Important column by Seumas Milne in the Guardian (a newspaper that has continually smeared Assange): Considering he made his name with the biggest leak of secret government documents in history, you might imagine there would be at least some residual concern for Julian Assange among those trading in the freedom of information business. But the…
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Protecting an Australian journalist, such as Julian Assange, from the clutches of US empire
Michael Moore and Oliver Stone on a key point in the Wikileaks saga that must be remembered. Their New York Times op-ed: If Mr. Assange is extradited to the United States, the consequences will reverberate for years around the world. Mr. Assange is not an American citizen, and none of his actions have taken place…
Fracking is so very safe, like smoking, says companies who would never lie
A fascinating short documentary by Josh Fox, director of Gasland, about the role of fracking in America, and how lobbyists and corporate media are contributing to environmental disaster. This is very relevant for my work on a book and film about disaster capitalism: THE SKY IS PINK by Josh Fox and the GASLAND Team from…
Who is afraid of #pussyriot?
Many American media organisations, apparently (via the Guardian): The… conviction of three members of the punk band Pussy Riot… has caused consternation throughout the world – and a dilemma for prudish news organizations. Major media groups have been furiously editing headlines, tweets and stories to avoid using the word “pussy”. The… Washington Post… has taken the most conservative stance…
Classic corporate journalism on Papua New Guinea; what environmental concerns over mining?
The following piece by Brian Robins in the Sydney Morning Herald Business section is classic mainstream media myopia. After decades of exploitation and environmental disasters due to mining, the possible re-opening of the mine on Bougainville in Papua New Guinea is discussed without once acknowledging the huge vandalism and violence perpetrated by Rio Tinto back…
One sorry Australian tale that reveals how the country has become dangerously secretive
This story appeared recently in the Fairfax place then disappeared just as quickly. It’s an important investigation by Philip Dorling about the Australian government’s mostly secret war on supposed trouble-makers. Don’t believe a word of it. It’s largely a fishing expedition with little oversight: The curious case of Timothy Byrnes, a complaint to ASIO and…
Journalism in the age of a Syrian civil war
What’s the role of a reporter in such a conflict? To provide context, as much hard news as possible and not be taken in totally by any side. Scepticism rules. Interesting piece in the New York Times: Even when his country was not convulsed by war, President… Bashar al-Assad… of… Syria… rarely gave televised interviews to foreigners. His session…
Al-Jazeera compromising its vision to blindly back Syrian rebels?
Sultan Al Qassemi writes in Foreign Policy: Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya were founded by members of the Qatari and Saudi royal families, respectively, and their coverage of Syria faithfully reflects the political positions of their backers. There’s big money behind both stations: Al Jazeera was… created… with a… $150 million… grant from the emir of Qatar in 1996,…