Censorship by death

[gsmoove23]

Ned, unless you speak arabic and normally watch al-jazeera I've gotta ask how you come by your assumptions and if you have any access to english al-jazeera stories online please share. The accusations you make are based on vague second hand accounts.

This is the Op-ed piece. Doesn't mention any softening on the reporting in Iraq, just keeping quiet on specific stories that might have endangered people. I don't see him getting fired.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/11/opinion/11JORD.html

[Ned]

Originally posted by BeBro


Very easy to say that when one sits safe at home, isn´t it?

Yes it is. I only wish I were in the US military now or on the front lines like hundreds of reporters. However, I was drafted for the Vietnam War, though never served due to bad eyes.

Patriotism is afire here in the states. Many young men are joining the military with pride. We are not reluctant to fight for democracy. You Germans should know this better than most.

[Ned]

Originally posted by gsmoove23
Ned, unless you speak arabic and normally watch al-jazeera I've gotta ask how you come by your assumptions and if you have any access to english al-jazeera stories online please share. The accusations you make are based on vague second hand accounts.

This is the Op-ed piece. Doesn't mention any softening on the reporting in Iraq, just keeping quiet on specific stories that might have endangered people. I don't see him getting fired.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/11/opinion/11JORD.html

Actually, CNN, FOX and MSNBC periodicly run stories on what al Jazeera is reporting. I also check out their English site

http://english.aljazeera.net

As soon as I find a link to that interview, I will post it.

[Sava]

Ask the Dixie Chicks about censorship.

[BeBMan]

Originally posted by Ned
Patriotism is afire here in the states. Many young men are joining the military with pride. We are not reluctant to fight for democracy. You Germans should know this better than most.

What has this to do with the topic?

I can see nothing wrong in caring for the safety of journalists. I would even say this belongs to the job. When they get killed while standing up for the truth - who then is left to tell the truth?

[Sava]

Actually BeBro, Ned is right. The Germans should know about Nationalistic pride that leads to an increase in military service.

[mark13]

You guys didn't know about this?

Just about every BBC news report I saw from Iraq before Saddam's fall was introduced with the phrase "This report has been monitored by the Iraqi authorities".

[BeBMan]

We know - and?

[Ned]

Ask the Dixie Chicks about biting the hand that feed them.

[gsmoove23]

Wow, that links finally working. I've been trying it for days.

What I see is even now they're reporting relatively harsh US stories. This is more to do with the feelings of the arab street then any payment schemes from Saddam.

[Sava]

Originally posted by Ned
Ask the Dixie Chicks about biting the hand that feed them.

So we should boycott and blacklist anyone who thinks that the President is stupid? YIKES! That would be harder than trying to find all the illegal immigrants in this country.

[Ned]

Originally posted by mark13
You guys didn't know about this?

Just about every BBC news report I saw from Iraq before Saddam's fall was introduced with the phrase "This report has been monitored by the Iraqi authorities".

The point is that CNN, at least, was not reporting on the intimidation it was receiving, or on the worst aspects of the the Saddam regime, for the last 12 years. The woman who talked to CNN in 1990 was torn limb from limb. CNN knew about it and failed to say anything.

But the larger question is, did any news media anywhere acurately report on Saddam for the last 12 years?

[Ned]

Originally posted by Sava
So we should boycott and blacklist anyone who thinks that the President is stupid? YIKES! That would be harder than trying to find all the illegal immigrants in this country.

I'm sorry, Sava, the people who disagree with the Dixie Chicks simply are not buying their products. Everyone who speaks out publicly on a controverisal issue will alienate some. But country music fans tend to be patriotic. What the Dixie Chicks did was to offend their base.

[Lord Merciless]

Not buying Dixie Chick products is my freedom, my choice.

They have to right to say anything they want, customers have the right to buy anything or nothing.

[mark13]

But the larger question is, did any news media anywhere acurately report on Saddam for the last 12 years?

I think that prior to 9/11 and the War on Terror, news agencies were largely apathetic to the Iraqis' plight. There was no need to carry any of the more gruesome stories at risk to the journalists themselves - any more than western journalists aren't risking life and limb in the DR Congo now, for instance.