television

At the beginning of their classic Manufacturing Consent, Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman pondered the proposition that “media are independent and committed to discovering and reporting the truth, and that they do not merely reflect the world as powerful groups wish it to be perceived.” We all know how that story turns out. Media often […]

Corruption

CNN Admits its Policy of Submitting to Israeli Censorship ‘Has Been in Place for Years’

Common Dreams

By Julia Conley | – ( Commondreams.org ) – CNN has long been criticized by media analysts and journalists for its deference to the Israeli government and the Israel Defense Forces in its coverage of the occupied Palestinian territories, and the cable network admitted Thursday that it follows a protocol that could give Israeli censors […]

Climate Crisis

The Era of Rupert Murdoch, a Blight on our Heating Planet and a Fomenter of War and Racial Hatreds, is Passing

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Australian-American press lord Rupert Murdoch, 92, announced Thursday that he would step down as the CEO of both News Corp and Fox News as of November. It would take a multi-volume book to detail all the horrible and catastrophic things Murdoch has done to the world. In Informed Comment, which […]

Displaced and Refugees

Migration and the Shadow of War: How the Real Story of a Migrant Boat Disaster Escaped our Attention

Andrea Mazzarino

( Tomdispatch.com ) – Seeking news coverage about the Adriana, the boat crowded with some 700 people migrating to Europe to seek a better life that sank in mid-June off the coast of Greece, I googled “migrant ship” and got 483,000 search results in one second. Most of the people aboard the Adriana had drowned […]

Africa

Trump joins ranks of Sexual Abusers-in-Chief like Gaddafi and Mussolini, but CNN thinks he Deserves a Townhall

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Donald John Trump was found liable by a jury on Tuesday for having sexually abused and then libeled writer E. Jean Carroll. The only reason he wasn’t also found liable for rape was that the victim said he inserted something else into her– fingers or some instrument — against her […]

Far Right

As Fox Dumps Tucker Carlson: Remembering how he Plagiarized the “Great Replacement” from Cringey French Nazism

Juan Cole

Revised. Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – David Folkenflik at NPR reports that Fox Cable News on Monday ousted inflammatory racist anchor Tucker Carlson. Carlson had revealed in court depositions for the Dominion libel suit that he did not believe virtually any of the bilge he squirted between his lips at millions for years at Fox. […]

Iraq War

Lying about Lying: Why we must revisit the Definition of ‘Fake News’ from Iraq to Palestine

Ramzy Baroud

Dr Ramzy Baroud RamzyBaroud The phrase “fake news” continues to be deployed routinely in US politics. In a polarised political atmosphere, both Republicans and Democrats distrust media organisations affiliated with opposing parties. This means that most of what is uttered or written by CNN is “fake news” for Republicans, and much of what […]

censorship

Ministry of Truth? Critics Warn Turkey’s new “Disinformation” Law is a Backdoor to Heavy-handed Censorship and outlawing Dissent

Global Voices

By Arzu Geybullayeva | – Turkish lawmakers approved a bill on October 13 purportedly meant to combat fake news and disinformation, but local civil society organizations describe the bill as an underhanded censorship or disinformation bill which will be used to squash dissent and criticism. Critics of the bill say the 40-article legislation passed by […]

Climate Crisis

‘Just Stop Oil’s’ Tomato Juice on van Gogh: Do Radical Protests actually Backfire or do they Raise Consciousness?

The Conversation

By Colin Davis, University of Bristol | – Members of the protest group Just Stop Oil recently threw soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers in the National Gallery in London. The action once again triggered debate about what kinds of protest are most effective. After a quick clean of the glass, the painting was back on […]