Some high and mighty poohbah at CNN said that the American people

[KlatooBNikto]

do not have a right to know, that the Press can withhold information from the people at their discretion. He then went on to say that it may even be necessary to lie in some instances to promote the national interest.

The most charitable interpretation of these statements would be to say at least the guy is honest.He has said out loud what has been in practice for a long time.

The other end of this is to say that the old pretenses have worn thin to the point the culprits have no choice but to bare their faces.That our press is indeed a propaganda organ for those in power.Expecting anything that resembles the truth would be sheer foolishness.

We are all on the road to becoming a nation of Lee Hamiltons.The Sergeant Schultz of our time.

[Nite Owl]

1. So CNN made the news

itself. The Constitution of the United States of America is now defunct. That's what it comes down to.

[GalleryGod]

2. Thanks for the Hogan's Heroes Footnote!

Total friggin' Blow Dried Pukester:puke: Bullshit!

Jest makin' it up as we go along, Folks! :silly:

[Stephanie]

3. He should know that we all have the option of not watching CNN

I don't - I don't even have cable. Why should I pay for cable, now that he's confessed to broadcasting lies instead of news?

[madinmaryland]

4. Which idiot said that.

What an asshat!
:mad:

[KlatooBNikto]

6. His name is Russ Schonfeld and he is credited as being one of the

founders of CNN.

[madinmaryland]

12. I thought Ted Turner founded CNN.

He at least told everyone he did. I couldnt find Russ Schonfeld even listed on the CNN web site. Not under anchors/analysts/reporters/ or even executives.

[heidler1]

5. What makes the elitist pig think that he knows what is in the best

national interest? This same crap was used to argue for the pretentious patriotic support of the Vietnam War and now the Iraq War and in spite of all of the BS now support was and is low. So how can you pretend that the lies were justified. The obvious truth is that war for the greater good better be provable or a damn short war.

[DrDebug]

7. One word: Jack

Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee (Tom Cruise): I think I'm entitled to them.
Jessep: You want answers?
Kaffee: I want the truth!
Jessep: You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago's death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives... You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.
We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!
Kaffee: Did you order the code red?
Jessep: (quietly) I did the job you sent me to do.
Kaffee: Did you order the code red?

Jessep: You're goddamn right I did!!

http://www.whysanity.net/monos/fewgood.html

Emphasis added

[KlatooBNikto]

10. Great recollection! It strips the veneer off the sham democracy we have

been practicing.

[Avalux]

8. Any idea who said this?

I'd love to know who the high and mighty poohbah was that made these fascist remarks. Did you see it on TV or on the website?

[Avalux]

9. Just saw his name above n/t

[SteppingRazor]

11. You're sticking a ton of words n this guy's mouth...

he actually said it was OK for the Pentagon to lie to the American people, not the press. I'm not defending him. I'm just saying we should have our facts straight.

[KlatooBNikto]

13. Who do you think is going to spread the Pentagon's lies?

[SteppingRazor]

14. Granted, but...

If we had a halfway decent media, it'd be up to them to find out the truth amid the government propaganda.
Like I said, I'm not defending this guy. I'm just saying that your original post isn't accurate. He never said the press can and should lie to the American public. He said the Pentagon could.

And in that sense, he's kinda right. You expect the Pentagon to tell the truth about everything? Even though national security is already a commonly accepted reason for public deception?

Whether it's right or not, I certainly don't _expect_ the Pentagon to be telling the truth. Neither should any journalist worth his salt.

[KlatooBNikto]

15. You forget that all our journalists as you call them are paid shills.

Expecting them to do anything else except parrot the lies that comes out of the Pentagon, WH or wherever is just too much.

[SteppingRazor]

16. Every single one of them?

Helen Thomas is a paid shill?

Molly Ivins is a paid shill?

Paul Krugman is a paid shill?

Man, I hate this sort of blanket statement about journalists (of course, I'm a journalist, so I guess that's to be expected ;) )

[KlatooBNikto]

18. By the time people like Helen, Paul and Molly catch the lies, the

stories are already two cycles past the time the eyes have glazed over.Despite their valiant efforts in the age of disinformation, the storyline initially propagated sticks and they are marginalized.

On Edit: People like Paul Krugman, Molly Ivins and Helen Thomas are more like analysts and not investigative reporters.Those kind of reporters are an endangered species in the Bush era.The only person who would even come close to our ideal of a true investigative reporter in these times would be Sy Hersh.Considering the herd instinct that propels our "journalists" I still stand by my blanket statement.The best evidence I have to offer the near total uniformity of all our newspapers and TV reports which is the hallmark of a totalitarian mindset.

[Pockets]

17. Media/Government/Big Business

all in collusion = bad news for freedom, no pun intended.

The military obviously must not reveal troop positions but I think that government is going too far when it dictates other types of information we can have as part of their propaganda war.