March 13, 2005


How to package a lie

Perhaps in another era, this story might have made it to press before a presidential election. Perhaps there might be more outrage over the twisting of journalism by an administration. Perhaps there's never been a more compelling reason for blogs.

It is the kind of TV news coverage every president covets.

"Thank you, Bush. Thank you, U.S.A.," a jubilant Iraqi-American told a camera crew in Kansas City for a segment about reaction to the fall of Baghdad.
...
To a viewer, each report looked like any other 90-second segment on the local news. In fact, the federal government produced all three. The report from Kansas City was made by the State Department.
...
Under the Bush administration, the federal government has aggressively used a well-established tool of public relations: the prepackaged, ready-to-serve news report...
...
...records and interviews suggest widespread complicity or negligence by television stations, given industry ethics standards that discourage the broadcast of prepackaged news segments from any outside group without revealing the source.
...
Some reports were produced to support the administration's most cherished policy objectives, like regime change in Iraq or Medicare reform.
...
It is also a world where all participants benefit.

Except of course, all those who are actual particpants in our democracy, like the citizenry.

It used to be that we just thought that they were whores. Now there's apparently proof. It doesn't seem too far-fetched to guess that someone in Karl Rove's office reached out and fed those memos to Dan Rather, knowing that it's already been proven de facto that TV "journalists" are about as lazy as they come.

Their laziness and corporate greed have helped in no small part to perpetuate this atrocity of a government. I hope they're proud of themselves. Perhaps it's time for bloggers to start keeping a more careful eye on local TV news a calling immediate "Bullshit" on these propaganda pieces when they show up.

Patricia Harrison, told Congress last year, the Bush administration has come to regard such "good news" segments as "powerful strategic tools" for influencing public opinion. And a review of the department's segments reveals a body of work in sync with the political objectives set forth by the White House communications team after 9/11.
No Shit, Sherlock.
posted by Jo Fish on 03.13.05 at 02:33 PM





Comments:

This latest revelation of the Goebbels Gang continues to make it easier for me to explain how fifty million people could be so fucking stupid. It's actually getting easier not to hate losing quite as much as it used to.

There has to be away to get the message to the the folks who believed the Rethug campaign slogans. The big-media "trusts" sure came after Dean when he said they needed to be re-regulated during the primary campaign, so they are vulnerable. (Yet Shrum didn't have any problem pocketing five million in fees while coaching Kerry to play dead after the primaries were over). Time for the bloggers and readers to get organized for the 06 campaign now. Call the local stations/papers and complain. Get into your local Democratic party and start setting up the screening/rebuttal committees. Now.

Buzz Meeks

 posted by: Buzz Meeks on 03.13.05 at 11:19 PM [permalink]

So the Fourth Estate is now a holding or subsidiary of the White House. Is this a violation of the First Amendment?

 posted by: Shag from Brookline on 03.14.05 at 05:48 AM [permalink]

The Rapubicanazis weren't satisfied with Fox News being their primary propaganda tool, so they decided to conduct a sneak attack on all television networks around the country. But, let's not just think TV networks. Have the Busheviks also sent pre-packaged right-wing propaganda to schools? To radio stations?

And we know they're corporate buddies have helped with the way news is presented in newspapers around the country. A story about Bushevik corruption that would have been a front-page banner headline story in the Clinton years ends up being buried somewhere in the back pages, or might not appear at all. Heaven forbid if Bushies carefully crafted image were to be tarnished with...THE TRUTH.

What a bunch of corrupt, sorry SOBs.

 posted by: The Oracle on 03.14.05 at 06:29 AM [permalink]

This practice SHOULD be stopped, but you're only about ten years late to catch on, Dr. Rocket Scientist.

As much as we all hate the Republicans with every fiber of our being, we should probably keep in mind that these news packages were used to great effect under the previous administration. Also, "reporters" like Sid Blumenthal were PAID EMPLOYEES of the administration and routinely parroted the White House line like good soldiers.

Or maybe I'm just missing how Fox is somehow responsible for a practice that's been in use since at least 1993?

 posted by: Some Guy on 03.14.05 at 09:12 AM [permalink]

I'm going to need a source on that, Guy.

If Clinton did it, I disapprove of that, too. I can't imagine he does it as much as Bush does. Clinton certainly didn't have such close coordination with partisan news channels, bloggers, "independent" issue groups and fake journalists/gay hustlers.

It should be stopped no matter who's doing it.

posted by: Tony Goins on 03.14.05 at 12:29 PM [permalink]

It's just straight up propaganda.

 posted by: Chris on 03.14.05 at 01:27 PM [permalink]

What I don't get is why they even bother with this. They've already their own propaganda network, thanks to Murdoch (he's equally despised in England, where he has a reputation for buying up periodicals, and then turning them into tabloid crap), who have shown themselves perfectly willing to lie their asses for this bunch. Just look at their coverage of Iraq. Every time they show an "average Iraqi", they're always translated as being so very thankful for the Americans (strangely, every one of them is well dressed, so one wonders how average they really are).

posted by: suburban refugee on 03.15.05 at 02:42 PM [permalink]

The guys who "got their hands cut off" and shook hands with Bush. AWOL even opined- "Why these three even got their hands sewed back on!"

Playing people for fools. Spouting cloud being platitudes. Laughing to the bank.

One of the "happy iraqis" shown over and over again in english magazines and papers as a different person each time , was the statue downfall, was photoshopped with about seven other people to appear as a mob of supporters on a magazine cover, and was shown in several of the initial up close "thank you for liberating" stories.

He was also a face familiar to the CHalabi circle. Go figure.

Gannon hearings today. COngress VERY BUSY to take up time of this meeting from appearing live on the first 2 c-spams...

 posted by: Mr. Murder on 03.16.05 at 10:30 AM [permalink]


Post a Comment:

Name:


Email Address:


URL:


Comments:


Remember your info?
















usdemvet -at- hotmail.com
or
usndemvet -at- usdemvet.com (coming soon)






All the original material © 2002-2003 Jo Fish
steal what you want, all I ask is an attribution of some sort
Thanks