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Simon Phipps's personal commentary

Watching the Detectives [SocioPolitico]

The allegations made by Kate Adie [via BuzzFlash] that the US military intend to control media coverage of the war even to the extent of killing journalists who speak out of turn:

"I was told by a senior officer in the Pentagon, that if uplinks --that is the television signals out of... Bhagdad, for example-- were detected by any planes ...electronic media... mediums, of the military above Bhagdad... they'd be fired down on. Even if they were journalists ..'"

might sound extreme but there are small signs that make them ring true, such as the fuss over the BBC letting people see George Bush's make-up artist:

Henceforth, the official said, the White House -- not the networks -- will throw the switches that make pool feeds available to broadcast outlets. "There have been too many incidents," the official said, listing various presidential speeches allegedly marred by pool-feed glitches. "We have to make sure we are comfortable with the situation."

Mind you, the US media probably aren't the main concern. Watching TV over here in California, the coverage is wall-to-wall 'here with our brave troops' stuff without the slightest hint of comment out of turn. New anchors are uncritical of official positions, blandly repeat the talking points they are given and are actively hostile towards the dissent that is being expressed by Americans, treating it as unpatriotic. George Bush doesn't see any of it of course:

aides say he does not seek out details in the White House Situation Room and, not a fan of television, watches few TV news accounts.

Somehow that revelation doesn't surprise me. Meanwhile, the war is being funded by... Republican tax cuts:

The GOP's $2.2 trillion budgets struggled for majority support in the House and Senate, but Republicans appealed for wartime unity, exploited disunity among their opponents and beat back most attacks on President Bush's proposed tax cuts.

Don't taxes usually go up in war time? Wasn't income tax invented to fund a war? I've said it before, I know, but this is more and more like the sequel to "Wag the Dog".

Meanwhile, there are one or two small voices of balance. MTV, of all places, broadcasts interviews with Americans of middle eastern origin expressing their fears and concerns, and Salon continues to publish intelligent and balanced articles like "Bush is an idiot, but he was right about Saddam" which I heartily recommend to all readers, pro or anti war. The title above, by the way, is the title of an Elvis Costello song - "You think you're alone until you realize you're in it."

posted at 5:49 PM (UK) | |