NEWS CHIEFS SAY SORRY

NEOCONS CLIMB AS CIA FALLS

MEDIA IN RUSSIA PT 2

Maybe they knew my film WMD is coming? Maybe it is all a plot to put themselves on the right side of the Gods of Journalism, or even your news dissector, but the three network news presidents were together again on the campus of Stanford University yesterday, the very institution that gave us Condi Rice, to admit that, yes, they did us wrong.

‘We regret to inform you we didn’t inform you,’ was the media message. How sweet it is to hear a trickle of truth.

Huddled in one room were the three musketeers of nooze: David Westin, the corporate lawyer who runs Disney/ABC’s News Division and Neal Shapiro of General Electric Co.’s NBC News and Andrew Heyward of Viacom Inc.’s CBS News. Perhaps in response to a question, they were asked about their coverage of Iraq. Now that the NY Times and Washington Post have done mea-culpas, what about their electronic brethren?

The AP reporter who was there did not devote much space to their response on the war but did note: “the three said that, in retrospect, they should have more aggressively questioned the Bush administration’s grounds for invading Iraq in the spring of 2003.

“Simply stated, we let down the American people on weapons of mass destruction, and I sincerely regret that,” Westin said.

They let us down! They regret it. After 100,000 civilians died, they are sorry. But only, let us be clear, for the coverage of WMDS when they allowed only a handful of war critics on the air. They don’t regret the war of the war itself. Nor their deference to the Busheviks, nor their lack of election follow-up. They certainly don’t regret their turning massacres into militainment or their current “coverage” of the crimes in Fallujah.

THE BEAT GOES ON: THE NEWS THAT FITS

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) is blasting the NY Times for media crimes that the networks were also guilty of:

“In three recent reports about the military invasion of the Iraqi city of Fallujah, the New York Times has misreported the facts about the April 2004 invasion of the city and the toll it took on Iraqi civilians.

On November 8, the Times reported:

“In April, American troops were closing in on the city center when popular uprisings broke out in cities across Iraq. The outrage, fed by mostly unconfirmed reports of large civilian casualties, forced the Americans to withdraw. American commanders regarded the reports as inflated, but it was impossible to determine independently how many civilians had been killed.”

“The next day, the Times made the same point, reporting that the U.S. “had to withdraw during a previous fight for the city in April after unconfirmed reports of heavy civilian casualties sparked outrage among both Sunni and Shiite Iraqis.” And on November 15, the Times noted that the current operation “redressed a disastrous assault on Fallujah last April that was called off when unconfirmed reports of large civilian casualties drove the political cost too high.”

“It’s unclear why the Times considers those civilian deaths “unconfirmed.” While there is some debate over precise figures, this wording leaves the impression that nothing can be reasonably known about deaths in Fallujah….

“If part of that “information war” means convincing Americans that civilians are not victims of the Fallujah invasion, the Times has signed up on the side of the Pentagon.”

www.fair.org/activism/nyt-fallujah.html

Today’s Times reports:

“U.S. Troops Move to Rein in Rebels in North of Iraq.. The U.S. military raced into the streets of Mosul to root out bands of rebels.. Note: the term insurgents is now “rebels.” When we will we see “resistance.?” The Guardian reports “The family of Margaret Hassan on Tuesday night accepted that the aid worker taken hostage by Iraqi insurgents a month ago had probably been murdered, after analysis of a video which showed a masked gunman shooting a blindfolded woman in the head.” Already this story has been getting more attention on CNN the house to house “mop-up” operations in Iraq.

SCREWBALLS RISE

Meanwhile, in the LA Times Robert Scheer opines that “The screwballs who brought us the Iraq War are failing upward.”

” . . . incompetence begat by ideological blindness has been rewarded. The neoconservatives who created the ongoing Iraq mess have more than survived the failure of their impossibly rosy scenarios for a peaceful and democratic Iraq under U.S. rule. In fact, despite calls for their resignations — from the former head of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. Anthony Zinni, among others — the neocon gang is thriving. They have not been held responsible for the “16 words” about yellowcake, the rise and fall of Ahmad Chalabi, the Abu Ghraib scandal, the post-invasion looting of Iraq’s munitions stores and the disastrous elimination of the Iraqi armed forces.

“As of today, the neocons on Zinni’s list of losers — Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul D. Wolfowitz; the vice president’s chief of staff, I. Lewis Libby; National Security Council staffer Elliott Abrams; Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld — are all still employed even as Bush’s new director of central intelligence, Porter J. Goss, is eviscerating the CIA’s leadership.”

http://tinyurl.com/6p5r7

YOUR JOB IS TO BACK OUR JOB

The NY Times reports today: “Porter J. Goss has told C.I.A. employees that their job is to ’support the administration and its policies in our work.’”

MEDIA IN RUSSIA, PART 2

Yesterday I brought you part 1 of the sad saga of the decline and fall of free media in Russia where as Seda Pumpyanskaya writes, ” during the final years of the Soviet Union, there was an opening in the freedom of speech, granting countless benefits to a community unaccustomed to an independent press, not taking orders from the Government and the Party.” That was then. This is now:

But the eviction of its building of “Novoie Vremia – New Times”, a prestigious Russian magazine of world renown and one of the last independent publications in the country, shows that this “spring” is a thing of the past.

Authoritarian regimes have no use for independent voices. The Russian regime no longer murders or imprisons journalists, nor does it send them to concentration camps. It simply prevents them from doing their work by the use of indirect but effective means, similar to those of some third world countries. In this new reality of “gangster-style capitalism”, in the best Old West style, the most commonly used modus operandi is economic pressure.

Russia has positioned itself on the cutting edge of limiting press freedom by inventing an innovative method of making independent media disappear: divesting them of their property. On September 17, 2003, the building which had been occupied by “New Times” for forty years, located in a beautiful and historical Moscow neighborhood, just next door to the Ministry of the Press, was taken over by armed men in camouflage suits who claimed to be the new owners of the building.

Immediately, both the Russian and international press, as well as dozens of intellectuals, sent written complaints to the authorities, including to Vladimir Putin, the President of the Russian Federation; Vladimir Ustinov, the Attorney General; and Boris Gryzlov, Minister of the Interior. No response has been received to date. More pointedly, in an interview with U.S. journalists, Putin stated that “freedom of the press has never existed in Russia”.

The case received extensive press coverage and this prevented the attempt to take over the building from succeeding. During the next five months, however, thugs remained in the hallways exerting psychological pressure and physically threatening the journalists, who continued to publish the magazine notwithstanding. But on February 19, 2004, precisely three weeks before the presidential elections in Russia, these goons shifted tactics and burst into the magazine’s premises, prevented the entry of reporters and editors, destroyed the files, computers, machinery, the furniture and the library, and tore down the walls and the parquet floors. The message was clear: “New Times” will no longer be published.

Since this second attack “New Times” was not published for more than three months. Though three weeks ago the journalists managed to restart the publication, its future is in real danger and can only be saved by a campaign on its behalf by independent journalists, worldwide press associations, and human rights institutions.

In the third world, independent press is often pressured through threats to private advertisers, withdrawal of the advertisement of state institutions, or different obstacles for the import of paper and equipment. In Russia the strategy is to eliminate the certainty of private ownership: ghost enterprises illegally seize land and buildings worth millions of dollars. It would be really difficult to imagine that the officials at all levels, including the highest, are not involved.

At present one of the most serious problems in Russia is the proliferation of enormous fortunes derived from all sorts of shady dealings. Further, freedom of the press has been reduced by dubious legal maneuvering designed to pressure the owners of media companies. In the end, most have caved in and placed themselves at the service of the government, or had to leave the country. In short, what is happening at present is the same thing that happened during the Soviet era, with the only difference that the media today is privately owned.

In the short term, the Putin regime will benefit from the plight of “New Times” by ridding itself off a source of independent criticism. Thus, it has no interest in preventing this unlawful taking of property.

If “New Times” disappears, the Russian press will have suffered an irreparable setback, and citizens will no longer have a reliable source of independent criticism and analysis. Additionally, many of the important figures in political, academic and intellectual spheres, who at present use this medium to express their thoughts, will be left without means to share their ideas.

Perpetration of the Deed

The method used to silence “New Times” was quite unique. Everyone knows that anything is possible in Russia. Anyone can legally establish any type of company in just half an hour. In the real estate market, such a company can purchase a building in an apparently legal manner, particularly if it gets an accomplice who will cede rights to the property or sell it using false documents.

Typically, this first so-called company immediately sells the rights to a second ghost company and quickly closes down. The procedure is repeated two or three times. When the true owner of the stolen property becomes aware of the situation, it is often too late: Russian law assumes that the last buyer acted in good faith and therefore has a right to retain the property.

“In the case of ‘New Times’, the initial ghost company was Concept. This company obtained false documents and then sold the property to another ghost company, Primex, and they sent the goons to take over the building on September 17, 2003.

“But this was not the end. Next day Primex tried to sell its rights to another ghost company, Efekt, but the deal was not finalized due to the wave of public protests. That is how, in an allegedly legal manner, the ownership of “New Times” building fell to Primex.

How to expropriate the building?

For the last forty years the “New Times” offices have been located on Pushkin Square, a beautiful and centrally located place in Moscow, equivalent to Times Square in New York, or Piccadilly Circus in London, and therefore, worth millions of dollars.

It would take about one or two million dollars to unlawfully take over and retain such a historical and valuable building in the centre of Moscow. This money would go to pay bribes to officials and judges, to pay security companies and to obtain the pseudo-legal registration of the property rights. Later the building can be sold for some 15 million dollars, a net profit of 700%.

One of the inventors and practitioners of the above-described method is Yevgeny G. Antimoni, the 35 year-old owner of the pub chain “The Mug”, famous for several illegal operations of this type and very much feared in Moscow circles.

Antimoni had previously visited “New Times” and proposed converting the building into a luxury hotel that would be named “Pushkin”, and offered the magazine editors a 30% stake in the deal. When refused, Antimoni bribed Minakov, “New Times” commercial director, who falsified the documents for sale of the building while the Editor-in-Chief was away on business. A few days later Minakov simply disappeared.

This type of illegal activity in Russia has its price, almost as a menu in a restaurant: one hundred thousand dollars to “buy into the situation”, that is, to look for an internal accomplice; and later a similar sum to physically taking over the building. This is very important in the case of a hearing, as under Russian law, physical possession of a property is a decisive factor in determining the outcome of the case. ….

If two big companies are interested in the same property, an additional expenditure on the menu will be some two hundred thousand dollars in order to get tax inspectors to investigate and raid the rival company. Thus, Moscow today turned into sort of a battlefield, witnessing a myriad of wars waged between companies that thrive on illegal seizing of properties and multiple cases similar to “New Times”.

More to come.

Elsewhere on the media front, The FT reports China is clamping down on domestic media coverage of popular protests following recent outbreaks of unrest . . . . The Chinese will allow foreign media companies b ut not to use their brand names

HEALTH IS WEALTH

“NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Health activists on Tuesday demanded more money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria ahead of the group’s board meeting where U.S. representatives are expected to push for a suspension of new projects.

Since 2002, the Global Fund has become a major donor, helping to improve health care of poor people around the world. But wealthy nations have not adequately supported the fund, creating financial problems. Advertisement

“I am very angry at the United States government and other donors who are lobbying poor countries not to vote for the launch of round five,'’ said Patricia Asero Ochieng, an HIV counselor in Nairobi. “If it is delayed, I don’t know if my clients will still be here to get any help.'’

FCC COMMISH REAPPOINTED

“As reported by Technology Daily, President Bush re-nominated Jonathan Adelstein for a new five-year term on the FCC late Monday. The Senate Commerce Committee has scheduled a hearing Thursday on the nomination, and both Republicans and Democrats have expressed support for Adelstein, a former aide to outgoing Senate Minority Leader Thomas Daschle, D-S.D., who was defeated for re-election. If he is not confirmed before Congress departs, Adelstein must leave the FCC.”

YOUR LETTERS

Yesterday I wrote about the Ship of State sailing on. Andrew Stone writes from New Mexico to correct me. It is, he says a Ship of Fools:

“Sail on, o ship of state.

Went to see the captain, strangest I could find, Laid my proposition down, laid it on the line. I won’t slave for beggar’s pay, likewise gold and jewels, But I would slave to learn the way to sink your ship of fools.

Ship of fools on a cruel sea, ship of fools sail away from me. It was later than I thought when I first believed you, Now I cannot share your laughter, ship of fools.

Saw your first ship sink and drown, from rockin’ of the boat, And all that could not sink or swim was just left there to float. I won’t leave you drifting down, but … it makes me wild, With thirty years upon my head to have you call me child.

Ship of fools on a cruel sea, ship of fools sail away from me. It was later than I thought when I first believed you, Now I cannot share your laughter, ship of fools.

The bottles stand as empty, as they were filled before. Time there was and plenty, but from that cup no more. Though I could not caution all, I still might warn a few: Don’t lend your hand to raise no flag atop no ship of fools.

Ship of fools on a cruel sea, ship of fools sail away from me. It was later than I thought, when I first believed you, Now I cannot share your laughter, ship of fools.

It was later than I thought when I first believed you, Now I cannot share your laughter, ship of fools.

“Ship of Fools” (c) 1973 Ice Nine Music - Words - Robert Hunter / Music - Jerry Garcia

NEWS MEDIA OUT OF TOUCH

James Pfeifer writes:

“Amid all of the uncertainties I see clearly now, I am absolutely certain about one thing. What the so-called “news media” are implying the present situation to be, has no resemblance to the reality of what is about to burst loose on the landscape, most probably between now and Christmas, certainly before that intended Belshazzar’s feast otherwise known as the coming January inauguration. All Hell is now about to bust loose, and there are powerful circles of people in the shadows, inside and outside the U.S.A., who know this, and who are positioning themselves to move accordingly. I do not know all the answers to my questions about what some of these folk are positioning themselves to do, but I see them clearly positioning themselves, and I understand what the situation is which is impelling them to prepare for action to deal with what is already an impossible situation for both the U.S.A. and the world at large.”

WAS ARAFAT KILLED?

Dean writes:

“As always, I enjoy reading your newsletter. I look foward to seeing your film, which I think was screened at the Academy of Music in Northampton ( I missed it ).

“Regarding Arrafat, I have yet to read any one suggesting anything beyond poisoning as a possible cause of death. Poison usually leaves some effects which can be detected. Undetectable so far is the use of high energy beams — microwaves, to impair human health functions. One example of this was the famous case of the U.S. Embassy being bombarded with microwave beams in Moscow back in the early eighties ( ? ). Investigators suggested that the microwaves were being used to “power up” listening devices that the KGB had hidden in the building.

“Others suggested that the Soviets were using electronic warfare techniques, impairing the health of everyone in the embassy in Moscow. Remembering this incident, my ears pricked up when I heard about Mr. Arrafat’s mysterious malady . . . first it was leukemia, that discounted, then platelet deficiency. Still a mystery. By triangulating focused beams of microwaves on the Rammalah compound residence, Isreali security services could have worn down Mr. Arafat’s immune system over a period of time to such an extent that it might look like leukemia. I wonder if there are any other strange illnesses being reported out of that compound ????”

Henry Fernandez writes from Houston, Texas:

“Overbearing, official statements already attributed to Condileeza Rice it is impossible to conceive of her functioning with the slightest diplomatic demeanor.”

STRAWBERRIES AS A SIGN

Susan Taft is in Minneapolis:

“Yesterday I got all riled up because my strawberries are still bearing fruit - mid November in the north. I’d read somewhere that the B. administration had told NASA to squelch or downplay evidence of global warming. I called NASA to ask about that and was hung up on twice. I became sarcastic, having had to explain at one point who Scott McLellan is (and what Northern Lights are). The third time I was told “Stop calling or we’ll have you arrested”. I apologized and said I never would, hung up, and then I started laughing. Half nervous, half well deserved amusement.

“Hoping to see WMD in Minneapolis with a whole bunch of friends — this winter maybe?”

SITES TO SEE

One reader suggests www.solarbus.org/stealyourelection/ for updates on the recount in NH and OH.

“This is the best site I have seen on Votergate issues. Please also make your readers aware of it. It’s the most organized site and catches all the pertinent stuff.”

Dean Kimptonuzz:

“That’s for a great newsletter. Just wanted to drop you a note. There’s a guy called TJ Templeton who runs a site called Project for the Old American Century (www.oldamericancentury.org) a deliberate satire on PNAC obviously, and he’s been going hard at it for a long time. He posts the news we like to read and also does some cutting (and amusing) posters (www.oldamericancentury.org/gallery1.htm).

He sends out a newsletter and for a long while i was noticing that he was cribbing stories from your blog and mediachannel in general but just lately I’ve found that some of his stories are coming in a day or two ahead of your blog. I don’t mean to be pointing out that perhaps you’re slipping :) obviously there’s enough news out there to fill a million or so blogs but I just thought you might want to keep an occasional electronic eye over to his domain to check out some breaking stories because he’s got it going on.”

SAFIRE STEPS DOWN

Deborah Emin writes:

“But before you depart Danny, let’s give a silent little cheer that Mr. Safire has seen fit to finally retire. Let’s also continue to remind ourselves of the other Condi Rice who spoke eloquently today on the Tavis Smiley show about the 10 myths about the election. Tavis’ website has her comments if you missed her and want to catch her.

“And let us sincerely mourn for Margaret Hassan who had to endure what only our imaginations will allow us to consider but as her husband said, at least she is finally no longer suffering. This woman’s experience is some kind of lesson that we all do need to contemplate. I have no personal stake in this story or knowledge of her beyond all the internet searches I have done since she was kidnapped. But I do think that somehow those of us who are anti-war and not just because this is the wrong war but because war is wrong, need to do something in memory of this woman.

“If anyone symbolizes what war does to people, this woman seems to be the ultimate example of what happens even with the best of intentions (I don’t mean hers, I mean even if we can consider for a moment that there were those who thought this war justified on humanitarian grounds). I could go on and on about this loss and the effect it should be having on all of us but I will spare you my preaching for I am sure I am talking to a kindred soul. It’s just that I think what we need to remember are those like her and so many 100s of thousands of others who have died or been damaged needlessly, thoughtlessly and for no reason that is quite fathomable. I find myself sitting here almost daily in a similar state as I was in after September 11, 2001. It is just so difficult to understand these things.

“Have a good trip and a safe one. Good luck with it all and thanks so much for all your good work.”

I WILL TELL “THOSE PEOPLE”

Sandy Lambrecht has other thoughts about my next sojourn abroad:

“You might want to remind those people that they stood by and did nothing as Hitler built his war machine and proceeded to take over their world. Do they really think they’re going to stay ‘neutral’ in this new megalomaniacal attempt to rule the planet?…

“I don’t see how your film will help, since nobody is going to do anything about this sickening situation anyway. The UN is dead. The Geneva Convention is dead. There are no more rules. There are no more laws. This is the end of civilization as we know it. We can’t even go back to Square One until this delusion ends. The European Union is a comical farce. A fantasy. A joke. Europe is living in a fantasy - whistling in the dark. ….

“Don’t take me wrong - I admire what you’re trying to do. I just worry that so many people are so deep in denial…”

Michael Horan in Boston:

“Danny, I continue to appreciate your own work–today’s lengthy post on doings in Fallujah with pointers to those observing from the ground was invaluable. Looking forward to getting folks to turn out at Bostons’ Kendall Theatre for the film . . . ”

RESOURCES AND ITEMS

From Guerrilla News Network: GNN has just re-launched the Eminem Mosh video with a new ending that includes over 50 seconds of new animation. Check it out here:
www.gnn.tv/videos/video.php?id=28

Last week I carried a beautiful Cherokee story on the wolves within and without. Joanne sent it in from Calgary. I have tried to reach her. What’s the source?

Congrats to Barbara Ehrenreich, “the winner of the 2004 Puffin/Nation Prize, which carries a $100,000 cash award and is given annually to an American citizen who has challenged the status quo “through distinctive, courageous, imaginative, socially responsible work of significance.”

A final quote today relayed by Susan Bergholz comes from the great Baltimore-based journalist H.L. Mencken (1880 - 1956):

“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”

On this theme of abuse in high places check out the new book called “American Monsters: 44 Rats, Black Hats, and Plutocrats,” edited by Jack Newfield and Mark Jacobson (Thunder’s Mouth Press). I wrote the essay on William McKinley. Check it out.

And so off I go to Amsterdam to show WMD and then to the TV Festival in Denmark and finally Paris for a screening on the 26th. I will miss Thanksgiving here this year, but don’t feel very thankful these days except for you support and help. I will try to blog from time to time.

I am online. Dissector@mediachannel.org.