UPDATED - ColdType

the Arab world has begun in earnest with the
first broadcasts of what officials say will become
a 24-hour satellite television network aimed at
changing minds throughout the region by American-style
morning chat-shows, sports, news and
children’s programs.
“Iraq and the World, the prototype channel
being beamed into the country from a U.S. air
force plane, began showing American evening
news bulletins this week. A full-service version
should be broadcasting 24 hours a day to 22
countries in the Middle East by the end of the
year, Mr. [Norman] Pattiz, chairman of Westwood
One, said. Faces familiar to U.S. audiences,
including Dan Rather of CBS and Tom Brokaw of
ABC, are appearing with their words translated
into Arabic.
“We don’t do propaganda,” he insisted.
Give me the pictures,
I will give you the war
EMBEDDED: WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION
At the start of the Spanish American War, newspaper
magnate William Randolph Hearst reportedly
said to a staff illustrator: “Give me the pictures,
I’ll give you the war.” That comment was
thought to have ushered in the era of the “yellow”
(i.e. sensationalized) press. Clearly, for the
media at least, war is good business. That suggests
at the same time that conflicts and tensions
will be pumped up through press coverage.
Already, new media layoffs are in the offing,
with temporary employees brought in to assist
with war “coverage” being dispatched to the
unemployment lines. Ponder the implications of
this report from the LA Times: “Cable news
viewing continued to decline last week, with the
combined audience for Fox News, CNN and
218
MSNBC slipping over 30% from the previous
week.”
If wars take time to organize, watch for more
sensational stories to boost ratings.
As for time to organize, Ted Koppel let loose a
factoid last night of interest. He noted that the
U.S. Army started its war plans for Iraq last June.
That came up in a discussion with Andrew Natsios
who runs the Agency for International
Development, the government arm tasked with
helping the poorer countries of the world. He is
now in charge of the $1.7 BILLION dollar reconstruction
effort in Iraq.
This is the agency that gave the biggest contract
to Bechtel. Ted was asking why there had
been no competitive bidding and why the cost
plus contract. The AID Administrator explained
how it takes time to draw up the documents outlining
the scope of work. He revealed that work
started last September, while Washington wonks
were still publicly saying no decision had been
made. While the public was being fed a line of
lies, the agencies were planning the future
destruction and reconstruction of another country.
Media man implicated in looting
IF this is not a form of looting, what is? Yet it is
not being covered as such. Instead reports are
dribbling in that U.S. soldiers and even media
employees had sticky fingers in Iraqi treasures.
AP reports:
“WASHINGTON – Members of the news media
and U.S. soldiers are being investigated for taking
art, artifacts, weapons and cash from Iraq,
with criminal charges already brought in one
case, federal officials said Wednesday.