Category General

Deep inside Syrian rebel territory

In a time of war, great journalists are rare. Ghaith Abdul-Ahad is a truly unique reporter. His recent dispatches from deep inside Yemen, including Al-Qaeda territory, were remarkable. Now he’s inside Syria, alongside rebel forces (his photos are here). Read him to understand what is happening inside a civil war: The column of eight rebel…

How to interview an alleged war criminal part 1

Look and learn journalists, admiring the powerful isn’t how it’s done. Here’s an Irish interviewer talking to George W. Bush in 2006: Today, America gives the world Thomas Friedman, a New York Times columnist who loves to dish out American fire power and takes no responsibility when it causes chaos.

An alternative view from Damascus on a war we barely understand

French journalist Thierry Meyssan, with a controversial record, has sent the following dispatch from Damascus, in French, and below is a rough translation from a French friend of mine. One more piece of the exceedingly complex Syrian puzzle: Damas, the volcano’s been extinguished This is 23 July at 7 pm and we are standing on…

Why profit-making prisons distort justice

The outrage of vulture capitalism in practice (via the American Constitution Society): The failed “war on drugs” certainly helped the proliferation of for-profit prisons, but the federal government’s increasing reliance on many of the same companies to detain undocumented immigrants and others awaiting court resolutions is not only furthering private prison profits but the need…

New Yorker editor on writing profiles

David Remnick, just out with this stunning piece on Bruce Springsteen, talks about profile writing: STORYBOARD: The Art of the Profile with David Remnick of ‘The New Yorker’ from Tumblr on Vimeo.

What everybody has done to Afghanistan (screw it up)

The legacy of 30 years of war in Afghanistan is profound. A recently released report of atrocities during the Soviet era highlights individuals currently in high positions of government. So much for accountability and thank you Western nations for ignoring such things when enabling these forces. And if you think the US-led occupation is coming…

How do we define terrorism? Anybody who’s opposed to us

Medialens ask the questions most in the media aren’t: When is an act of terrorism not terrorism? When the victims are officially sanctioned state enemies. This was clear from the political and media response to the assassinations of senior ministers of the Syrian ”˜regime’. On 18 July, a… bomb attack… on the national security headquarters in Damascus…

What is tearing Syria apart

The horrors inside Syria are increasingly clear. This is both a civil war and a proxy war with various powers determined to oppose and isolate Iran. Here’s a very powerful piece in today’s New York Times by Janine di Giovanni that highlights the chaos of Assad’s Syria: What does it feel like when a war…

McClatchy teaches journalists how to be real journalists

McClatchy’s Washington Bureau just sent out this important directive. Mainstream media, listen and learn: To our staff and to our readers: As you are aware, reporters from The New York Times, Washington Post, Bloomberg and others are agreeing to give government sources the right to clear and alter quotes as a prerequisite to granting an…

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