Pundits Policing Protest at Tucker Carlson’s House
Commentary on a demonstration outside the home of Fox News host Tucker Carlson earlier this month used an exaggerated version of events to delegitimize a wide range of protest tactics.
Gregory Shupak
Free Speech Includes the Right to Say ‘No Thanks’
If one takes a minimalist approach to free speech, centering on the First Amendment guarantee not to be jailed or otherwise harmed by the state for expressing one’s views, then it’s clear that Bannon’s disinvitation doesn’t violate such a right.
Imposing ‘Balance’ Requires Distortion of Palestine/Israel Struggle
Instead of pretending that the conduct of Palestinians and Israelis is qualitatively and quantitatively the same, what’s needed is an honest accounting.
Washington Post Shows How Not to Talk About Free Speech
The Washington Post’s pieces suffer from dubious, superficial understandings of free speech, and function as attacks on the left that whitewash the far right.
‘Maverick’ Media Use McCain Funeral to Shore Up US Imperialism
Elite media insist they’re engaged in challenging the imperious presidency of Donald Trump. But their support for US imperialism itself remains vigorous, as coverage of the funeral of Sen. John McCain showed clearly.
A ‘Regime’ Is a Government at Odds With the US Empire
A country’s political leaders are likely to be called a “regime” when they do not follow US dictates, and are less likely to be categorized as such if they cooperate with the empire.
WaPo’s Civility Fetish Demobilizes the Trump Opposition
The Washington Post ran three articles between Sunday, June 24, and Monday, June 25, calling for “civility” and criticizing those who interfered with the dining experiences of Trump administration officials.
The Sanctification of NATO
Claims that US President Donald Trump is undermining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) by criticizing some of its members and having a cordial meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin have sent establishment media into a frenzy to sanctify NATO as a force for peace and democracy.
In Wake of AMLO Victory, US Media Fear Chavismo and Hope for ‘Business-Friendly’ Change
For US media, keeping Mexico “open for business” for “foreign investors” should be a priority, a call for maintaining the economic status quo in a country where nearly half the population lives below the poverty line.
Israel Shoots Thousands of Unarmed Marchers, and US Media Blame ‘Violent Protests’
As Israel killed scored and wounded thousands of Palestinians protesting in Gaza, considerable space in US coverage of the massacres was devoted to blaming Palestinians for their own slaughter.
WaPo’s Civility Fetish Delegitimizes Opposition to Trump
The propaganda effect of insisting on the need for civility is profoundly harmful, considering that virtually every gain won by workers, LGBTQ people, people of color and women—and the many who belong to more than one of these groups—has involved actions the Washington Post would call “uncivil.”
For WaPo, Subsidizing Bus Fare Is a Lot Like Giving the Rich $5 Trillion
The extreme center refuses to acknowledge even the most elementary distinctions between those who depart from the reigning consensus: Everyone angry about the state of the world is the same, however numerous and gargantuan the gaps in the political content of their grievances, or of the social changes they endorse.
Pundits Worry Threat of Nuclear War Is Being Reduced
Corporate media promoted the view that the United States should only negotiate with North Korea when “negotiation” means “forcing the DPRK under nuclear duress to do whatever America says.”
Burying the One-State Solution in Palestine/Israel
The one-state option is gaining traction among both Israeli Jews and Palestinians, but media coverage consistently suggests that the only possible scenarios for Palestine/Israel are either the two-state solution or the continued regime of Israeli occupation, colonization and apartheid.
Blaming the Victims of Israel’s Gaza Massacre
Although to this point, the only Israeli casualty during the entire cycle of demonstrations has been one “lightly wounded” soldier, considerable space in coverage of the massacres is devoted to blaming Palestinians for their own slaughter.
Media Debate Best Way to Dominate Iran
The debate in the New York Times and Washington Post over President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran deal, revolves around which tactics America should use to dominate Iran.
Linguistic Contortions in Gaza
News outlets have performed torturous linguistic contortions to avoid stating the simple fact that Israel is shooting hundreds of demonstrators with live ammunition, killing 30 and injuring close to 2,000. An Associated Press headline (4/6/18) said, “Palestinian Protesters Burn Tires, Sending Smoke Billowing at Gaza/Israel Border; Israeli Troops Fire Back Sporadically.” That’s a logical impossibility: […]
As Israel Kills Dozens and Maims Thousands, Palestinian ‘Violence’ Under Media Microscope
Recent reporting on the Palestinians’ Great Return March offers a case study in how news media establish truncated, distorted parameters of discussion.
Media Support US Violence Against Syria, but Long for More
Corporate media outlets were glad that the US, France and Britain bombed Syria in violation of international law, but lamented what they see as a dearth of US violence in the country.
Major Papers Urge Trump to Kill Syrians, Risk World War III
President Donald Trump is threatening to escalate the Syrian war–and major liberal media outlets are writing that Trump should attack Syria further.
