When the “War on Terror” was launched in 2001, corporate media—especially cable TV news—started a narrow parade of hawkish retired military and intelligence brass, who promoted war as the response to the crime of 9/11, identified which foreign enemies to attack and confidently predicted success.
We can look back at this parade and laugh at the total nonsense dispensed. But the more human response is to cry—over the toll, still mounting, of hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths, from Afghanistan to Iraq and beyond, and violent instability across the region, including countries that were relatively stable and prosperous on September 10, 2001. (Not to mention militarization and loss of civil liberties at home.)
I witnessed the parade of disinformation from inside cable news, where I worked as an on-air contributor at Fox News and MSNBC at the beginning of the “War on Terror.” In fact, this parade eventually knocked me off the air—and out of my job at MSNBC, three weeks before the US invasion of Iraq.
It’s now the 15th anniversary of that tragic invasion. The huge mainstream media failure in the run-up to the invasion is taught in college journalism courses, including mine.
Who can forget CNN’s chief news executive boasting that, before the Iraq invasion, he’d sought prior approval and received “a big thumbs up” from the Pentagon on the ex-generals that CNN featured as allegedly independent analysts?
Who can forget David Barstow’s 2008 Pulitzer Prize–winning exposé for the New York Times (4/20/08)—based on 8,000 pages of internal Pentagon emails and transcripts —showing that network TV’s hawkish retired generals were not only being paid by big military contractors, but were being spoon-fed talking points and spin by the Pentagon?
Who can forget that NBC/MSNBC’s top military analyst, ex-Gen. Barry McCaffrey, relentlessly pushed for war based on false-hoods, absurdly praised Defense Secretary Rumsfeld’s advance planning of the Iraq occupation, and crowed on MSNBC, “Thank God for the Abrams tank and the Bradley fighting vehicle”—without mentioning his role at military contractor IDT that made millions for doing God’s work on the Abrams and Bradley?
Who can forget all these things? MSNBC, apparently.
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes (3/21/18) interviews Barry McCaffrey 15 years after the Iraq invasion–without bringing up the Iraq invasion.
I turned on the “progressive” news channel (owned by cable giant Comcast) in March to see Chris Hayes politely interviewing General McCaffrey. Did Hayes—during the week marking the 15th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq—press McCaffrey on his role in that disaster? Perhaps demand an explanation or an apology? No. The topic was Trump’s weird attraction to Putin.
Just as they did in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion, MSNBC and CNN still serve up a steady parade of war hawks, spies and liars, presenting them as credible and almost heroic, as long as they criticize the despicable man in the White House.
I’d turned to MSNBC that night after disgustedly turning off Anderson Cooper softly interviewing a CNN contributor who seems to appear every hour: ex-National Intelligence Director James Clapper. Five years ago, Clapper perjured himself before the US Senate by denying NSA bulk surveillance. But Cooper instead asks him about the lack of ethics and honesty in Team Trump.
When it comes to Trump critics, CNN and MSNBC regularly serve up a basket of elite deplorables from the military/intelligence establishment—for example, the appalling ex–CIA Director John Brennan and horrific former acting CIA Director John McLaughlin. The hollowness of their Trump critique was on display when both endorsed Trump’s choice for CIA chief, torture-overseer Gina Haspel.
I’m worried about even progressive anti-Trump activists who have come to see corporate news channels like CNN and MSNBC as saviors. It’s a dangerous illusion.
A few points to consider:
- Not all foes of Trump are allies of progressives—especially the hawks, spooks and perjurers who parade across CNN and MSNBC every day.
- Progressives should be wary of the growing alliance between MSNBC-style liberals and neo-con militarists forever in search of the next enemy.
- Most of the enormous damage Trump is doing to our country and the world will not be discussed on MSNBC or other outlets that cover the Trump White House as a TV soap opera.
When you hear nightly on CNN and MSNBC about Putin’s “attack on our democracy,” let’s not forget that—whatever impact Russia had on the 2016 election (evidence so far suggests it was small)—“our democracy” has been under attack for decades by internal enemies: big money control of both major parties, corporate media dominance, Democratic subservience to Wall Street, Republican suppression of voters of color and youth, an archaic election system protected by both parties, etc.
I would like to see even 10 percent of MSNBC’s “Russiagate” coverage diverted to any of the above issues, but I’m not holding my breath.
All progressives should agree that an essential task is to end Republican control of Congress and depose Trump.
Yet the fight for justice and democracy will also require battles against powerful and oppressive institutions that may now seem to be anti-Trump: certain media conglomer-ates and the military-industrial-surveillance complex.
Jeff Cohen is the founder of FAIR and founding director of the Park Center for Independent Media at Ithaca College.
Thanks, Jeff, for another incisive reminder that the “left wing media” are really just plain old establishment media in disguise. At least half of the people in the Pentagon probably dislike Trump, but they don’t dislike the Pentagon or Wall Street or the fossil fuel lobbies.
I’ve been talking about Barstow’s piece since it came out ten years ago. Now, the most amazing part about it is that it’s unique. There’s never been another mainstream corporate media expose of military control of mass media.
Guess that means the media are perfectly free now, huh? Another installment should be about the extensive placement of high level managers with military intelligence backgrounds into the major media corporations.