The conflict has now been going for more than two years and many in the mainstream media have given up reporting. There are notable exceptions. This remarkable footage (shot by Olly Lambert and screened by PBS Frontline) must be seen. Lambert writes movingly… about the realities of war journalism in ways that happen far too rarely:…
Showing all posts tagged mainstream media
Lest we forget the pro-war hacks who backed Iraq invasion
Opposing the 2003 Iraq invasion was often a lonely journey amongst the media elites. I was writing against the travesty of the war from 2003 (here’s a piece of mine in the Sydney Morning Herald from 2004) but far too many supported the conflict out of bravado or cowardice. Here’s US reporter Chris Hedges calling…
Rolling Stone covers BDS against Israel
A small but important step towards mainstream coverage of an issue, Israel’s colonisation and apartheid, that is only getting worse. Rolling Stone reports: Pink Floyd‘s Roger Waters says a boycott of Israel, similar to the one implemented against South Africa during apartheid, is the “way to go.” He accuses the Israeli government of running a…
ABCTV News24’s The Drum on Iraq, Palestine and media reforms
Last night I appeared on ABC TV’s The Drum (video here) on the 10th anniversary of the 2003 Iraq war. We discussed the appalling legacy of the Iraq invasion, the massive loss of life and continued chaos of the country. Accountability, in the political or media elites, is far and few between. I argued that…
Lest we forget who led coalition of fools into Iraq
Today, the 10 year anniversary of the disastrous Iraq invasion, is time for reflection, anger and honesty. Too many politicians, journalists and war mongers want to forget. We should not allow it. Medialens is right: What was truly shocking in March 2003 was that Blair was able to weave this obvious web of deceit and…
What mainstream media deliberately ignores over Hugo Chavez
Almost on queue, the mainstream press coverage of the passing of Hugo Chavez followed a predictable pattern. The underlying agenda is that any leader who seriously challenges US hegemony will receive abuse from less than independent thinking journalists and commentators. Medialens examines the record: Following the death of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez on March 5,…
Debating ethics and journalism over US drone victim Anwar al-Awlaki
Yet another example of why Democracy Now! is one of the finest news shows in the world:
Wikileaks helps expose US-backed torture and death squads in Iraq
A cracking report that reveals the depravity of the US and Western mission in Iraq. And let’s not forget that Wikileaks provided the initial impetus to investigate: The Pentagon sent a US veteran of the “dirty wars” in Central America to oversee sectarian police commando units in… Iraq… that set up secret detention and… torture… centres to get information…
Australian politics is little better than satire. Discuss
Australian politicians, including Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, are currently wandering around Western Sydney looking for friends and spewing bile against anybody who isn’t “Australian”, whatever the hell that means. Pandering to the racist instinct is the worst kind of politics. I’ve never linked to a story on Channel 7’s Today…
BBC happy to promote deluded British narrative of spreading democracy
Typically savvy writing by Medialens: This ideological function was clear in the BBC Newsnight ‘special’ edition on February 26, 2013, titled… ‘Iraq: 10 Years On’. One of the guests on the platform in front of an invited audience was the grandly titled ‘World Affairs Editor’, John Simpson. The veteran journalist has an air of avuncular gravitas,…