tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52046922011-04-21T18:49:06.101-07:00War, Peace, and the Mass MediaCommentary and links relating to media coverage of war; both before, during, and after.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comBlogger3781100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-91361177757149893852007-04-30T12:37:00.001-07:002007-04-30T12:37:58.878-07:00Tenet: You should have resignedOpen Letter from former CIA OfficersBlog editor's note: Six former CIA officers write an open letter to George Tenet in which they argue (a) that there was no strong consensus among intelligence professionals that Iraq had WMDs, and (b) that Tenet was just as much at fault as the rest of the Bush administration for transforming shaky intelligence into an air-tight Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-28393824376468127382007-04-29T08:42:00.001-07:002007-04-29T08:42:08.901-07:00Iraq a mistake - ex-Army bigThe Associated Press Sunday, April 29th 2007WASHINGTON - President Bush is "squandering" American lives in Iraq and should sign legislation to begin pulling out U.S. troops on Oct. 1, retired Army Lt. Gen. William Odom said yesterday."I hope the President seizes this moment for a basic change in course and signs the bill Congress has sent him," Odom said, delivering Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-57851314378157898282007-04-11T08:13:00.000-07:002007-04-11T08:17:53.406-07:00'Your Iraq plan?' is a pointless questionCandidates should acknowledge that Bush's war is a failure and look beyond Iraq.By Andrew J. BacevichLos Angeles TimesApril 9, 2007 Blog Editor's note: In this opinion piece, Bacevich gives a crystal clear view of what journalists should be asking presidential candidates about American foreign policy. He is a professor of history and international Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-65967435016256194042007-04-10T07:54:00.000-07:002007-04-10T07:57:00.146-07:00Reporter recalls the layers of truth told in IraqAfter 41/2 years 'in country,' The Times' Borzou Daragahi looks back on what it took each day to get to the story and get out alive.By Borzou DaragahiLos Angeles Times Staff WriterApril 10, 2007Baghdad — THE young man with the AK-47 at a checkpoint in the Triangle of Death ordered us out of the car the moment he realized I was a foreigner. A flat Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-36710801933936332102007-04-09T14:14:00.000-07:002007-04-09T14:22:24.632-07:00Sweet Little Lies By Paul KrugmanThe New York Times Monday 09 April 2007Blog editor's note: Krugman's analyis does not just apply to members of the public, in my view. It also contributes to the credulity of mainstream journalism. Four years into a war fought to eliminate a nonexistent threat, we all have renewed appreciation for the power of the Big Lie: people tend to believe false Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-40011216995087860162007-04-06T08:04:00.000-07:002007-04-06T08:19:02.218-07:00Levin Releases Newly Declassified Pentagon Inspector General Report on Intelligence Assessment Activities of the Office of Under Secretary of Defense Doug FeithPress OfficeSen. Carl Levin, Senate Armed Services CommitteeApril 5, 2007Blog editor's note: More evidence of how the Bush administration ignored the intelligence community's consensus and substituted its own view of things to justify a Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-7525181998711475602007-04-04T08:01:00.000-07:002007-04-04T08:15:33.896-07:00ABC News Exclusive: The Secret War Against IranABC NewsApril 03, 2007 5:25 PMBrian Ross and Christopher Isham ReportBlog editor's note: What's interesting about this report is not the revelation itself. The U.S., like most major powers, has a long history of sponsoring or encouraging operations such as this. What's worthy of note is that ABC news thought to run the story. Of course, mainstreamWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-8099300575779037642007-03-27T09:02:00.000-07:002007-03-27T09:07:29.764-07:00The Public Editor's Journal: Finding Trustworthy TranslatorsNew York TimesMarch 19, 2007Blog editor's note: The following email exchange gives a revealing glimpse into how a major news organization approaches the problem of using translators and/or stringers in covering an extraordinarily dangerous environment, i.e. Iraq. The question from Mark Schroeder, a Times reader in New York, was a good Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-50547657427662444692007-03-11T08:45:00.000-07:002007-03-11T08:46:01.032-07:00Another Grim Week in IraqThe New York TimesEditorialMarch 10, 2007On Sunday in Basra, British troops stormed an Iraqi intelligence office and found about 30 prisoners, some of them tortured. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki was outraged — not at the torture, but at the raid that halted it. Soon British troops will be leaving Basra, leaving Mr. Maliki and his security forces free to do as they Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-51459240418297570172007-03-08T08:23:00.000-08:002007-03-08T08:25:56.637-08:00Who CaresNPR"On the Media"March 02, 2007Heads are rolling in the wake of The Washington Post’s expose of deplorable conditions at Walter Reed. But Salon's Mark Benjamin has been writing variations on the Post’s story for years. He discusses the media’s newfound interest in wounded vets. On Friday, the Secretary of the U.S. Army resigned. It was the latest shoe to drop in the wake of The Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-50483868531202020862007-03-01T08:34:00.000-08:002007-03-01T08:38:52.742-08:00Sunni insurgents remain biggest threat to U.S. troops in IraqBy Drew BrownMcClatchy NewspapersWed, Feb. 28, 2007 Blog editor's note: Despite that McClatchy Newspapers are not considered part of the foreign policy "elite" media, they frequently do very good independent reporting. In my view, this is because McClatchy last year bought the Knight-Ridder chain, which for whatever reasons had Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-16022504989781582102007-02-22T21:13:00.000-08:002007-02-22T21:32:45.674-08:00 "Today's" Middle East 100--A case study in framing and priming public opinion--NBC"Today"February 22, 2007Blog editor's note: NBC's top rated morning program, "Today," is running a series entitled "Middle East 100," which purports to be a primer for Americans interested in understanding the troubled Middle East. The first segment to deal specifically with Iran is a case study in how the media Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-81141979560337395992007-02-21T10:07:00.000-08:002007-02-21T10:09:49.349-08:00Media musings: PBS series exposes press failingsBy Jane BurnsFebruary 20, 2007Sorry.Really, I apologize. I am really, really sorry.That's pretty much the way I felt after watching the first episode of "News War: Secrets, Spin and the Future of the News," a "Frontline" series that began last week and continues for three more Tuesdays.So after watching that first one, I feel compelled to apologize Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-33626655447929534232007-02-20T20:50:00.000-08:002007-02-21T10:14:31.386-08:00Small US Towns Bear Scars From Iraq By Kimberly Hefling The Associated Press Monday 19 February 2007Blog editor's note: One indication that the mainstream press is beginning to pay attention to stories that should have occurred to editors months if not years ago is this piece by Associated Press wire service about who is bearing the main human cost in the U.S. of the war in Iraq. Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-71800808339963308202007-02-18T18:13:00.000-08:002007-02-18T18:21:43.266-08:00Demise of the Foreign CorrespondentBy Pamela ConstableWashington PostSunday, February 18, 2007; B01Blog editor's note: The ever increasing trend among media owners to chase profits instead of stories leads to what I call "Zen Journalism": If something happens in the world but no journalist is there to cover it, did it happen? When I think back on the most momentous events of my professional Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-68246848318767380242007-02-17T08:03:00.000-08:002007-02-17T08:06:12.659-08:00INVESTIGATE HOW THE PRESS LED US INTO IRAQBy Richard ReevesFeb 9, 2007LOS ANGELES -- I don't think there is much argument now that the United States made a mistake going into Iraq. We have destroyed the image we had earned or had tried to create as the necessary nation, the benevolent and humble superpower. Instead, with unbelievable arrogance, we have sowed civil war, scorn and hatred that will Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-87900706288094772152007-02-12T10:18:00.001-08:002007-02-10T13:46:59.122-08:00Victory Is Not an OptionThe Mission Can't Be Accomplished -- It's Time for a New StrategyBy William E. OdomWashington PostSunday, February 11, 2007; B01Blog editor's note: Some of the most insightful criticism of the Bush Administration's Iraq policies have come from former military officers of considerable rank and experience. William E. Odom, a retired Army lieutenant general, was head of ArmyWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-64951811421894247742007-02-10T13:41:00.001-08:002007-02-10T13:45:18.956-08:00Smith's death 'a real feast' for the mediaJames RaineyL.A. Times Staff WriterFebruary 10, 2007Blog editor's note: See the post before last for a similar assessment of media performance.Hours after Anna Nicole Smith's death, people across the globe tried to cash in on her celebrity by listing for sale items such as bobblehead dolls and poker chips bearing her image.But positioned to benefit the Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-56060039062561271362007-02-10T12:56:00.000-08:002007-02-10T12:18:43.087-08:00The Build-a-War WorkshopThe New York TimesEditorialFebruary 10, 2007Blog editor's note: Given its remarkable willingness too believe the Administration's assertions about WMDs in the run up to the 2003 war with Iraq, the Times' anger at the latest evidence of the Bush team's systematic efforts to manipulate intelligence is understandable. Whether the American public will also get as angry at Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-59515458134445618222007-02-10T09:57:00.000-08:002007-02-10T09:51:09.253-08:00 Anna Nicole Smith vs. false intelligence On-air and online media go instantly into overdriveBy David Zurawik and Nick MadiganBaltimore SunFebruary 9, 2007Blog editor's note: This sort of thing, perhaps, explains why my lower division university students can name the possible father's of the late Ms. Smith's daughter, but are unaware of the report, which had the misfortune to be released the Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1171083209219073052007-02-09T20:47:00.000-08:002007-02-09T20:53:29.236-08:00Feith Takes the FallBy Mark Thompson/WashingtonFriday, Feb. 09, 2007Blog editor's note: Finally, a mainstream journalist tumbles to the real story that seems to have eluded most of his colleagues: the small fish have been caught in the net while the ones really responsible swim out of harm's way.For a person most Americans have never heard of, Doug Feith has been called terrible names by very Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1171038689947933792007-02-09T08:31:00.000-08:002007-02-09T08:31:37.693-08:00Pentagon aide's prewar work faultedA Defense report says the ex-official alleged links between Al Qaeda and Iraq that didn't reflect intelligence.By Julian E. BarnesLos Angeles Times Staff WriterFebruary 9, 2007Blog editor's note: For anyone who still doubts that elements of the Bush Administration didn't "cherry pick" or, in this case, practically fabricate intelligence to justify taking the warWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1170691555800141502007-02-05T07:52:00.000-08:002007-02-05T08:06:36.773-08:004th Anniversary of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell Address to the U.N. Security Council on Iraq's WMDs, which as much as anything else paved the way for the 2003 warFebruary 5, 2003Transcript provided by The White HouseBlog editor's note: Today (Feb. 5) is the fourth anniversary of then-Secretary of State Colin Powell's testimony before the United Nations in which he famously remarked, "Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1170545279460288552007-02-03T15:16:00.000-08:002007-02-03T15:28:57.966-08:00BED AND BREAKFAST IN BAGHDADBy Richard ReevesFeb 2, 6:44 (Blog editor's note: A retelling by a noted political columnist of the hilarious--but true-- adventures of one American journalist and his approach to covering Baghdad, and how he discovered belatedly [and presumbably to his horror] that he'd done just about everything wrong, put himself at great danger, lost a significant amount of money,Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1170520990527121612007-02-03T08:38:00.000-08:002007-02-03T08:43:10.546-08:00$3T Bush budget to trim domestic programsMonday plan to kick off major debate with Democratic-controlled CongressThe Associated PressFeb 2, 2007WASHINGTON - Keeping troops in Iraq for another year and a half will cost nearly a quarter-trillion dollars - about $800 for every man, woman and child in the U.S. - under the budget President Bush will submit to Congress Monday.Bush will ask for $100 Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1170516863841536252007-02-03T07:34:00.000-08:002007-02-03T07:34:23.856-08:00Report questions Bush's Iraq strategyBy Jonathan S. LandayMcClatchy NewspapersFeb. 02, 2007 Blog editor's note: To access the government's press release/summary about the report, "Prospects for Iraq’s Stability: A Challenging Road Ahead," go to Office of Director of National IntelligenceWASHINGTON - In the bleakest terms yet, a new U.S. government intelligence assessment warned Friday that Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1170381642970813292007-02-01T18:00:00.000-08:002007-02-01T18:00:42.993-08:00THOMAS FRIEDMAN ON IRAN: Not-So-Strange Bedfellowby Thomas FriedmanNew York TimesJan. 31, 2007Blog editor's Note: Thomas Friedman, perhaps the best known of the Times' columnists and a staunch supporter of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, has written a column that is 'must' reading for anyone who thinks military strikes against Iran are either necessary or a good idea. To find the column in its Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1170348165777166272007-02-01T08:42:00.000-08:002007-02-01T08:42:45.793-08:00Britain plays down claims of Tehran roleTom Baldwin in WashingtonThe Times (UK)February 01, 2007Senior British officials, citing mistakes over Saddam Hussein’s alleged weapons of mass destruction, are voicing scepticism about US efforts to build an intelligence-based case against Iran.Sources in London and Washington suggest that the British Government has been “badly scarred” by its Iraq Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1170347446206703192007-02-01T08:27:00.000-08:002007-02-01T08:30:46.223-08:00Remembering Molly IvinsJohn NicholsWashington Correspondent, The NationJanuary 31, 2007]Molly Ivins always said she wanted to write a book about the lonely experience of East Texas civil rights campaigners to be titled No One Famous Ever Came. While the television screens and newspapers told the stories of the marches, the legal battles and the victories of campaigns against segregation in Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1170294613436341382007-01-31T17:41:00.000-08:002007-01-31T17:50:13.453-08:00Molly Ivins, Populist Texas Columnist, Dies at 62 The New York TimesJanuary 31, 2007By KATHARINE Q. SEELYEBlog editor's note: Molly Ivins was one of my personal heroes. She combined the wit of Will Rogers with the analytical skills of I.F. Stone. In sum, she was simply brilliant. Molly Ivins, the liberal newspaper columnist who delighted in skewering politicians and interpreting, and mocking, Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1169826116475683702007-01-26T07:35:00.000-08:002007-01-26T07:41:56.500-08:00Groups Head to Capital to Step Up Antiwar DriveThe New York TimesBy JEFF ZELENY and CARL HULSEJanuary 26, 2007Blog editor's note: It would be an interesting exercise to compare how the mainstream media cover this weekend's demonstration with coverage given the demonstrations leading up to the 2003 war. Until very late in the day, the 2003 coverage tended to underplay American demonstrations Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1169770245639312682007-01-25T16:04:00.000-08:002007-01-25T16:10:45.640-08:00 Life on the Plantation By Bill Moyers Friday 12 January 2007Blog editor's note: In my view, Bill Moyers is the single most eloquent voice for a genuinely democratic society and a free press speaking or writing today. This recent speech is particularly worthwhile reading. It has long been said (ostensibly by Benjamin Franklin, but we can't be sure) that "democracy is two wolves and a Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1169769771805599342007-01-25T16:02:00.000-08:002007-01-25T16:02:51.823-08:00President's Portrayal of 'The Enemy' Often FlawedBy Glenn KesslerWashington Post Staff Writer January 24, 2007; A13Blog editor's not: This is one of the most astute analyses I've read of the President's State of the Union speech in terms of the President's characterization of who and what the U.S. faces in the "war on terror."In his State of the Union address last night, President Bush presentedWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1169568090145452532007-01-23T07:59:00.000-08:002007-01-23T08:01:30.163-08:00Scant evidence found of Iran-Iraq arms linkU.S. warnings of advanced weaponry crossing the border are overstated, critics say. By Alexandra Zavis and Greg MillerTimes Staff WritersJanuary 23, 2007Blog editor's note: The Times' piece illustrates how the press can challenge Administration claims to truth, i.e., that Iran is a major supplier of weapons used against U.S. troops in Iraq. Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1169566402560499502007-01-23T07:25:00.000-08:002007-01-23T07:48:12.870-08:00How West aided Saddam's regimeIf you're interested in how the West, most prominently the U.S., aided Saddam Hussein before 1990 and Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, you can access parts of a documentary on YouTube.com by ex-"60 Minutes" producer Barry Lando which he did for French TV. It is worthy of note that such a documentary never appeared on American mainstream TV. To view, go to US Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1169565784261084042007-01-23T07:22:00.000-08:002007-01-23T07:23:04.263-08:00HIATUS ENDSThis blog resumes today after an eight-month break during which the editor did not teach the class for which it's intended. During the coming semester, we willl resume linking articles that may be of interest to anyone interested in how the American press covers foreign and defense policy and violent conflict in which U.S. forces are involved.Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1149354122037548652006-06-03T10:00:00.000-07:002006-06-03T10:03:35.073-07:00 Media Memorial Day By Norman Solomon t r u t h o u t | Perspective Monday 29 May 2006 People who are concerned about the state of the US news media in 2006 might pause to consider those who have lost their lives in the midst of journalistic neglect, avoidance and bias. We remember that while TV and radio news reports tell the latest about corporate fortunes, vast numbers of realWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1147016952993925212006-05-07T08:49:00.000-07:002006-05-07T08:49:13.003-07:00Bush administration refuses to talk directly with its main foesBy Jonathan S. Landay and Warren P. StrobelKnight Ridder Newspapers May. 04, 2006WASHINGTON - Last month, the chief U.S. negotiator with North Korea wanted to meet privately with his North Korean counterpart, hoping he could persuade Pyongyang to return to talks on eliminating its nuclear weapons program.But the meeting between U.S. Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1147014798136458252006-05-07T08:10:00.000-07:002006-05-07T08:14:07.220-07:00Neil Young and the RestlessWhen it comes to really putting Bush and Rumsfeld on the spot, why did a comedian, a former general, a rock star, an ex-CIA analyst and an average citizen in North Carolina, go where reporters often fear to tread?By Greg MitchellEditor & PublisherMay 05, 2006) -- For centuries, The Press acted as surrogate for The People. Now, at least in regard to the Iraq war, the Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1146448706359563892006-04-30T18:58:00.000-07:002006-04-30T18:58:26.370-07:00WEB SITE IS INVALUABLE RESEARCH TOOL ON PERSIAN GULFAND IS FREE TO PUBLICBlog editor's note: The scholars associated with the Gulf 2000 project web site at Columbia University have just completed a complete update of the G2K public web site. Unlike the rest of G2K, which is a moderated discussion list for scholars and specialists only, it is open to the public.G2K has removed broken links and Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1146270557924354902006-04-28T17:27:00.000-07:002006-04-28T17:29:17.926-07:00Iraq war set to be more expensive than VietnamBy Rupert Cornwell The Independent28 April 2006The Iraq war has already cost the United States $320bn (£180bn), according to an authoritative new report, and even if a troop withdrawal begins this year, the conflict is set to be more expensive in real terms than the Vietnam War, a generation ago.The estimate, circulated this week by the non-partisan Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1146270271371615102006-04-28T17:20:00.000-07:002006-04-28T17:25:06.163-07:00'Nothing Prepared Me for Bush' By Onnesha Roychoudhuri, AlterNetApril 28, 2006http://www.alternet.org/story/35568/Blog editor's note: Robert Scheer is one of this country's best national security journalists, in my view. His new book should be fascinating reading. With over 65 percent of Americans disapproving of our current president, why can't we get some credible opposition in Washington? As Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1145740331141651162006-04-22T14:08:00.000-07:002006-04-22T14:14:12.116-07:00International Reporting by the American News Media:A Bibliography of Scholarship and Criticism, 1990-2001William A Dorman and Robert ManoffCenter for War, Peace and News MediaBoston UniversityApril 2006This bibliography provides citations to the most significant books, articles, chapters, and other publications and ephemera (including those on the Web) on the subject of the news media and foreignWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1145724555672164792006-04-22T09:49:00.000-07:002006-04-22T09:49:15.686-07:00Ex - CIA Agent Says WMD Intelligence IgnoredBy REUTERSApril 21, 2006WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The CIA had evidence Iraq possessed no weapons of mass destruction six months before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion but was ignored by a White House intent on ousting Saddam Hussein, a former senior CIA official said according to CBS.Tyler Drumheller, who headed CIA covert operations in Europe during the run-upWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1145578988885081912006-04-20T17:21:00.000-07:002006-04-20T17:23:49.776-07:00Unforeseen Spending on Materiel Pumps Up Iraq War BillSenate to Take Up Measure as Military Fights to Keep Guns, Tanks WorkingBy Jonathan WeismanWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, April 20, 2006; A01With the expected passage this spring of the largest emergency spending bill in history, annual war expenditures in Iraq will have nearly doubled since the U.S. invasion, as the military confronts Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1145578689814632652006-04-20T17:18:00.000-07:002006-04-20T17:18:09.816-07:00Intelligence Director's Budget May Near $1 Billion, Report FindsBy Walter PincusWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, April 20, 2006; A11The budget next year for National Intelligence Director John D. Negroponte's office and the several agencies attached to it may be near $1 billion or more, according to language buried in the report of the House intelligence committee on the fiscal 2007 Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1145578416434800362006-04-20T17:09:00.000-07:002006-04-20T17:13:36.446-07:00A Crisis Almost Without Equal Republicans and Democrats alike are starting to face the prospect of what it means to have George W. Bush as their commander in chief for another 33 months -- in a time of war, terrorism, and nuclear intrigue. How can the press contribute to confronting the crisis? First: recognize it exists. By Greg Mitchell Editor & PUblisherBlog editor's note: Mitchell is managingWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1144856562933998192006-04-12T08:40:00.000-07:002006-04-12T08:45:01.590-07:00Lacking Biolabs, Trailers Carried Case for WarAdministration Pushed Notion of Banned Iraqi Weapons Despite Evidence to ContraryBy Joby WarrickWashington Post April 12, 2006; A01On May 29, 2003, 50 days after the fall of Baghdad, President Bush proclaimed a fresh victory for his administration in Iraq: Two small trailers captured by U.S. and Kurdish troops had turned out to be long-sought mobile "Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1144548096912363612006-04-08T18:57:00.000-07:002006-04-08T19:01:36.930-07:00THE IRAN PLANSWould President Bush go to war to stop Tehran from getting the bomb?by SEYMOUR M. HERSHThe New YorkerIssue of 2006-04-17Blog editor's note: Seymour M. Hersh, of course, is one of the top investigative reporters working on national security issues in the U.S. and is a Pulitizer Prize winner. The Bush Administration, while publicly advocating diplomacy in order to stop Iran from Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1144545555671129402006-04-08T18:10:00.000-07:002006-04-08T18:28:48.936-07:00New Challenge for Press: U.S. Planning War on Iran? ByEditor & Publisher StaffApril 08, 2006 Blog editor's note: Given the Iraq war's growing unpopularity with the American public, not to mention recent stories about how the Bush White House manipulated intelligence data to justify it, the central question should a massive attack against Iran come about is whether public support could be Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1144352531616473902006-04-06T12:33:00.000-07:002006-04-06T12:42:11.616-07:00Fiery Coulter lambasts liberals, shows support for warGainesville.comApr 6, 2006Blog editor's note: A less charitable soul than I might argue that Ms. Coulter's being paid $32,000 to speak on a university campus is like hiring David Hasselhoff to teach life guarding. Liberals are "traitors," "cowards" and "idiots," the fiery conservative commentator Ann Coulter told a nearly full house at the Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1144351402244021132006-04-06T12:23:00.000-07:002006-04-06T12:23:22.256-07:00U.S. Rolls Out Nuclear Plan--The administration's proposal would modernize the nation's complex of laboratories and factories as well as produce new bombs.By Ralph VartabedianLos Angeles Times April 6, 2006The Bush administration Wednesday unveiled a blueprint for rebuilding the nation's decrepit nuclear weapons complex, including restoration of a large-scale bomb manufacturing capacity.The plan Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1144085817040208802006-04-03T10:28:00.000-07:002006-04-03T10:40:54.110-07:00Gen. Zinni: Rumsfeld Should Resign--Retired Marine Gen. Tony Zinni says Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld should resign for his performance during the ongoing conflict in IraqNewsMax April 3, 2006 Blog editor's note: Gen. Zinni was equally adamant in his concerns about invading Iraq BEFORE the war began in 2003. Unfortunately, he was a prophet without much honor in his own country. The Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1144077279732667012006-04-03T08:14:00.000-07:002006-04-03T08:14:39.746-07:00Bush Iran Policy Hits a WallGlobal BeatApril 2006Blog editor's note: Global Beat, which is produced by the Center for War, Peace and the News Media at Boston University, has an excellent summary, including links to a very useful interview, of where the Bush Administration stands just now in relation to its newest threat de jour, Iran. I recommend regular visits to the Global Beat web site for Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1143490519730717202006-03-27T12:15:00.000-08:002006-03-27T12:15:19.743-08:00Bush Was Set on Path to War, Memo by British Adviser SaysBy DON VAN NATTA Jr.New York TimesLONDON — In the weeks before the United States-led invasion of Iraq, as the United States and Britain pressed for a second United Nations resolution condemning Iraq, President Bush's public ultimatum to Saddam Hussein was blunt: Disarm or face war.But behind closed doors, the president was certain that war Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1142972777645046522006-03-21T12:22:00.000-08:002006-03-21T12:26:17.646-08:00Iraq -- U.S. News Media's Waterloo By Robert ParryConsortium newsMarch 20, 2006Blog editor's note: Robert Parry broke many of the Iran-Contra stories in the 1980s for the Associated Press and Newsweek. His latest book, Secrecy & Privilege: Rise of the Bush Dynasty from Watergate to Iraq, and he is author of the 1999 book, Lost History: Contras, Cocaine, the Press & 'Project Truth.' For more thanWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1142972014065522592006-03-21T12:10:00.000-08:002006-03-21T12:13:34.080-08:00On 3rd Anniversary: Editorials Dither While Iraq BurnsAnyone who hoped that this landmark would inspire the country's leading newspapers to finally editorialize for a radical change in war policy has to be disappointed, again. Calling for "urgent diplomacy" is about as strong as the proposals get.By Greg MitchellManaging editorEditor & PublisherBlog editor's note: Editor & Publisher is the 'bibleWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1142831850447553992006-03-19T19:42:00.000-08:002006-03-19T21:17:30.503-08:00Three Years On: Survey Shows Misinformation on Iraq EnduresBy E&P StaffMarch 17, 2006 10:15 AM ET Blog editor's note: Students in my War, Peace and Mass Media course are advised to go to this link, print out the article and add it to my piece, "A Debate Denied...," in the supplementary reader. NEW YORK Despite one official finding after another, debunking the involvement of Saddam Hussein's Iraq Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1142826042342838672006-03-19T19:40:00.000-08:002006-03-19T19:40:42.343-08:00Cost of Iraq war could surpass $1 trillion Estimates vary, but all agree price is far higher than initially expectedBy Martin WolkChief economics correspondentMSNBCUpdated: 7:25 p.m. ET March 17, 2006One thing is certain about the Iraq war: It has cost a lot more than advertised. In fact, the tab grows by at least $200 million each and every day.In the months leading up to the launch of the war Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1142825783292392512006-03-19T19:36:00.000-08:002006-03-19T19:36:23.306-08:00Predictions of a better Middle East have evaporated three years after invasionBy Warren P. Strobel and Hannah AllamKnight Ridder NewspapersMarch 16, 2006WASHINGTON - Three years after the United States invaded Iraq in pursuit of a freer, more stable Middle East, the country's deepening ethnic conflict is spreading tension across Iraq's borders, fueling terrorism and nurturing gloom about the Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1142556816360844902006-03-16T16:43:00.000-08:002006-03-16T16:54:57.043-08:00War-Loving Pundits By Norman Solomon t r u t h o u t | PerspectiveThursday 16 March 2006Blog editor's note: On the eve of the third anniversary of the start of the 2003 war with Iraq, media critic Norman Solomon raises some disturbing questions about what mainstream columnists and commentators had to say during the run-up. But if the past is any indication, most pundits likely will follow Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1142529406258137202006-03-16T09:16:00.000-08:002006-03-16T09:16:46.270-08:00US backs first-strike attack planBBC NewsMarch 16, 2006The US will not shy away from attacking regimes it considers hostile, or groups it believes have nuclear or chemical weapons, the White House has confirmed.In the first restatement of national security strategy since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the US singles out Iran as the greatest single current danger.The new policy backs the policy of Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1142444607319063762006-03-15T09:43:00.000-08:002006-03-15T20:41:17.820-08:00Baghdad: The Besieged PressBy Orville SchellNew York Review of BooksApril 6, 2006 issue Blog editor's note: This piece by Schell, Dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at U.C. Berkeley and a noted China scholar/journalist, was reprinted by permission at TomDispatch.com. [See link below]"Ladies and Gents," the South African pilot matter-of-factly announces over the intercom, "we'll be Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1142354211084719742006-03-14T08:36:00.000-08:002006-03-14T08:36:51.096-08:00Reports From the Future of Iraq Project------Over 1,200 Pages of Previously Unavailable Reports From State Dept Planning for Post-Saddam Iraq-------Warnings and Recommendations by Experts and Iraqi Exiles Ignored by AdministrationRuss KickThe Memory HoleMarch 2006Starting in October 2001, about a year and a half before the US and its allies invaded Iraq, the State Department spearheaded an effortWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1141573975136851832006-03-05T07:52:00.000-08:002006-03-05T07:58:31.760-08:00OSAMA: He's Welcome In PakistanBy Ahmed RashidWashington PostFebruary 26, 2006; B01Blog editor's note: If you're still interested in where Osama bin Laden might be and what we're doing to find him, this piece by Rashid is probably a good place to start. In my judgment, Rashid is one of the top journalistic authorities in the world on al Qaeda, the Taliban, Afghanistan and so on. LAHORE When Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1140805998317326832006-02-24T10:32:00.000-08:002006-02-24T10:33:18.326-08:00After NeoconservatismBy FRANCIS FUKUYAMACommentaryThe New York TimesFebruary 19, 2006Blog editor's note: Evidently, the neoconservatives, who many credit with having brought us the Iraq war, have lost one of their star theorists. Fukuyama is author of "The End of History," which neoconservatives seized upon as intellectual justification for their world view following the demise of the Soviet Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1140552636141804022006-02-21T12:08:00.000-08:002006-02-21T12:10:36.156-08:00Why We Need LeakersBy Richard CohenWashington Post February 21, 2006; A15Who is he?Does he rue the day when he picked up the phone, dialed the number, waited a ring or two -- and then quickly hung up. He called later that same day, this time getting a voice, and in panic hung up again. He had stuff to tell a reporter about how the Bush administration was distorting intelligence about Iraq, but heWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1140021716030301852006-02-15T08:34:00.000-08:002006-02-15T08:43:15.433-08:00Two Allies, Two AnglesNew Film in Turkey, America's '24' Reflect Uneasy Relations, Divergent PerspectivesBy Karl VickWashington Post Foreign Service February 14, 2006; A12Blog editor's note: While this blog focuses mostly on the performance of American news and entertainment media, we occasionally turn our attention to foreign media. The article that follows indicates that the U.S. has a Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1139709849355779812006-02-11T18:04:00.000-08:002006-02-11T18:04:09.366-08:00'The Biggest Secret'By Thomas PowersNew York Review of BooksFebruary 23, 2006 IssueA Review Essay ofState of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administrationby James RisenFree Press, 240 pp., $26.00Blog editor's note: This review essay of a new book by James Risen of the New York Times is by one of this country's preeminent experts on intelligence. He addresses some of the most Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1139678602539524222006-02-11T09:22:00.000-08:002006-02-11T09:23:22.550-08:00Ex-CIA Official Faults Use of Data on IraqIntelligence 'Misused' to Justify War, He SaysBy Walter PincusWashington Post February 10, 2006; A01Blog editor's note: One of the questions that has mystified me for some time is how it is that so many Americans can still believe in the face of so much evidence that the Bush Administration did not "cook" the intelligence books in the run-up to the 2003 Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1139429762575164772006-02-08T12:15:00.000-08:002006-02-08T12:16:02.586-08:00The Art of Saying NothingThe New York TimesEditorialFebruary 8, 2006We thought President Bush's two recent Supreme Court nominees set new lows when it came to giving vague and meaningless answers to legitimate questions, but Attorney General Alberto Gonzales made them look like models of openness when he testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday about domestic spying. Mr. GonzalesWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1139071788785688602006-02-04T08:49:00.000-08:002006-02-04T08:49:48.796-08:00Ability to Wage 'Long War' Is Key To Pentagon PlanConventional Tactics De-EmphasizedBy Ann Scott TysonWashington Post Saturday, February 4, 2006; A01Blog editor's note: There would indeed appear to be nothing new under the sun. For those whose memory does not go back to the 1980s, let alone the 1960s, it might be useful to review in any standard history of clandestine operations since WWII the Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1139002709525649352006-02-03T13:31:00.000-08:002006-02-03T13:38:29.526-08:00BUDGET REQUEST EVIDENTLY DOES NOT INCLUDE $$$ FOR IRAQ, AFGHANISTANBush's Bill for War Is RisingBy Mark Mazzetti and Joel HavemannLos Angeles Times February 3, 2006Blog editor's note: The figure used by AP in the previous item apparently does NOT include the costs of Iraq and Afghanistan. See the LATimes story below. It's interesting to note that at the end of the cold war, the defense budgetWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1139002196414490992006-02-03T13:29:00.000-08:002006-02-03T13:29:56.430-08:00 Bush to Request $439.3 Billion Defense Department Budget, Nearly a 5 Percent IncreaseBy LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press WriterWASHINGTON Feb 3, 2006 — President Bush's 2007 budget seeks a nearly 5 percent increase in Defense Department spending, to $439.3 billion, with significantly more money for weapons programs, according to senior Pentagon officials and documents obtained by The AssociatedWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1138896797123828152006-02-02T08:13:00.000-08:002006-02-02T08:13:17.133-08:00IRAQIS MAY HAVE DIFFERENT VIEW OF HOW THINGS ARE GOING THAN THE ONE EXPRESSED BY BUSH IN HIS STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESSProgram on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA)January/February 2006Blog editor's note: PIPA is one of the most highly regarded research organizations of its type in the U.S. A new poll of the Iraqi public finds that a large majority of Iraqis think the US plans to maintain Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1138831307401951852006-02-01T14:01:00.000-08:002006-02-01T14:01:47.416-08:00The Biggest Secret By Thomas Powers [To appear in Feb. 23 issueof New York Review of Books]Published in advance by TomDispatch.Com31 January 2006Blog editor's note: Thomas Powers, author of "Intelligence Wars: American Secret History from Hitler to al-Qaeda," and a Pulitizer Prize winner, explores the meaning of the recent NSA spying scandal.. As he writes trenchantly, "In public life as in Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1138810934988026142006-02-01T08:13:00.000-08:002006-02-01T08:22:15.000-08:00FACT CHECKING THE PRESIDENT'S STATE OF THE UNION SPEECH Blog editor's note: Someone once observed that a half a truth is like half a brick--you can throw both a long way. If you are interested in how this notion might apply to President Bush's fifth State of the Union address delivered last night to Congress, I recommend listening to a piece on National Public Radio's "Morning Editon" that Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1138639728193578382006-01-30T08:41:00.000-08:002006-01-30T08:48:48.206-08:00Americans Ponder Military Action Against Iranlatest news and pollsAngus Reid ConsultantsJanuary 30, 2006Blog editor's note: Students in my War, Peace and Mass Media course [and others] might do well to keep these poll figures in mind as they read Andrew J. Bacevich's book, "The New American Militarism: How Americans Are Seduced by War," this semester. Even as polls indicate Americans' dismay at Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1138589360709826542006-01-29T18:45:00.000-08:002006-01-29T18:49:20.720-08:00Two Top Papers Ask: Is the Earth Heading for Doom--With an Assist from the White House?By E&P StaffJanuary 28, 2006 Blog editor's note: This item from Editor & Publisher, the newspaper industry's 'bible' indicates that perhaps some elite newspapers are waking up to the problems posed in several entries to this blog last week that dealt with the U.S. news agenda. NEW YORK While most Americans Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1138564574484247352006-01-29T11:53:00.000-08:002006-01-29T11:56:14.500-08:00Rumsfeld's Roadmap to PropagandaSecret Pentagon "roadmap" calls for "boundaries"between "information operations" abroad and at homebut provides no actual limits as long as US doesn't "target" AmericansWashington, D.C., January 26, 2006 - A secret Pentagon "roadmap" on war propaganda, personally approved by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld in October 2003, calls for "boundaries" between Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1137963526821239732006-01-22T12:54:00.000-08:002006-01-22T12:59:29.116-08:00War's stunning price tagBy Linda Bilmes and Joseph StiglitzLos Angeles Times commentaryJanuary 17, 2006LINDA BILMES, a former assistant secretary of Commerce, teaches public finance at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. JOSEPH STIGLITZ is a professor at Columbia University. He won the Nobel Prize in economics in 2001.LAST WEEK, at the annual meeting of the American Economic Assn., we Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1137957834720176442006-01-22T11:21:00.000-08:002006-01-22T11:23:54.733-08:00Threats to media cloud American view of Iraq Jan 22, 2006 By Claudia ParsonsNEW YORK (Reuters) - Kidnapping is the biggest nightmare of every Western journalist in Iraq but both foreign and Iraqi reporters face many other obstacles that obscure the U.S. public's understanding of the war.Jill Carroll, an American freelance journalist missing in Iraq, was the 36th reporter to be kidnapped since Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1137946385577545632006-01-22T08:11:00.000-08:002006-01-22T08:13:05.580-08:00Confidence Game Iraq has taught us that 'unknown unknowns' make lousy targets. Will Washington heed that lesson when it responds to Tehran breaking its nuclear seals?WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARYBy Christopher DickeyNewsweekJan. 10, 2006 - Lest we forget amid all the second-guessed accusations and explanations in the air these days, the Bush administration did not launch its invasion of Iraq some Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1137945830377508562006-01-22T08:02:00.000-08:002006-01-22T08:06:33.690-08:00Is It Warm in Here?We Could Be Ignoring the Biggest Story in Our HistoryBy David IgnatiusWashington PostJanuary 18, 2006; A17Blog editor's note: See the article on the 2005 U.S. TV news agenda that is referenced two items ago.One of the puzzles if you're in the news business is figuring out what's "news." The fate of your local football team certainly fits the definition. So does a plane crash orWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1137945609890423822006-01-22T08:00:00.000-08:002006-01-22T08:00:09.903-08:00The west has picked a fight with Iran that it cannot winWashington's kneejerk belligerence ignores Tehran's influence and the need for subtle engagementSimon JenkinsGuardianJanuary 20, 2006Never pick a fight you know you cannot win. Or so I was told. Pick an argument if you must, but not a fight. Nothing I have read or heard in recent weeks suggests that fighting Iran over its nuclear enrichment Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1136953638393233172006-01-10T20:22:00.000-08:002006-01-10T20:27:18.406-08:00Iraq, Natural Disasters Dominated TV News in 2005Led by Hurricane Katrina, natural disasters and Iraq dominated the U.S. television news during 2005, accounting for almost half of the content of the three major network news shows over the course of the year, according to the latest annual round-up of the weekday evening news by the New York-based Tyndall Report. Jim Lobe Inter Press Service News Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1136741622928391962006-01-08T09:33:00.000-08:002006-01-08T09:33:42.930-08:00He never intended an equitable solution in IsraelHenry SiegmanCommentObserverSunday January 8, 2006Blog editor's note: Henry Siegman is director of the US/Middle East Project and former head of the American Jewish Congress In a remarkable transformation, the man now lying in a coma in an Israeli hospital has emerged these past five years as the single most dominant political personality in Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1136741501760134662006-01-08T09:27:00.000-08:002006-01-08T09:32:55.790-08:00The GeneralHistory InterruptedBy JAMES BENNETThe New York TimesJanuary 8, 2006Blog editor's note: American journalism too frequently tends to oversimplify the personae of foreign leaders, whether considered friend or foe, often following the story line provided by official Washington. Portrayal of Isarel's Ariel Sharon is a classic case in point. Here is one piece that attempts to add some Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1136740484173814712006-01-08T09:14:00.000-08:002006-01-08T09:14:44.183-08:00Iraq war could cost US over $2 trillion, says Nobel prize-winning economist· Economists say official estimates are far too low· New calculation takes in dead and injured soldiersJamie Wilson in WashingtonGuardian January 7, 2006The real cost to the US of the Iraq war is likely to be between $1 trillion and $2 trillion (£1.1 trillion), up to 10 times more than previously thought, according to a Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1135648362705159992005-12-26T17:48:00.000-08:002005-12-26T17:52:42.716-08:00Literacy of College Graduates Is on DeclineSurvey's Finding of a Drop in Reading Proficiency Is Inexplicable, Experts SayBy Lois RomanoWashington Post December 25, 2005; A12Blog editor's note: For those of us who believe that a modern citizenry can't hope to preserve the basis of its citizenship without being well informed, particularly on issues of war and peace, this study is hardly reassuringWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1135360504199570692005-12-23T09:44:00.000-08:002005-12-23T09:55:11.316-08:00SPECIAL REPORT: Original 'Embeds,' Three Years On, Discuss Iraq War Coverage, Then and NowBy Joe StruppEditor & PublisherDecember 23, 2005 Blog editor's note: Strupp's belief that the embed system is here to stay is probably prescient, but with all due respect, I would argue it is neither new--nor a step forward. First, the approach is very close to the combat correspondent system of WWII, and Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1134920149485058542005-12-18T07:29:00.000-08:002005-12-18T07:35:49.496-08:00The New York Times and the NSA's Illegal Spying OperationTime-Delayed JournalismBy ALEXANDER COCKBURNand JEFFREY ST. CLAIRCounterpunchDecember 17, 2005Blog editor's note: This analysis by Cockburn and St. Clair is by far the most insightful I've read dealing with the decision of the New York Times to withold for a year news that the Bush Administration had been domestically spying on American Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1134880138298090142005-12-17T20:24:00.000-08:002005-12-17T20:29:47.070-08:00Speculation Builds Over Why 'NYT' Put off Bush Spying ScoopEditor & PublisherDecember 16, 2005 Blog editor's note: This is not the first time the New York Times has held or downplayed an important story at the request of the White House. Perhaps the most famous example is the decision to bow to a request by JFK's administration to downplay news of the impending Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba in Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1134489129634573952005-12-13T07:48:00.000-08:002005-12-13T07:53:27.993-08:00The Bogus Blurring of Terrorism and Insurgency in IraqBy Norman Solomon t r u t h o u t | PerspectiveMonday 12 December 2005 With public support for the Iraq war at low ebb, the White House is more eager than ever to conflate Iraq's insurgency with terrorism. But last week, just after President Bush gave yet another speech repeatedly depicting the US war effort in Iraq as a battle against Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1134016110409606172005-12-07T20:25:00.000-08:002005-12-07T20:28:30.420-08:00Military Misleads Press, Families, About How 10 Marines Died Last Week in IraqBy E&P StaffEditor & PublisherDecember 06, 2005 NEW YORK Why did the U.S. military mislead the media and the families of ten Marines killed near the Iraqi city of Falluja while "on patrol" last week about how they were killed? The military announced on Tuesday that it actually happened at a "promotion" ceremony and theyWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1133977542131229642005-12-07T09:44:00.000-08:002005-12-07T09:45:42.143-08:00Media Fell Short in Covering 9/11 'Report Card'Has September 11 fatigue set in? A high-level report declares that the U.S., while fighting terrorists abroad, has not done nearly enough to keep us safe here at home. Surely it has dominated front pages all week? Not exactly. By Greg MitchellEditor & Publisher(December 06, 2005) -- The terrorist attacks on New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001 -Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1133895450620884242005-12-06T10:52:00.000-08:002005-12-06T10:57:30.633-08:00Rumsfeld Urges Optimism on IraqBy Daniela DeaneWashington Post Staff WriterDecember 5, 2005Blog editor's note: Sec Rumsfeld is using the same "attack the messenger" strategy that U.S. policymakers employed during the dark days of Vietnam. It may work in the short run, but odds are that the reality of Iraq will trump any such efforts in the long. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld today urged Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1133718316310383652005-12-04T09:45:00.000-08:002005-12-04T09:45:16.320-08:00Odom: Want stability in the Middle East? Get out of Iraq!Gen. William Odom (ret.)The Nieman Watchdog Journalism ProjectCOMMENTARY November 11, 2005Blog editor's note: It has been argued that only some Democrats and "liberal" journalists believe the U.S. can't win in Iraq. Not so, as the analysis of retired Gen. William Odom reveals. In his last piece for NiemanWatchdog.org, retired Gen. WilliamWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1133282357170964882005-11-29T08:34:00.000-08:002005-11-29T08:39:17.180-08:00White Phosphorus, a California Embed, and 'The Times'Our military's use of the incendiary--some say, chemical--weapon white phosphorus in Iraq against insurgents has drawn international controversy, partly fueled by an eyewitness account by reporter Darrin Mortenson. Today, in an editorial, The New York Times demanded that the U.S. stop using the substance.By Greg MitchellManaging EditorEditor & Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5204692.post-1133281475374280682005-11-29T08:24:00.000-08:002005-11-29T08:29:28.366-08:00Shake and BakeThe New York TimesNovember 29, 2005EditorialBlog editor's note: This Times' editorial fits into the better-late-than-never category. Reports that the U.S. military had used some sort of incendiaries in the battle of Fallujah a year ago first surfaced on Islamic web sites and in the European press. The possibility received almost no coverage or attention in the American press, Williamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16707860458574094167noreply@blogger.com