It takes resources, that means money and backup, plus bravery, to travel to
war zones and to report what is really happening there. Chris Hedges did it
as part of the New York Times, but he was tossed out. Patrick Coburn is
still doing it. The journalists from the Intercept are doing it, but they're
being funded by the owner of Ebay who, so far, is not attempting to
influence content. Little by little I'm watching Amy Goodman become drawn
into the mainstream, not completely, but by bits and pieces. There's a book
on BARD called Citizens of London and one of the stories it tells is how Ed
Murrow became so involved with what the Germans were doing to England before
the US entered the war, that his radio broadcasts became less and less
objective reportage only, and more and more propaganda to convince Americans
to defend England.
Miriam
-----Original Message-----
From: blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:blind-democracy-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Carl Jarvis
Sent: Saturday, October 22, 2016 11:11 AM
To: blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [blind-democracy] Re: The Media Are Misleading The Public On Syria
Media?...Oh, you mean the Empire's Pied Pipers. Once upon a time, long,
long ago, and far, far away, there were journalists on the radio, in early
day TV and in the Editorial Pages of most Daily News Papers.
But the Media has always been the possession of the Empire. Those
journalists who did not knuckle under, were spun to the back pages and
trashed. TV has gone even further, turning the reporting of the news into a
three ring giggle circus.
Even NPR, once providing us a "Left of the Middle" reporting, has been
corrupted.
While I do hold the current journalists as responsible for the weak-kneed,
spineless babble that passes for Journalism today, I have to remind myself
that it is impossible to get at much of the government's activities, because
more and more information is being classified and hidden behind closed doors
that often even keep out Congress.
This heavy handed security along with the corporate capitalism that is the
nation we live in, make public involvement impossible.
Like all Empires before it, this gaggle of greedy rascals are not concerned
with the future. Their only goal is to control the planet, and reap all
that exists.
In order to survive, and in order to plan a brighter future, we must seek
out, and share the information that sheds light on the world events that
seem to be so disorganized. My current position is to leave the Oligarchy
and its Industrial/Military Corporate Empire, and set out looking for new,
bright and energetic people to begin a building outside of the gang that has
walled themselves off from Reality.
Carl Jarvis
On 10/21/16, Miriam Vieni <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
ending.
AFP/Getty Images
New recruits trained to fight alongside opposition in Aleppo, Syria.
By Stephen Kinzer February 18, 2016
COVERAGE OF the Syrian war will be remembered as one of the most
shameful episodes in the history of the American press. Reporting
about carnage in the ancient city of Aleppo is the latest reason why.
For three years, violent militants have run Aleppo. Their rule began
with a wave of repression. They posted notices warning residents:
"Don't send your children to school. If you do, we will get the
backpack and you will get the coffin." Then they destroyed factories,
hoping that unemployed workers would have no recourse other than to
become fighters. They trucked looted machinery to Turkey and sold it.
This month, people in Aleppo have finally seen glimmers of hope. The
Syrian army and its allies have been pushing militants out of the
city. Last week they reclaimed the main power plant. Regular
electricity may soon be restored. The militants' hold on the city could be
Militants, true to form, are wreaking havoc as they are pushed out ofhappening.
the city by Russian and Syrian Army forces. "Turkish-Saudi backed
'moderate rebels' showered the residential neighborhoods of Aleppo
with unguided rockets and gas jars," one Aleppo resident wrote on
social media. The Beirut-based analyst Marwa Osma asked, "The Syrian
Arab Army, which is led by President Bashar Assad, is the only force
on the ground, along with their allies, who are fighting ISIS - so you
want to weaken the only system that is fighting ISIS?"
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This does not fit with Washington's narrative. As a result, much of
the American press is reporting the opposite of what is actually
Manyabout the Syrian war.
news reports suggest that Aleppo has been a "liberated zone" for three
years but is now being pulled back into misery.
On Syria: Thank you, Russia!
The US would be more secure if it had followed Russia's foreign policy
lead in the past.
. The great dumbing-down of US foreign policy
. Does peace in Syria stand a chance?
. Putin should have listened to Obama about Syria
. In Syria, the US has nothing but bad options
Americans are being told that the virtuous course in Syria is to fight
the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian partners. We are supposed
to hope that a righteous coalition of Americans, Turks, Saudis, Kurds,
and the "moderate opposition" will win.
This is convoluted nonsense, but Americans cannot be blamed for
believing it. We have almost no real information about the combatants,
their goals, or their tactics. Much blame for this lies with our
media.
Under intense financial pressure, most American newspapers, magazines,
and broadcast networks have drastically reduced their corps of foreign
correspondents. Much important news about the world now comes from
reporters based in Washington. In that environment, access and
credibility depend on acceptance of official paradigms. Reporters who
cover Syria check with the Pentagon, the State Department, the White
House, and think tank "experts."
After a spin on that soiled carousel, they feel they have covered all
sides of the story. This form of stenography produces the pabulum that
passes for news about Syria.
Astonishingly brave correspondents in the war zone, including
Americans, seek to counteract Washington-based reporting. At great
risk to their own safety, these reporters are pushing to find the truth
Their reporting often illuminates the darkness of groupthink. Yet forconsensus.
many consumers of news, their voices are lost in the cacophony.
Reporting from the ground is often overwhelmed by the Washington
Washington-based reporters tell us that one potent force in Syria,power, at least temporarily.
al-Nusra, is made up of "rebels" or "moderates," not that it is the
local al-Qaeda franchise. Saudi Arabia is portrayed as aiding freedom
fighters when in fact it is a prime sponsor of ISIS. Turkey has for
years been running a "rat line" for foreign fighters wanting to join
terror groups in Syria, but because the United States wants to stay on
Turkey's good side, we hear little about it. Nor are we often reminded
that although we want to support the secular and battle-hardened
Kurds, Turkey wants to kill them.
Everything
Russia and Iran do in Syria is described as negative and
destabilizing, simply because it is they who are doing it - and
because that is the official line in Washington.
Inevitably, this kind of disinformation has bled into the American
presidential campaign. At the recent debate in Milwaukee, Hillary
Clinton claimed that United Nations peace efforts in Syria were based
on "an agreement I negotiated in June of 2012 in Geneva." The precise
opposite is true. In 2012 Secretary of State Clinton joined Turkey,
Saudi Arabia, and Israel in a successful effort to kill Kofi Annan's
UN peace plan because it would have accommodated Iran and kept Assad in
No one on the Milwaukee stage knew enough to challenge her.
Politicians may be forgiven for distorting their past actions.
Governments may also be excused for promoting whatever narrative they
believe best suits them. Journalism, however, is supposed to remain
apart from the power elite and its inbred mendacity. In this crisis it
has failed miserably.
Americans are said to be ignorant of the world. We are, but so are
people in other countries. If people in Bhutan or Bolivia
misunderstand Syria, however, that has no real effect. Our ignorance
is more dangerous, because we act on it. The United States has the
power to decree the death of nations. It can do so with popular
support because many Americans - and many journalists - are content
with the official story. In Syria, it is: "Fight Assad, Russia, and
Iran! Join with our Turkish, Saudi, and Kurdish friends to support
peace!" This is appallingly distant from reality. It is also likely to
prolong the war and condemn more Syrians to suffering and death.
