Lies, Damn Lies, and Major Media Scoundrel Journalism
irish -liberty or death!
2012/03/06 13:44:44
Lies, Damn Lies, and Major Media Scoundrel Journalism
Stephen Lendman, Contributing WriterActivist Post
Merriam-Webster's defines journalism as involving "writing
characterized by a direct presentation of facts or description of
events without an attempt at interpretation."
In other words, the truth, the whole truth, and nothing else.
The Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics Preamble states:
...publicThe Radio-Television News Directors Association Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct stresses
enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of
democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by
seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events
and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties
strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional
integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility.
public trust, credibility, accuracy, and truth: "(R)eporting (must
exclude) anything known to be false." It must stress fairness,
integrity, independence, accountability, and "responsibility to the
profession of electronic journalism."
Clearly, major media
print and broadcast journalism fails on all counts. They serves wealth
and power. They feature managed and junk food news. They exclude truth
and full disclosure. Readers, viewers, and listeners are cheated by
lies, damn lies, and an agenda harming their vital interests.
In 1941, Frank Mott said yellow journalism features:
(1) scare headlines, often on minor junk food news.
(2) lavish use of photos, pictures, or imaginary drawings.
(3) fake interviews, misleading headlines, pseudo-science, featuring paid-for-media "experts."
(4) full-color Sunday supplements.
(5) sympathy with underdogs against the system.
The latter practice is now reversed.
Victims are called villains. War criminals are portrayed as liberators.
As a result, America, its NATO partners, and Israel get away with
murder under the banner of fighting terrorism and spreading democracy
to beleaguered people.
Fiction
substituting for fact facilitates it. At the same time, dissent's
marginalized and targeted. Imperial wars are supported. Patriotism means
going along or else. "War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is
Strength." Big Brother's alive, well, and flourishing in America, rogue
NATO states and Israel.
Militarists and profiteers demand war,
the more the better. In lockstep, major media scoundrels cheerlead it.
After a decade of human slaughter, misery, and vast destruction, Syria
and Iran appear next.
Supporting America's Permanent War Agenda
Falsified reports cheerlead it. Op-eds and editorials highlight it. Truth and full disclosure's prohibited. The New York Times March 2 editorial headlined, "Crushing Homs." It reinvented reality on the ground.
It accused Assad of weeks of "merciless
bombardment," saying there's "no doubt (he'll) keep on killing. The
international community must keep stepping up the pressure for him to
go."
Fact check
For the past year, Western recruited,
trained, armed and funded insurgents ravaged parts of Syria, notably in
cities like Homs. Assad struggled to liberate the city and other
killer gang infested areas. No responsible leader would do less. He's
more victim than villain, but you'd never know it from falsified major
media reports.
"On Friday, (Assad) blocked" relief aid
for Homs "without explanation. There were unconfirmed reports that
security forces were conducting house-to-house searches and summary
executions."
Fact check
From Geneva, the ICRC reported the following:
"(H)humanitarian aid reaches people in
Homs and Bludan. In Homs, Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers are
distributing food, medical supplies, blankets, and hygiene consumables
to thousands of people affected by the increasing violence."
"A convoy loaded with these supplies entered the city yesterday, while a similar convoy reached Bludan."
Syrian Red Crescent head of emergency operations Khaled Erksoussi said:
"Our volunteers were able to deliver food parcels, blankets and other urgently needed supplies to these displaced people."
The ICRC and Syrian Red Crescent plan further missions to deliver vitally needed humanitarian aid.
Sick and wounded are being evacuated despite killer gang attempts to prevent ambulances from reaching affected areas.
On March 3, Syria's Arab News Agency SANA reported insurgents responsible for murder and vandalism routed from Homs, including the Baba Amro neighborhood.
Residents
said they terrorized the city for weeks. They "occupied schools,
medical centers and public establishment (facilities) by force of arms,
turning them to centers for killing and torture, adding that the
terrorists also took over some houses in the neighborhood and kicked
their occupants out, transforming the houses to lairs where they planned
their attacks."
Residents were forced to participate in
protests. Those refusing were killed or tortured. Snipers shot
civilians from rooftops. Terrorized residents dared not leave home.
Some had no choice.
They expressed relief after Syrian
forces freed them, saying they feel free again. The Times falsely
accused Assad of "summary executions" committed by killer gangs.
Most Syrians support Assad.
Overwhelmingly approving a new constitution showed it. They deplore
killer gang violence they want ended. Yet The Times falsely claimed
"demonstrators chose the name this week of 'The Friday of Equipping the
Free Syrian Army.' "
Most Syrians oppose it. In insurgent
held areas, protesters are forced to participate in protests on threat
of death or torture.
Propaganda videos falsify events on the
ground. They replicated fake Libyan ones. Al Jazeera featured them,
including fabricated euphoric scenes of Tripoli's liberation. Weeks in
advance, they were shot in Doha, Qatar at a Hollywood-like sound stage
replica of Green Square and Gaddafi's compound. It was theater, not
real.
On Friday, the EU recognized the opposition Syrian National Council as a "legitimate representative of Syrians," saying:
“The European Union supports the Syrian
opposition in its struggle for freedom, dignity and democracy,
recognizes the Syrian National Council as a legitimate representative
of Syrians and calls upon all members of the Syrian opposition to unite
in its peaceful struggle.”
Ahead of Russia's March 4 presidential
elections, polls not only show Vladimir Putin's support at 60%, 76% of
Russians see America as an "aggressor bent on imposing its control on
all countries."
In late February, Hillary Clinton
admitted that Al Qaeda and other US designated terror groups are part
of Syria's anti-Assad opposition. In other words, she tacitly
acknowledged supporting them.
For years, Al Qaeda's been used as
friend and foe, depending on where and for what strategic purpose.
Against regimes like Assad, they're heavily armed and supported to
terrorize civilians.
Against Gaddafi, Libyan Islamic
Fighting Group (LIFG) Al Qaeda elements were used. In Syria, the same
process is playing out. No wonder most Russians think America's bent on
world domination. One imperial war segues seamlessly into another.
People around the world know it. Most Americans remain out of touch in
the dark.
On March 1, The Hindu headlined, "When Insanity rules the world, saying:
"India should resist the West's brazen efforts to use championship of democracy as a cover for regime change."
America
and other rogue Western states "have not merely abandoned the secular,
albeit autocratic, regimes that had kept the peace in the Middle East
for four decades, but trampled upon the last remnants of the doctrine
of national sovereignty upon which the international order, indeed
international law itself, has been based for the last 350 years."
Only fools believe waging ruinous wars
"make(s) the world 'safer for humanity.' " Wars beget more of them with
endless carnage. "One shudders to think" where this madness will end!
A Final Comment
Last month, Voice of Russia
reported flights from Lebanon's Kleyate Airport delivering Israeli
weapons to Syrian killer gangs. "(T)here are grounds to assume that the
airport in the north of Lebanon will become a transshipment base to
supply weapons to Syrian insurgents."
Opposition Syrian forces openly admit
being armed by America and France. Besides Lebanon, shipments come from
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, and perhaps directly from Israel
through Golan and other border crossings.
Occasional weapons caches are found.
Israeli-made ones with Hebrew inscriptions are among them, including
bombs, other explosive devices, automatic rifles, protective vests,
night-vision equipment, and more.
Where indeed does this end? It's hard imagining how cooler heads can stop it before it's too late.
Billions of US taxpayer already went to arming AL-CIAda in Afghanistan. Do you want more for the weapons mafia?