U.S. Government

The Media Monopoly

Submitted by Laura Miller on

"A majority of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) intends to
ratify a sweeping plan to weaken or eliminate rules that limit the size
and power of media companies," media watchdog Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting writes. Among other things, the changes would allow a company to own a newspaper and
a TV station in the same market, and would significantly increase the number
of TV stations one company can own. The FCC is scheduled to vote June 2 on the proposal.

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Topics: 
Corporations
Media
U.S. Government

Keepers of Bush Image Lift Stagecraft to New Heights

Submitted by Laura Miller on

"We pay particular attention to not only what the president says but what the American people see," White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett told the New York Times' Elisabeth Bumiller. "Americans are leading busy lives, and sometimes they don't have the opportunity to read a story or listen to an entire broadcast.

No
Main Source: 
New York Times, May 16, 2003
Topics: 
Public Relations
U.S. Government

Private Lynch's Rescue 'Hugely Overblown'

Submitted by Laura Miller on

The dramatic rescue of Private Jessica Lynch became one of the big moments of the war, but her Iraqi doctors say the rescue was staged. "We were surprised. Why do this? There was no military, there were no soldiers in the hospital," said Dr Anmar Uday, who worked at the hospital. "It was like a Hollywood film. They cried 'go, go, go', with guns and blanks without bullets, blanks and the sound of explosions.

No
Main Source: 
Guardian (UK), May 15, 2003
Topics: 
Iraq
Propaganda
U.S. Government

24-Hour Mideast TV To Promote "Freedom & Democracy"

Submitted by Laura Miller on

The White House expects congressional funding to the tune of $64 million for the first-ever, 24-hour Arabic-language satellite television network. "The aim is to provide the Middle East's tens of millions of viewers with an alternative to their usual viewing diet of unremediated anti-American propaganda," the Hill's Melissa Seckora reports.

No
Main Source: 
The Hill, May 13, 2003
Topics: 
Democracy
International
Public Relations
U.S. Government

White House Denies Conflict Of Interest

Submitted by Laura Miller on

When George W. Bush visited the Santa Clara production facility of United Defense last week, most reports focused on Bush's praise for the company and its products. What wasn't covered was that the maker of the Bradley fighting vehicle and the Hercules tank recovery vehicle is controlled by the Carlyle Group and that George H.W. Bush is a paid adviser to United Defense. The Corporate Crime Reporter writes that the White House denied any impropriety in Bush Jr.'s visit to the plant.

No
Main Source: 
Corporate Crime Reporter, May 12, 2003
Topics: 
Corporations
Ethics
U.S. Government
War / Peace

Counterterrorism and Risk Management Expert Takes Over In Iraq

Submitted by Laura Miller on

A former State Department counterterrorism expert and crisis consulting CEO will step into the fray in Baghdad. Reuters reports L. Paul Bremer is replacing retired general Jay Garner as the top U.S. civilian official in postwar Iraq. Between 1986-89, Bremer served as President Ronald Reagan's ambassador-at-large for counterterrorism, "a post that made him responsible for crafting U.S. policies to combat terrorism." After leaving the State Department, Bremer worked at Kissinger Associates, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's consulting firm.

No
Main Source: 
Reuters, May 2, 2003
Topics: 
Iraq
U.S. Government

All the President's Lies

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on

"Other presidents have had problems with truth-telling," write Drake Bennett and Heidi Pauken. "But George W. Bush is in a class by himself when it comes to prevarication. It is no exaggeration to say that lying has become Bush's signature as president." They detail the gap between words and deeds in Bush's policies on education, health and the environment. (Unfortunately, the article is inaccurately titled. Bennett and Pauken caught a few of the president's lies, but certainly not "all" of them.)

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Main Source: 
American Prospect, May 1, 2003
Topics: 
Ethics
Rhetoric
U.S. Government

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