*CNN IN THE HOT SEAT*

*JOURNALISTS UNDER FIRE*

*RADIO MARTI MADNESS*

Now it is CNN’s and the international media’s turn to be trashed by the right as biased in the Middle East, with the Israeli government now dragging the media into the conflict as supposed partisans. The goal seems to be to intimidate the network to stop covering the Israeli military invasion of Palestinian communities, Israel Insider, one of Globalvision News Network’s affiliates reports that the powers that be are unhappy that they seem to be losing the media war. They are attacking CNN. And just like that little dog that used to be the mascot of RCA Victor — “his master’s voice” — The New York Post has picked up the theme with the predictably fanatical Andrea Peyser criticizing CNN for carrying an interview with Adam Schapiro, a peace activist on Sunday night. Yesterday, in her column, she branded Schapiro a self-hating Jew, a traitor and a “the Jewish Taliban.” Today, she snipes at him again — God forbid, he is given a chance to reply — by also calling CNN “a network otherwise known as the Palestine Liberation Organization’s friend.” No comment from CNN solicited to that crapola, natch.

Israel Insider reports, that Israeli officials were displeased by “uncritical” coverage Arafat was receiving from the international media. Asked by the CNN anchor whether Arafat had condemned the wave of terrorist attacks, it seems that they apparently did not ask the Chairman the question. “Yasser Arafat has said in the past he has already made those statements. He has condemned bombings. He says that he has done everything he possibly can to stop the bombings. Israel, of course, has a very different viewpoint. He says that he has already made those statements. He’s calling for peace; he’s calling for the full implementation once again of the Tenet peace plan.”

Interviewed on an Israeli late night radio show, Seaman [who is?] was incensed by the report that a Palestinian stringer employed by ABC television had given Arafat a cell phone. The Israeli Government Press Office later warned news organizations that it would enforce a prohibition on hiring Palestinians who lacked permits to work in Israel, saying that organizations that did so would risk a stiff fine and even closure of its offices.

Israeli troops are chasing journalists out of places like Ramallah, and more have been physically attacked. The Indymedia site in Israel carries a report from Bethlehem: “The whole Bethlehem area has been declared a closed military zone and no press are allowed admittance….The Star Hotel, where some of our international delegation are staying, has 10 tanks stationed outside. Journalists are also with the group. An Al Jazeera journalist has been shot whilst on the 5th floor of the hotel….” Excluding the press and even shooting the press seems to be the order of the day with no denunciations of this behavior heard in the media — at least none that I have heard.

THE PEACE BROKERS

Little of the punditry seems to be dealing with either the details of what is happening on the ground or its larger meaning. Last Night, Nightline had peace negotiator and former Senator George Mitchell suggest some measures to restart peace talks in a new climate. He said that dealing with unresolved issues — even tough ones like the right to return — will be easier to get to than it would be to get the two sides to stop the conflict. The bitterness and rage are running too high on both sides, he opined. Over on CNN, Clinton Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was making similar noises. But the most interesting analysis by a former official was offered up by President Carter’s one time National Security consigliere ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI on the PBS News Hour.

“I think Israel’s international position is very badly damaged. A country which started off as a symbol of recovery of a people who were greatly persecuted now looks like a country that is persecuting people. And that’s very bad.

“MARGARET WARNER: Do you think this could spin out of control?

“ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI: Well, it could spin out of control. In the meantime the United States and Israel are increasingly isolated internationally. This could hurt our ability to conduct the war on terrorism and last but not least–and this worries me a great deal –I think the Palestinians are being turned, largely by Mr. Sharon, into something like the Algerians: People absolutely determined to wage urban guerilla warfare brutally, ruthlessly, at any cost at enormous self-sacrifice.

“And the Israelis are becoming increasingly like the white supremacist South Africans, viewing the Palestinians as a lower form of life, not hesitating to kill a great many of them and justifying this on the grounds that they are being the objects of terrorism, which is true.

“But the reactions are all out of proportion, and all of that I think is a very sad spectacle and ultimately a spectacle of failure of American strategy.”

BUSH UNDER FIRE — FIRES BACK AT ARAFAT

The New York Times reports that President Bush is responding to criticisms of his policy of disengagement by continuing to criticize Arafat…

Yesterday Fox and Friends, the hard right Murdochian morning show on Fox News Network interviewed an Esquire journalist about who might succeed Arafat if he doesn’t survive his forced “isolation.” The journalist kept citing Colonel Jibril Rajoub, head of Preventive Security in the West Bank, who was pictured as more reasonable and a possible alternative. The FOX people seemed bullish about the prospect. But not the Israelis. The man who, until recently was described by Israeli leaders as one of the few Palestinian principals not involved in attacks on the Jewish State is now also being attacked. Tanks surround his compound with Israel he too is sheltering wanted fugitives.

DISSENT IN ISRAEL

While more attention is being paid to the role of international NGO’s with French activists being deported by the Israelis, peace sentiment is not being focused on. The Jerusalem Post reported on one person, Itai Dishon, a 34-year-old engineer from Tel Aviv. “When [Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon was first elected, I supported his policies. Like most people, I was disgusted with the Palestinians and the violence. And when the first terrorist attacks happened, I still supported this government, because I thought that a tough response was a good response.”

“But Dishon has had second thoughts.

“Now I think that this was just a knee-jerk reaction on my part. Like most Israelis, I thought that when the country is at war, when our soldiers are under fire, we shouldn’t protest. We were taught that this is the loyal, Zionist thing to do. But then I started to ask myself, why are we at war at all? That’s really the important question. And I don’t think that I’m willing to go to war for the settlements”

THE DEBATE OVER THE ROLE OF MILITARY

Alternet.org carries a fascinating article from another Israeli newspaper, an “Open Letter to the Commander of the Israeli Paratroopers” by Neve Gordon which was published in the weekly Jerusalem newspaper Kol Ha’Ir. It is addressed to Aviv Kohavi, Brigade Commander of the Israeli Paratroopers, and describes the Israeli military incursion into the Balata refugee camps in the West Bank.” What is striking about it is that it personalizes the conflict showing that the soldiers have names and need to be personally held accountable for their behavior. Neve’s letter to Aviv demands that he explain why his units did what they did. This brings the conflict down to a real level:

“Then, Aviv, you imposed a curfew on the camp, blew up the electric transmission lines, cutting off electricity to 20,000 civilian inhabitants; bulldozers ruined the water supply pipe lines. Your soldiers, Aviv, then moved from house to house by smashing holes in the interior walls; they destroyed furniture and other property, and riddled bullets in water tanks on roof tops. The soldiers spread terror on the inhabitants, most of whom were women, elderly, and children.

‘But that wasn’t all. I learned that your soldiers also used inhabitants as human shields. Also, in the first few hours of the incursion the Palestinians had 120 wounded, and that you, Aviv, refused to allow ambulances to enter and leave the camp….

“How, Aviv, do you think that your incursion affected the children whom you locked up for hours with other members of their families, while you searched their house and blasted holes through their walls? Did your incursion contribute a smithereen to peace, or did it instead spread seeds of hatred, despondence, and death in the crowded, poverty stricken, hopeless refugee camp?” To my knowledge, Aviv has yet to respond.

A CALL TO PROTEST MEDIA COVERAGE

“And how are we responding to the media coverage here in the US. With the baseball season upon us, war in the Middle East seems far away. Loyola University Sociologist Talmadge Wright is calling for protests at TV stations over the poor coverage of the Middle East. “I have suggested to friends that one step wecould all take is to support and or develop demonstrations in front of ourmajor TV news stations, protesting the lack of “balanced” coverage, andthe ignoring of dissident Israeli opinion. I have watched this work in thecase of homeless groups I worked with - when they demonstrated in massin front of the San Jose Mercury News protesting distortions and lies ofthe media, they instantly received better and more fair coverage. We haveto turn the distortions of the press itself, into the news item that willbe carried by other stations. We must not forget that Israel is alsoconducting a very sophisticated propaganda war, using advertising and PRfirms and working hard to regulate information coming out of the IDFactions in the territories. They have the full backing of the USgovernment for this effort. It is also clear that the Arabs andPalestinians just do not have the abilities to cut through the Westernmedia perspective.”

PROTESTING THE INTERNET

The Islamic Truth Website is carrying an attack on the internet (ON THE INTERNET) called “The Internet is the most evil man-made invention second to television.” These fans of Osama bin Laden say the “rules and regulation of the Internet are in direct conflict with Islam since access to material which is forbidden and are alien to Islamic viewpoints must not be accepted or supported in any way by Muslims.” The vow that, once they take over. it will be run to conform to Islamic Shari’ah law. The Internet will be renamed the KHILAFAHNET.” Be Warned.

ARMS BAN LIFTED

In other underreported wars, Reuters is reporting that the United States has lifted bans on the sale of arms to Armenia and Azerbaijan. This prompted a comment from our correspondent Adam McConnel in Turkey:” Selling arms to Armenia and Azerbaijan is either a monumental blunder or a case of extreme cynicism, as the two countries have already fought one war with each other in the past ten years and have grown increasingly belligerent towards each other during the last eight months over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Naturally, these arms could also easily find their way to other countries in the region. . .” I haven’t seen this story anywhere.

PRAISING PAUL KRUGMANCan we take a minute out to say a nice word about the New York Times giving Paul Krugman an op-ed perch? He is one of the most incisive voices around on key economic issues. This is from his column today about the future of social security. It offers a level of candor that is increasingly rare in mainstream media circles: :The important thing is to understand what’s really going on here. The ideological powers behind the current administration want to do away with Social Security — not to offer retirees a better deal, but because they are opposed to the program in principle. Unfortunately, that’s an argument that won’t work in the political arena; Social Security is very popular. So the strategy they have adopted is to declare that the program is already dead, or nearly so. If the facts say, on the contrary, that Social Security is very much alive, the administration doesn’t want to hear about it. And it doesn’t want you to hear about it, either.” And the sad truth is that for the most part we are not hearing about it.”

JOSE MARTI IS TURNING IN HIS GRAVE

On the propaganda front, may I offer this info snack from Cuban counter-revolution. It comes from The Miami Herald. It is about Radio Marti, the US government funded radio station out to free Cubans from Castro. The Bush Administration is revitalizing the “pro-democracy” station and has hired a new commandante to run it:

“When veteran broadcaster Salvador Lew was tapped totake over the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, he pledged torevitalize Radio and TV Martí with more relevantprogramming for Cubans on the island.

More than seven months after his appointment, Lew hasdramatically increased the amount of news broadcast, usingmore than 20 freelancers to write, edit, broadcast andproduce a slew of new programs, including a call-in show fordissidents, a program on the Santería religion and a showhosted by former Cuban military officers.But staffers and observers say Lew has gone beyond a merehousecleaning typical of a new administration. They claim hehas hired friends and associates to well-paid posts,including several with a hard-line view, and manipulatednews coverage.

‘’He acts like a mayor in Cuba,'’ said Enrique Patterson,who has cohosted a political satire program for five years.“Anyone who is his friend has a job.'’

Four women have sued for sex discrimination, claiming ahostile work environment for women. The annual personnelbudget has been nearly depleted to pay for the freelancers.A federally mandated nine-member advisory committee does notexist.

PAYING FOR THE YANKEES

Here in New York, the main media news is about baseball, and the way a new maneuver by New York Yankees boss George Steinbrenner is jacking up local cable fees and led to a battle with the Cablevision company which refuses to pony up fees demanded by his new YES network that will now exclusively carry broadcasts of the team’s games. This dispute is a harbinger of the future. Already, ex NBC head honco Bob Wright is saying that pretty soon, we will be paying extra for all sports and many specialized channels on cable.

THE SCENE LAST NIGHT

Last night, Greg Palast had a packed standing room only turnout at the Walker Stage in lower Manhattan as his book tour gets underway. Palast’s “The Best Democracy Money Can Buy” is already on the bestseller lists in LA and San Francisco. I was also pleased to get a warm reception for a preview of our new film on the 2000 election called “Counting on Democracy.” (It will premiere in two weeks at the Taos Talking Picture Festival) I would have been happier if the sound worked the way it should have in the venue, but the audience seemed engrossed. The sponsors, the Voter’s March group is still marching. What was significant is that so many have not “moved on” since November 7th 2000. In fact, as I noted this weekend, the LA Times is reporting that new polls show political opinion is still as divided now as it was then. I was glad to meet some readers who showed up because of the announcement carried in this space. Your comments are always welcome. Email me at dissector@mediachannel.org