When Marlon Brando declared on Larry King Live (4/5/96) that "Hollywood is owned by Jews," he only said what quite a few Americans believe. Since they don't know who owns the media, millions think that it's "the Jews." It is an old canard. Having been codified in the Protocols of the Elders of Zion (forged by Czarist cops in 1905), the lie was sold here by Henry Ford through the 1920s. ("The Twelfth Protocol," proclaimed his Dearborn Independent, "contains the entire plan of Control of the Press, reaching from the present time into the future when the Jewish World Government [...]
Nov
01
1995
The Philadelphia Inquirer's New Spectrum
From Centrism to Anti-Semitism
The Philadelphia Inquirer recently announced a shake-up in its editorial pages (9/10/95), dumping long-time syndicated contributors Jeff Greenfield, Richard Reeves and George Will in favor of E.J. Dionne, David Shribman and Joseph Sobran. Greenfield is a centrist, while Reeves is a moderate liberal, so their replacement by two other Beltway centrists marks a slight shift to the right. There's no syndicated columnist now appearing on the Inquirer's editorial page who can fairly be described as an advocate for the left. (Centrists like David Broder, William Raspberry and Richard Cohen don't count.) What is surprising is the replacement of Will with [...]
Jul
01
1995
Homophobia, Racism and Sexism?
The Connections Are Clear to Far Right
After the Oklahoma City bombing, the New York Times (4/24/95) reported surprise at the existence of right-wing terror-gangs: "New Images of Terror... A suspect, a white drifter, evokes new fear." But right-wing terror is hardly surprising to those who’ve been on the receiving end of it over the years; nor would the pale image of the suspect have been "new" to mainstream readers if media had been doing their job covering hate crimes. There were 2,064 homophobia-motivated acts of violence in nine U.S. cities last year; according to New York’s Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project, anti-gay hate crimes are the [...]
Jul
01
1995
The Spotlight's Influence Grows in the Dark
Abstract
By Jason Berry
Abstract Researchers who monitor hate propaganda have watched The Spotlight expandits emphasis from stories about Zionist banking conspiracies and the "myth"of the Holocaust to favorable coverage of the militias and neo-Nazi groupslike the Aryan Nation. "The Spotlight fosters and promotes and reflects themilitia's worldview," says one researcher of contemporary fascistmovements. The Spotlight is "a bridge between the racialist right and theparamilitary right and the far right in Congress." [ Next | Previous | July '95 | FAIR | Mail/Suggest | Index ] Extra! July/August 1995
Mar
01
1995
The Extremist Worldview Behind Pat Robertson's Media Empire
In May 1992, television preacher Pat Robertson announced that he was interested in buying United Press International, the financially struggling news service. Reflecting on the proposed deal, Robertson told reporters the purchase "may be a little opportunity" for God to touch society. Two months later, the deal was off. Robertson explained that his auditors had looked at UPI's books and determined it would take at least $31 million to turn the troubled news agency around. Robertson said the investment just wasn't worth it. God, it seems, would have to look elsewhere to touch society. As the UPI move illustrates, Robertson's [...]
May
01
1990
The Anti-Semitic Roots of Eastern European Nationalism
Press coverage of the dramatic changes in Eastern Europe in late 1989 and early 1990 has failed to provide adequate context concerning the anti-Semitic and fascist currents in Eastern European nationalism. As the New York Times has noted (10/8/89), the term "nationalist" has a "more extremist connotation here [in Eastern Europe] than in the West." But most reporting on Eastern Europe's nationalist movements, including that of the Times, has been rife with euphemistic references to "Christian values" and "Christian nationalism" without an explanation of the historic anti-Semitism that echoes in such rhetoric. News coverage of Eastern Europe has generally overlooked [...]
