Tag: media

Servile Journalism for Memorial Day

Sunday’s New York Times, gearing up for Memorial Day, carries a leading front-page story direct from the Afghan front, complete with photos. Does it tell of the 1,000 Americans who have perished there in America’s longest war, or the unknown number of innocent Afghans to fall, or the many more on both sides gruesomely injured, … Continue reading “Servile Journalism for Memorial Day”

Iran’s Ever Imminent Nukes: A History of Hysteria

For nearly three decades we have been hearing or reading dire predictions by the officials of the United States, Israel, and their allies that Iran is on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Such “warnings” have been common, but none has come true. Now that the talk of imposing “crippling sanctions” on or even attacking … Continue reading “Iran’s Ever Imminent Nukes: A History of Hysteria”

Did Banned Media Report Foretell of Gaza War Crimes?

An Arab member of the Israeli parliament is demanding that a newspaper be allowed to publish an investigative report that was suppressed days before Israel attacked Gaza in winter 2008.  The investigation by Uri Blau, who has been in hiding since December to avoid arrest, concerned Israeli preparations for the impending assault on Gaza, known … Continue reading “Did Banned Media Report Foretell of Gaza War Crimes?”

The Pentagon’s Propaganda Networks

Propaganda networks that conduct "psychological warfare" for the Pentagon have been in vogue for a long time. Mike Furlong, a senior Pentagon official who is now being investigated for running a covert network of contractors to supply information for drone strikes and assassinations in Afghanistan and Pakistan, had a long history of working in this … Continue reading “The Pentagon’s Propaganda Networks”

Fiction of Marjah as City Was US Misinformation

For weeks, the U.S. public followed the biggest offensive of the Afghanistan War against what it was told was a "city of 80,000 people" as well as the logistical hub of the Taliban in that part of Helmand. That idea was a central element in the overall impression built up in February that Marjah was … Continue reading “Fiction of Marjah as City Was US Misinformation”

Do You Have to Be Jewish to Report on Israel for NYT?

A recent assignment of mine covering Israel’s presumed links to the assassination of Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Mabhouh provoked some more thoughts about the New York Times reporter Ethan Bronner. He is the Jerusalem bureau chief who has been at the center of a controversy since it was revealed last month that his son is serving … Continue reading “Do You Have to Be Jewish to Report on Israel for NYT?”