**WAR CRIMES TRIALS

**NUKES AT LARGE

**WATCHING THE NOOZE

It is April 25th. On this day, in another war for democracy, the New York Times reminds us that the United States and Soviet forces linked up on the Elbe River, in central Europe, a meeting that dramatized the collapse of Nazi Germany. What happened next, as we know were hopes for peace dashed by distrust and power games among the allies, and a cold war replacing that hot war. Nazi war criminals were later tried by all the allies, not just the United States.

I raise this after watching Nightline’s John Donovan compare the now surrendered (by his son) Iraqi Minister Tariq Aziz to a Nazi war criminal and denounce the thugs who ran Iraq. That same word, “thugs,” was used again by frequent “expert,” neo-con Daniel Pipes this morning on Fox who called for the US soldiers to step into the background and find a “strongman” to place in power.

A CALL FOR A STRONGMAN

Funny, how much we like “strong men” preferring authoritarianism to democracy, which in Iraq anyway, could easily lead to the selection of anti-American politicians. (If only because weeks after the never-doubted successful invasion, the US occupiers have still not managed to get the lights and water back on in the desert town of Baghdad. As we know the eve of destruction is always easier than the morning of construction.

It was odd last night to hear about the thugs — and that label may understate the human rights crimes there — only to switch over to CNN where we heard more dirty details about the incarceration of suspects detained in a high security hole in Cuba’s Guantanamo Bay. I learned we still don’t know how many there are, who they are, what they are being charged with, and why there are children among them. This latter disclosure raises still more questions about US violations of international treaties governing the treatment of prisoners. But no–this is not “thuggish” behavior. The New York Times reported yesterday that the detainees are provided with new Korans and lots of fattening food twice a day. They reportedly have gained ten pounds a piece. I am waiting for the Newsweek cover on ‘OBESITY in our prisons: is it humane punishment?

THUGS IN THE HOMELAND

Having reported from many American prisons, I can confirm that thuggish behavior is alive and well in the land of the free. This morning I had to go to South Africa’s Mail and Guardian to find a story I must have missed on the US cable news nets: ‘Statistical evidence from the United States suggests that black defendants convicted of killing whites have been sentenced to death 15 times more often than white defendants convicted of killing blacks, according to a study published by Amnesty International yesterday.

WHERE THE WMDs ARE

There is still far more banter about the missing Saddam than the missing Weapons of Mass Destruction, which President Bush predicted will be found in an exclusive interview with NBC’s Tom Brokaw. Reported the Times on Page One: “In an interview with NBC News, President Bush expressed confidence that chemical and biological weapons would eventually be found in Iraq. ”

I know of several countries where they can be found, starting right here in the good ole homeland, which is still reeling from a quip by a member of the beleaguered Dixie Chicks. (who sort of backed away from her comment about the president while defending her right to speak out.)

US TO BUILD MORE NUKES

Will there be “experts” in the media speaking out about this WWD blockbuster in the LA Times: Ralph Vartabedian reports: “the United States has regained the capability to make nuclear weapons for the first time in 14 years and has restarted production of plutonium parts for bombs, the Energy Department said Tuesday.

The announcement marks an important symbolic and operational milestone in rebuilding the nation’s nuclear weapons complex, which began a long retrenchment in the late 1980s as the Cold War ended and the toll of environmental damage from bomb production became known ….

“Under a Bush administration plan, the Energy Department is beginning limited production of plutonium parts for the stockpile of nuclear weapons and will begin laying plans for a new factory that could produce components for hundreds of weapons each year.”

“BLACKMAIL” FROM KOREA

Not to be left out, The North Koreans announced that yes indeed it, too, has a nuclear arsenal prompting outrage from President Bush and the statement that “we will not be threatened.” As far as I can tell, the North Koreans did not threaten the US, and in fact the NY Times account said many aspects of all this were “not clear.” There have been controversies over translations of North Korean texts. What is clear is that the North Koreans say the Iraq war convinced them that disarmament will not prevent war but only make it more likely. A few weeks ago I met with a member of the European Parliament who had just returned from Pyongyang who reported that a North Korean general said they fully expect to be bombed by the United States. It should be remembered that during the long years of the cold war, the one before the current “World War 4,” the US and the Soviets each had large nuclear arsenals to deter the other under a policy known as “Mutually Assured Destruction.” The acronym was MAD. (Honest, you can’t make this stuff up). In respect to the Times subhead: “BUSH ASSAILS BLACKMAIL.” Why the color reference? Why not yellow mail. Why never white mail?

ISRAEL’S NUKES REVEALED

You have read me complain that Israel’s WMDs have not been in the news at all. MSNBC.com (on the web, not the air) has done something about this. See:

http://www.msnbc.com/news/wld/graphics/strategic_israel_dw.htm

WAS THE NY TIMES USED?

Professor Gary Leup writes in Counter Punch about Judith Miller’s recent article in the New York Times, “Illicit Arms Kept Till Eve of War, an Iraqi Scientist Is Said to Assert” (New York Times, April 21). According to a report on Media news, it raised eyebrows in the Times newsroom where its veracity was questioned by some. Leup believes the Administration used the Times:

“You allow a New York Times reporter, who was not permitted to interviewthe scientist, nor visit his home, nor permitted to write about thismomentous discovery for three days, whose copy was submitted for a checkby military officials, to reveal this information to the world. Youannounce that this is the best evidence “to date” (as though one or moreother shreds of evidence had been unearthed recently), adding that “itmay be the discovery,” so others might not be necessary.

Quite brilliant. You have to admire such audacity. But I think of theopening passage of the samurai epic, Heike Monogatari, that chroniclesthe inevitable downfall of a ruling circle less obnoxious that the onenow wreaking havoc on Iraq. “The proud do not endure, they are like adream on a spring night; the mighty fall at last, they are as dustbefore the wind.”

In the meantime, let us not let them throw dust in our eyes.

WAR GAMES LEAD TO . . . WAR GAMES

If you missed the Iraq War, you can play the game. Maureen Clare Murphy of Electronic Iraq: “The war on Iraq has not caused any severe disruptions to the generally comfortable American lifestyle. Even Americans’ favorite prime-time sitcoms have been spared from pre-emption. What many disconnectedAmericans conceive as the war is what they see on CNN: green video ofexplosions over Baghdad narrated by a correspondent in a flak jacket.

“However, many young men in America have decided to “participate” in thewar by purchasing or downloading video games that are set in Iraq. In”Conflict: Desert Storm,” by Gotham Games, the gamer’s mission is to findand capture (or kill) Saddam Hussein. In “Gulf War: Operation DesertHammer,” by 3DO, players head a technologically sophisticated tank, andseek out the “Desert Beast,” a dictator that can easily be inferred asSaddam Hussein.

Although these games were developed before the U.S. bombing campaignbegan, their timely releases certainly seem opportunistic. “Conflict:Desert Storm” has sold out at video game stores, and “Gulf War:Operation Desert Hammer” has significantly surpassed its previous salesestimates…..

JOURNALISTS AND IRAQ

The European Journalism Center reports that “Journalist group leaders from around the world have met with Arab reportersin an unprecedented move towards creating press freedom in post-warIraq. The historic meeting between the International Federation ofJournalists and leaders of the Federation of Arab Journalists endedpositively, with plans for an inquiry into the killing of reportersduring the war. They also agreed on the need to create a newprofessional association, which must be committed to the defense ofsocial and professional rights for all Iraqi journalists There will bean associated program of action to promote reform and debate aboutprofessional values in journalism.”

OpenDemocracy.net is now offering an assessment of war coverage from around the war. They write: “All eyes have been on the war in Iraq. But seeing the conflict through the prism of national media systems reveals stark truths about how differently global events are represented and understood. This is the launch of OpenDemocracy’s world media monitor. From Armenia to Brazil to Croatia, journalists, academics, and media activists share their views on how TV and newspapers have played their part.”

HOW LONG CAN YOU WATCH?

In this country, the cable news nets have driven the coverage. Tim Goodman in the San Francisco Chronicle (the newspaper that just fired a reporter who took a day off to protest) had some provocative things to say. Mark Gould of newcollege.edu sent it along.

“CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC have gorged on Iraq and come up for airbloated, slow and confused. Anyone watching these broadcasts sees the sameexplosions repeated endlessly. Stories that could be told in 30 seconds or aminute suddenly drag on for five minutes, with long pauses between anchorsand field reporters. Not much is either explained or answered in these liveinterviews, and yet the same verbal dance takes place again 15 minuteslater. This cycle has diminished the ability to watch cable news.

“Where the first week — even 10 days if you wanted to be overly indulgent –offered the hardcore news junkie ample time to marvel at the wonders of themodern, live war played endlessly on cable television, that fascination hasnow faded. It has also rubbed off the patina of competent journalism. Whatemerges now, for those still putting in the hours, is the inevitableimpression that without editors, without reflection or even a modicum ofcritical doubt, is coverage more seemingly defined by the military.

“With no one stopping for a breath, anchors repeat essentially what’s told tothem by the government, with phrases and lingo largely intact. Coalitionforces are “pounding” or “hammering” the opposition, viewers hear, and whilethis is true in the bigger context, it ceases to be relevant when it’srepeated ceaselessly.

SARS IS ON THE AIR, MALARIA IS NOT

SARS, the disease terrorizing Asia is in the news as it should be. But Malaria which annually claims far more victims is not. It claims the lives of a million children a year — and is largely preventable. Today is Africa Malaria Dayon which African nations and world health authorities recommit themselves to a global campaign to roll back Malaria. Will we see any coverage of this silent scourge in the developing world? I was shocked to learn this mosquito borne disease affects 300-500 MILLION people a year with as many as three million deaths. Yet it is not news.

For years, malaria victims suffered in silence. In many instances, old treatments were fast loosing their efficacy due to resistance. There were no medicines in the pipeline because of economic factors. Little attention was being paid perhaps because it tends to target the world’s poorest people living in the least developed societies, and even though malaria is easily diagnosed and easily cured.

We here at Globalvision are trying to change that, at least a little bit. Working with WHO and Medicine for Malaria venture (mmv.org) we produced a video on a death toll that is unacceptable. It explores several strategies that show great promise. It features on-location coverage in South Africa of insecticide-treated bednets and new medicines in development.

The film, produced by network news veteran Mark Kusnetz, is being offered for FREE to TV stations worldwide. Write to me for information. Later today, you can see a clip at www.globalvision.org/malaria. TV news has not covered this issue. Let’s see what happens when you make a network-quality story available. One well known PBS program has already passed.

MEDIA NEWS

The Online Journalism Review has a piece worth checking: “Weblogs Unite to Protest Detained Iranian Blogger.” When Iran detained journalist and blogger Sina Motallebi,it stirred up a protest that’s united the Persian and Western blogospheres. But will publicity help or harm him? Top Persian bloggers weigh in. By Mark Glaser

http://www.ojr.org/ojr/glaser/1051148901.php

LETTER PUBLISHED IN BUFFALO

Jane Cameron, writes from Buffalo that her letter critiquing Buffalo News coverage of my talk there was published. She sends it along: “The News’ coverage of Danny Schechter’s talk in the Buffalo Historical Society was off the mark. The article’s title, “Voice of dissent heard on the war,” made one wonder exactly what lecture the reporter attended.

“Schechter is a well-known media critic, not an anti-war activist. His topic was the effect of the increasing control of media by a small number of large corporations. He traced the evolution of news organizations, whose business was news coverage, into news divisions of corporations that are in the business, of, well, business. Content and context have been lost to “sound bites” and neutered of insight or analysis. The war was simply one of many news stories Schechter used to illustrate his point.

“The reporter characterized the crowd as true “believers.” I saw a mainstream assemblage of garden-variety Buffalonians. I decided to attend after hearing Schechter interviewed on WBFO earlier in the day. I guess, these days, listening to public radio is enough to confer “believer” status.

Perhaps the reporter felt some sound bite pressure. After all, “anti-war radical preaches to choir” is easier to pitch than “seasoned media analyst delivers insightful, entertaining and well-researched critique of the role of media in society.”

NEW URL FOR FREE DOWNLOAD OF “MEDIA WARS” — THE RANT

For some other sound bytes on the war, you can still get a free download of the track “MEDIA WARS.” Note the new online url:

http://www.polarity1.com/fcfree.html

Rhonda Marhon writes: “I am glad that mediachannel.org is here for our benefit. Keep up the good work.”

TODAY SHOW FLAP

Last night I had a look at that controversial TODAY show interview with actor Tim Robbins. It was a bland a predictable affair with co-host Matt Lauer challenging the outspoken actor who was disinvited by the Baseball Hall of Fame because of his anti-war views. Why they didn’t have the man who disinvited him on as well eludes me. And yes, there was a disruption. On my tape, there seemed to be audio drop outs but I can’t swear that as what viewers saw. He was then upcut in the middle of a statement condemning US foreign policy when the screen went blank and the show cut to commercial. An NBC spokesperson told me yesterday that was what they call an automatic break. Since his segment was to be followed by a local news insert according to the format, it looked mighty suspicious. NBC says they invited Robbins back to finish his thought after the 8:30 am break. I didn’t see that part.

THE MARK CRISPIN MILLER SHOW

If you are in New York City this weekend, you might want to check out media critic/author Mark Crispin Miller’s new theatrical initiative; “Operation American Freedom”!!!The first show is Saturday, 4/26, at the Cherry Lane Theater, 38 Commerce St., at 10:00 p.m. If you liked his Bush Dyslexicon, you will love this.

Have a great weekend, Please continue to send your comments, donations and good cheer.Write to me, Danny Schechter your news dissector at dissecor@mediachannel.org