Media Crisis
Abu Ghraib Film Obscures Truth
Errol Morris's documentary "Standard Operating Procedure" promised to tell the whole truth about the Abu Ghraib scandal. Instead, it followed the path of previous cover-ups, blaming low-level MPs and even relying on the word of one private interrogator linked to the abuses. April 30, 2008
TV Networks Silenced Anti-War Voices
A New York Times investigation exposed how the Pentagon funneled its Iraq War propaganda through retired military officers turned TV analysts. However, as media critic Jeff Cohen notes, TV executives made the decision to silence anti-war voices. April 28, 2008
US News Media's Latest Disgrace
It may come as little surprise that TV news shows served as conduits for the Bush administration's Iraq War propaganda by putting on "military analysts" who were puppets for the Pentagon. The truth is this was a scandal three decades in the making. April 21, 2008
In Case You Missed These Stories
Once a month, we plan to look back at some of the previous month's special stories that might have flown by without getting the attention they deserved. Here's a selection from March. April 13, 2008
The Very Annoying Washington Post
The Washington Post's editorial page is at it again, mocking Americans who don't buy into the grand wisdom of George W. Bush's Iraq War. What makes this so annoying is that the Post never admits that it got virtually the entire Iraq War wrong. April 11, 2008
(The Late) M.L. King Still Silenced
In his last years of life, Martin Luther King Jr. spoke out forcefully against the Vietnam War and American militarism, drawing cold contempt from major U.S. media outlets. Now, 40 years after his death, the news media still ignores one of King's last great battles. April 4, 2008
Telling Truth Early
As we start our spring fundraiser, we thought readers might be interested in why we do what we do. One of our chief goals is to provide readers important information that they haven't encountered elsewhere, even if sometimes they don't want to hear it. March 31, 2008
PBS on Iraq: A Compilation of Deceit
A PBS documentary on the Iraq War broke little new ground, but compiled the extraordinary record of the Bush administration's deceit. In this guest essay, Middle East expert Morgan Strong noted one new motive for the war: the desire to have Iraq recognize Israel. March 30, 2008
National Pentagon Radio?
Years ago, Americans could expect greater journalistic independence from PBS and NPR. But a long campaign of right-wing pressure on their funding has turned the two media outlets into shadows of their former selves, as media critic Norman Solomon notes in this guest essay. March 28, 2008
Frontline's Timid Iraq Retrospective
Over two nights, PBS Frontline served up a four-hour retrospective on "Bush's War" in Iraq, focusing on bureaucratic rivalries and incompetence. But, as former CIA analyst Ray McGovern observes, Frontline averted its eyes from many of the tougher questions. March 26, 2008
In Case You Missed These Stories
Once a month, we plan to look back at some of the previous month's special stories that might have flown by without getting the attention they deserved. Here's a selection from February. March 13, 2008
In Case You Missed These Stories
One shortcoming in our effort to publish more and more articles is that some special stories fly by without getting the attention they deserve. So, periodically, we'll publish this "in case you missed it" feature with links to stories that we feel fall into that category. February 11, 2008
CBS Falsifies Iraq War History
In the real world, Saddam Hussein's Iraq announced in 2002 that it didn't have WMD, sent the U.N. a 12,000-page declaration to that effect, and let U.N. inspectors in to check. In George W. Bush's world -- and according to "60 Minutes" -- none of that happened. January 28, 2008
A Surge of More Lies
The "success" of George W. Bush's Iraq War "surge" has become an article of faith in Official Washington, with the Washington Post's editorial board and the New York Times' new columnist William Kristol baiting Democrats to get on board. Given this consensus, we are publishing a dissenting view from Congressman Robert Wexler. January 16, 2008
Media Is the Key to Democracy
A new Democratic reason for not holding George W. Bush and Dick Cheney accountable is that the Washington press corps would react to impeachment with hostility and ridicule. While no excuse for their timidity, the Democrats do have a point: the careerist U.S. news media has become a threat to the Republic. December 20, 2007
Gary Webb's Enduring Legacy
Three years ago, investigative reporter Gary Webb committed suicide after his U.S. press colleagues helped destroy his career for daring to tell the truth about the Reagan administration's protection of cocaine trafficking by the Nicaraguan contras. In this special report, Robert Parry looks at this personal tragedy and its enduring legacy. December 11, 2007
What's at Stake, What Can Be Done
The neoconservatives understand that the chief vulnerability of a modern democracy is its media. That is why their strategy for replacing the American Republic and its inalienable rights with an Imperial system under an all-powerful Executive rests on supplanting honest information with fear-mongering and lies. You can help us stop that. December 5, 2007
WPost Buys into Anti-Obama Bigotry
The right-wing smear campaign accusing Barack Obama of a secret allegiance to the Muslim faith got a high-profile and respectful boost from the Washington Post. The influential newspaper fronted a story that recycles the innuendos and buys into the bigotry. November 29, 2007
The Poodles of the U.S. News Media
You can't understand how the United States got itself into today's mess without assessing the aiding-and-abetting role of the Washington press corps. In this guest essay, media critic Norman Solomon discusses the U.S. news media's poodle-like behavior. November 21, 2007
How False Narrative Works
Over the past couple of decades, the Republicans have benefited from their ability to create false narratives with the help of the Right's well-financed media machine. This excerpt from Neck Deep examines the "China-gate" case study from Campaign 2000. November 14, 2007
Robert Parry: Why We Write
In his three decades as a Washington journalist, Robert Parry reflects on one of the chief lessons he has learned: the danger of false narrative in a democracy. He explains how it became the political weapon of choice for the neocons and what can be done about it. November 13, 2007
Six Years After 'Gore's Victory'
Six years ago, eight news organizations published the findings of their unofficial recount of Florida's disputed ballots. The recount discovered that Al Gore would have won the decisive Florida election if all legally cast ballots had been counted. But the big news outlets concealed that finding from the American public. November 12, 2007
MSM Buries Military Dissent on Iraq
The mainstream media (or MSM) continues with its double standard for opinions about the Iraq War. Just like five years ago, when Congress granted George W. Bush authority to invade Iraq, pro-war articles are preferred; anti-war articles -- even when written by people with military experience -- get shunted to the side. This week, the Washington Post accepted one critical article by 12 former captains who served in Iraq but only published it on the newspaper's Web site. October 17, 2007
Why Big Media Slimes Al Gore
New York Times columnist Paul Krugman observes that the Right's media goes berserk when dealing with Al Gore, in part because he had the audacity to outpoll their hero, George W. Bush, in 2000. But right-wing pundits aren't alone in this animosity. The big U.S. news outlets, including the Times, have taken their share of unfair shots at Gore. Even after he won the Nobel Peace Prize, CNN and the Washington Post editors couldn't resist the need to denigrate him. But why? October 16, 2007
More Reader Comments on Al Gore
Readers expressed their thoughts about Al Gore, his Nobel Peace Prize, his viability as a presidential candidate and his treatment by the U.S. and British news media. October 17, 2007
Smearing Al Gore: Here We Go Again
In a replay of Campaign 2000's "war on Gore," the right-wing news media and key mainstream outlets have made a big issue out of a ruling by an obscure British judge alleging that he found nine "errors" in Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth." The judge's querulous ruling, however, misstates what Gore actually says in the documentary, in effect setting up straw men to knock down. Nevertheless, the ruling is helping to discredit Gore and his Nobel Peace Prize. October 13, 2007
The Left's Media Miscalculation (Redux)
MoveOn's "General Betray Us" debacle -- costing the anti-Iraq War movement $142,000 on the ad and lost political momentum in Congress -- underscores again the power and value of the Right's media machine. It can make small mistakes by opponents big and big mistakes by allies small. In recognition of this hard reality, we are reprising a special report, first published on April 29, 2005, explaining how this dangerous media asymmetry developed. September 25, 2007
MoveOn & Media Double Standards
The New York Times has joined in pummeling MoveOn.org, with a top editor faulting his newspaper for violating a ban on negative personal attack ads. The editor says, too, MoveOn should have paid more than double for the "General Betray Us" ad. In response, MoveOn is writing a check for another $77,000 to the Times in a perverse case of negative bang for the buck. Plus, in a show of double standards, the Times runs a right-wing ad entitled "Ahmadinejad Is a Terrorist." September 24, 2007
Hard Lessons from MoveOn Fiasco
Republicans scored political points and diverted the debate on the Iraq War by concentrating media fire on MoveOn.org's silly "General Betray Us" ad. But the underlying lesson is that the Right's powerful media apparatus -- built over the past three decades with many billions of dollars -- can transform any misstep by the Left into a major national issue. Meanwhile, the Left continues to shun the need for a media infrastructure that can restore some balance to the U.S. political process. September 22, 2007
NYT's Friedman's Addiction to War
It's amazing how few of the Washington pundits who cheered on the Iraq invasion have suffered any serious career consequences. With only a couple of exceptions, these go-with-the-flow "experts" are still floating along. In this guest essay, media analyst Norman Solomon looks at how one of the most famous pundits, Thomas Friedman, built his reputation with breezy advocacy of war. September 7, 2007
Bush's New War Drums for Iran
From the White House to the Washington Post's editorial page, the war drums are beating again, this time for Iran. In this special report, former CIA analyst Ray McGovern writes that George W. Bush's plan to label Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "specially designated global terrorist" organization appears to be the new casus belli. The White House insists that Iran is helping Shiite militias in Iraq attack American troops. And the Post, which was gung-ho for invading Iraq over its WMD, now is calling for severe retaliation against Iran. August 21, 2007
Spinning the Iraq War Death Toll
Some of George W. Bush's supporters are hailing the fact that in July, only 80 American troops were killed in Iraq, down from triple-digit numbers the preceding three months. They see it as a sign that Bush's "surge" is working. But military and intelligence sources say other factors explain the downturn, including a decision by U.S. commanders to cut back on aggressive ground operations to reduce the political backlash over rising casualties, not to mention the brutal heat. August 10, 2007
The NYT's New Pro-War Propaganda
The Bush administration is gearing up its Iraq War propaganda again, with the New York Times back in its role as credulous straight man. On its op-ed page, the Times published a pro-surge article by Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack, allowing the pair to present themselves as harsh critics of the Iraq War grudgingly won over by the promising facts on the ground. Left out of this happy tale of conversion was that O'Hanlon and Pollack have long favored a beefed-up occupation of Iraq. July 30, 2007
Novak's Limited Plame-gate Hang-out
The Washington Post and other newspapers that publish right-wing columnist Robert Novak continue to let him confuse their readers about what happened in the outing of CIA officer Valerie Plame. Novak, who blew Plame's cover in 2003, has used his column not only to shield himself but also to muddy the waters over what President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and their subordinates did. Still, a careful reading of Novak's words offers some surprising admissions. July 10, 2007
NYT on Iraq: Better Late Than Never?
A full-length New York Times editorial concludes that it is time to bring the U.S. military occupation of Iraq to an end. While many anti-war Americans may welcome the weight of the nation's most prestigious newspaper, others may wonder what took the Times so long to reach this assessment of George W. Bush's bloody folly. A deeper question remains why the leading U.S. news organizations did so little to raise timely questions about the wisdom of invading an Arab nation. July 8, 2007
How the U.S. Media Loved the War
Anti-war optimists cite the Iraq War skepticism in today's U.S. news media as a sign George W. Bush's militarist policies are in trouble. But what does it say about these Big Media journalists that they would go with the pro-Bush flow until the public-opinion tide turned? In this guest essay, media critic Norman Solomon offers a looks back. July 7, 2007
Will the Press Idiocy Ever Stop?
The U.S. political press corps distorted the Bush-Gore presidential race of 2000 by repeatedly misquoting Al Gore to transform the Vice President into a delusional braggart. This dishonest media coverage influenced the votes of millions of Americans and set the stage for the disastrous presidency of George W. Bush. Yet, the apocryphal quotes -- such as Gore supposedly saying "I invented the Internet" -- live on. July 2, 2007
The Right Sharpens Knives for 'Sicko'
With Michael Moore's new documentary, "Sicko," set for nationwide release, the usual suspects on the Right are sharpening their knives for both Moore and the idea that national health insurance should cover all Americans. In this guest essay, radio personality Jay Diamond writes that Sean Hannity and other right-wing voices are scaring Americans with horror stories about "socialized medicine" while ignoring the valuable services performed by VA hospitals and Medicare. June 27, 2007
Is WP's Cohen the Dumbest Columnist?
Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen has jumped on the neocon bandwagon seeking a get-out-of-jail-free card for former White House aide Lewis Libby. But, as usual, Cohen misses the real story, just like his earlier judgments that George W. Bush would be a "conciliator" and that "only a fool or possibly a Frenchman" would doubt Colin Powell's U.N. speech. Though the competition is stiff, Cohen might be the dumbest columnist in memory, but that hasn't hurt his career. June 19, 2007
Mid-Year Report to Our Readers
Midway through our 12th year, editor Robert Parry writes that it's difficult to assess progress, but we believe this Web site has made a difference, telling stories that otherwise might not be told and saving history that could have been lost. Still, the challenge remains to match our journalistic ambitions with our fundraising abilities. June 10, 2007
Time for PBS to Go?
PBS is airing a neoconservative-inspired series defending George W. Bush's "war on terror." While acknowledging the pro-conservative bias of the program, PBS executives say they see no reason to give Iraq War critics equal time. Is it time for PBS to go? April 19, 2007
More Reader Comment on PBS Article
A number of readers commented, pro and con, about our story on PBS letting Iraq War architect Richard Perle write and narrate a documentary on the "war on terror." April 25, 2007
Imus Agonistes
The Don Imus affair brought some accountability to one fabulously wealthy radio shock jock. In this guest essay, commentator Jay Diamond examines this deeper problem. April 18, 2007
U.S. News Media's 'War on Gore'
As former Vice President Al Gore returned to Capitol Hill to seek urgent action on global warming, it was hard to ignore the question of what might have been if the U.S. news media had not waged a "war on Gore" during Campaign 2000. A Special Report. March 22, 2007
WPost Prints New Wilson/Plame Attack
The Washington Post's editorial page continues its extraordinary assault on two private American citizens, former Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his ex-CIA agent wife Valerie Plame. March 22, 2007
Plame-gate: Time to Fire WPost's Hiatt
The Washington Post's editorial page parroted George W. Bush's lies in the run-up to the Iraq War and has continued to carry White House water in the years since.March 17, 2007
WPost Editorial Fantasyland
In a normal world, the Washington Post's editorial-page editors would be ashamed of themselves for having swallowed George W. Bush's Iraq War propaganda whole and for helping to mislead the American people into a disastrous war. March 8, 2007
Shame on the Washington Post, Again
The Washington Post is at it again, publishing an extraordinary smear directed at special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald and former Ambassador Joseph Wilson whose wife, CIA officer Valerie Plame, was outed by the Bush administration as it sought to counter Wilson's Iraq War criticism. February 19, 2007
The GOP's $3 Billion Propaganda Organ
When history tries to make sense of what happened to American politics in this era, it should take into account the extraordinary story of how a right-wing Korean cult leader, Sun Myung Moon, bought influence with the U.S. political class by pouring billions of dollars into conservative causes, including a daily newspaper, the Washington Times. A Special Report. December 27, 2006
Year-End Report from the Editor
For 11 years now, we have
provided investigative journalism on important topics – including
issues of national security, constitutional liberties, human rights,
politics, the environment, and international crime. But never has our
work been more important than it is today. December 21, 2006
Introducing Consortiumblog
We at Consortiumnews.com
are excited to announce the launch of our new blog, Consortiumblog,
available at http://consortiumblog.blogspo
t.com/. December 14, 2006
Gary Webb's Death: American Tragedy
Two years
ago, journalist Gary Webb -- his career and his life in ruins -- killed
himself. Though a terrible personal tragedy, Webb's suicide also marked
the last page of a dark chapter in American journalism, the end result
of his punishment at the hands of colleagues for helping expose the
Reagan administration's contra-cocaine scandal. The major U.S. news
media revealed itself more as an accomplice to government crimes than a
watchdog for the people -- a precursor to the failure to challenge
George W. Bush's false case for invading Iraq. December 9,
2006
The Future of Consortiumnews.com
Now completing its 11th
year, our Web site has accomplished many of its original goals. Most
notably, we created a home for important journalism unwelcome in a
mainstream U.S. news media that had lost its way and let down the
American people. There were surprises and disappointments, too. We never
were able to convince the deep pockets about the need for a major
investment in independent journalism. But we found instead a consortium
of citizens willing to support what we do. November 29, 2006
Is Olbermann on Thin Ice?
Keith Olbermann has emerged as one of the few strong voices on national TV daring to criticize the Bush administration's handling of the "war on terror." But are his days numbered? In this guest essay, media critic Jeff Cohen looks at the remarkable story of how a former ESPN sports guy took on the mantle of Edward R. Murrow when few others had the courage to do so. October 5, 2006
Washington Post Hires
Bush Aide
Many Americans still think of the Washington Post as a liberal
"flagship" because it broke Watergate stories more than three decades
ago. But for the past two decades, the Post has been sailing steadily
into neoconservative waters, a course it continues to follow to this
day. In this guest essay, media critic Jeff Cohen discusses the Post's
latest hire for its Op-Ed page -- a Bush speechwriter who helped distort
the case for war with Iraq.
September 18. 2006
Why Consortiumnews.com
Deserves Your Support
Editor Robert Parry explains what this investigative Web site has
accomplished in the past 11 years and how much more it could have done
-- and should be doing.
September 16. 2006
New Clues in the Plame
Mystery
Washington's new "conventional wisdom" -- that Karl Rove and the Bush
administration got a bum rap on the "outing" of CIA officer Valerie
Plame -- has been destroyed by new evidence that Rove and former Deputy
Secretary of State Richard Armitage were much closer than most pundits
understood. Right-wing columnist Robert Novak also has blown big holes
in the notion of Bush administration innocence.
September 15. 2006
Readers React to Plame
Stories
Some comments from readers
about the investigation into how the Bush administration leaked the
identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame, including our
reporting on the Rove-Armitage connection. September 17, 2006
U.S. Press Bigwigs Screw
Up, Again
For the past two weeks, Washington's "conventional wisdom" crowd has
been chastising anyone who ever thought that the Bush administration had
willfully leaked the name of CIA officer Valerie Plame to punish her
husband for criticizing the Iraq War. That "conspiracy theory" had
supposedly been disproved by the admission of former State Department
official Richard Armitage, who said he inadvertently blurted out the
name as gossip. But now columnist Robert Novak discloses that Armitage's
account was "deceptive," meaning that the U.S. press bigwigs have
screwed up again.
September 14. 2006
9/11's Dark Window to
the Future
The fifth anniversary of 9/11 recalls that tragic day but also has
become a reminder of America's continuing march toward a new-age
totalitarianism in which political and ideological forces shape reality.
As George W. Bush seeks to revive the sentimental unity that followed
the attacks, his supporters are busy using the event as cover for
consolidating right-wing political power and enshrining a bogus history. September 11. 2006
Shareholder Letter to
Disney
A Disney shareholder
demands accountability for deceptive "docu-drama" on 9/11. September 12, 2006
Who Benefits from 9/11
Angst?
In this guest essay, Ivan
Eland explains how excessive 9/11 commemorations help al-Qaeda
terrorists spread more fear and let a few American politicians boost
their poll numbers.
September 12, 2006
Bush Exploited, Shamed 9/11
Rarely has history witnessed the contrast between how a united people
rallied in the face of tragedy as occurred on 9/11 and how that
country's leadership then exploited that unity for ideological and
partisan goals. In this heartfelt guest essay on the fifth anniversary
of 9/11, political analyst Brent Budowsky looks back at that tragic day
and its equally tragic exploitation by President George W. Bush and his
political followers. September 10. 2006
Readers React on 9/11
Exploitation
Some comments from readers
about the Right's political exploitation of 9/11, now including a
prime-time network "docu-drama." September 10, 2006
ABC's 9/11 'Docu-fraud'
Must Go!
Should ABC-TV air a docu-drama on
a historical event as searing as the 9/11 attacks with dialogue and
scenes invented by screenwriters with an apparent ideological bias
against the people whose words are being made up? In this guest essay, political
analyst Brent Budowsky says minor touch-ups are not enough, the whole
project must go. What do you think? September 9. 2006
How Obtuse Is the U.S.
Press?
The Washington press corps
is swinging into full backlash mode, whipping anyone who challenged how
the White House handled the smearing of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson
and the outing of his CIA wife. Seizing on a new disclosure putting
blame on a senior State Department official, the Washington Post and the
New York Times have rallied to George W. Bush's defense -- despite reams
of evidence that Bush and his aides were behind the anti-Wilson
operation. Which raises the old "Shawshank Redemption" question: "How
can you be so obtuse?" September 3, 2006
More Readers' Comments
Some comments from readers
about our stories, "Smearing Joe Wilson, Again" and "How
Obtuse Is the U.S. Press?" September 3, 2006
Smearing Joe Wilson,
Again
The Washington Post's
editorial page is at it again, smearing someone who dared expose the
Bush administration's Iraq War deceptions. The whipping boy this time is
former Ambassador Joseph Wilson who had the audacity to challenge George
W. Bush's false claims about Iraq trying to buy uranium from Africa. In
an upside-down editorial, the Post is now blaming Wilson for the
administration's exposure of his CIA wife's identity. September 1, 2006
Missing the Point on
CIA Leak Case
Conservative pundits are
claiming that the White House was vindicated by the disclosure that
former State Department official Richard Armitage may have been the
first official to tell a reporter about Valerie Plame's CIA identity.
But that doesn't change the relevant fact that White House aides
willfully peddled Plame's covert identity to some half dozen reporters.
In this guest essay, political analyst Brent Budowsky calls the Armitage
story a meaningless diversion from the treachery committed by top aides
to George W. Bush. August 31, 2006
Why NYT's Friedman Should
Resign
New York Times foreign
policy analyst Thomas L. Friedman has finally admitted that his
enthusiasm for invading Iraq was misguided, but his limited mea culpa
hasn't stopped him from insulting Americans who opposed the war before
the killing began. Now the questions are: Why should Americans listen to
an "expert" who got the biggest post-Cold War foreign policy story
wrong? And why doesn't Friedman have the decency to resign? August 21, 2006
Readers' Comments
Some comments from readers
about our story, "Why NYT's Friedman Should Resign." August 22, 2006
The Hariri Mirage
Returns
In its Sunday lead story,
the New York Times twice references alleged Syrian guilt in the 2005
assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. But -- in
much the same pattern of the Times' coverage of purported Iraqi WMD four
years ago -- the article offers no balance or perspective, such as
recognition that the initial Hariri-murder accusations have fallen
apart. July 23, 2006
Was Bob Woodward
Slam-Dunked?
New evidence undercuts Bob
Woodward's famous account that CIA director George Tenet misled George
W. Bush about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction with the assurance that
it was a "slam-dunk" case. U.S. intelligence insiders gave a different
version of that meeting to author Ron Suskind -- and leaked documents
challenge Woodward's depiction of Bush as a leader who wanted to make
sure "no one stretches to make our case." July 7, 2006
A July Fourth Call to
Arms
George W. Bush has spurred
Republican congressmen and his right-media allies into an ugly assault
on the New York Times and other news outlets for not obeying Bush's
edicts on what information can be released about the "war on terror." In
this guest essay, political analyst Brent Budowsky comments on how those
accusations of treason and espionage are an affront to the principles of
a free press that the Founders established as a bedrock of democracy. July
3, 2006
The Neocon Battle for
Media
The harsh right-wing attacks on
the New York Times for publishing articles about the Bush
administration's secret monitoring of phone calls and financial
transactions mark a new phase in the long neoconservative battle to
intimidate and dominate the U.S. news media. But the struggle has
dangerous implications as well for the future of the American Republic. June 29, 2006
Wash Post Smears War
Critics, Again
As the U.S. death toll in the Iraq
War passes 2,500, the Washington Post continues its longstanding
campaign to disparage Democratic war critics, this time by calling them
people who try to "exploit bad news without appearing to rejoice in it."
These ugly charges have been part of the Post's pattern of
de-legitimizing dissent against George W. Bush's war policies since
2002. June 21, 2006
Five Days Left
Editor Robert Parry explains why
he didn't go to recent progressive conferences that dealt with media
issues. The chief reason is that the time for talking is past; if
something isn't done quickly, the time for action might be past soon.
This Web site has five days left to raise half its target for its spring
fund-raiser. June 16, 2006
The Hariri Mirage:
Lessons Unlearned
In October 2005, a drumbeat began
about Syria's presumed guilt for the assassination of former Lebanese
prime minister Rafik Hariri. From President Bush to the New York Times
editorial page, almost everyone agreed that Syrian security forces must
have been responsible, though there was some debate about whether
"regime change" was called for. However, with little notice in the past
half year, the initial Hariri investigation has crumbled. Still, the
American people have heard almost nothing about this changed situation. June 16, 2006
Is O'Reilly a Nazi? Just
Asking
Fox News star Bill O'Reilly has
accused American troops in World War II of murdering unarmed Nazi SS
forces at Malmedy, Belgium, and systematically burning alive
surrendering Japanese soldiers at Iwo Jima. But O'Reilly's historical
smears are no more accurate than many of his current ones. For instance,
at Malmedy, SS troops murdered unarmed Americans, not the other way
around. O'Reilly's bizarre sympathy for the Axis Powers might justify
one of those loaded Fox News questions: "Is Bill O'Reilly a Nazi?" Just
asking. June 3, 2006
Rummy Logic & Enduring
Lies
Facing hecklers over Iraq War
lies, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld appealed for renewed faith in
George W. Bush's honesty. But Rumsfeld then resumed the Bush
administration's long pattern of deceiving the American people with what
might be called "Rummy logic." Yet, even as the public catches on, the
mainstream news media continues to act the fool. May 8,
2006
Colbert & the Courtier
Press
The outrage sweeping Washington
journalism circles over comedian Stephen Colbert's lampooning of George
W. Bush is just the latest sign of a national news media that puts
coziness with insiders ahead of its responsibility to hold the Bush
administration accountable. The American people are discovering that one
of the biggest threats to the future of the Republic is the courtier
press. May 5,
2006
Shame on the Post's
Editorial Page
As one of the most influential
newspapers in the nation's capital, the Washington Post -- and
especially its editorial section -- must bear a large share of the blame
for the truncated debate that preceded the Iraq invasion. But even
worse, despite all the disclosures of George W. Bush's Iraq War lies,
Post editorials continue to smear the President's critics. April 20,
2006
'Jack Bauer,' Bush &
Rummy
This season's TV drama "24"
features an in-over-his-head U.S. President who sets in motion a
dangerous plot that he can't handle, forcing counter-terrorism agent
Jack Bauer into a position of having to "take down" the President.
Meanwhile, in real life, the United States faces a parallel crisis, a
reckless President George W. Bush taking actions that have spiraled out
of control. April 15, 2006
A 'Humbled' News Media?
Washington Post columnist Richard
Cohen says he and other pro-war pundits have been "humbled" by their
miscalculations in supporting George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq. But
Cohen sees the error as one of trusting too much in Bush's competence,
not as a question of whether Bush and his top aides were wrong to attack
a country that wasn't threatening the United States. April 4, 2006
Our Web Site & Three
Years of War
As the Iraq War enters its fourth
year, we are publishing a retrospective that looks back over our
coverage as the tragic war unfolded. From the early days of "shock and
awe" to the current drift toward "civil war," we described a very
different conflict than the one presented by George W. Bush and by much
of the U.S. news media. Hyperlinks let you see the stories as they were
posted, so you can judge who was more accurate. March
21, 2006
Iraq -- U.S. News Media's
Waterloo
For three decades, the Washington
press corps has been living off its Watergate reputation as spunky
defenders of the public's right to know and the U.S. Constitution. On
this third anniversary of George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq, it's now
clear that the bloody conflict -- started amid a war fever fueled by
false press reports on Iraq's WMD -- was the Waterloo, a crushing
defeat, for the media's beloved Watergate myth. March
20, 2006
America Anesthetized
For more than four years, the
American people have been anesthetized by a steady flow of propaganda that
has influenced the public to believe "facts" that aren't facts and to ignore
ugly realities that would otherwise shame the nation's conscience. March 5, 2006
Time to Renew Democracy
Two key factors explain how the
Bush administration has managed to push the United States so far toward
surrendering its historic concepts of democracy and freedom. One is the
control of information; the other the manipulation of fear. February 27, 2006
An Upside-Down Media
As Sherlock Holmes famously
observed, sometimes it's the dog that didn't bark that is most instructive.
In the United States, that rule could be applied to a national news media
that goes about its daily routine without treating George W. Bush's
extraordinary seizure of constitutional power as a major story. February 18, 2006
The Democrats' Tiny
Megaphone
Sen. John Kerry recognizes that a
key disadvantage for Democrats is the size of their "megaphone" compared
with the one the Republicans shout their messages through. February 9, 2006
Alito & the Media Mess
As the U.S. Senate moves toward a
historic vote on Samuel Alito's Supreme Court nomination, the mainstream
news media is presenting the dispute as just another case of the Democrats
playing politics. Left out of stories in major news outlets is the concern
expressed by many rank-and-file Americans over Alito's radical views on the
"unitary executive" and other theories that threaten the future of the U.S.
democratic Republic.
January 25, 2006
Bush's Long War with the
Truth
George W. Bush does not appear to have made a New Year's resolution to
start telling the truth. His first comments to the press corps in 2006 tried
to refute questions about his honesty by making at least two misleading
assertions. New disclosures also make clear that the White House duped the
New York Times in 2004 to stop the newspaper from disclosing Bush's
warrantless wiretaps -- and possibly derailing his campaign for a second
term. January 2, 2006
Denial in Haiti
The independence of the U.S. news media -- how free the press is from
government influence and control -- has emerged as a troubling new issue in
recent years. Amid disclosures that the Bush administration paid
commentators for favorable coverage and planted stories in foreign media, a
new controversy has arisen over an American news stringer in Haiti who
appears to have moonlighted for a U.S.-funded organization. December 31,
2005
Editor Parry's Year-End
Letter
As 2005 comes to a close, the American people have a much clearer view
of what the Bush administration has done to the nation's democratic
institutions. Now, the New Year -- 2006 -- beckons with both extraordinary
challenges and opportunities. The nation faces either its consolidation as a
modern authoritarian state or its reemergence as a traditional Republic with
accountability enforced on corrupt and dishonest politicians. Editor Robert
Parry discusses the role that this Web site has played and could play in the
future. December 26, 2005
The Meaning of (the War
Over) Christmas
Despite the ubiquitous Christmas displays all over the United States and
the piped-in Christmas carols nearly everywhere, the right-wing media is
telling American Christians that liberals, secularists and non-Christians
are waging a "war on Christmas." Now, when a store clerk wishes someone
"Happy Holidays," conservative Christians are primed to spit back an angry
"Merry Christmas" -- as the celebration of baby Jesus becomes the latest
wedge issue. December 11, 2005
U.S. Journalism's
Shameful Anniversary
One year ago, reporter Gary Webb took his own life, but his tragic fate
was set in motion years earlier when major U.S. newspapers helped destroy
his career by trashing his work on the Nicaraguan contra-cocaine scandal.
Even when the CIA's inspector general revealed that the scandal had been
worse than even Webb had described, Big Media refused to correct the record,
instead letting Webb's life unravel. Then, after his suicide, the
contra-cocaine cover-up and the smears of Webb continued. December
9, 2005
Mystery of Woodward's
Three Sources
Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward had three government sources
telling him before the Iraq invasion that the Bush administration was hyping
the intelligence about Iraq's supposed weapons of mass destruction. But
Woodward kept the information to himself, presumably for fear of damaging
his reputation (if WMD were eventually found) and jeopardizing his
unparalleled access to George W. Bush's White House. November 29, 2005
Woodward & Washington's
'Tipping Point'
Enjoying a cozy relationship with George W. Bush, the Washington Post's
Bob Woodward has come to personify the national press corps' 30-year shift
from Watergate-era skepticism to Iraq War-era boosterism. Instead of the
scrappy outsider who unraveled Richard Nixon's cover-up, Woodward has become
the ultimate insider who tried to protect the Bush administration's cover-up
of a scheme to smear an Iraq War critic. November 19,
2005
Iraq War Critics Emerge
Too Late
As the United States mourns the 2,000th American death in the Iraq War,
more and more politicians and pundits who supported the invasion are having
second thoughts. But should those doubts have been expressed earlier, when
public opposition might have helped the nation avoid a disastrous war? Have
these "repositionists" really learned any lessons? October 26, 2005
On Syria, the NYT Still
Doesn't Get It
The New York Times isn't applying lessons learned from the bogus case
for war with Iraq to the looming crisis with Syria. Rather than taking a
skeptical look at allegations of Syrian complicity in the murder of
Lebanon's ex-prime minister, the newspaper's editorial page is making
assumptions about "meticulous" facts that may not be supported by the
evidence. October 25, 2005
Bush Crisis Proves Need
for Honest Media
The political crisis enveloping George W. Bush's war in Iraq
demonstrates again the importance of honesty in a democracy -- and the
danger that can come from deception. For the past decade, Consortiumnews.com
has worked to compile a truthful account of how the U.S. government and the
national news media veered off course. October 25, 2005
Rise of the 'Patriotic
Journalist'
To understand how the American press corps lost its way -- and became an
accessory to the Bush administration's deceptive case for war in Iraq -- one
has to look back three decades to a different era when reporters challenged
the national security elite. The counterattack against that challenge led
directly to the rise of the neoconservatives and the rise of the "patriotic
journalist," personified by the likes of the New York Times Judith Miller.
(Part Two of "When Journalists Join the Cover-ups.") October 20,
2005
When Journalists Join the
Cover-ups
The back story to the Judith Miller fiasco at the New York Times is the
long-term erosion of skeptical journalism in the face of government pressure
for greater "patriotism" from the press. In the case of Miller and the Iraq
War, the barrier between reporter and government seems to have washed away
almost completely. October 18,
2005
Bush & Media: Normalizing
the Abnormal
For five years, the U.S. press
corps has acted as if its principal duty was to protect George W. Bush's
image and legitimacy, rather than to inform the American people as fully as
possible. Bush's Katrina catastrophe breached those protective barriers much
as the hurricane's flood waters overwhelmed New Orleans' levees. September
21, 2005
Explaining the Bush
Cocoon
As Americans try to make sense of the disastrous Iraq War, they must
come to grips with the shoddy performance of the national press corps and
why it built a media cocoon around George W. Bush since Election 2000.
Rather than hold Bush accountable like other politicians, major news
personalities chose to protect him -- and to protect themselves. August 24,
2005
Novak Recycles Gannon on
'Plame-gate'
Columnist Robert Novak has resumed the Right's assault on the
credibility of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson. Novak claims that the
husband of outed CIA officer Valerie Plame was "discarded" last year by John
Kerry's presidential campaign. But Novak's accusation traces back to a
dubious article by Jeff Gannon, the pro-Republican operative who masqueraded
as a White House correspondent using a fake name. August 2, 2005
Why We Need Investigative
Reporting
Investigative reporting has the potential to reshape a political
landscape by breaking through the lies and the cover-ups. It's happened
before with scandals like Watergate and Iran-Contra -- but counter-measures
on the Right have made a recurrence of that kind of journalism less and less
likely. Only a new commitment to rebuild a capacity for independent
investigative reporting can turn the situation around. July 29, 2005
What Can Be Done
Our goal is to build a team of seasoned, professional investigative
reporters who can take on tough, important stories. But we need your help in
finding new sources of money. July 29, 2005
Five Pointers for a Left
Media
Left funders are finally listening to advice that they take the
progressive media deficit seriously, but they still don't understand how
their money can be put to the best use. Here are five pointers for what the
Left should do -- and avoid doing -- to get the most bang for the buck and
begin addressing the nation's dangerous media imbalance. June 21, 2005
Mocking the Downing
Street Memo
When liberals and Democrats held a hearing to bring attention to the
Downing Street Memo and other evidence of Iraq War deceptions, they became
the object of ridicule in Washington's dominant newspaper. The experience
should serve as a hard lesson showing the need for a strong media
infrastructure that can reach the American people outside the judgments of
the mainstream and conservative news medias. June 18, 2005
LMSM, the 'Lying
Mainstream Media'
The Washington Post is lashing out at American citizens who have accused
major U.S. news outlets of covering up the leaked British memos on the
deceptions behind the Iraq War. A Post editorial deems the memos an old
story that doesn't deserve much attention, but many Americans are coming to
see the MSM, the mainstream media , as the LMSM, the lying mainstream
media. June 17, 2005
Pour on the Media!
What can be learned from
George W. Bush's sinking poll numbers and the major media's sudden
chagrin over its failure to follow-up the Downing Street Memo? What
political factors should get the credit and what lessons can be applied to
the future? One explanation is the emergence of progressive talk radio;
another is the aggressive pursuit of truth on the Internet. June 10, 2005
The Real Lessons of
Watergate
The disclosure that former FBI official Mark Felt was the secretive
"Deep Throat" in the Watergate scandal has revived public interest in the
33-year-old scandal. But few Americans grasp the real lessons of Watergate
or how the bitter experience shocked conservatives into building the
right-wing media infrastructure that is now arguably the most potent force
in American politics. June 3, 2005
The Answer Is Fear
Many Americans are pondering what went wrong with their democratic
institutions -- and why the U.S. news media and the intelligence community
performed so poorly in the run-up to George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq.
While there are many potential answers, one stands out as the simplest --
yet most complete -- explanation for these failures: fear. May 26, 2005
Newsweek Finds Bad
Stories Aren't Equal
Newsweek is in hot water for a poorly sourced story that accused U.S.
interrogators of defiling the Koran, sparking violent protests in the Muslim
world. But an even more dangerous result could be that journalists
will further shy away from critical reporting on the Bush administration's
policies, as Newsweek and others realize it's safer, career-wise, to err on
the side of the Bushes. May 18, 2005
Solving the Media Puzzle
To understand the political mess that has enveloped the United States --
from a disastrous war in Iraq to religious challenges to scientific reason
-- one has to factor in the rightward swing of the American news media.
Belatedly, progressives have recognized the media threat but aren't sure
what to do about it. This article lays out a challenging strategy for how to
rebuild an honest news media from the ground up. May 14, 2005
The Left's Media
Miscalculation
Over the past three decades, the Right has achieved extraordinary
success in building a powerful media infrastructure and reversing the media
dynamic that existed in the days of Watergate and Vietnam. But that
conservative accomplishment owes part of the credit to a parallel decision
by the progressive community to forsake media in favor of a focus on local
organizing -- a miscalculation on the importance of media that continues to
this day. April 29, 2005
Mystery of the Democrats'
New Spine
The biggest political mystery in Washington is what's caused the
surprising change in the Democrats, who are demonstrating uncustomary
courage in battling George W. Bush and the Republican congressional
majority. The Democrats were supposed to cower and compromise after the
disastrous Election 2004, but they have started to find their voice, perhaps
because they have new chances to speak on "progressive talk radio." April 26, 2005
Liberals: Bullies or
Whipping Boys?
Despite controlling the U.S. government and much of the national news
media, conservatives still get political mileage from portraying themselves
as victims of some all-powerful liberal conspiracy. But the challenge
is getting tougher for conservatives to convince the public that the
liberals are bullies, not whipping boys. April 11, 2005
Terri Schiavo & the
Right-Wing Machine
The media frenzy surrounding the Terri Schiavo case is new evidence of
the American Right’s ability to dominate national news cycles, a power that
has become possibly the most intimidating force in modern U.S. politics. In
the Schiavo case, however, the Right has discovered that even its impressive
message machinery sometimes can push the envelope too far. April 1, 2005
NYT Backs Off Bush-Iraq
Praise
Two weeks ago, the New York Times
editorial page was running with the press pack, giving George W. Bush's
invasion of Iraq credit for supposedly sparking a renaissance of democracy
in the Middle East. Consortiumnews.com was one of the first news outlets to
challenge that conventional wisdom, a position that the mighty Times has now
adopted as its own. March 18, 2005
Beating Bush at
'Information War'
Democrats are experiencing
deepening divisions over what strategy makes sense for Iraq -- supporting
George W. Bush in leaving U.S. troops there or opposing him by trying to
bring the troops home now. But there might be common ground for Democrats --
and traditional Republicans -- at least in demanding facts not only about
the current crisis but about the historical record of how the Reagan-Bush
administration started down the road of Middle East deceptions. March 16,
2005
The Hypocrisy Taboo
George W. Bush gets a pass on his
hypocrisy when he lectures Russia and other countries about democratic
freedoms. Off the table is Bush's long record of autocratic tendencies,
including his history of suppressing votes for his rivals that otherwise
might have meant his defeat. February 26, 2005
Bush & the Rise of
'Managed-Democracy'
The U.S. political system is
undergoing a transformation that could spell the beginning of a new kind of
one-party state, what might be called "managed democracy" where elections
are still held but power is not seriously at stake. Conservatives now see
George W. Bush's second term as this historic opportunity to lock in
near-permanent control for the Republican Party, while Democrats and
liberals have been slow to sense the danger. February 12,
2005
Washington's 'Ricky
Proehl Syndrome'
Former St. Louis Rams receiver
Ricky Proehl may have taught the sports world -- and himself -- a lesson
with his premature boasting about a Rams "dynasty" before Super Bowl XXXVI
in 2002. But Proehl's cautionary tale, which recalls the old saying that
"pride goeth before a fall," is not a lesson that has stuck with the world
of Washington punditry, at great cost to the country. February 8,
2005
Sinking in Deeper
U.S. politicians and the national
press corps are hailing the Iraqi election as a turning point in the Iraq
War and vindication for George W. Bush's aggressive Middle East policies.
But there is a potential dark side, as U.S. troops may find the election
outcome dragging them deeper into the long and bloody history of sectarian
violence between Iraq's Shiite majority and the Sunni minority. February 3,
2005
Money, Media & the Mess
in America
Two conservative columnists --
Armstrong Williams and Maggie Gallagher -- are taking heat for taking Bush
administration money while they were promoting White House policies. Even
right-wing colleagues are shaking fingers, but the truth is that the ethical
line separating the conservative media and Republican officials has long
since been wiped away, at great cost to the American people and their
democratic institutions. January 28, 2005
It's the Media, Stupid!
Political analysts are poring over
Election 2004 looking for lessons learned, including why George W. Bush's
highly negative campaign against John Kerry proved so successful. But what's
left out of these examinations is the pivotal role of the vast conservative
media infrastructure and the liberals' failure to counteract it. January 5, 2005
A Brief History of
Consortiumnews.com
Amid the O.J. Simpson-style
journalism of the mid-1990s, Consortiumnews.com was founded as a home for
important, well-reported stories that both examined the past and raised
warning flags about the future. In this short history of "the Internet's
first investigative 'Zine," we explain how the Web site began, what it tried
to reveal to the American people, and where it has fallen short. December
21, 2004
Hung Out to Dry: How
Webb's Series Died
In 1997, editors at the San Jose
Mercury News pulled the rug out from under reporter Gary Webb and his
investigation of the Reagan-Bush contra-cocaine scandal, a decision that
contributed seven years later to Webb's suicide. To give readers a fuller
understanding of that journalistic betrayal, we are republishing an account
written in 1997 by Georg Hodel, a reporter who was collaborating with Webb
on his historic series. December
16, 2004
America's Debt to
Journalist Gary Webb
The apparent suicide of journalist
Gary Webb is more than a personal tragedy. It is a reminder of the ugly role
the major news media played in destroying Webb's career in the late 1990s
when he tried to break through the long-running cover-up of the
contra-cocaine scandal. The bitter irony is that even when the CIA admitted
its institutional guilt in drug smuggling by the Nicaraguan contras, the
nation's leading newspapers insisted on continuing the cover-up. December
13, 2004
More Bang for the Penny:
Media's Hope
Shoe-string media outlets, like our own Consortiumnews.com, may offer
hope for a resurgence of independent journalism by demonstrating how
cost-effective Internet-based outlets can be. With more than 1.3 million
readers this year, our ratio of expenses to visitors is a fraction of a
penny per reader. But serious money is still needed to take advantage of
this opening. December 6, 2004
Big Media's Democracy
Double Standards
The Washington Post and other big U.S. news organizations are citing
voting irregularities, including exit polls favoring the challenger, to
justify overturning official presidential election results in the Ukraine.
In the United States, however, the Post and other news outlets have applied
a different standard, mocking concerns from U.S. citizens about voting fraud
as "conspiracy theory" undeserving of investigation. November 23, 2004
Big Media, Some Nerve!
The major U.S. news media has missed scandal stories involving the
Bush family from the 1980s -- the days of Iran-Contra -- to the current
administration's bogus claims about Iraq's WMD. But that sorry performance
hasn't given these outlets pause as they criticize rank-and-file Americans
who suspect that the Nov. 2 election wasn't on the up and up. November 13, 2004
Washington Post's Sloppy
Analysis
The Washington Post and the big media have spoken: Questions about Nov.
2 voting irregularities and George W. Bush’s unusual vote tallies are just
the ravings of Internet conspiracy theorists. But, instead of attacking us,
they would serve their readers and our democracy better by focusing more
carefully on the actual vote totals. November 12, 2004
Top Priority: Media
Infrastructure
Liberals face an urgent challenge to
begin correcting the imbalance in the U.S. news media that has been caused
by a quarter-century-old conservative commitment to build right-wing media
outlets, ranging from a 24-hour cable news network to Internet
bloggers. Some of the consequences include causing the mainstream press to
scuttle ever rightward and solidifying rural America as "red-state"
bastions. November 4, 2004
Jon Stewart v. 'Perception
Management'
The unrelenting bad news from Iraq is
testing the limits of the old Reagan-Bush strategy of "perception
management," using propaganda techniques to influence how the American
people view international events. But another threat is the emergence of
dissident sources of news, including the parody news program, Jon Stewart's
"The Daily Show." October 26, 2004
Rating Reagan: A Bogus Legacy
The U.S. press corps is
falling over itself with tributes to the late Ronald Reagan. But is it right
to credit Reagan with "winning the Cold War?" Or was he simply a front man
for conservative ideologues who wildly overestimated the Soviet Union's
strength to justify continuing the bloody shadow struggle? June 7, 2004
NYT's Apologies Miss the Point
The New York Times now
admits that it published "misinformation" about Iraq's weapons of mass
destruction, but the newspaper of record hasn't really explained why. The
Times won't acknowledge that it has long toed the conservative line in its
news columns. June 2, 2004
Protecting
Bush-Cheney Redux
The New York Times and
other big news outlets are repeating a pattern from Campaign 2000 --
promoting Bush-Cheney accusations against a Democrat while ignoring the
same behavior by Bush and Cheney. In this case, it's all about John
Kerry's supposed flip-flops as if George W. Bush hasn't flip-flopped
himself. March 7,
2004
Will the Media Let Bush
Lose?
George W. Bush is slipping in the polls as bloodshed continues in
Iraq, the U.S. budget deficit widens to historic proportions, and nearly three
million jobs have disappeared. But the U.S. news media keeps describing Bush as
the "popular war-time president," a stock phrase that may conceal the political
trouble he's in. September 16, 2003
Bush's 'Nation of
Enablers'
As George W. Bush presses ahead with plans to invade Iraq, the U.S. political
system is acting like a "nation of enablers." Editorial. January 27, 2003
Price of the 'Liberal
Media' Myth
Over the past decades, a basic tenet of U.S. conservative ideology has been that
the national news media is "liberal," a complaint that has fed the Right's
pugnacious political style. January 1, 2003
In Search of the Liberal
Media
One reporter's quest to find the legendary "liberal media." [Reprinted
from the July/August 1998 issue of Extra!]
Gore & the Need for a
'Counter-Media'
Al Gore's decision not to run for the White House leaves unresolved a debate that
was just beginning: what must be done to build a "counter-media" that can
prevent the kinds of press distortions that proved decisive in Election 2000. Editorial.
December 19, 2002
Media-Homeless Liberals
The conservative media has reshaped American politics by giving a "media
home" to conservatives across the country. Now, it's the liberals who find themselves
"media homeless." Editorial. November 13, 2002
What to Do About the Media Mess
The American
people get a steady diet of the Bush administration's political message. So why is there
so little TV time for Al Gore -- who got the most votes in Election 2000 -- and other
Democratic presidential contenders to make their case to the public? Editorial. September
2, 2002
David Brock & the Watergate Legacy
David Brock's Blinded
by the Right tells the back story of the ideological war against Bill Clinton, but
there is a deeper back story of the conservative attack machine that traces back to
Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal. May 6, 2002
Giving War a Chance
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman is one of the
most influential foreign-policy journalists of his age. But his commentaries sometimes
offer glib recommendations to "give war a chance" or to frighten foreign
countries with seemingly crazy U.S. policymakers. A media critique by Norman Solomon.
March 6, 2002
Dissing Democracy
Major news
outlets have gone silent about their presidential-election recount stories following the
disclosure that they misunderstood the plans of a key judge and thus mistakenly reported
that George W. Bush would have prevailed. December 5, 2001
The What-If's of Sept. 11
History took
a dangerous turn with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But could the tragedy have been
avoided -- and have Washington's political-journalistic elites learned any lasting
lessons? October 18, 2001
Journalistic
Responsibility
The U.S.
government is promising retribution against anyone who aided and abetted the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks. But what is the proper role for American journalists at such a moment?
Two longtime media critics offer their views -- Norman Solomon in When
Journalists Report for Duty and Martin A. Lee in Anti-Terrorism Questions for Bush. September 30, 2001
A Time to 'Earn This'
The message from the
movie Saving Private Ryan -- that Americans must "earn" the sacrifices
that have come before -- is a lost notion among many in Washington's media and political
elites. August 9, 2001
A
Superstation for Democracy
Getting American journalism back on
the right track will require a flagship for tough, honest reporting about important
events, a kind of "superstation for democracy." Editorial. July 25, 2001
The Media Is the Mess
A newspaper's belated findings about how the Bush campaign applied
disparate standards to the counting of Florida's overseas ballots is interesting history,
but also exposes how distorted the press coverage of Election 2000 was. July 17, 2001
Credibility Chasm
Is a new credibility gap opening in Washington? June 4, 2001
W's Bogus
'Election'
The Washington Post has concluded that rules were bent to count the absentee votes
of Bush supporters while ballots of African-Americans were suppressed. June 2, 2001
Propaganda's
Triumph
The new political era is not one of civility but of a growing dissonance
between words and reality. May 30, 2001
A Quisling Press
Corps
The Washington Post has finally recognized the power of the Right-Wing Machine to
set the news media's agenda. May 7, 2001
Three
Reasons -- What Went Wrong
Three recent news
events shed light on what went wrong with American democracy over the past half century,
as the nation compromised its principles -- and implicated young men like Bob Kerrey in
atrocities -- all for the Cold War. May 1, 2001
Back
on Bended Knee
Wowed by George W.
Bush's handling of the China crisis, the national news media is behaving as it did during
the Reagan-Bush era, "on bended knee." April 17, 2001
Press Blows Florida -- Again
In one more rush to judgment, the
national news media exaggerates a partial tally by the Miami Herald into another
premature call of the 2000 election. February 27, 2001
What Can Be Done?
The U.S. democratic system is quite
clearly in trouble -- but the answers won't be easy. February 19, 2001
Electoral
'Legitimacy'
The pundits seem to have
forgotten that democratic legitimacy comes from the voters. December 6, 2000.
One Voter
Strikes Back
An American voter, fed up with
the media's exaggerations about Al Gore's exaggerations, has made a federal case out of
it. By Mollie Dickenson. November 7, 2000
Protecting
Bush-Cheney
While bashing Al Gore at every
turn, the national press corps has turned a blind eye to lying and hypocrisy by Gov.
George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. By Sam Parry. October 16, 2000
Is Media a Danger to Democracy?
The U.S. press has shied away from its historic duties.
By Robert Parry. March 21, 2000
Al Gore v. the Press
The press mangles Gore's words and wins his apology. By
Robert Parry. February 1, 2000
Democrats'
Dilemma: Deeper than Al Gore
Democrats face a huge money-in-politics disadvantage. By Robert
Parry. August 4, 1999 |