Why Are Winter Soldiers Not News?
Given the common media rhetoric of “supporting the troops,” to ignore these same troops when they speak out about the horrors of the war is unconscionable.
Robert Dreyfuss on McCain’s foreign policy, Michael Jacobson on incarceration rates
Independent journalist Robert Dreyfuss on John McCain’s foreign policy vision. Also this week: Corporate media and mass incarceration, with Michael Jacobson from the Vera Institute of Justice.
Seymour Hersh on Israel’s Syrian air strike, Gerald LeMelle on Bush’s Africa trip
Investigative reporter Seymour Hersh discusses the media’s shoddy coverage of the September Israeli air strike in Syria. Also this week: Bush’s Africa tour and how media conversation has distracted from the U.S.’s militarization of the continent, with Africa Action’s Gerald LeMelle.
A Double Standard on Reporters Who Express Opinions?
On February 12, FAIR sent a letter to the New York Times‘ public editor Clark Hoyt regarding a recent editors’ note that suggested that the newspaper has double standards for reporters who publicly express opinions. The letter is below. We encourage others who have concerns to also contact Hoyt at: public@nytimes.com. *** Dear Clark Hoyt, […]
Gareth Porter on Strait of Hormuz ‘incident,’ Robert Naiman on Iraq death toll
This week on CounterSpin: What did– or didn’t– happen to U.S. boats in the Straight of Hormuz? We’ll talk to journalist and investigative historian Gareth Porter. Also on the show: The human costs of the Iraq War, with Robert Naiman of Just Foreign Policy.
A Million Iraqi Dead?
The Iraq War was sold to Americans in part as an intervention that would benefit Iraqis, “liberating” them from the despotic rule of Saddam Hussein. In retrospect, after no weapons of mass destruction were found and the alleged links to Al-Qaeda were debunked, this supposed humanitarian mission became the central justification for the invasion. Today, […]
Max Brantley on Mike Huckabee, Marc Herold on Afghanistan
This week on CounterSpin: The Huckabee surge with Max Brantley of the Arkansas Times. Also on the show: Professor Marc Herold of the University of New Hampshire discusses U.S. reporting on Afghanistan.
Glenn Greenwald on Joe Klein, Dave Tomlin on Bilal Hussein
This week on CounterSpin: Salon.com’s Glenn Greenwald discusses the recent drama surrounding Time magazine’s Joe Klein. Also on the show: We’ll talk to AP Associate General Council Dave Tomlin about Bilal Hussein.
Norman Solomon on ‘Made Love, Got War’
This week on CounterSpin: A special extended interview with activist and media critic Norman Solomon on his new book Made Love, Got War: Close Encounters With the Warfare State.
Robert Parry on ‘Why We Write,’ Karlos Schmieder on gentrification
Journalist Bob Parry, founder of the site Consortiumnews.com, has broken some of the most important stories in the last thirty years. This week he joins CounterSpin to talk about why he writes. Also on the program: New research highlights a skewed presentation of poor communities in Bay Area media, one that oversells gentrification as the solution. We’ll talk to Karlos Schmieder from Oakland-based Youth Media Council about the report.
Gareth Porter on Iran, Tarso Ramos on Values Voters
This week on CounterSpin: How well are the media examining the arguments being put forth about Iranian meddling in Iraq and Afghanistan? We’ll ask journalist and historian Gareth Porter. Also on the show: Revisiting the “values voters” conversation almost 4 years later, with Tarso Luis Ramos of Political Research Associates.
Ervand Abrahamian on Iran, Andrew Tilghman on Al Qaeda in Iraq
Does the current media frenzy surrounding Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad distract from more important matters—like whether the U.S. is planning military action against Iran? We’ll speak with Baruch College history professor Ervand Abrahamian. Also on the show: A discussion on Al Qaeda and Iraq with Andrew Tilghman, former Stars & Stripes reporter and author of the Washington Monthly report “The Myth of Al Qaeda in Iraq.”
William Greider on Alan Greenspan, Anthony Arnove on Iraq contractors
The Nation correspondent William Greider joins for a conversation about former Federal Reserve chair Alan Greenspan, whose new memoir seeks to put some space between himself and the Bush White House. Also on the show: The Iraqi government and a recent shooting in Baghdad with Anthony Arnove, author of the book Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal.
Phyllis Bennis and Tom Engelhardt on the Petraeus Report
This week on CounterSpin: A discussion on developments in Iraq with Phyllis Bennis, fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and co-author of a new report on Iraq, and Tom Engelhardt of TomDispatch.com, which has been tracking the story.
City of Terror
When we arrived in Ciudad del Este, we were petrified. After all, we were in the Paraguayan city known in the American press as a “Jungle Hub for World’s Outlaws” (L.A. Times, 8/24/98), and a “hotbed” “teeming with Islamic extremists and their sympathizers” (New York Times, 12/15/02). The U.S. media’s portrayal of this city, the […]
‘I Like This Violence’
The big story from the Middle East last June was the factional fighting in Gaza that ended in a victory for the Hamas party and the routing of forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement. The violence made the front pages of the major papers—the New York Times (6/14/07), Washington Post (6/14/07), the […]
Wayne Barrett on Giuliani’s 9/11 lies, Michael Schwartz on Iraq ‘benchmarks’
This week on CounterSpin: Village Voice journalist Wayne Barrett joins to talk about his recent article, “Rudy Giuliani’s Five Big Lies About 9/11.” Also on the show: Michael Schwartz of Stony Brook University on the “benchmarks” the White House has abandoned, and what has happened since escalation of the Iraq War.
USA Today’s Iraq Progress
Government efforts to portray progress in the Iraq War were boosted by USA Today‘s August 13 front page story, “Major attacks decline in Iraq.” The paper’s report relied entirely on current and former military officials, with the key claim being that “large al-Qaeda-style attacks in Iraq have declined nearly 50% since the United States started […]
Military Atrocities Less Newsworthy Than Right-Wing Fantasies
The Nation‘s investigation into the U.S. occupation’s impact on Iraqi civilians (7/30/07) and a series of columns by a U.S. soldier published in the New Republic (2/5/07, 6/4/07, 7/23/07) have given media access to compelling new documentation of egregious behavior by U.S. troops in Iraq. The New York Times and Washington Post have responded by […]
Laila al-Arian on ‘The Other War,’ Ann Toback on broadcast news survey
This week on CounterSpin: Laila al-Arian joins to discuss her recent report for the Nation “The Other War: Iraq Vets Bear Witness.” Also on the program: Ann Toback of the Writers Guild of America talks about a new damning media report that chronicles the experiences of broadcast journalists.
