UPDATED - ColdType

(who, overseas readers should be aware, is effectively
a saint in the U.K.), the Pentagon is vetting
journalists who propose to cover the war, and is
taking control of their equipment. This presumably
will ease the logistics of managing the hacks
quite considerably, because if the U.S. has control
of all the gear, then any gear it doesn’t know
about that starts broadcasting is presumably a
target.
Adie’s remarks were delivered as part of a discussion
of war reporting and media freedom,
along with author Phillip Knightley, New York
Times war correspondent Chris Hedges and former
Irish Times editor Connor Brady. The whole
discussion is well worth listening to, and we particularly
liked Hedges’ put-down of CNN: “CNN
survives from war to war; as soon as the war
starts, they become part of the problem.”
Protesting the media
NOW back to the media. Clearly, a bad situation
is likely to get worse as an “embedded press
corps” brings us Pentagon-sanitized news of the
conflict to come. To date, the anti-war movement
has tried with occasional success to get into the
press, but not to confront it, not to challenge its
bias towards war as the only real option. Can
anything be done about this?
A group of activists in Los Angeles is launching
a drive to call the media bosses. I was sent an
email outline of the effort. They charge: “Support
for a war and for police state actions by tens
of millions of Americans can be directly traced
to the misinformation, lack of information and
wildly unbalanced commentary they get from
General Electric (NBC), News Corp (Fox), Disney
(ABC), AOL-Time Warner(CNN) and Viacom
COUNTDOWN TO WAR
79
(CBS).
“If democracy is to have any true meaning, it
must be based on a well-informed public. These
companies must be compelled to provide real
journalism and commentary balance. Their roles
as propaganda arms of the Administration must
end. We encourage you to join the mass phonein
to the TV News bosses. Ask for investigative
reporting, not drum-beating; for balanced coverage
and commentary, not cover-ups of government
misinformation and of potential civilian
deaths and injuries. Call every time you see
something on the tube you know is propaganda
and not news.” ●
MARCH 18: LIBERATION
BY DEVASTATION
IT was a speech that the Liberation Theologianin-chief
has been practicing for nearly two years
– and perhaps longer. George Bush delivered his
declaration of war with eyes unblinking, locked
like radar on the teleprompter, a mono-track
mind conjuring up images of the lock box, a long
forgotten Al Gore-ism. That is it, U.N.! Au revoir,
Paree! Saddam, you are out of here and take
your boys with you. Evil dictators, be warned, the
first Air Cav, with CNN in tow, is coming to get
ya! In the aftermath of THE SPEECH we all knew
was coming, reaction was so muted that the networks
for the most part didn’t bother to go after
it. The only criticism I saw as I scanned the dials
came from Senator Joe Lieberman, a hawk who
lamented the failure of diplomacy. I had to wait
for the morning to hear Tom Daschle say, “I am
saddened, saddened that this President failed so