Posted on 06/23/2005 7:38:21 PM PDT by 68skylark
Note to the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy (or whatever you’re calling yourselves these days): I was just re-elected president of The Newspaper Guild-CWA, and I’m not resigning.
That said, let me address the rest of this column to the people who really matter: the members of The Newspaper Guild.
In case you missed it, for about a month I have been subjected to what I would characterize as a right-wing screed over some comments I made at the National Media Reform Conference in St. Louis on May 13. The comments (which I won’t repeat here) were about journalists getting killed in Iraq and criticized how the U.S. military has dealt with those deaths.
The comments came at the end of a 15-20 minute panel presentation. I emphasized that media reformers should not attack individual journalists and instead should focus on how a concentrated corporate media system is corrupting journalism. I always make this point with media reformers and independent media journalists because, in my experience, calls for media reform sometimes degenerate into deriding individual journalists.
In other words, the essence of my message is: Don’t kill the messenger. I should have said it that way in St. Louis. Instead, I decided to draw a parallel between the assault on journalists for their work and the assault on journalists covering Iraq. I used strong words and said it rather clumsily, but the St. Louis crowd got the point.
If I made a mistake, it was in trying to cover the issues surrounding safety for journalists in Iraq in an off-the-cuff way. I regret that my in-artful phraseology, and the storm it incited on the right, may detract from a critically important issue for journalists, especially those who cover war.
So at the risk of repeating what we’ve reported for months in The Guild Reporter and elsewhere, here’s a better way of saying what I was trying to communicate in St. Louis: An unacceptable number of journalists are being killed in Iraq, most of them by insurgents, many of them brutally. Fourteen of those deaths, involving U.S. forces, have been inadequately explained or investigated by the U.S. military. One, the April 8, 2003, bombing of the Al-Jazeera studios in Baghdad, never has been explained at all. As a result, many journalists around the world wonder if the U.S. military is targeting journalists.
Since April 2003, the Guild, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the International Federation of Journalists, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Reuters and others repeatedly have called upon the Pentagon to conduct independent investigations of these incidences. So far we have received only redacted, whitewashed explanations which often raise more questions than they answer.
Spanish journalist Jose Couso was killed when the Palestine Hotel, a known headquarters for many unembedded journalists covering the war prior to the occupation, was shelled by a U.S. tank on April 8, 2003. His family and friends still hold a 24-hour vigil at the U.S. embassy in Madrid on the eighth of every month to protest the lack of accountability by our military for Jose’s death. Meeting Jose’s brother a few weeks before the May 13 conference added to my frustration and anger about the U.S. military’s non-responsiveness on this issue.
Nevertheless, the St. Louis conference was about media reform, and the panel I was on focused on concentration of media ownership—and except for those few sentences about journalists dying in Iraq, that’s what I talked about. So you can imagine how surprised I was when Sinclair Broadcasting, one of the largest broadcast owners in the U.S., called to film an interview with me about my comments. (Truthfully, I had to listen to a webcast of my presentation before I actually recalled what I said.)
You’ll remember Sinclair Broadcasting—the broadcaster that on the eve of the 2004 election tried to pass off an anti-John Kerry commercial as a “documentary” about his Vietnam War service. You also may recall that Free Press, the group sponsoring the National Media Reform Conference, led the campaign to protest that broadcast. Ultimately, institutional stockholders—principally some large union pension funds— forced Sinclair to modify its plans. I guess the prospect of piling on the president of a union representing journalists speaking out at a media reform conference sponsored by Free Press was just too tempting.
Sinclair aired its piece without me. I was unavailable. Likewise, I was unavailable to Fox News. (Four different Fox shows called in and/or faxed requests for me to appear.) And to Limbaugh, and several other talk-radio blabbers who peddle hate. And to “Swift Boat Veterans” promoters. And to the Moonies’ Washington Times, and to all those self-righteous bloggers who are so sure they have all the answers.
I gave one interview, to Editor & Publisher, figuring it was a credible publication that reached most Guild members in one way or another. But my cold shoulder didn’t stop the right-wing media machine from blowing its whistle and barreling down the tracks anyway. They had a video webcast clip of my remarks, and they could air them!
Fox’s Bill O’Reilly interviewed Sinclair hack Mark Hyman, who “broke” the story. (Is this really a story?) O’Reilly announced I was hiding and giving no interviews, then proceeded to interview E&P reporter Joe Strupp, whom he identified as the only reporter to interview me. (I was “hiding” from O’Reilly—all of Fox, actually—but not from E&P.) I heard Rush Limbaugh had called me a “babe.”
The Media Reform Conference panel that included me was described as the “left of the left.” The panelist who preceded me was the publisher of a metropolitan newspaper and had to leave the conference early for Washington, D.C., where he attended a meeting of business people who want to permanently repeal the estate tax.
It would all be amusing were it not for the vicious, mean-spirited—sometimes pornographic, sometimes threatening—e-mails and phone messages these hate-stokers from Fox & Co. generated. The misogynistic language and name-calling don’t bother me so much, although if some of these e-mails were read on a network program like the David Letterman Show, Brent Bozell (another social commentator who has called for my resignation) undoubtedly would be clamoring to get the entire CBS network thrown off the air for good for violating obscenity standards.
What does bother me about the e-mails is the number of them that prove the point I was trying to make in St. Louis. Many echoed the sentiments of Charles Edwards who said in an e-mail to me, “We should have open season on journalists in Iraq. Traitors.” If the sentiments expressed in these e-mails are any indication, at least some of these loyal “Americans” think journalists should be targeted by the U.S. military.
That’s why I hope Americans who actually care about democratic discourse and public debate will support independent, fact-based journalism and professional journalists who strive to practice it. Please refrain from attacking reporters who are trying to get to the truth. Focus instead on re-creating a media climate where a future Woodward & Bernstein can investigate abuse and speak truth to power without fear of government retribution or an orchestrated deluge of hate mail calling for their demise.
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Although the White House hasn’t acknowledged an April 8 letter from TNG-CWA, it apparently passed it on to the Pentagon—which got around to mailing a response June 7. Signed by Bryan Whitman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, it was addressed to Linda Foley and read in its entirety as follows: In response to your April 8, 2005 letter, I want to assure you that the U.S. military examines every journalist death in which our forces were involved. We continue to work with news organizations to do everything realistically possible to reduce the risk on an inherently dangerous battlefield. We share your concerns and thank you for your interest in this important matter.
It's best to avoid the left, in my opinion, like I avoid other crazy people.
A word rhyming with hitch is coming to mind. This is what we have come to expect from the leaders fo the mainstream media though.
It's times like these I wish I subscribed to the daily paper in my area -- so I could have the pleasure of calling to cancel.
If I had my way there would be public beheadings of some journalists in Washinghton, NY, and LA., after due process of course.
Not really, just an occassional fantasy.
That phrase is a dead give away. Ms. Foley, you are an elitist.
Sincerely,
Someone who doesn't matter
Funny ... I thought the word was "incidents". But ... I'm not a professional journalist.
If you all would like to go to rathergate.com you will be directed to mediaslander, a website that is dedicated to outing pos like this idiot president of the guild. Feel free to send an email to her and let her know what you think about her saying our troops purposely kill journalists.
The Spanish journalist who was unfortunately killed was the victim of what was the most brilliant - best planned military action in military history.
Think about what happened there. Two Abrams tanks fighting their way across the main bridge in downtown Baghdad shown live on TV around the world thanks to Al-Jazeera and Spanish journalists filming the event.
Two Abrams tanks behind them taking a position to protect the lead tanks backsides and flanks.
The back tank fires a round into a 4-story building near the bridge and totally levels it. Note: The Abrams does not normally carry rounds that can level 4 story buildings. Smoke and dust replace a large building and people know that the US means business and will level the city if required.
The third tank if front of it slowly turns its turret toward the Palestinian Hotel, seemingly aiming right at the camera and then it fires. The round basically hits the camera it was aiming it and instead of the entire 12 story falling, a little plaster on the building is knocked off, a camera is knocked down but its film is still intact and a reporter unfortunately dies.
Note again, the Abrams does not normally carry such soft rounds that only knocks a little plaster off the wall.
The entire sequence was planned for maximum effect. To show that 4 story buildings were being leveled and that the US was not afraid to fire at the Hotel used by the media and the Fedayeen alike to target and pinpoint US locations.
The A10 Warthog flew over the same area a little later and, while taking massive fire, turned its gattling gun on a government building in full view of everyone in downtown Baghdad. The A10 rounds created so much damage and created so much awe that Saddam and the Bathists and the Fedayeen ran away in the night.
It was the most brilliant military planning ever. Unfortunately a Spanish jounalist died. Thousands and thousands of lives were saved by it of course.
The Spanish journalist who was unfortunately killed was the victim of what was the most brilliant - best planned military action in military history.
Think about what happened there. Two Abrams tanks fighting their way across the main bridge in downtown Baghdad shown live on TV around the world thanks to Al-Jazeera and Spanish journalists filming the event.
Two Abrams tanks behind them taking a position to protect the lead tanks backsides and flanks.
The back tank fires a round into a 4-story building near the bridge and totally levels it. Note: The Abrams does not normally carry rounds that can level 4 story buildings. Smoke and dust replace a large building and people know that the US means business and will level the city if required.
The third tank if front of it slowly turns its turret toward the Palestinian Hotel, seemingly aiming right at the camera and then it fires. The round basically hits the camera it was aiming it and instead of the entire 12 story falling, a little plaster on the building is knocked off, a camera is knocked down but its film is still intact and a reporter unfortunately dies.
Note again, the Abrams does not normally carry such soft rounds that only knocks a little plaster off the wall.
The entire sequence was planned for maximum effect. To show that 4 story buildings were being leveled and that the US was not afraid to fire at the Hotel used by the media and the Fedayeen alike to target and pinpoint US locations.
The A10 Warthog flew over the same area a little later and, while taking massive fire, turned its gattling gun on a government building in full view of everyone in downtown Baghdad. The A10 rounds created so much damage and created so much awe that Saddam and the Bathists and the Fedayeen ran away in the night.
It was the most brilliant military planning ever. Unfortunately a Spanish jounalist died. Thousands and thousands of lives were saved by it of course.
Your fantasy is getting closer to reality than mine. The MSM is losing support everyday. Glad to see those "real job" options you listed. They wouldn't even have to change employers to do those.
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