it closed its Baghdad bureau because they could not retain journalists to staff it.

This is the same Kenneth Tomlinson who sheepishly resigned as chair of the Corporation For Public Broadcasting in advance of a report that found that he violated the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.

This is the same Kenneth Tomlinson that paid $15,000 in payments to two Republican lobbyists that were not disclosed to the Corporation’s board.

This is the same Kenneth Tomlinson that had taken overtly partisan steps to remake the CPB as a publicly financed Fox News – hiring Tucker Carlson and Paul Gigot and recruiting a former co-chairman of the Republican National Committee as president of PBS.

This is the same Kenneth Tomlinson engaged in ethically-questionable tactics to discredit Bill Moyers, former host of PBS’ Now.

Now this same Kenneth Tomlinson is jumping ship rather than face the newly elected Democratic majority in the senate that would be unlikely to reconfirm him anyway. And in his message to the President, in a pique of denial and self-righteousness, he declares:

“I have concluded that it would be far more constructive to write a book on my experiences rather than to seek to continue government service. Accordingly, I ask that you nominate another person to serve as chairman of this board.”

I think we can expect that his book will reveal that he was a victim of the secular progressive cabal that his hero Bill O’Reilly rails against. We can expect that he will deny any wrongdoing and that he only tried to serve his country. Nevermind all the evidence against him, we can expect to learn that it was actually another scoundrel that was responsible for these misdeeds (probably Bill Clinton).

In short we can expect that the book will reveal the very same Kenneth Tomlinson. An alligator doesn’t change its scales.

White House Orders Propaganda Broadcasts

Posted by on December 23, 2006 at 2:34 am. NO Comments :

“No part of any appropriation contained in this or any other Act shall be used for publicity or propaganda purposes within the United States not heretofore authorized by Congress.”

Since 1951, that prohibition on the funding of propaganda within the U. S. has been enacted annually. It’s a straight forward ban on the expenditure of taxpayer dollars intended to deceive and manipulate taxpayers. While there are many examples of deceptive communications by the government and its accessories (i.e. Judith Miller, Armstrong Williams, and Fox News), there remains a distinction between that and products deliberately intended to influence foreign audiences. For example, Voice of America, whose broadcasts are not permitted within the U. S.

The Bush administration, however, would never let 56 years of law and precedent stand in the way of its venal designs. As reported by the Miami Herald…

“Taxpayer-funded TV and Radio Martí are spending $377,500 to air select programs on South Florida broadcast stations over the next six months, using loopholes in a law that prohibits the propaganda channels from distribution within the United States.”

The loophole that is being asserted here provides an exception for broadcast dissemination that is considered “inadvertent.” But it is implausible to suggest that broadcasts over South Florida radio and television frequencies would produce only inadvertent exposure to U. S. audiences. These channels are, in fact, intended for U. S. audiences.

Particularly disturbing is the statement by the director of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), Pedro Roig, that the decision to air these programs was, “taken at the White House.” This was corroborrated by Jorge Luis Hernández, director of broadcast operations for OCB, who said that the White House pushed for these broadcasts on local Miami stations. Though disturbing, it is not surprising with the knowledge that the federal agency that oversees the OCB, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), is chaired by the corrupt BushCo henchman, Kenneth Tomlinson.

There may be even more to this than simple propaganda. Joe García of the New Democratic Network believes that the financial arrangements in this matter have another unscrupulous purpose:

“This is a fraud. This is using taxpayer dollars for a political payoff to benefit the most Republican and politically charged radio station in Miami. They know well that the station isn’t heard in Cuba, because Cuba transmits Radio Rebelde over the exact same frequency.”

This news, coming as it does just days after the recess appointments of two more Bush cronies to the BBG suggests a massive escalation in Bush’s War on Truth. If our nation’s corporate dominated media were not already so compromised and ineffective, these events would constitute a major scandal. As it is, most Americans will hear little or nothing about it. That’s the way good propaganda works.

[Note: Sen. Lautenberg authored a bill to Stop Government Propaganda (S. 266) and to permanently codify the language at the top of this post. The bill was introduced in February of 2005 and went straight to the Judiciary Committee where it has languished ever since. We’ll see if there is any progress when the gavel passes from Sen. Specter (R-PA) to Sen. Leahy (D-VT)]

More Bush Cronies Get Recess Appointments

Posted by on December 21, 2006 at 8:21 pm. NO Comments :

This president, who has repeatedly demonstrated his disdain for democracy and the rule of law, is again bypassing the senate to install a pair of unqualified and partisan cronies to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). The BBG is the agency that oversees federal media operations like Radio Free Europe and Voice of America.

On the heels of his re-nomination of the corrupt Kenneth Tomlinson to chair the Board, the president has now used his executive power to plant Warren Bell and Mark McKinnon on these boards while the senate is in recess. Neither of these appointees are suitable for service on the board and both would likely have failed to get confirmed by the senate. Allow me to introduce you to these new board members.

Warren Bell, appointed to the CPB:

As a television producer and writer, he worked on programs like “According to Jim” and “Coach.” He had a reputation as an outspoken and controversial conservative. He has had no experience managing the sort of administrative operation that would be expected of a board member and no experience in public television. What he does have is a record of provocative statements that call into question his temperment and impartiality. Here are some choice excerpts from columns he wrote for the National Review Online…

“I could reach across the aisle and hug Nancy Pelosi, and I would, except this is a new shirt, and that sort of thing leaves a stain.”

“I am thoroughly conservative in ways that strike horror into the hearts of my Hollywood colleagues. I support a woman’s right to choose what movie we should see, but not that other one. I am on the Right in every way.”

Mark McKinnon, appointed to the BBG:

As a consummate Republican insider, McKinnon was the media director for both Bush presidential campaigns. His Maverick Media collected half of the campaign funds paid to the top 50 recipients of Bush/Cheney spending – totaling over $170 million. He is also vice-chairman of Public Strategies, Inc., a Texas-based lobbying and political-image firm. Amongst other things, PSI has lobbied in support of Video News Releases that are distributed to television stations for them to run without identifying the source, which is commonly a government agency or an invested corporation. He also has no professional credentials requisite to the duties he will now assume.

While Bell’s strident partisanship is problematic, McKinnon’s appointment seems even more troubling. His career has been spent almost exclusively on getting Republicans elected to office or winning legislative plums for big business. More recently, McKinnon was hired as chief media advisor for John McCain’s aborning presidential campaign. I have been unable to ascertain if he intends to serve on the board and run McCain’s media at the same time. That would be ethically questionable in my opinion. But that hasn’t stopped them before.

These appointments will not expire until the end of the next congressional session. That’s a lot of time to inflict a lot of damage on our nation’s public media. They will also have additional opportunities to damage our international standing through partisanly manipulated broadcasts by an administration that has virtually demolished our reputation as it is.

I truly hope that I can impress upon you the potential for harm that exists, not merely from these unconscionably inappropriate appointments, but from the president’s willful avoidance of Constitutional process. Any responsible senator ought to be concerned about this usurpation of their jurisdiction. And responsible citizens should be calling their senators now to urge them to be responsible.

Fox Makes Regan Walk The Plank

Posted by on December 16, 2006 at 8:46 pm. NO Comments :

Judith Regan, the third rail of publishing, has been fired by HarperCollins, the Murdoch-owned division that ran ReganBooks. This seperation is ceratinly the consequence of her having shepherded one of the most despicable projects ever to be conceived in popular media: O. J. Simpson’s, “If I Did It.” Her termination notice was a two line memo from HC’s CEO Jane Friedman:

“Judith Regan’s employment with HarperCollins has been terminated effective immediately. The REGAN publishing program and staff will continue as part of the HarperCollins General Books Group.”

I won’t waste much sympathy on Regan, who has made a fortune releasing vile books by contemptable authors. And, no doubt she will land on her cloven hooves as the tabloid rags of the world bid for her depravity.

But I will register this one condolence for the injustice thrust upon her as she is made a scapegoat for the misdeeds of many others. The accumulated list of guilty parties ought to include HC’s Friedman, as well as the programming execs at Fox Entertainment, their corporate handlers at News Corp, and even Daddy Rupert himself. All of these players were giddily salivating at the prospect of the impure profits pouring in from this profane project. Yet none of them have been called to task for their participation.

News Corp thinks it can wash its hands of this matter by sacrificing Regan. Conveniently, they are not closing up shop at ReganBooks, so they will be able to continue dumping the same kind of garbage into the literary landfill for which Regan was noted. And the pollution of the intellectual environment will continue unabated.

Fox News: Not The End Of The World

Posted by on November 15, 2006 at 11:14 am. NO Comments :

A memo issued by Fox News Vice President, John Moody, is taking a sunny side of the street perspective on the mid-term elections. In doing so he provided further confirmation of his network’s bias and malignant dishonesty. Here are a few excerpts:

“The elections and Rumsfeld’s resignation were a major event but not the end of the world. The war on terror goes on without interruption”
Is this Moody’s attempt at consolation? Don’t worry, neo-cons, you’ll get through this. After all, you still have your war.

“…let’s be on the lookout for any statements from the Iraqi insurgents, who must be thrilled at the prospect of a Dem-controlled congress.”
Despite the unprecedented expansion of terrorism during the Bush years, Moody still thinks the bad guys prefer the Democrats, who, unlike Republicans, have promised to pursue Bin Laden and Al Qaeda without the distraction of unnecessary wars over fake weapons of mass destruction. It is far more likely that the terrorists were thrilled by Fox News and the Bush administration, who apparently contributed $2 million dollars to their cause in exchange for a couple of kidnapped reporters.

“The question of the day, and indeed for the rest of bush’s term, is: “What’s the Dem plan for Iraq?”
That’s funny, I don’t remember them ever asking what the Repub plan for Iraq is. I suppose they were satisfied with “stay the course.”

“In the House, the newly empowered Dems will shed some fraternal blood before settling in.”
Here Moody is referencing the majority leader post that is being sought by both Jack Murtha, (a former hawk) and Steny Hoyer (a political hack). Those are Moody’s impartial characterizations in parentheses. What he doesn’t mention is that the Repubs are going through the same fraternal bloodletting in their own caucus, but he doesn’t seem to want his reporters to cover that.

And in closing: “Just because Dems won, the war on terror isn’t over.”
So don’t lose faith, neo-cons. You can continue to celebrate the misery and death in Iraq and falsely tether it to Al Qaeda, all the while tarring your opponents as unpatriotic.

This memo would be repulsive if it were issued by a Republican operative to partisans and activists. But Moody is VP of news at a major network and this is his marching orders to the reporters on his staff. In a truly fair and balanced media world, he would be humiliated, repudiated and forced to resign. At Fox he’ll probably get a promotion.

Murdoch On U. S. Deaths In Iraq

Posted by on November 7, 2006 at 2:00 am. NO Comments :

When the Godfather of tabloid propaganda speaks, people listen. So Rupert Murdoch is contributing his fair and balanced assessment of the human toll wrought by the war in Iraq:

“The death toll, certainly of Americans there, by the terms of any previous war are quite minute.”

For a billionaire media mogul to characterize the demise of almost 3,000 American soldiers as “minute” exceeds all boundaries of decency. This slice of cold-hearted indifference to the fallen and their families is Murdoch’s way of justifying his support for a tragically unnecessary war that he helped to concoct via the right wing noise machine he commands.

Would it be too much to ask that he express some remorse for those who gave their lives? What about the thousands who are maimed, brain damaged, and crippled by PTSD? And do you think he even gives a second thought to the, perhaps, hundreds of thousands of dead Iraqi civilians?

To top it off, this cowardly mogul with a massive American press operation scampers off to Japan to deliver these comments to reporters at a conference in Tokyo. I hope that his press colleagues welcome him home with some questions that call on him to account for his callousness.