A new FAIR action alert takes the PBS NewsHour to task for reporting claims about Iran having a nuclear weapons program as if they were facts. If you write a letter to to the NewsHour, please consider posting it in the comments section below.
Peter Hart
Peter Hart was the activist director of FAIR for 15 years, as well as the co-host of FAIR's radio show CounterSpin. He is now the senior field communications officer for Food & Water Watch.
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My Letter to PBS:
You need stop “implying” Iran has Nuclear Weapons Program when there is no evidence. This type of “echo chamber” reporting is partially responsible for getting us into Iraq to over non-existent WMD’s. We need responsible journalism!
Patrick Daugherty
Mercer Island Reporting
TO PBS:
I am dismayed at your reckless, or perhaps calculated cultivation of the untruth that Iran has a nuclear weapons program.
What seems to be the problem. Any discerning person can sort through the corporate press’s misinformation.
Please hold the standard of reporting truth, rather than spreading propaganda. Do you wish to be responsible for the thousands of lives lost in another war based on fabricated information? You will be.
Please be one of the few remaining shreds of journalistic integrity.
This was my email to PBS:
Please correct assertions that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. Even an insinuation of this is not supported by documention. With our recent history with Iraq, WMDs and the media’s general failure to keep the White House honest, if you fail to learn from history, you’re destined to repeat it. Please be more journalistic in your approach to the news.
Dan Therriault
Here is my email: Please correct your assertions that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. This is not true. Have you become an organ for the Republican party?
Jack Ox
My letter to PBS: Saying “Iran’s nuclear weapons program has been a particular flash point,” implies that the country does in fact have such a program. However, the evidence indicates otherwise. There is no intelligence to indicate that Iran has a nuclear weapons program, and Iran’s having enriched uranium in not sufficient for one to conclude that it does without such intelligence.
Reporting on this critical issue should not mislead the viewer. We do not want to revisit the mistakes we made in attacking Iraq. Remember, there were no WMDs found, so the war was fought, or at least started, under false pretenses.
One should use extreme care not to create a “flash point” when reporting on foreign affairs.
From: Jan Moore
Sent: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 3:04 PM
To: onlineda2@newshour.org
Subject: cheerleading for war?
Please report all the facts about Iran’s Nuclear program or lack of one! It is deplorable to edit video (below) to leave out the fact that Panetta said NO when asked if they were trying to develop a nuclear weapon! This is how the American public got tricked into supporting the Iran war….You are still trusted to be accurate, they (mainstream media)are NOT. PLEASE GIVE US HONEST JOURNALISM.
Please correct this error on the air. Don’t cheer for war.
Thank you,
Jan Moore, NM
There have been questions about the NewsHour’s Iran reporting before (FAIR Blog, 1/10/12). On January 9 the broadcast reported that Iran’s denial that it is pursuing a nuclear weapon was “disputed by the U.S. and its allies.” The show turned to a clip from Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to bolster that point — but edited out the part of his statement in which he said, “Are they trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No.” A NewsHour editor agreed (FAIR Blog, 1/1712) that “it would have been better had we not lopped off the first part of the Panetta quote.”
My letter to PBS:
It is so disheartening that the “most trusted source for news”, according to polls, continuously misinforms its viewers as to something so critically important as the question of whether Iran is building nuclear weapons. There is no evidence that is true, and even Leon Panetta said as much, in words you excised from your broadcast. You’ve become just another propaganda organ, just like the rest of the corporate media, and are violating your mandate! What a disgrace for Ray Suarez to simultaneously smear Chavez and Iran in the same sentence with a pack of lies. Even the Israeli defense minister recently said Iran is nowhere near having nuclear capability. You should do your research before rushing to false, destructive conclusions. Your credibility is evaporating.
“There is no intelligence that shows Iran has a nuclear weapons program. The country has long denied the accusation, and regular inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency have failed to turn up evidence that Iran’s enriched uranium is being diverted for use in a weapon.
I expect you to correct your assertions that Iran has a nuclear weapons program.”
Frank Munley
To whom it may concern at The News Hour:
It has come to my attention that a News Hour commentator, Jeffrey Brown, made reference to Iran’s “nuclear weapons program” as if it is a fact that they have one. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said repeatedly that there is no solid evidence that Iran has a nuclear weapons program. Please keep in mind that just thinking about doing something is not the same as having a program to do it. The distinction is widely recognized diplomatically (even in the US) and by the IAEA. The News Hour’s ugly spin on this issue reminds me of the wild claims about Iraq’s WMD prior to the Iraq War. You should make an on-air correction, and note the significance of what a “program” is as I mentioned above.
Sincerely yours,
Frank Munley
Assoc. Prof., Physics (Emeritus, retired)
Roanoke College
Salem, VA 24153
To: PBS
By repeatedly asserting as established fact that Iran has a nuclear weapons program, PBS is actively guiding a public policy conversation that leads directly to war. “Who, us? But we’re the friendly folks who bring you Sesame Street and Ken Burns specials!” Yes, you.
By this action, you place yourself in the same category as independent but co-opted German media who beat the drum for war in the 1930s.
Do your one-sided Iran assertions make PBS “news” people tantamount to war criminals? I myself don’t necessarily think so. But if there were latter-day Nuremburg trials, the case might be persuasively argued.
Please stick to the facts.
PLEASE correct NewsHour assertions that Iran has a nuclear weapons program.
Such is simply not true. Even U.S. intelligence does not make such an assertion,
so why is the NewsHour spewing Isreali propaganda?
Doesn’t the NewsHour know that the ‘big boss’ of Iran ,Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has issued a fatwa against nuclear weapons
considering the pursuit and possession of nuclear weapons “a grave sin” from every logical, religious and theoretical standpoint. ?
Who is it at the PBS NewsHour that keeps pushing this falsehood?
Dear PBS NewsHour,
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said: “Are [the Iranians] trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No.”
Please disclose your sources when making statements contrary to those of government officials.
Please make it your policy to find sources to credit and discredit government statements on the basis of their facticity. Your job as journalists is to reveal government lies, not to lie in service of the government where it declines to serve the public interest in favor of its own political interest.
Please refrain from making any further allegations concerning Iran’s nuclear weapons. In return for your consideration in this matter I promise to refrain from any further reference to your program as Allegedly News.
Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting has said the the PBS NewsHour is “still being careless about how it reports the facts about Iran.” I think they are overly generous to you. It is not carelessness but intentional propagandizing when you repeatedly imply that the existence of a nuclear weapons program is a known fact, particularly when the IAEA and the US Defense Secretary agree there is NO evidence. Are you hoping to fulfill the role of Judith Miller and the NY Times in helping to start our next preemptive war of aggression?
Mike Smith
1531 1st Ave
Seattle WA 98101
(206) 623-1179
Hello,
I am outraged of the lies regarding Iran working toward making nuclear weapons in the U.S. media! The loaded question asked in the recent presidential debate regarding what the Democrat/Republican candidates’ positions were on Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions was blatantly misleading to the public that is being inundated with pro-war propaganda, as opposed to facts.
If somehow NewsHour is unaware, here are some easily verifiable details to set the record straight:
-IAEA inspectors have not only not found no evidence of such claims, it is impossible for Iranian scientists to even sercetly pursue weapons development, as all nuclear facilities are under constant camera surveillance, as stipulated by the IAEA.
-the Republic’s religious leaders have stated that it would be against their spiritual convictions to pursue such a course.
-Iran has no designs against Israel. Even if they had a nuclear bomb, to use it against Israel would result in fallout blowing back in Iran’s direction.
-The government has no anti-Israeli, or anti-Judaic agenda. Some 25,000 Jews have lived in the country for generations, have formal representation in the Iranian parliament and despite Israel’s urging of this populace’s evacuation, have no intention of leaving,
-Iran has abided by the NPT, while Israel, in violation of the same treaty, has 200-500 nuclear bombs and still refuses IAEA inspection. Also in violation is the US, which has done nothing to reduce its arsenal.
-Save for two invasions of nearby islands, Iran has not waged a war of aggression in 250 years.
-The CIA, the Moussad and and the Israeli military all acknowledge the fraudulence of the claims of Washington’s and Tel Aviv’s claims of Iran’s nuclear weapons program.
If the public is supposed to make decisions on who should be the next president, It would help that they base their determination on accurate information; Certainly it behooves PBS, as the publicly-funded alternative to Fox and the “big three’ to provide such.
Rolf Maurer
54 Hope Street, Unit i
Stamford, CT 06906
Dear NewsHour,
Perhaps you have been influenced by the Administration’s attitude towards Iran.
Iran hosted, chaired and led the recently invigorated Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) made up of 2/3 of the member countries of the UN. This shows that Iran is an accepted member of the international community. One would never know it from the US media.
NAM affirmed Iran’s right to develop a peaceful nuclear program, including the enrichment of uranium.
Most people in the Middle East would like the Middle East to be nuclear-free. But since Israel has over 200 nuclear warheads and the missiles to deliver them, many of these same people think that Iran should have nuclear weapons, as a deterrent to Israel.
Dear PBS:
Jeffrey Brown’s bland assertion on October 22 that “Iran’s nuclear weapons program has been a particular flash point.” is very disturbing. It suggests as an accepted fact that Iran has a nuclear weapons program, something for which there is apparently no credible intelligence – only assertions by some governments. Indeed, US intelligence (e.g. Leon Panetta) and I believe even Israeli intelligence have admitted that Iran is not currently developing nuclear weapons.You have abdicated your journalistic responsibility to report facts and evidence. Sadly, this seems to have become standard operating procedure for many PBS “news” programs. Your reputation as the “most trusted” news source is in tatters. The “NewsHour” is a far cry from the “McNeil-Lehrer News Hour” that I remember.
Please immediately, prominently and clearly correct your incorrect assertions. Thank you.
Via email:
Our news media failed us before and the result was an unwarranted invasion of Iraq. Do your job this time and present the facts. There is no evidence of Iran’s “nuclear program.” Our government’s assertions and propaganda should not be reported as news. Journalists should research and report not parrot. That is not journalism. That is Fox News. Please be different. Please don’t send us to war unnecessarily again.
Mine was under the subject line of Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program?
There isn’t one, and you know it. Please publish/air immediate and easy to understand retractions of all statements and assertions to the contrary.
“The problems of incompetent, corrupt, corporatist government are incompetence, corruption and corporatism, not government.” Jerome a Paris
The same can be said for journalism. Stop it!
Mine wa short and sweet:
RE: IRAN NUKE PROGRAM
PLEASE only report accurate, factual information – rather than trumped up fear-based accusations – our world’s stability depends upon whether or not you get your stories straight. And I have children who will one day “inherit” this world.
Corby Caffrey-Dobosh, MS, LPC, NCC
Pennsylvania
To the Managing Editors:
As a longtime financial supporter of Public Television I’m deeply disturbed to learn of the continued misrepresentation of Iran’s uranium enrichment program as “a nuclear weapons program” by PBS journalists.
The most egregious example of this was in the last presidential debate, where PBS News journalist Jeffery Brown stated, “Iran’s nuclear weapons program has been a particular flash point.”
How is it possible that an esteemed journalist such as Jeffery Brown could forget to use the word -”alleged”?? I have a degree from the Newhouse School of Journalism at Syracuse University and that was a basic lesson in “Journalism 101”.
There is no intelligence that shows Iran has a nuclear weapons program. The country has long denied the accusation, and regular inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency have failed to turn up evidence that Iran’s enriched uranium is being diverted for use in a weapon.
While it is justifiable to hold anything stated “officially” by the current rulers of Iran in suspicion – this suspicion should not trump the basic standards of good journalism.
One of the reasons I contribute to PBS is because I believe in the importance of good journalism and the role it plays in a society. I therefore ask you to please tell me why your journalists are misrepresenting the situation in Iran. Misrepresentation of the facts involved in any volatile international situation can have deadly consequences.
In advance, thank you for your time in responding to this message.
Sincerely,
Jeannie M. McGuire
Montville, NJ
I wrote:
I’m writing to please beg you people to knock off the laziness I see in the FAIR action alert on your Iran reporting. For this email, I spent literally 30 seconds to find an example on bbc.com, my main news source, of how they report this issue in literally every single story on Iran’s nuclear program: “Western states think Iran is seeking nuclear weapons – a claim denied by Tehran.” Is that so hard? Do you really not see how “Iran’s nuclear weapons program” and similar language is making a crucial presupposition that aids the people who want war? Do you really doubt there are people who want war? Do you have no regrets about how you covered Iraq’s wmd program? This is just shameful.
Dear NewsHour,
I am writing to express my profound concern with your recent reporting regarding the disputed Iranian nuclear program and how it relates to U.S. foreign policy. On two recent occasions your reporters have refered to Iran’s, “Nuclear weapons program” (Jeff Brown, October 22) and Iran’s, “Pursuit of nuclear weapons”, (Ray Suarez,10/5/12 ). No is no evidence for this, as repeated statements by various Iranian officials, many reports and inspections by the IAEA, and even the most recent U.S. government NEI report concludes that Iran has not yet decided whether or not it will pursue a weapons program in the future. On top of all this, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta stated that Iran is not trying to build a nuclear weapon on Face The Nation, 01-08-12.
It is the responsibility of journalist to investigate the claims made by power and report on what is known versus claims that are made. In this case, the careless reporting of a set of claims about a supposed Iran nuclear weapons program is presented as established fact, a dangerous and irresponsible folly in light of past history, most notably the WMD claims that led to the Iraq War. If anything, journalist should be extra critical of similar claims made about Iran due to there lack and complicit role in the run up to the destruction of Iraq.
I look forward to hearing back from you and seeing a correction made in your reporting in regards to Iran.
Respectfully,
Theodore Johnson
Duluth, MN
This is the content of an email to the PBS Newshour over shows about Iran and Hugo Chavez.
For shame PBS:
Jeffrey Brown on 10/22/12 and Ray Suarez on 10/05/12, both told lies about Iran and its Nuclear weapons program, and the fact is, IRAN AIN”T GOT ONE!!! so both of these guys are liars and should just stop with the lies about Iran’s nuclear program, Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program and there’s ample evidence of that as the IAEA keeps showing the world in its inspections. Iran is a member of the IAEA and continually allows inspections freely as part of being a member. Iran has frequently told of their ambitions for Nuclear Bombs, and Again, THEY AIN”T GOT NONE, I suggest both Brown and Suarez go to work for the FOX NOISY lie machine where pretenses to REAL Journalism is rampant over there.
But as it turns out, I rarely watch the PBS Newshour anymore due to this same poor quality of reporting coverage and it was a fluke that I saw these two shows as the PBS Newshour has become just as unreliable as the lying FOX Noisy LIE machine with its 24 hour spew of Bullcrap and the corporate media and its ‘fluffertainment ads selling machine’ with personalities reading the NON-news and hardly ever getting anything right regarding informing the public.
So, keep up the lies, PBS Newshour, and when folks see you’re no different than FAUX noise they’ll stop watching, too, just like me.
My email to PBS News Hour,
To whom it Should concern,
Please practice honest journalism and stop stooping to the Fox/CNN level and others by reporting incorrectly that Iran HAS a nuclear weapons program. was it an oversight or did you not bother to contact one or more of the sixteen or so U.S. security agencies that have all stated publicly the exact opposite?
It would seem quit clear that a up front on air correction would be the honest and honorable thing to do if you still expect public support. But perhaps that is the goal?
Sincerely,
Just so you know, I also sent a message to PBS. I’m not posting it here. You know what it says, in essence. Why bore you further?