Elizabeth Barger writes:

Haven’t we been saying since the Z name, some time ago, that he was a CIA product? Actually, when the little thug showed his face, I knew he was doomed. Did they promise that sucker decoy martydom’s best virgins? I almost felt sorry for him; but I pity more the lemmings that have been duped into cheering his death. Such orchestrated glee at death and destruction. Our coliseum where the gladiators fight to the death is bigger than Rome’s, and our fall into irrelevance will be more painful unless we can stop the rot.

WORLD CUP

Oh Urs writes on the World Cup:

“I didn’t see this covered in the Dissector. I watched the first 30 minutes of the ABC TV coverage of the soccer match between Mexico and Iran last Sunday in which one ESPN (or ABC) announcer went political for as long as I was tuned in: He made it sound as if Iran already nuked the US. Not sure why he felt it was important to promote an unfounded, one-sided political view at a sports event, because he did not only sound ridiculously bias, the fun of the game, and football (or soccer) suppose to be fun, suffered as well.”

HALE BOGGS????

Paul Harrington: “What does President Bush have to do with Hale Boggs disappearance in Alaska in 72??

My condolences to you and your left-wing buddies on not getting Uncle Karl indicted. I know your hearts are very sad.

CORPORATE MEDIA AND THE NET

Denny Burbeck is working on an article on corporate media. He offers us a preview:

”Is Corporate Media RELYING on Internet Sites to Spread Truth

“The corporate media giants will only reluctantly admit it, but they cannot tell the whole truth. Journalists have stated that their bosses have stopped printing material critical of the Bush Admin. out of fear of loosing access, but now we hear that the NSA is targeting journalist’s phones and email with the intent on prosecuting them for leaking classified information. That can only make a bad situation even worse.

“The NY Times waited a year to break the story of unwarranted NSA spying on American’s phone calls. They may have been hoping that it would have come out on alternative news sites, like so many other stories have about corruption in our government; but when it didn’t, the Times finally gave it up.

“Some will say “boloney! They don’t give a hoot if the public hears the truth or not. They’re just in it for the money”. That is, of course, true of the media execs, but there a thousands of journalists out there that see what has happened to their industry, nd they don’t like it. They know they are failing the American people; and they are doing what they can, when they can.

“The former president of CBS News Richard Salent said, “Our job is to give people not what they want, but what we decide they ought to have.” John Swinton, the former New York Times Chief of Staff, whom colleagues named “The Dean of His Profession”, confessed candidly before the New York Press Club: “I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinions out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job [.] We are the tools and vassals of the rich men behind the scenes.”

READ IT ALL

Adam Mcconnel appeals to Jeanette Friedman who offered Israel’s defense of the Gaza beach incident:

” Jeanette Friedman should read ALL of this article, not just the first four paragraphs.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060613/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_blast_probe_4;_ylt=A0SOwma.KY9EoZkATAoUvioA;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

DEFEND THE UN

”UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com, UN/ - 14 June 2006 - MaximsNews Network announced today it’s support of the Better World Campaign’s “Don’t Shut Down the UN.”

Strong differences of opinion about reform and governance of the UN threaten to collide with a spending cap that is suddenly approaching.

For the first time in its history, a political stand-off may shut down or curtail UN operations.

This could paralyze vital diplomacy, peace and humanitarian efforts — worldwide.”

GETTING IT RIGHT: I STAND CORRECTED, I THINK!

I have been criticized for criticizing the media response to Haditha. Critics have pointed out that TIME did get the story right, while another writer credited an Iraqi journalism student for first bringing it to Time in the first place. Here’s an account by a “Pacifist Journo daughter of 2 marines” to correct my “sequencing:”

”Spotted this interesting media piece on Truthout, and I would like to point out some sequencing problems in Danny Schechter’s interpretation.

He says: “Haditha is coming to light because conscientious Marines spoke out, and then ex-Marine Congressman John Murtha spoke out, and then TIME picked it up.

Our fearless TV journalists did not break the story. CNN had it, but, according to Damon, didn’ realize it.”

“…….er, No. Not exactly. Let me set the record straight.

The actual sequence is that the veteran Time reporter, Tim McGirk, brought his interview notes and conflicting evidence to the attention of marine officers in Baghdad, and asked them to explain the discrepancies in late January.

“Earlier a military press officer had sneered that McGirk was swallowing propaganda. But this 50 yr old guy trusted his gut instinct. Confronted with facts from survivors that contradicted the Marines initial statement about what happened on 19 November, the military was persuaded that a more rigorous inquiry was needed and opened up the NCIS probe in late Feb/early March, after it went up the chain of command.

(Perhaps they worried that a mini My Lai whitewash was no longer possible because the press was now on to it. And Time magazine is not exactly known as a liberal rag.) McGirk had seen a grisly video tape shot by an Iraqi student the day after the incident, after a local human rights organization brought it to the Time bureau ( not inside the Green Zone, so accessible to the public) This was in January. Even though the killings were already a couple months old, McGirk started digging. He was not content with spin from Pentagon press officers; he wanted it confirmed in the field. Only when the results of the more intensive investigation bore out Time’s doubts did those congressmen go public. McGirk also helped the right’s activists get the video to rival US reporters so it could be broadcast, after his article was published.

CNN did not have this story…their reporter Damon simply spotted the perps which she had taped on an earlier embed.”

A NEW VIDEO ON IMPEACHMENT COMING

Here’s the trailer sent along by Dennis Johnson of Melville House Publishing (publishers of my book THE DEATH OF MEDIA)…Dennis writes: “Just following in your footsteps, swami . . .”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0Z90yt–QQ

NEWS I MISSED:

From Harpers Weekly wrap up: “A group of high school students in Florida found a real corpse at a fake crime scene. American conservationists were airlifting endangered frogs out of Panama in their luggage. Surgeons in Shanghai successfully removed a baby boy’s third arm.

ON THE AIR

Spoke with Austrian Radio yesterday about Ann Coulter whose media overexposure is now creeping overseas. (She was to be on with Jay Leno on NBC last night.) In fact last night I met a German writer for De Zeit who noted that she is published by Random House which is owned by Germany’s Bertelsmann which had been accused of publishing Nazis before.) I will be on Manhattan Neighborhood Network in New York with my favorite public access kibitzer, Harold Hudson Channer this morning for my first interview about my new film, IN DEBT WE TRUST. Let’s hope that public access can survive the telecom onslaught and all of their lobbyist$.

By the way, here is great Swedish site with info on the public access movement worldwide:

http://www.communitymedia.se/cat/links3.htm#other

TOMORROW, IT MUST BE NANTUCKET

Tomorrow I am on my way to the Nantucket Film Festival to show the new film for the first time. That’s where I launched WMD some years back. Wish me luck.

Not sure I will be blogging Friday because of the trip. More on that tomorrow. Also no energy now to tell you about a forum I attended yesterday on media moguls in India, as well as Paul Krugman and Greg Palast’s event in New York with Amy Goodman moderating. (Krugman accidentally knocked down the US flag on stage—I hope none of his critics (”you see, you see”) will bash him for that!) More to come. That’s the advantage of writing daily. If I don’t get to it today, I can try tomorrow and tomorrow, as you know, is just a day away.

Thanks for your support and letters:

Write: Dissector@mediachannel.org