War / Peace

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has issued a special "RCFP White Paper" chronicling the effects the "war on terrorism" has had on media coverage. Available as a free PDF download, the 34-page report outlines actions taken over the last six months by state and federal government agencies that limit the ability of journalists to do their jobs.

"In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the ensuing war on terrorism, the news hole for video public relations shrunk dramatically," writes Paul Holmes, editor of public relations trade newsletter The Holmes Report. "Most of the major production and distribution companies canceled projects in the wake of the terrorist attacks, but in the months since then, the business has been getting back to normal." Michael Santorelli, co-founder of the video production company Dogmatic, told Holmes: "News stations have come to depend on us for content.

"A powerful group of neo-conservatives is launching a new public relations campaign in support of President George W. Bush's war on terrorism," AlterNet's Jim Lobe writes. The group of well connected Republicans is calling itself Americans for Victory Over Terrorism (AVOT).

"Sadly, in the face of the grand spin machine, the nine American lives that were lost this week will just get caught up in the patriotic, hero-propping fervor that has seized the country ever since the World Trade Center bombings," writes Mark Brown. "Anyone who dies in the line of duty, especially servicemen and law enforcement officers, are instantly heroes. I don't think there is anything wrong with fallen soldiers receiving that treatment, for the record. But the greater tragedy here is when nobody asks the question: 'Why are those men there dying in the first place?' "