Showing all posts in June 2019

Norman Finkelstein writes an opinion article that the American mainstream press refuses to publish. Why? The usual reason: Israel’s mythical position as Middle East human rights defenders must remain intact. God forbid America’s relationship with its client state is exposed for what it really is: “On the night of August 24, 2005, Israeli troops shot…

The relationship between America’s Israel lobby and the Iraq war remains one of the last great taboos in political and media debate. Mazin Qumsiyeh dares speak some truths about this subject matter. His conclusions should make you most uncomfortable.

My latest New Matilda column is about Western “values”, the media’s war on terrorism and shameless propaganda: “For liberal democracies, questioning and confronting this orthodoxy presents one of the greatest challenges since Cold War propaganda convinced millions that the (crumbling and inefficient) Soviets were actually determined to destroy our benign, capitalist, Western world. ‘Values’ are…

– England’s third largest political force, the Liberal Democrats, call for British troops to leave Iraq. – New York authorities try and silence a New York anti-war meeting with Cindy Sheehan. – The New York Times is part of the problem, not the solution. Again. – Check out some films created by the US National…

George Galloway may have had questionable friendships but who can doubt this tornedo of truth in the wake of Hurricane Katrina? “The scenes from the stricken city almost defy belief. Many, many thousands of people left to die in what is the richest, most powerful country on Earth. This obscenity is as far from a…

Former Canberra Press Gallery journalist Mungo Maccallum reflects on the current state of the Australian media and Mark Latham’s vitriol towards it. On The Australian’s Paul Kelly: “He may be pompous, up himself and easily duchessed by the great and powerful, especially the Americans, but these are sins of naivety rather than ideology.” On Channel…

I was on Queensland’s Gold Coast last weekend with my partner and her family. The weather was warm and high-rise development continued unabated. We all went to Jupiter’s Casino on Saturday night to see the all-singing and all-dancing Todd McKenney show. A judge on Dancing with the Stars, McKenney is a charismatic, cheesy performer who…

The Clinton Global Initiative, held recently in New York, aimed to “concentrate a diverse and select group of current and former heads of state, business leaders, noteworthy academicians, and key NGO representatives to identify immediate and pragmatic solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems.” Fine words, if you don’t choke on the claim…

While Australian journalists continue taking incalculable risks in slamming Mark Latham – the Sydney Morning Herald’s Peter Hartcher takes the prize for self-important and clueless insider – a number of reporters are gathering together to investigate last year’s murder of Paul Klebnikov, the Russian Forbes magazine editor. “…A group of major media outlets and investigative…