Hugo Chavez: Why Does He Hate Us?
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez might be excused for harboring some hard feelings towards a government that helped to try to overthrow him.
A Cabinet of Peaceniks?
It goes to show you how limited the debate over warmaking is when politicians whose records are mostly pro-war can be portrayed as war skeptics. That’s what is happening with Barack Obama’s new cabinet picks: Sen. John Kerry for secretary of State and former Sen. Chuck Hagel as Defense secretary.
Is John Kiriakou a Whistleblower?
The Obama administration has pursued an unprecedented campaign to prosecute whistleblowers. The fact that John Kirikaou is facing such punishment reinforces the sense that he should be viewed as such a whistleblower, someone who was trying to expose the CIA’s torture practices. But was that really his motivation?
Chuck Hagel, Dove?
Barack Obama nominated Republican ex-Senator Chuck Hagel to be his next Defense secretary today. The story can seem a little bit confusing–often because of misleading recaps of Hagel’s career, which can make him sound like more like Dennis Kucinich than like the Republican who voted in favor of the Iraq War.
Brennan’s Support for Torture Is Not an ‘Accusation’
Reporting on the news that President Barack Obama plans to nominate his terrorism adviser John Brennan to be head of the CIA, the New York Times writes that critics had been “claiming that…Brennan had supported, or at least had failed to stop, the use of interrogation techniques like waterboarding.”
That Brennan was a torture supporter is not a claim, though–it’s a matter of public record.
Will Americans Be Able to Watch Al Jazeera America?
The problem with liberal cable channel Current TV being sold to Al Jazeera isn’t that American TV viewers might be subjected to news with a point of view. It’s news with what many elites might consider the wrong point of view that is the problem.
Some Cluster Bombs More Newsworthy Than Others
The use of cluster bombs against civilians is newsworthy depending on who is using them. If it’s an enemy state, like Syria or Qaddafi’s Libya, you can expect to read about it, and in clear language on the front page. And an article like this will mention, almost in passing, that our own government does the same.
Fracking: Too Much of a Good Thing, Says Planet Money Guy
There is no serious discussion of environmental costs borne by the public, and there is not one word about climate change–a pretty shocking oversight when one considers the potential ramifications of a massive new investment in a fossil fuel industry.
Does the Public Really Oppose Gun Restrictions?
One issue that comes up in much of the coverage of the Newtown massacre is the notion that the public’s view on gun control has shifted towards the “pro-gun” side in recent years. It’s important to look at that assumption.
Does Hugo Chavez Keep Fooling Venezuelans?
The New York Times updates readers today (12/13/12) on the health status of left-wing Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez, and the political implications for his country. But the paper starts out by suggesting that the people who keep electing him must have some kind of problem. According to the Times‘ William Neuman, life in Venezuela is […]
FAIR TV: Bradley Manning Blackout, Tax Hike Spin, Covering Poverty– and $450 Starbucks Gift Cards
The stories that came out due to the information Bradley Manning allegedly leaked have been explosive, front page news. But his trial? Not so much. And Maria Bartiromo told Meet the Press that tax increases on the wealthy are really tax increases for everyone. And why was a Starbucks $450 gift card front page news […]
This Time, Trust Anonymous WMD Claims—They’ve Got ‘Specific Intelligence’
The theatrics of WMD claims about Syria–satellite images, anonymous sources and so on–are obviously reminiscent of the lead up to the Iraq War. But media stress that this time–it’s different.
Julian Assange, Erin Burnett and the Battle Over Press Freedom
There seems to be an expectation in the Assange case that a dissident must take refuge with a government with a sterling human rights record. This message is conveyed by journalists whose own country has detained, harassed and killed their journalistic colleagues.
Think We Live in a Colorblind Era? Welcome to Wet Seal
When pundits wax rhapsodic about the “colorblind” era we live in–or fulminate against affirmative action policies as interfering with that “post-racial” state–some of us think of cases like Wet Seal.
NYT Undercounts Drone Deaths in Pakistan
The New York Times editorial page (11/30/12) weighs in on the Obama administration’s drone policies. What the paper wants is more accountability: The government “must stay within formal guidelines based on the rule of law.” That’s all well and good—but the paper should do a better job of counting the innocents killed by drone attacks. […]
NYT Waves Goodbye to Three Amigos of Militarism
Not every politician gets a warm and fuzzy retirement profile in the New York Times. But not every politician is Joe Lieberman.
Palestinians and the Proper Way to Grieve Dead Children
Readers of the New York Times were treated to correspondent Jodi Rudoren’s unusual critique of a funeral for members of the Dula family, whose home in Gaza City was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike.
NYT Reports: In Wyoming, Tradition of White People Complaining About Black People Alive and Well
“In Wyoming, Conservatives Feeling Left Behind” is the headline on a report by the New York Times‘ Jack Healy (11/19/12) on how “since the election, a blanket of baffled worry has descended on conservatives here like early snow across the plains, deepening a sense that traditional, rural and overwhelmingly white states in the center of […]
Justifying Certain Acts of Violence
Today’s New York Times editorial (11/15/12) begins: No country should have to endure the rocket attacks that Israel has endured from militants in Gaza. The Times has questions about the wisdom of a ground invasion in Gaza–questions that mostly involve whether it would be wise from an Israeli point of view. Such an escalation would […]
When Does Israel/Palestine Violence Start?
Military attacks and other violence in the Gaza Strip and Israel have resulted at this point in over a dozen deaths, most of them Palestinians, and sparked fears of an Israeli ground invasion similar to the 2008-09 assault that claimed over 1,000 Palestinian lives. The past 24 hours of violence was sparked by Israel’s killing […]
