My following analysis appears on ABC Unleashed/The Drum today: An Egyptian blogger displayed characteristic humour when news broke overnight that president Hosni Mubarak would not be stepping down: Mubarak (n.): a psychotic ex-girlfriend who fails 2 understand it’s over. If Mubarak and his new deputy Omar Suleiman thought their speeches would placate the protesters, they…
Showing all posts tagged mainstream media
Wikileaks: Not all leaks are created equal
My following essay appears today in Online Opinion: The Obama administration is pursuing Wikileaks and its Australian founder Julian Assange for alleged criminal activity in releasing classified documents. The US Department of Justice has ordered Twitter to hand over private messages sent by parties close to Wikileaks and the whistle-blower website says that even the…
Tip for journalists; don’t ask too many questions about Mubarak, please
Medialens shows the narrow views in the UK media: Western journalists, then, are confronted by three salient facts in Egypt: 1) Mubarak’s regime is a brutal military dictatorship responsible for widespread torture. 2) The Egyptian people are clearly intent on removing this dictator. But also: 3) A major reason why the Egyptian people are currently…
My Favourite Teacher book collection
We all have a mentor or somebody in life who has inspired us. I was asked to contribute to the just released book, My Favourite Teacher (New Press) on a person, when I was younger or today, who has shaped me. My chapter is about former journalist Margo Kingston, a woman who helped me realise…
Israel doesn’t believe in Egyptian democracy
My following article appears in today’s edition of Crikey: While the Egyptian masses are uprising in unprecedented ways across the country against a Western-backed dictator, Israel fears the worst. The country’s President Shimon Peres said last week that, “no matter what they say, we owe Mubarak true gratitude for being as steadfast as a rock…
Few handy tips to be a “centrist”, pro-Obama stenographer
The ultimate insider news publication is Politico, a how-to-guide to slavishly follow the political and media elites. So I shouldn’t be surprised to read this story entitled, “How Obama plays media like a fiddle“. All hacks, want some Obama love? Follow these tips: Respect the Village Elders Most political reporters live in Washington. So it’s…
Journalism from the streets of Egypt (and that’s not from the BBC)
This is why Al-Jazeera is bringing a necessary revolution in global news reporting. Embedded and Washington and London loving journalism should have no place. Except on Fox News and CNN.
Highlighting the Beijing-backed thugs in Sri Lanka
The Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement in late January: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon must press the United Nations to address the string of uninvestigated and unprosecuted attacks on journalists and media houses under the government of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. CPJ responded after an early…
Media that doesn’t spread fear of Islam
Only on Al-Jazeera (almost impossible in the Western, corporate media): Tariq Ramadan and Slavoj Zizek on the future of Egyptian politics: