Sunday, May 17, 2009

The "Free" Press

Abuelo Gerardo was a serious journalist and photographer who covered wars, investigated corruption, and was in fact sentenced to death in México on a couple of occasions because he had published something that was troublesome to those in power. One of them, I remember from his stories, had to do with General Carranza... He joined the French Foreign Legion because he could not get close to the war... I have a postcard he sent from abroad...

So who are these people that work for MSNBC and CBS and whoever else, and DO NOT report the news? There is NO coverage about the ongoing US killing of civilians in Afghanistan. There have been numerous 'air strikes' that have gone awry and killed tens of Afghan women and children... Does the term 'free press' mean they are 'free' as in 'worthless?' How do they justify their wages? Or are these the wages of corporate sin?

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I had to come back and correct my post above, in two ways. First of all, there was a NYT editorial today on drone bombings, and second of all, the independent media always reports on these things, but then again, I was not referring to them when I said we have no coverage. Anyone who does not read Alternet or the Nation goes wanting for the real news.

2 comments:

Herbert Barry Woodrose said...

I read today an essay in RAWA - you know, the incredibly well organized women's group in Afghanistan that we are purportedly there to help and liberate - and "scathing" doesn't cover it.

The essay is like the Voice on high, just detailing one point after another showing the endless lies of the United States leadership in regards to Afghanistan. And, as usual, it's a very well detailed, very lucid and very true account. It runs down the reasons that the United States said they were invading Afghanistan, and all the reasons.

It details the horror and shock the women felt as some of the biggest criminals against women were not only completely pardoned, but returned to real power. Then it details the names of these enlightened types, just in case we thought maybe it was all generality and hyperbole. I don't have the link in front of me now, and it's a little late, but a quick look at the RAWA site will likely yield it.

It's not going to happen, I know; but I'd consider it a real, meaningful, albeit small, change if United Statesians would even just occasionally listen to the victims they are supposedly helping.

As to the drone attacks: if you look really really hard, there is news - alternative news, as you point out - that the drones were killing civilians in the middle of last year. There was a flurry of activity at the end of last year.

I'm not sure when the first CNN report (internet) happened on the subject, but it was a very small one, and very normalizing. I remember it was just a natural course of events for CNN, as though we had all been discussing the use of drones for years. And that's exactly how the public started talking about it. As though we all already knew about robots in the sky, nothing special. No one likes to admit they don't know something, so in the interests of imitation of our parent-Elite, we just pretend nothing new was just said. It's all very normal and natural.

America is not a country said...

There is a part of me that literally cringes... but the saddest part of all of this is how few people really care... it's as if, as long as I have my beer or new shoes or car stereo or (fill-in-the-blank) I don't need to worry about anything else. It's at least 400 years since Donne's Meditation XVII... "No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."