Briefing: NATO, Russia and the new threat of war29 Aug 2008With Peter Wilby Formely editor of the New Statesman and the Independent on Sunday Now columnist for the Media Guardian Journalist from the Institute of War and Peace Reporting (to be confirmed) Tuesday September 9 7pm Pearson Lecture Theatre University College London Gower Street WC1 All welcome! More details: mediawar@riseup.net, or tel 07801 789 297 Called by Media Workers Against the War N.B. our original meeting on [...]
Revealed: war propaganda in the British media28 Aug 2008The Guardian has revealed that a Whitehall counter-terrorism unit is targeting the BBC and other media organisations as part of a new global propaganda push. The Guardian correctly notes: “The disclosure that a Whitehall counter-terrorism propaganda operation is promoting material to the BBC and other media will raise fresh concerns about official news management in a [...]
Doubts over women suicide bombers28 Aug 2008Most British newspapers carried a story on August 26 about a young Iraqi woman who allegedly was a suicide bomber, but who surrendered to police in Baqouba rather than blow herself up. There were serious doubts about the story’s authenticity, however. For example, the Metro and the Telegraph reported that the circumstances of her arrest [...]
How Georgia won the PR war25 Aug 2008The Guardian’s Peter Wilby has again hit the nail on the head: Whenever, to coin a phrase, a war breaks out in a faraway country of which we know little, I am reminded of a news editor I once worked for. He would go to a wall map showing the location of the paper’s correspondents, produce [...]
Time for a serious debate on Islamophobia13 Jul 2008Every journalist owes the Daily Mail’s Peter Oborne a debt of gratitude for last week’s Dispatches documentary exposing Islamophobia in our media. From the journalists on the Express and Star who refused to publish a page of inflammatory nonsense about Muslims, to the staff on the Barking and Dagenham Recorder facing foul-mouthed abuse from the [...]
The blackout on Israel?s nukes3 Jul 2008The Guardian made a welcome mention on its pages on July 1 that Israel is ?an undeclared nuclear power?. But you would struggle to learn from the British media that Israel has a huge nuclear arsenal. In the prolific discussion of Iran and Syria?s nuclear programme in our media the past 2 months, this fact [...]
Police force terror journalist to share notes2 Jul 2008Freelance journalist Shiv Malik must hand over his source material on terrorism to the police, the High Court ruled last week, slamming Malik for daring to take the case to a judicial review – and forcing him to pay costs. Malik?s crucial test case succeeded in reining in the police, who had raided his house in [...]
Brave Dave prepares for the putsch to topple the junta30 Jun 2008The Independent’s Matthew Norman demolishes David Aaronovitch’s call for military intervention in Zimbabwe: The most influential armchair soldier in the Western world is back in his metaphorical fatigues. Yes, it’s Field Marshal David Aaronovitch, who championed the invasion of Iraq with more vigour than any fellow officer in Her Majesty’s First Light Pundits. There have been [...]
NUJ members face crucial vote22 Jun 2008The ballot for the election of NUJ deputy general secretary ends on July 4. Media Workers Against the War encourages our supporters in the union to vote for Michelle Stanistreet. Michelle has been an inspirational figure at the Daily Express and Star, leading campaigns against the newspapers’ racism and Islamophobia, making the union’s “Journalism Matters” campaign [...]
Save the BBC World Service22 Jun 2008Dear Colleagues, Alarming changes are taking place in the BBC World Service structure and we are asking for your help. The management has decided that 50% of language services should be transferred to countries where the language is spoken. As the law in most of those countries does not allow foreign media organisations to operate locally, the [...]
Media and war briefing: May 2827 May 2008Regular update of analysis, events and campaigns. In this briefing: SATURDAY: MWAW activists’ meeting Police use “terror” laws to attack journalists MEETING: Racism, war and Muslims George Bush in London, protest Sunday June 15 So wrong for so long: US newspapers and Iraq Somalia: Hidden catastrophe, hidden agenda Media coverage of Palestine and Israel From Basra to Beirut: US is gunning for Iran Join [...]
Police use ?terror? laws to attack journalists27 May 2008Journalists researching Islamist activism face arrest, prosecution and even deportation under “anti-terror” laws that give police extensive new powers. The government is rushing to deport an Algerian academic and editor after police seized him for downloading a document on al-Qaeda from a US government website. Dr Hicham Yezza, who works at Nottingham University, is now being [...]
So wrong for so long: US newspapers and Iraq22 May 2008For the first time a mainstream editor ? who just happens also to be a professional media-watcher ? has written a book attacking the Iraq war coverage by the US corporate press. The author of “So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits, and the President Failed on Iraq” is Greg Mitchell, editor [...]
From Basra to Beirut: US is gunning for Iran20 May 2008Robert Fisk sees the recent eruption of conflict in Beirut as a “proxy” war between Washington and Tehran. Add this observation to US accusations that Hezbollah is training Iraqi militants in Iran, and the American military’s promised dossier on Iran’s role in the Iraq war, and you can see that the old drumbeat of war [...]
Behind the BBC?s ?good news from Basra?13 May 2008The Today programme?s reporting of the assault on Basra and Baghdad’s Sadr City by the Iraqi government, backed by US and British troops, tanks and warplanes, has descended to the base assertion that our side is good, their side is bad. Evan Davis, Today’s new presenter, introduced a section on Basra on May 2 which opened [...]
How the US targets photo-journalists10 May 2008Hidden by the mainstream UK media, the past three weeks has brought wonderful news ? the freeing of Sami al-Haj, al-Jazeera cameraman, from Guantanamo, and Bilal Hussein, award-winning AP cameraman, from Iraq. The Guardian and the Press Gazette appear to be the only UK national news outlet to have covered their release. The Guardian’s Richard [...]
Audio: How the media sells war and why20 Apr 2008Hear Dahr Jamail, Nick Davies, Kim Sengupta and Lindsey German speaking to a packed meeting at Westminster University on April 10: Click here for high quality recording by Middle East Panorama Dahr Jamail was an independent journalist in Iraq and is author of ?Beyond the Green Zone? Nick Davies is an award-winning Guardian journalist and author of ?Flat [...]
Indie?s new editor means bad news20 Apr 2008Roger Alton’s move from the Observer to edit the Independent is as shocking as Tony Blair’s appointment as Middle East envoy, and marks a set-back for the anti-war movement. To understand why, we must look at the Indie’s stance on Iraq, why Blair hated the paper, Alton’s politics and what he did at the Observer. Alton [...]
Journalists call for fair coverage of Iraq demonstrations14 Mar 2008FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Journalists opposed to the occupation of Iraq today called on the British media to report fairly on demonstrations marking the 5th anniversary of the invasion. The London demonstration on Saturday March 15 will surround Parliament to remind our political leaders that their continuing collaboration with George W. Bush and his illegal wars has not [...]
Rally: Iraq 5 years on14 Mar 2008How the media sells war and why With speakers: Dahr Jamail, independent journalist in Iraq and author of “Beyond the Green Zone“ Nick Davies, award-winning Guardian journalist and author of “Flat Earth News“ Kim Sengupta, defence and diplomatic correspondent, the Independent Lindsey German, national convenor, Stop the War Coalition Venue: The Old Lecture Theatre, University of Westminster, 309 Regent Street (2 [...]
Rally: The Media After 5 Years in Iraq10 Mar 2008With speakers: Dahr Jamail, independent journalist in Iraq and author of “Beyond the Green Zone“ Nick Davies, award-winning Guardian journalist and author of “Flat Earth News“ Kim Sengupta, defence and diplomatic correspondent, the Independent Lindsey German, national convenor, Stop the War Coalition Venue: The Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental and African Studies, London WC1 Date and time: Thursday April 10, 7pm Called [...]
Editors kneel before Harry and MoD2 Mar 2008The establishment is fond of blaming the media for the public’s cynicism about politics, and particularly its opposition to war. Blair waged a concerted campaign to bully the media in the name of “balance” and “impartiality”. The collusion of senior media editors in the blackout on Prince Harry in Helmand reveals how specious this argument is. [...]
Author under fire over Iraq expos24 Feb 2008A campaign is afoot to suppress the brilliant new book Flat Earth News by Nick Davies analysing the media’s collective failure on Iraq. The Sunday Times is preparing to sue Davies for libel, as reportedly is the Observer’s former political editor. One executive editor has threatened to punch him in the face, while another has promised [...]
At a glance: Sharia law in Britain10 Feb 2008The remarks by Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, on Thursday have allowed the British media to unleash a vicious wave of Islamophobia, from the predictable ravings of the tabloid press, to the disgraceful Independent on Sunday splash about domestic violence and the shocking claims about “inbreeding” by Phil Woolas MP, who has responded to the [...]
At a glance: Condi Rice, hawk among hawks2 Feb 200810-point reminder of the low-points of Condaleeza Rice’s career: 1. “We don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.” In September 2002, Rice lies to the world about the Iraqi nuclear “threat”. 2. 9/11 ? an “opportunity” for US imperialism In the days after 9/11, between public displays of grief Rice rounded up senior staff of [...]
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