May
17
2013

Marcy Wheeler on AP/DOJ, Robert Greenwald on the War on Whistleblowers

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Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: The Justice Department's investigation of the AP poses a threat to freedom of the press and the public's right to know, but the story itself, about a supposed al Qaeda bomb plot thwarted by the CIA, has taken some interesting turns, calling into question the facts of the bomb plot story, and the Justice Department's rationale for investigating AP. We'll talk with Marcy Wheeler of Emptywheel, who has been out in front on this story from early on.   Also on CounterSpin today: The AP story is a reminder, if one were necessary, that [...]

May
15
2013

Justice Department Attacks the Press

AP records seizure a troubling fishing expedition

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The Justice Department's seizure of AP phone records constitutes a troubling encroachment on the freedom of the press and underscores longstanding concerns about the Obama administration's willingness to trample the First Amendment.

May
15
2013

Iraq Then, Syria Now?

New York Times, sarin and skepticism

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During the run-up to the Iraq War, the New York Times amplified erroneous official claims about weapons of mass destruction (FAIR Action Alert, 9/8/06). Looking at the paper's coverage of allegations of chemical weapons use by Syria, some of the same patterns are clear: an over-reliance on official sources and the downplaying of critical or skeptical analysis of the available intelligence. In "Syria Faces New Claim on Chemical Arms" (4/19/13), the paper told readers that, according to anonymous diplomats, Britain and France had sent letters to the United Nations about "credible evidence" against Syria regarding chemical weapon use. On April [...]

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