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.

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A Tale Of Two Hires

Posted by on January 16, 2007 at 7:04 pm. NO Comments :

The state of journalism has a pair of stories this week on recent hires that deliver a little good news a Little not so good.

Journalism on public television has taken a turn for the better with the announcement that Bill Moyers will return to PBS with a weekly show called, ”Bill Moyers Journal.” It’s especially gratifying to learn of Moyers return the same week we learned of Kenneth Tomlinson’s departure. Tomlinson was instrumental in Moyers leaving PBS two years ago. The first installment of the Journal, airing April 25, is titled, “Buying the War,” about the role of the press in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. I can’t think of a better subject for the premiere.

On the other hand, journalists have embarrassed themselves with their selection for the featured guest at this year’s White House Correspondents Association dinner. If you recall, last year’s guest was the eerily inspiring Stephen Colbert. So what have they come up with as a follow up? Rich Little. That’s right, the comfy, G-rated impersonator from the 70’s is apparently still available for Bar Mitvahs and press dinners. You think they’re over-compensating just a bit?


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.


NCMR2007: Are You Prepared For Success?

Posted by on January 14, 2007 at 2:24 pm. NO Comments :

You might expect that the closing session of the National Conference for Media Reform would present rousing speakers that reaffirm the previous days experiences – the information, inspiration and connections – and act as a catalyst to provoke impassioned and sustained activism. That expectation was met. But one speaker, Van Jones, founder and executive Directer of the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, delivered a unique insight that we would all be well served to contemplate.

After acknowledging the necessity for inclusion of minorities, women, youth, and every facet of our diverse culture in the media reform movement, he cited the excuses that Don Rumsfeld and his colleagues employed to explain our difficulties in Iraq. Rumsfeld had said that we were not prepared for our “catastrophic success.” While pointing out the Rumsfeld was, of course, lying, he turned the question back on us. The struggle to achieve our goals, whether they be media reform, health care, fair trade, environmental, whatever, consume such a great portion of our awareness, we may be neglecting to consider what we will do when we succeed.

That is not a triviality that we can address when we get there. There actually is some truth to the notion that America was not prepared to act productively after the fall of Baghdad. And there is also evidence that our new Democratic majority in congress was taken a little by surprise. As an example, many of the first comments from Democratic leaders were egregiously free of any mention of Iraq. And worse, some were asserting that they would support the President’s surge, …um escalation, …um augmentation. That was a symptom of not being prepared. But within days, after being forcefully reminded by the people that we wanted out of Iraq and that’s why we elected them, the leaders reversed course. We will have to be there to remind them often, I have no doubt.

Recognizing that victories can be hollow without confirmed action to sustain them, is something we must all be thinking about now.


NCMR2007: Selected Treats

Posted by on January 14, 2007 at 2:22 pm. NO Comments :

For those of you who were not fortunate enough to attend the National Conference For Media Reform, I have compiled a few moments that may be of interest.

Jeff Cohen of Fairness and Accuracy in Media:After pointing out some disturbing stats that prove that broadcast media favors right wing pundits and commentators, he itemized his three goals for reform.

  • Challenge the mainstream media to open up.
  • Build independent and non-profit media.
  • Structural reform of the Internet, promoting community access and preserving network neutrality.

Chellie Pingree of Common Cause:
Chellie made the fascinating observation that when Jimmy Carter was asked to observe elections in the U. S. as he has done throughout the world, he had to decline because the U. S. did not meet the criteria for such observation. Specifically, that elections be run by non-partisans and there be national standards. Neither of which is true here.

Amy Goodman of Democracy Now:
Amy told a disturbing story of the Covey Plantation. Covey was a slave “breaker”. That is precisely what it sounds like. Slaves that were resistant or troublesome were sent to Covey for training. One of those was Frederick Douglass. Douglass escaped and made his way north and the rest is history. Except this bit of history that is not widely reported – the Covey Plantation is now the home of … are you sitting down?… Don Rumsfeld!

Sen. Bernie Sanders (That felt good to type):
Bernie told us emphatically that, if you are concerned about foreign policy in Iraq; if you are concerned about health care; if you are concerned about the economy; if you are concerned about global warming; you are kidding yourselves if you are not concerned about corporate control of the media. And he reminded us that the media is just as responsible for the war in Iraq as Bush.

Norman Soloman of the Institute for Public Accuracy:
Norman made the astute observation that the New York Times will correct misstatements of fact, but not statements like, “The Bush adminstration is seeking democracy in Iraq,” although it is just as untrue.


NCMR2007 – First Report

Posted by on January 12, 2007 at 11:39 am. NO Comments :

The National Conference For Media Reform opened this morning with speeches by FreePress’ John Nichols, and Yolanda Hippensteele, as well as the Mayor of Memphis, Dr. Willie Herenton. But the runaway rock star of the day (and of conferences past) was Bill Moyers.

Moyers delivered an inspiring and infuriating discourse on the similarities between today’s government and corporate dominated media, and the domination of African Americans imported to this country as property. He called it the “Plantation Mentality.” The crux of this view could be boiled down to this brief and powerful line from his presentation:

“This is the moment Freedom begins. The moment you realize that someone else has been writing your story and it’s time to start writing it yourself.”

That is why I began News Corpse two years ago, and that is why I relentlessly advocate that everyone recognize that each voice in the world adds to the tide that will eventually erode the barriers to Liberty, Equality, and Free Expression.

Each voice = your voice. No matter how insignificant or futile you feel, the cumulative force that we can produce cannot be ignored or defeated. Your voice is rare and precious. Don’t let it go to waste.

FreePress generally posts video, audio, and transcripts of their featured speakers after the event. Be sure to catch the whole experience of the Moyers speech. But you don’t need to wait wait to start writing your own story or, at least, putting together a first draft.

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National Conference On Media Reform

Posted by on January 10, 2007 at 1:13 pm. NO Comments :

I will be attending the National Conference On Media Reform this week. And hope that many of my readers will be there as well. From the Conference website:

The National Conference for Media Reform is for anyone who is concerned about the state of our media and committed to working for change. This energizing weekend presents ideas and strategies for winning the fight for better media and connects you with thousands of media reformers from across the nation.

Hopefully we will have an opportunity to meet one another. I will be blogging the conference and should have some useful and entertaining treats for y’all when I return.


MSNBC Stands Alone In 2006

Posted by on January 4, 2007 at 3:43 pm. NO Comments :

MSNBC has beaten the competition in terms of audience growth consistently for the last twelve months. So it should come as no surprise that MSNBC’s tally for 2006 shows not only the highest gain over 2005, but the only gain amongst cable news networks.

As usual, it was Keith Olbermann’s Countdown that fueled the increase. Countdown was up 60% in total viewers and 67% in the 25-54 demo. Keith’s nemesis, Bill O’Reilly, can still boast about being the number one program on cable news, but those footsteps he hears are not the pitter-patter of the Culture Warrior Youth.

Primetime CNN FOX HLN MSNBC
Persons 2+ -12% -20% -4% +6%
Persons 25-54 -17% -25 -3 +8%

Total Day CNN FOX HLN MSNBC
Persons 2+ -7% -14% -7% +8%
Persons 25-54 -5% -18% -7% +12%

If you kiddies are looking for something constructive to do, here’s a project for you:

Fox News is currently renegotiating its contracts with cable carriers. They have been lumbering under one of the worst deals in the business because they were desperate for carriage when they started out. Now they believe that they are entitled to substantial upgrades. On the surface, they have a pretty good case since they are the top cable news network. But as this marketing burst is coming at a time when they are also the fastest declining network, cable operators should not be bullied into accepting sky high licensing fees. If Fox was stupid enough to lock themselves into low fees in their formative years, cablers should learn from that and not lock themselves into high fees while Fox is sinking.

This would be a good time to write your local cable company and stress that you are not willing to pay more to have continued access to Fox News. Any deal that they make with Fox must not result in an increase of your monthly fees. If that happens, you will quickly cancel and get a dish.

The end result of this is not to keep Fox off of the air. The cable companies are surely going to re-up with the current Nielsen leader. But you can have an impact on their profitability by giving your cable operator the ammunition to bargain Fox down. So sharpen those pencils and let your carrier know that you will not tolerate rate increases to fatten the wallets of a network you don’t even watch.


FBI Ends Harrassment Of Jack Anderson’s Ghost

Posted by on January 4, 2007 at 12:14 pm. NO Comments :

Last April it was reported that the FBI intended to seek documents from the estate of investigative reporter, Jack Anderson. I wrote at the time that this presented some ominous threats to freedom of the press and the well being of reporters:

“News sources, whistleblowers, and others with information, the disclosure of which is in the public’s interest, would be far less likely to come forward if they know that their identity could be revealed in the event of the reporter’s death […] The government cannot presently force the reporter to reveal his sources without the intervention of the courts. But if the reporter were to die, under the principle being advanced here by the FBI, the government could retrieve the data they want from the reporter’s estate. Consequently, it would be in the government’s interest for the reporter to die.”

It seems that the FBI has decided to back off. James H. Clinger, an Acting Associate Attorney General, responding to questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee, now says that…

“The FBI met with the Anderson family in an effort to review the files with their consent. At this time, the FBI is not seeking to reclaim any documents.”

There was no further comment from the FBI or any explanation for the change. For the time being we should just be glad that the inquisition is over. But there is still a need to be vigilant given the history of abuse of the press by this administration.


Bush Sucks Up To Congress – Or Just Sucks

Posted by on January 3, 2007 at 3:53 pm. NO Comments :

The Wall Street Journal published a very special guest editorial today by one of its favorite public figures, the President of the United States. In the editorial, Bush takes a stab at bipartisanship, but the knife must have accidentally slipped, because it ends up going for the throat.

He starts off dispassionately stating a fact that must still cause acute gnashing of the teeth:

“Tomorrow, members of the 110th Congress will take their oaths of office here in Washington. I will have the privilege of working with them for the next two years…”
That “privilege” has been available for the last six years. You just chose to ignore, and even disparage it.

“I believe government closest to the people is more responsive and accountable.”
You have certainly proven that by presiding over a distant White House that has been the least responsive and wholly unaccountable.

Much of the interior of this editorial is devoted to a rehashing of the President’s long-time agenda of fighting terrorism, cutting taxes, privatizing Social Security, and the rest of the Republican nonsense that he has been harping on since being put in office by the Supreme Court. There is not a whit of compromise or concession that might reflect an honest desire to work with Democrats. In fact, he takes the opposite view and issues this warning:

“The majority party in Congress gets to pass the bills it wants. The minority party, especially where the margins are close, has a strong say in the form bills take. …If the Congress chooses to pass bills that are simply political statements, they will have chosen stalemate.”

What he doesn’t say is that any bill that is contrary to his designs on power will be considered a “political statement.” And no one should find it curious that he is now championing minority rights in Congress when for the six years that the Democrats were in the minority, there was ne’er a word of support for the concept.

I hope that the Democrats are smart enough to recognize this for what it is: a thinly veiled attempt at deception coming right out of the Trojan horse’s mouth. The President has no intention of bipartisanship and the priorities enumerated in the article prove that. The American people voted overwhelming for change, and the Democratic beneficiaries of that must realize their duty to set their own agenda and fight for the changes that the people demand.

As for the press, they still haven’t learned. Despite the decidedly combatative tone and content, here’s a sampling of how the media is presenting this news:

  • Associated Press: President Reaches Out in Rare Editorial.
  • Reuters: Bush seeks positive tone for new U.S. Congress.
  • Fox: Bush Urges Cooperation Between Democrats, New Priorities.
  • ABC: Bush Seeks Cooperation From New Congress.

You have to leave the country before you start to get near the truth.

  • Agence France-Presse: Bush warns Democratic Congress against ‘stalemate’.

Sigh…..