Clarke Iakovakis, a student at Texas State University:

First I wanted to send much respect to you and what you continue to do so well. I caught your sharp insights on Media Matters today, & I watched WMD in Austin a couple months ago — the Best Documentary Award was much deserved. It’s always such a painful pleasure to have the failings of network news pointed out so clearly. From the imbalance of “experts” on Iraq in the news, to the necessary bias of embedded reporters, to (what I believe was one of the most outstanding segments of the movie) military actually targeting journalists, the movie, like the book and the work you do on MediaChannel highlighted the serious media distortion that is the actual problem.

I wanted to offer a few comments on the Ward Churchill debacle which seems to have turned into a character assassination rather than a debate over the validity of his statements.

A teacher’s (and journalists!) job is, first and foremost, to present facts and truthful information If an opinion accompanies those facts, it should evident to the student in some fashion, but if all the facts are presented accurately, that equips the student to study the opinion himself. University students are impressionable just as every single human being is impressionable. A genuine examination of the opinions of this world is integral to a well rounded education. Luckily we live in an open enough culture in which individual study is possible.

I think that most human beings are rational people who oppose violence and have their own standards of morality that prevent them from such an extreme. On] the other hand, if they are constantly barraged with lies and disinformation, they may come to believe those lies and, by virtue of that ignorance, acquiesce in accepting violence. That is why I am such an
advocate of organizations like MediaChannel and Democracy Now: upon comparing the reporting on these sites to that of CNN or Fox News, a massive disparity] arises, and it becomes clear that the latter organizations fail to report the entire story. It becomes apparent when using alternative news sources that mainstream organizations deliberately exclude and distort stories. There is something seriously wrong with what mass media chooses (what not) to report and what their intentions may be.

Ward Churchill should be examined on the validity of his statements. If he was telling lies and mistruths, then he should not be teaching. But if he was reporting events as they occurred, even if they were accompanied by a excessively harsh or violent opinion, then he had a right to say it. Likewise, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter should only be on the air if actual facts accompany their hateful sentiments.Thanks for being one of the Voices of Honesty.

911 MYSTERY

A reader writes from Canada: “I heard you on Rense.com last night. Congratulations on well deserved recognition.

“Reminds me somewhat of Alex Jones, a documentary filmmaker and radio talk show host that airs on the same network as Rense, http://www.infowars.com. His radio show airs in the morning 11-2 Central and nights 9-12 Central. Sometimes it is easiest to get on by going to http://www.gcnlive.com The show touches on related issues which you might find valuable.

“One expose that Alex Jones has been involved in has to do with Flight 93, the flight that the media says was crashed into a field by heroic passengers who struggled with the hijackers. In fact, Alex has exposed the whole 911 fraud. You might want to check out his evidence if you have not already.”

Writer I misplaced your name. He also sent along a number of fascinating articles arguing that Flight 83, the plane that was said to have crashed in Pennsylvania was shot down.

Learn more about Alex Jones and “911 conspiracy theories” on this week’s On the Media (scroll to bottom).

COMMENT ON MY CNN APPEARANCE

Bill D writes from Barcelona:

“Caught you on CNN International and couldn’t get over Fiona’s refusal to let you finish a turn. The guy from Reuters was slick, and really just the kind of person who goes around deadpan promoting the image of an “impartial” press: he even used the word. Well, Reuters is not one of the worst, I admit.

You mentioned “frames” and that is a term linguists use a lot, and frankly it is hard to see what any opposition could get across in the short frames they’re allowed in the mainstream media. You probably figured, and no doubt rightly, that just exposing your POV might attract a couple more of those isolated people who haven’t figured out yet that there is an alternative. But did you notice that the “moderator” (what a quaint term) began the whole segment with the contrast between people who criticize the media and people who cover the war in Iraq itself? I was surprised she didn’t mention Patrick Cockburn or Robert Fisk, while she was at it. Keep up the good work. Waiting for WMD in Europe.

FROM THE TWIN CITIES

Richard Dechert writes from Minneapolis:

Danny, you recently cited the following “Star Tribune” editorial in a piece posted on the ZNet; it’s one of the best I’ve read on the topic. And speaking of White House “intimidation” as the editorial does, I should note that despite weeks of bombardment by the Minnesota Family Council (a local clone of the D.C.-based Family Research Council),
Catholic Parents of Minnesota, and other entities who prompted people to contact it, threaten to oppose its biennial state funding, and in some cases cancel their memberships, Saint Paul-based Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) will air the “Post Cards from Buster: Sugartime” episode in the evening on March 23 and 24, so parents and others can review it, then include it in the regular “Buster” schedule on March 28.

“As a result, “Sugartime” is continuing to evoke the highest number of calls, letters and e-mails in TPT’s 47-year history, with a substantial majority of its members and viewers supporting the decision to air it.

“In blasting ‘Buster’s’ journey to ‘Sugartime’ in Vermont, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings and her “moral values” enforcers have ignored, if not rejected, the fundamental moral value of the 40-episode “Post Cards” series: that all children — whether their parents are gay, Southeast Asian, or Pentecostal Christian–should be respected and protected from harm by other children and adults. In this case the children who have been harmed the most are from the two gay-mom families that welcomed “Buster” and modeled the kind of loving, joyous behavior that he and all kids should be able to watch and emulate.

In short, more White House “dishonor.”

OOPS

Bob Johnson of Ocala, Fl corrects me:

“The cops and uninformed services”

“In your report today. Could you have been referencing our military services by any chance or possibly our political services?”

FROM EUROPE WITH BEWILDERMENT

Darryl Bowles writes from Madrid:

I doubt if this little goodie from his Regal highness’ trip to Europe has made the news/propaganda channels over your way but it made it pretty big in the Spanish press. Dear George, who came to Europe to meet the people and not just the politicians, (This was the hype at least.) was due to have a question and answer session with some of the local Germans and of course it was all programmed as these things are by the Bush handlers. The participants were given the questions they were to ask prior to the session, (wouldn’t want any surprises now would we.) and when the German participants said “No Deal” it was all quietly called off and that was it as far as meeting the “people” went. Not quite as easy to rig these type meetings over here in Europe as it is in the US apparently. Thought you might like to know.

NATIONAL GEO CHALLENGED

A few days before the last State of the Union address, when audible objections to Bush’s comments on the state of Social Security were heard, we got our Feb issue of Nat’l. Geographic, about the most harmless magazine one imagines can exist. Flipping it over, my hair stood on end. There is full page ad by a group called AIG. It features a photo of a happy, hugging aging couple -o wait, maybe that’s a grampa and a very wife-like looking daughter or… oh you’d have to see it to get all the feely-gizmos they packed into it for the glancing eyes.

Then the emphatic copy:
‘SOCIAL SECURITY IS IN QUESTION.
PERSONAL SECURITY DOESN’T HAVE TO BE’

I was pretty sure the “in question” part was part of Bush’s propaganda (which the Dem booers verified).

Shame on them (Natl Geog)- I thought. First I canceled my subscription to get a little traction, and then got through to the advertising dept of AIG (Read American International Group, with a microscope). Waste of money, I suppose, but the excuse I got had to do with their noticing many baby boomers getting older.

The ad doesn’t say so, but in their bragging about over 700 billion dollars in assets and 85 years in business, I guess they want us to “privatize” through them.

Thanks Susie Taft

LIKES INTERVIEW

Tina Louise sends a comment to Mediachannel.org”I have just read an interview with Danny Schechter at

http://www.uruknet.info/?p=9949&hd=0&size=1&l=x

“and was so relieved to find an honest view so well expressed in media. I feel like someone else finally noticed the incredible bias of the media I keep being amazed at. I felt small and unsure of how to do anything other than keep drawing people’s attention to the issue - they all think I am marginally paranoid *sigh. Nice to know the issue is being addressed so intelligently and by a voice of such wisdom here. Good luck, well done and I wish you increased success.”

FAVORITE NEWS STORY OF THE DAY

“Indian divers have found more evidence of an ancient port city, apparently revealed by December’s tsunami. Stone structures that are “clearly man-made” were seen on the seabed off the south coast, archaeologists say. They could be part of the mythical city of Mahabalipuram, which legend says was so beautiful that the gods sent a flood that engulfed six of its seven temples.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4302115.stm

READ THIS WEEK’S TELEVISION WEEK

And have a look, if you will at a guest commentary I wrote for this week’s edition of Television Week looking into the suggestion made by CNN’s now departed news exec Eason Jordon on the killing of journalists in Iraq. This is part of my effort to bring my perspective into the bowels of the industry I am challenging. See: http://www.tvweek.com/article.cms?articleId=27366 (Registration required)

Update: We’ve put the piece online at MediaChannel.org

Earlier pieces in Editor & Publisher and Broadcasting & Cable did not trigger much debate or elicit much response. That is itself another part of the problem in an industry where debate has itself been sanitized.

As fantasy becomes news and news fantasy,I am going to have to wrap it up now. Thanks for “tuning in.” Keep your letters coming: Write: dissector@mediachannel.0rg