PRESSTITUTE ALERT! AP Reporter's Tough Gaza Questions Disappeared

[Orwellian_Ghost]

Story of the Day:
AP Reporter's Tough Gaza Questions Disappeared

During Monday's State Department press briefing, Associated Press State Department Correspondent Matthew Lee posed the most pointed question about the conflict in Gaza and the Bush administration's position: "What’s wrong with an immediate cease-fire that doesn’t have to be sustainable and durable if, during the pause that you get from an immediate cease-fire, something longer-term can be negotiated?" Lee didn't tread lightly either when Deputy Secretary of State Sean McCormack failed to provide a sufficient answer and continued to challenge McCormack on the same point in Tuesday's press briefing.

Yet a funny thing happened on the way to print: the substance of these exchanges never made it into Lee's corresponding articles.

First, here's the main exchange between Lee and McCormack on Monday:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2009/jan/113590.htm

<snip>

Lee knows there's a stark difference between a "ceasefire" and the administration's "sustainable" or "durable" ceasefire. Most of his back and forth with McCormack for two days pivoted on these semantic but very consequential points of distinction. AP editors surely know this as well.

Yet the AP -- America's leading newswire service -- either carelessly or willfully misled its readers and all the news providers it supplied with this headline, many of which, as is often the case, then use it to frame this unfolding story. A headline much closer to the truth would've read "Rice Traveling to UN to Push Conditional Gaza Cease-Fire." Omit "conditional" or some such synonym and the headline gives the false impression that Rice is coming to the Palestinians' rescue. Lee and his editors at the AP realize as well that Rice is coming to the Palestinians' rescue like she came to the Lebanese civilians' rescue in 2006.

<snip>

http://mediabloodhound.typepad.com/weblog/2009/01/ap-reporters-tough-questions-on-gaza-crisis-missing-from-article.html

[glowing]

1. Isn't the AP now owned by some NeoCon, fundie ass now. Doesn't surprise me.

[Orwellian_Ghost]

2. I think so

The way the issues are framed conforms to the State Dept. narrative or it is silenced.

One out of every hundred piece in the US media will give an honest depiction but you have to search for that pretty hard.

Silence is the most effective manner of propaganda.

[Garbo 2004]

3. UPI is owned by the Moonies, not AP. nt

[annabanana]

4. Not wholly owned.. but Rupert recently joined the board.. . . .n/t

[Garbo 2004]

14. Rupert's not currently on AP Bd of Directors...evidently it was a temporary appointment.

Current AP Bd of Directors: http://www.ap.org/pages/about/board.html

Earlier announcement of Murdoch's appt: "Murdoch, chairman and chief executive officer of News Corp., was appointed by the board until the next election of directors to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Jay Smith, who announced earlier this month he was retiring as president of Cox Newspapers." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/14/murdoch-zell-appointed-to_n_96566.html

[L0oniX]

5. K&R

[1776Forever]

6. Salon.com report that says a lot about this from comment on Bill Moyers on Israel/Gaza

Here is a report on the Moyers comment from Salon.com

Saturday Jan. 10, 2009 06:44 EST
Bill Moyers on Israel/Gaza

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2009/01/10/moyers/

(updated below - Update II - Update III)

On his PBS Journal Show last night, Bill Moyers delivered a poignant essay on Israel/Gaza (video on the site). The whole segment is worth watching -- it begins with coverage of a mostly ignored anti-war march this week in Washington (while media hordes, down the street, fixated on the Roland Burris circus) -- but Moyers' essay begins at roughly the 2:20 mark.

The most striking aspect is that sober, fact-based, even-handed commentary like this about Israel automatically subjects one to widespread, profoundly ugly accusations of being "anti-Israel" and even "anti-Semitic," to the point where not a single U.S. Senator and no House member other than a handful dare utter anything other than unquestioning support for Israeli actions, such that most members of the U.S. Congress are, literally, far more willing to question and oppose American military actions than Israel's military actions (the establishment discussion rules are virtually identical to those that prevailed in the pre-Iraq-war days, though even more rigidly enforced: one can question the efficacy of the Israeli attack from the perspective of Israeli interests, but may not question its morality, legality or justifiability)

(more on the site)

.........

One can only pray and hope there will be some real peace initiatives soon that can fine a basis for some kind of relief for everyone involved in this tragedy.

[malaise]

10. Everyone should watch Moyers commentary

on his website

[1776Forever]

13. Agree 100%!

This is one of the few places on the TV that a person can hear the truth!

[leftstreet]

7. K&R

[cascadiance]

8. Break up the Frickin' Media NOW Barack! First PRIORITY!

The problem is that our populace can't be informed, nor can it send the proper feedback to its government representatives, when the media doesn't do its job. No, make that is COMPLICIT in propagandizing these communications to prevent them from happening effectively. We need to tear them apart and let other voices into the mix.

Now, Barack, I can see your logic to wait for others to lobby you and give you popular support ammunition before following through on certain kinds of legislation. But you NEED to realize that this only possible when the criminal elements of the media have been removed and a new landscape of national communication can be put in place so that you can hear everyone appropriately and effectively, and they everyone can hear appropriately what's going on in the world. YOU need to take the lead on getting the appropriate chair of the FCC and get your justice department to start enforcing Sherman Anti-trust acts, as well as broadcast licenses, etc. The sooner this can happen, the sooner we can tackle the real critical problems of the economy, global warming, and the war can happen more effectively.

[burythehatchet]

9. that takes courage. Obama is not courageous, he is ambitious.

His motives are to do good, but he is not the agent of change that I hoped he might be. Dennis fricking Ross is back for god sakes.

[madrchsod]

11. israel is having a hard time controlling the media

they keep getting exposed in their lies and half truths. i think people are fed up with this continuing war between the tribes in the middle east and america`s crusade in iraq.

[JohnyCanuck]

12. Video: How American News Media Works.

Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZw7dBZFCVM

Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kHN0oPwBtk

[Orwellian_Ghost]

15. Thanks for that

Concise summation of the press and the role they play on this.

Have you seen this?
http://www.occupation101.com/

Video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2451908450811690589

[gratuitous]

16. You have to pay attention, but the giveaway is there

How are Israel's actions framed? Regardless of whether they're bombing civilians, hitting children, killing bystanders, using white phosphorus, or whatever, every action is seen through only one lens: Israel's right to self-defense. Is that up for debate? No. But is that how every aspect of the "conflict" is framed? Yuparoonie.