(cc photo: Viri G)
The Obama administration has been quietly working on a major international trade pact called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP. Corporate media tend to give an unequivocal pass to what they call “free trade” deals.
In the case of the TPP, there’s been relatively little coverage; that changed a little when the government shutdown meant that Barack Obama couldn’t attend a round of recent talks in Asia.
And a primer of sorts on the NPR (10/8/13) by Marilyn Geewax explained the danger: Obama wouldn’t be there to win all the jobs that will be created by the TPP: As mentioned in pokersitesuk.com
Imagine a poker table. At one seat, China’s President Xi Jinping studies his cards. At another, Russian President Vladimir Putin is stroking his chin. Asian leaders fill the other seats, each trying to win the pot, which is filled–not with poker chips–but with jobs.
She went on to explain that “‘exactly who won what is not yet clear. But this much is known: President Obama was not at the table.”
Far from a free pot of good jobs, critics of the TPP have repeatedly argued that the deal involves restricting powers of domestic governments on things like food safety and environmental standards, while establishing more powers for corporations, including incentivizing the offshoring of jobs to low-wage countries–a far cry from NPR‘s suggestion that world leaders who show up at the poker table get to stake claim to all those jobs.
Clearly the TPP is an issue in great need of some media sunshine. But “explainers” that describe it as a game of poker with a pot full of jobs don’t fit that bill.
NPR, and the rest of the corpress
(For all intents and purposes, the former is no different from the latter, is it?)
Are charged here with blurring the distinction between getting jobs
And getting jobbed.
NPR is just the latest sellout to the corporate media, especially with one of the Koch Bros. on its board of directors. Zero credibility. And TPP is giving away the store to the multi-nationals.
I certainly hope FAIR will elucidate further on the travesty that is the TPP: NAFTA on steroids. http://www.flushtheTPP.org.
NPR was crossed off my list of radio stations to listen to months ago when I heard that they, along with the natural gas industry and Cancer Centers of America were sponsors of one of the morning news programs!
This is one issue (among many, I imagine) on which NPR completely agrees with the corporatist, Republican-licking Canadian prime minister.
Why are we subjected to these lies. Can any pressure be brought on the faux reporting. Does NPR have a ombudsman…or fact checker ? Koch on the board seems like a conflict of interest to me….guess i’ll ask Rosa Delora or maybe Blumenthal ….
whistle in the wind
”Imagine a poker table”… where Geewax and others of her ilk were really journalists instead of publicist-toe suckers for the wealthy and powerful establishment, and reported the reality of predatory capitalism were the public is fair game for the profiteers regardless of the cost.
NPR sold out years ago along with all of the other alphabet networks. I noticed it particularly when they hopped in bed with the Pentagon on their way to Iraq and have only gotten worse since. Anyone who thinks their news coverage is liberal is not listening closely enough. They don’t even bother to hide their propaganda. Look at who sponsors them! It’s a rogue’s gallery of the worst of corporate America. My fiancee’ has them on in in the mornings but we find that one of us will be reaching for the off button on the radio before breakfast is over. If you want a history of how bad NPR really is, try this now defunct blog (the owner gave up in despair). NPR’s ombudsmen over the years have been pretty much worthless. http://nprcheck.blogspot.com/
Madeline,
I gave up on NPR back in the 1990’s. But I managed to listen to just enough of their gleeful support of the invasion of Iraq in 2003 to be positively sickened by NPR for at least 12 years now. I admire the fortitude of Mr. Hart and others at FAIR to listen to NPR so I don’t have to.
What do you expect? The Koch brothers bought NPR. It will never be the same. You can see holes in the reporting for weeks, now. The one where Democrats and Republicans are considered equal partners in the government shutdown is particularly galling.
Let’s hope Al Jazeera America, which has aired some promising in-depth reports on America’s serious problems, will examine this issue.
Well Obama wants TPP.How does the left feel about that?
It’s going to take some serious revolutions to remove the influence of the Cock Brothers, They want to be king. We have to show them a peasant uprising. I vote we tie em up with a couple of bars of gold (because they so love their money) and toss em in the ocean. When the can figure out how to eat and drink their gold, then they can come back.
Good lord Padre why do you keep spouting nonsense?Let me put it to the mentally weak……Those brothers have no power over anything.They are just another red herring for you libs to chase after.Obama just kicked your premiums on healthcare so hard in the ass that they may never see the ground again.And you are looking for boogie men under every leaf.Ooooo the bad bad pootie tat and the Koch brothers.Oooo secret societies.Shadow corporations are running the world.Corporaracracy.Dude you cant even see the forrest for the trees.You are getting your house cleaned out through the front door while you are looking out the back for spacemen.For the love of God wake up.Wake up wake up.Your president is spending,printing,and borrowing money as fast as he can.Money we dont have.Does this not mean anything to you?Idiots.Slack jawed morons.People who believe because the tea Party wants an explanation on why the healthcare is now 4x higher than promised….that they probably assassinated Kennedy.If you dont wake up and embrace just one clear thought…we are really doomed.This country and all the good aspects of it are being drug into the quicksand by you dunder heads.
Specifically do not cut deals on items you need to don’t normally obtain.