Ook in het Verenigd Koninkrijk gaat de propaganda onverminderd voort. Media Lens bericht:
'MEDIA ALERT: PENTAGON PROPAGANDA OCCUPIES THE GUARDIAN’S FRONT PAGE
"The Guardian’s vision is to offer independent, agenda-setting content that positions us as the modern, progressive, exciting challenger to the status-quo." (Guardian editor, Alan Rusbridger; http://www.adinfo-guardian.co.uk/the-guardian/index.shtml)
The Con Coughlin School Of Hard News
Commenting on Con Coughlin‘s "reliance on unnamed intelligence sources in several far-fetched articles about Iran," the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) identified key features in reports filed by the Daily Telegraph’s executive foreign editor:
"Sources were unnamed or untraceable, often senior Western intelligence officials or senior Foreign Office officials.
"Articles were published at sensitive and delicate times where there had been relatively positive diplomatic moves towards Iran.
"Articles contained exclusive revelations about Iran combined with eye-catchingly controversial headlines." (Campaign Iran, ‘Press Watchdog slammed by "Dont Attack Iran" Campaigners,’ May 1, 2007; www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=node/2060/print) CASMII revealed that it was Coughlin who, with the help of unnamed intelligence sources, discovered that Saddam Hussein could launch weapons of mass destruction in 45 minutes. And it was Coughlin who revealed the link between the 9/11 hijacker, Mohammed Atta, and Iraqi intelligence. Both claims have, of course, been exposed as utter nonsense.
However disturbing these revelations, many readers will have been reassured by the thought that these articles were, after all, published in the Telegraph.
The same readers may have shared our dismay, then, on reading the Guardian’s astonishing May 22 front-page story this week: ‘Iran's secret plan for summer offensive to force US out of Iraq’ by Simon Tisdall. (You can see the front page here: http://www.medialens.org/alerts/07/screenshots/guardian_070522_cover.jpg)
Tisdall’s high-profile piece claimed that Iran has secret plans to do nothing less than wage war on, and defeat, American forces in Iraq by August.
Iran, it seems, is “forging ties with al-Qaida elements and Sunni Arab militias in Iraq in preparation for a summer showdown with coalition forces intended to tip a wavering US Congress into voting for full military withdrawal”. http://www.blogger.com/www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2085195,00.html)
"The Guardian’s vision is to offer independent, agenda-setting content that positions us as the modern, progressive, exciting challenger to the status-quo." (Guardian editor, Alan Rusbridger; http://www.adinfo-guardian.co.uk/the-guardian/index.shtml)
The Con Coughlin School Of Hard News
Commenting on Con Coughlin‘s "reliance on unnamed intelligence sources in several far-fetched articles about Iran," the Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) identified key features in reports filed by the Daily Telegraph’s executive foreign editor:
"Sources were unnamed or untraceable, often senior Western intelligence officials or senior Foreign Office officials.
"Articles were published at sensitive and delicate times where there had been relatively positive diplomatic moves towards Iran.
"Articles contained exclusive revelations about Iran combined with eye-catchingly controversial headlines." (Campaign Iran, ‘Press Watchdog slammed by "Dont Attack Iran" Campaigners,’ May 1, 2007; www.campaigniran.org/casmii/index.php?q=node/2060/print) CASMII revealed that it was Coughlin who, with the help of unnamed intelligence sources, discovered that Saddam Hussein could launch weapons of mass destruction in 45 minutes. And it was Coughlin who revealed the link between the 9/11 hijacker, Mohammed Atta, and Iraqi intelligence. Both claims have, of course, been exposed as utter nonsense.
However disturbing these revelations, many readers will have been reassured by the thought that these articles were, after all, published in the Telegraph.
The same readers may have shared our dismay, then, on reading the Guardian’s astonishing May 22 front-page story this week: ‘Iran's secret plan for summer offensive to force US out of Iraq’ by Simon Tisdall. (You can see the front page here: http://www.medialens.org/alerts/07/screenshots/guardian_070522_cover.jpg)
Tisdall’s high-profile piece claimed that Iran has secret plans to do nothing less than wage war on, and defeat, American forces in Iraq by August.
Iran, it seems, is “forging ties with al-Qaida elements and Sunni Arab militias in Iraq in preparation for a summer showdown with coalition forces intended to tip a wavering US Congress into voting for full military withdrawal”. http://www.blogger.com/www.guardian.co.uk/frontpage/story/0,,2085195,00.html)
The claim was based almost entirely on unsupported assertions made by anonymous US officials. Indeed 22 of the 23 paragraphs in the story relayed official US claims: over 95 per cent of the story. The compilation below indicates the levels of balance and objectivity:
“US officials say”; “a senior US official in Baghdad warned”; “The official said”; “the official said”; “the official said”; “US officials now say”; “the senior official in Baghdad said” “he [the senior official in Baghdad] added”; “the official said”; “the official said”; “he [the official] indicated; “he [the official] cited”; “a senior administration official in Washington said”; “The administration official also claimed”; “he [the administration official] said”; “US officials say”; “the senior official in Baghdad said”; “he [the senior official in Baghdad] said”; “the senior administration official said”; “he [the senior administration official] said”; “the official claimed”; ”he [the official] said”; ”Gen Petraeus’s report to the White House and Congress”; “a former Bush administration official said”; ”A senior adviser to Gen Petraeus reported”; “the adviser admitted”.
No less than 26 references to official pronouncements formed the basis for a Guardian story presented with no scrutiny, no balance, no counter-evidence - nothing. Remove the verbiage described above and a Guardian front page news report becomes a straight Pentagon press release.
Lees verder: http://www.medialens.org/alerts/07/070524_pentagon_propaganda_occupies.php
“US officials say”; “a senior US official in Baghdad warned”; “The official said”; “the official said”; “the official said”; “US officials now say”; “the senior official in Baghdad said” “he [the senior official in Baghdad] added”; “the official said”; “the official said”; “he [the official] indicated; “he [the official] cited”; “a senior administration official in Washington said”; “The administration official also claimed”; “he [the administration official] said”; “US officials say”; “the senior official in Baghdad said”; “he [the senior official in Baghdad] said”; “the senior administration official said”; “he [the senior administration official] said”; “the official claimed”; ”he [the official] said”; ”Gen Petraeus’s report to the White House and Congress”; “a former Bush administration official said”; ”A senior adviser to Gen Petraeus reported”; “the adviser admitted”.
No less than 26 references to official pronouncements formed the basis for a Guardian story presented with no scrutiny, no balance, no counter-evidence - nothing. Remove the verbiage described above and a Guardian front page news report becomes a straight Pentagon press release.
Lees verder: http://www.medialens.org/alerts/07/070524_pentagon_propaganda_occupies.php
De vrijheid van meningsuiting moet kennelijk blijven sporen met de officiele versie van de werkelijkheid zoals die bepaald wordt door de economische en politieke macht.
Het is toch opmerkelijk dat burgers de journalisten in de gaten moeten houden in verband met het verspreiden van levensgevaarlijke propaganda.
1 opmerking:
Tja, wat of wie moet je nog geloven...
http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/05/bush_authorizes.html
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