The DSM Memo : Extensive Report on CNN

[Vyan]

Tonight on "Newsnight With Aaron Brown" the second report aired was an extensive piece on the Downing Street Minutes (still referred to as a "Memo" by the report), emphasing primarily the lack of response stateside compared to the uproar abroad, as well as the potential explosiveness of it's contents.

Both President Bush and Prime Minister Blair's recent denial ("Somebody said, well, you know, we had made up our mind to use military force to deal with Saddam. There's nothing farther from the truth,") of the key elements of the minutes were repeated during the report, but these were taken with more a pinch of salt by correspondents as the fact that previous allegations by both former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and former Counter-Terrorism Chief Richard Clarke were re-iterated without spin.

CNN Stated: British officials have not disputed the authenticity of the document, first published last month by the Times of London.

Ironically, the lead report of the evening was one concerning the "fixing of the facts" by senior White House aids on Global Warming, which has lead to the resignation of senior members of the White House's Council on Environmental Policy.

Could this "fact fixing" be the indication of a pattern?

And could this set of hard-hitting reports be an example of the "Brand New CNN with more facts and less opinion"?

Only time will tell, but I for one certainly hope so.

Vyan

[Selatius]

1. Brand new CNN with more facts and less opinion?

I wouldn't hold my breathe. In capitalism, the bottom line triumphs. If the facts aren't as sexy as the Runaway Bride story or the Laci Peterson affair or this girl now missing in Aruba, forget it.

[Vyan]

3. Aaron went through his entire show..

without mentioning Michael Jackson or the RunAway Bride once (unless I missed it) ... so that was a good sign.

Vyan

[Selatius]

4. One good sign in a sea of utter bullshit whitewashing, sensationalism

That a good sign? No, not in my book.

[Vyan]

11. All true change...

is incremental, not explosive.

Vyan

[Selatius]

12. Sometimes explosive change is required

A little revolution, now and again, can be a very healthy thing and shouldn't be feared or shunned.

[aquart]

14. Yeah, it should.

Unless you feel it will be someone else in the pile of bodies? Revolution is a last resort action. But it is a last resort.

[Selatius]

15. That's why I said "now and again"

Violence is the last resort, but it should be on the table if all other peaceful remedies fail. Besides, when I used revolution, I wasn't specifically meaning the violent kind because there are other forms of revolutionary change in history that came about rather non-violently.

[bornagainhuman]

47. Unfortunately

revolution may be the only recourse if elected officials continue to ignore the people and line their pockets

[ginnyinWI]

35. Cable news isn't monolithic

Exception is probably FOX--I never watch it so can't comment. But on CNN and MSNBC, it depends on the reporter/pundit. MSNBC is for the most part sickeningly to the right, except for Keith Olbermann. CNN is usually to the right as well (Blitzer, King, Zahn, etc.) but Aaron Brown is much better. You can pick and choose.

If you want the straightest reporting, go to PBS or the big three networks. They might leave things out that we get on the net, but at least you don't have the spin that you get on some cable "news". Cspan is also pretty good, except that they seem to have more rightwing guests than left.

[yorkiemommie1]

36. if tomlinson gets his way on PBS

things will shift rightward. I heartily despise what PBS did to Bill Moyers.

[Rainscents]

56. I stop donating to PBS after what they did to Moyer.

[neverforget]

9. I've been without internet access the last 3 days and I feel so uninformed

because of cable news.

[yebrent]

45. Facts that lead to impeachment can be very good for ratings.

Impeachment can be very good for ratings. Maybe some of the Corporate Media honchos are beginning to realize this.

[bongojoe]

51. White House dismissals

I went to the CNN site and read the article about the changes made in the global warming reports. On our home page it was reported that CNN claimed there were resignations from the White House council on global warming because of this. I can't seem to find this in the CNN article.

Can one of you help me with this?

Thanks

[Vyan]

53. It's from the same article...

Fourth Paragraph.

CNN :<I>The group is representing Rick Piltz, who resigned in March from the office that coordinates government research and issued the documents that Cooney edited, the Times said.</i>

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/06/08/climate.us.official.reut/index.html

However, what I said in the original post was also based on what I saw on the Aaron Brown Report, which focused specifically on Mr. Piltz.


Vyan

[Up2Late]

2. So If CNN is going to start reporting News again, does that mean...

...that they'll get rid of all those Fruity Sets and make the studio look like a News Set again?

[Griffy]

7. dunno.. but if they tell the truth we need.. ill watch again! nt

[LightningFlash]

5. Wait around a day....

It'll be back to bizarro world, with the corporate owned CNN reporting about how Jesus must not have died and Michael Jackson's latest trial. :crazy:

There is nothing that will redeem the corporate media, nothing this time. They have aided and abetted lies and election fiscal fraud.

[LunaC]

6. Thanks for the report

I'm writing to everyone covering the story and wasn't aware that CNN gave it any coverage beyond their blog reports.

[JohnyCanuck]

8. Maybe it's time to suggest Aaron interview Karen Kwiatowski.

I suggest we let Aaron Brown know about Lt. Colonel Karen Kwiatoski's (USAF Ret.) interview with Saul Landau in which she explains that when she worked at the Pentagon she came to the conclusion that the Office of Special Plans and the neocons were clearly manipulating and cherry picking the evidence on Iraqi WMDs to justify a decision to invade that had already been made some time past. Much of what she says in this 28 minute interview backs up the claims made in the DSM. Aaron Brown's program seems like it might be a small crack in the corporate media's damn, so lets do what we can to make it bigger.

(Kwiatowski interview - Windows Media Player 28min)
http://www.blip.tv/link/59 or alternate link: http://video.csupomona.edu/HotTalk/KarenKwiatkowski-245.asx

Here's the feedback link at CNN for Aaron Brown:
http://edition.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?3

This is Brown's email address posted in the email lists on the DU activism forum [email protected]

[DesEtoiles]

10. see also the National Media list pinned at top of Media forum

[Vyan]

13. Hey, that's an idea...

If we want to truly test his an CNN's resolve, this is the way to do it.

But, I must point out something that was brought up at the end of the story - which was a major improvement on their original report on May 7th. The U.S. may be sufferring from "Iraq Fatigue", polls indicate that 52% of the nation is begining to think that going into the Iraq War was the wrong thing, but right now are more concerned with the issue of the future - where do we go from here?

Technically I think they should have been asking this question a year ago when there was a viable answer on the plate (Kerry), but what we need to do is keep the media focused on CONGRESS. Take it back, and we can start enforcing those oft reported but seldom used "check and balances" that are supposed to be part of this government.

It's also interesting to note that almost simultaneous to the Brown Report on CNN, President Bush was interviewed by Neal Cavuto on Fox. He really didn't have a lot to say that was new so what could he be up with fielding soft-ball question from Cavuto other than Damage Control on the DSM, Koran and Amnesty stories, a particularly rapid response after his joint Press Conference with Blair just a couple days ago, as his big press Conference from just last month.

Bush is on the defensive, we need to keep him that way.

Vyan

[donkeyotay]

21. Mr. Bush, explain the Office of Special Plans and the UN mugging

War was SO FAR from Bush's mind that his administration created an office SPECIAL just to take another look at the intelligence. Yet, our new and improved television media has let him get away with claiming he was mislead.

I wish I had the time right now to write up a review of all the issues surrounding the UN. From how we KICKED OUT the inspectors, never did get another resolution for war, obstructed their investigations by sending the UN inspectors on "wild goose chases" around Iraq for non-existent WMDs based on lies fed to the OFFICE OF SPECIAL PLANS by Chalabi the neo-con darling, the tapping of UN offices and intimidations, the whole yellowcake saga and outing of Plame....

NO, Mr. President, war was clearly the farthest thing from your mind. THAT'S WHY YOU WORKED SO HARD FOR IT.

IMPEACHMENT is the minimal house cleaning needed in this country. There's a lot of explaining needs done in Washington.

[DemoVet]

16. I'll believe it when Paula Zahn and Nancy Grace get their pink slips

and they toss Larry King out on his wrinkled ass, along with a raft of other things. Until then they're just Faux-lite to me. I used to watch them a lot but I doubt if on average I have them on more than 5 minutes a week now. I'm sure that there are many like me, which would explain their crappy ratings. I almost turned on Aaron Brown last night, him being the only program left that I halfway respect. I'll turn him on tonight and check him out.

Regarding their ratings, I'd be curious to know what the decline has been since the Iraq war and the 2004 election. My feeling is that the drop is mainly due to people like me just tuning them out in disgust as they've cravenly tried to emulate Faux, and I'd also be interested to see if Faux's numbers have come up much in that time. In other words, I'm guessing that CNN has lost more than Faux has gained, though I could be wrong. Any media wonks care to comment?

If they're serious about reporting news and re-discovering journalism I'll give them a try.

[janetle]

20. I did the same thing

I wrote CNN some scathing e-mails telling them I used to have my TV on CNN for hours every day but their obvious slide to the right during the election has caused me to turn them off except for Aaron Brown. I'm sure nobody read my e-mails but I told them if half of the country watched FOX then the other half wants real news--so, why weren't they filling this role?? Until they do, I'm not watching anymore.

If their ratings have dropped, then I am not the only one.

[DemoVet]

30. Exactly!

It's not as if we're all going over to Faux instead. IOW they've probably lost more than Faux has gained. Faux is a one trick pony anyway, those who watch them are going to watch them. To anyone with a brain, they're a hollow caricature of a news service.

It comes down to whether of not they want to do serious journalism or to continue to insult our intelligence, something that's not a problem for the average Faux viewer (I'll let others supply the snark). If they show that they respect me by really trying to get at the truth of things, instead of the "on-the-other-handism" they practice now, where lies and truth are given the same weight, you decide which is which, I'll give them a shot. So would many of us, I think. We're still out here, after all more than half of us (in reality) voted against Bush twice.

[tblue37]

48. Actually, reports came out last month that FOX's

ratings had declined by about 25% since the election. This is from Newshounds:

http://www.newshounds.us/2005/05/18/fox_news_in_ratings_free_fall.php

May 18, 2005
Fox News in Ratings Free Fall
. . . According to TV Newser, the number of people watching Fox during prime time in the 25 to 54 age bracket dropped in April for the sixth straight month.
. . .
Other cable stations' ratings were also down since the election, but CNN's, for example, appeared to have stabilized last month while Fox's continued to drop.
. . .
Fox's plunging ratings should be a warning to those cable stations trying to copy the news channel's conservative Republican slant. People are tired of it. Try something different, like a progressive television show, for a change.

[man4allcats]

17. Don't hold your breath.

They're only reacting now because they're standing there with their pants down and the light of the world on them.

Re:

And could this set of hard-hitting reports be an example of the "Brand New CNN with more facts and less opinion"?

Only time will tell, but I for one certainly hope so.

[Supersedeas]

18. When they interview Clark, Wilson, and Bolton--then maybe they are new

[Norquist Nemesis]

19. "There's nothing farther from the truth"

Which, in no uncertain terms mean, this is EXACTLY the truth and everything else is lies.

[DirtyDawg]

22. Shut up Blitzer Moment...

...I used to be proud of the fact that CNN was headquartered here. There was a time when friends from other countries would ask me about them with an obvious element of admiration. That, of course, hasn't been the case for some time now. Almost from the beginning - at least at the outset of Iraq War I - their, Ted's and CNN's, commitment to providing a worldwide cable news organization verified that people wanted, and would tune in to, these broadcasts. Years later I was overjoyed to hear in a documentary CNN produced on how their coverage of that war happened...with Peter Arnett and Bernard Shaw (admittedly Arnett was a loose cannon and Shaw was a joke) live from Baghdad...in the piece we saw a frenzied CNN control room in Atlanta frantically trying to get the images and the commentary from Arnett & company on the air while Wolf Blitzer was piping up from Washington, or wherever, (it was time for his 'babble-on' show I guess)...only to be told by a, at least to me, nameless newsroom director, "Shut up Blitzer". That was a highlight for me and my admiration for CNN.

Now, hopefully, they may be on the way back. They just have to admit that they can't out fox Fox...just as a growing number of Democrats are coming to the realization that you can't be 'repig-lite' and maintain your self respect.

CNN will find that there's a market for honest, hard-hitting criticism of the establishment. And if they don't, then what good are they anyway?

[Pirate Smile]

23. I haven't heard anything about resignations from the Council on

Environmental Policy yet.

[angryxyouth]

24. Changing the topic a little

John Stewart had Colin Powell on last night. I love John, but he allowed Powell to skate on the administration's lies with out enough counter questioning stating facts, Like: " OK so the administration was working with the UN prier to the joint resolution which gave the president the power to wage a war on Iraq, and the administration had no pre designs to attack Saddam, Then why were we bombing the hell out of them with out congressional approval?

Lets face it Powell was placed on the Daily show as a mouthpiece for his co-conspirators, and Stewart allowed this dog and pony show. What good is a hi profile guest, if their remarks are useless.

[bunnyhugger]

29. i love him, too

really, he is about the high-point of my day as far as TV is concerned, i don't even turn it on except during his 1/2 hour at night.

i think when it comes to his guests, he does seem to kiss a little heiny, even though he gets repukes on the show. and i wish he wouldn't since he really doesn't get anything out of them.

it's still comedy, and he's after laughs. where i DO think he does his damage is the monologue, and with colbert/bee/helms schtick. he hands so many politicos their asses on a plate.

ps: steven colbert is getting his own show, in august i think :)

[bornagainhuman]

49. Welcome Bunnyhugger

[wallwriter]

25. Maybe it's because 51% of Americans are now

against the war. Maybe CNN sees it as the bigger market...

It's hard to imagine that integrity has anything to do with it...

[99Pancakes]

43. $$$$

It's all about $$$$$

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

26. Facts are for wussies...

Real men create their own reality.

[Alizaryn]

27. I was impressed

with how they spoke to, and tied the DSM and the Global warming "fact fixing" stories together. It was a great angle and the first I saw it used.

[Uncle Joe]

59. Too bad we did not have a trifecta

If they had only thrown Gannon/Guckert in to the mix while they were at it.

[EC]

28. Aaron Brown has always been the only one to pretty

much stick to the facts. Sometimes he has to work around the spin to get the real facts out, but he usually seems to manage..

[rox63]

31. Anderson Cooper is pretty decent too n/t

[PuraVidaDreamin]

32. Bet Clarke and O'Neil see a spike of their book sales

[janetle]

33. They need to do another book tour

[V Lee]

34. My letter to Aaron ...

A Plea to the Media

To Aaron Brown:

I’m writing to say thank you Aaron for your reports on global warming and the Downing Street memo. I’m very glad that you’re reporting on these serious issues. It makes me sick to see how most of the media obsesses over things like runaway brides and celebrity trials, I can’t watch it anymore. Especially while we have an administration that ignores threats like global warming and has still not been honest about the Iraq war.

The media should also be reporting on things like the death of Raymond Lemme and the ongoing attempt to cover up manipulation of the 2004 election. Mr. Lemme, from the Florida Inspector General's office, was investigating charges that a Republican representative had requested vote-rigging software for electronic voting machines. He reportedly found evidence of corruption that went "all the way to the top," but never got a chance to present that evidence. He was found dead in a hotel bathtub 80 miles from his home just days before he was going to go public with his charges. There is ample evidence of a cover-up: After investigating police claimed that all photos of the crime scene had been lost because the memory card in their camera failed, but those “non-existent” photos were later leaked and appeared on the internet. Programmer Clint Curtis has submitted a sworn affidavit saying he created the vote-rigging software at the request of Republican representative Tom Feeney of Florida, and he has also passed a lie detector test. This is a story that needs to be investigated and reported and I hope I can count on you and CNN to report it.

Not all threats to our democracy come from outside our borders and the press has a responsibility, a duty, to America and the American people to report on those threats and expose them. The media plays a crucial role in ensuring the integrity of our democracy by counteracting political “spin” and informing the public about the activities of their government, both good and bad. Without full and accurate knowledge of the government’s actions and their consequences it is impossible for citizens to cast intelligent, informed ballots. Without intelligent and informed ballots, which are accurately counted and reported, our country will not have a government which truly reflects the will of the people. The press is therefore critical to ensuring the integrity of our democratic process and ensuring that our government is at all times working for the good of the people they serve.

The press should be the American public’s greatest ally in the effort to keep our government open and honest. Please, Aaron, and everyone else at CNN, don’t let the American people down. We need you. We need you to tell the stories that really matter, the stories that really affect our lives, our future, and our children’s future.

The fact is that our country and our planet are facing some very difficult problems and those problems aren’t going to go away if we all spend our time talking about runaway brides and celebrity trials. The problems will only get worse and their consequences more severe. Everyone who ignores them and fails to do anything about them only helps to bring those consequences down upon themselves, their follow Americans, and everyone else that we share this planet with. There’s no such thing as sitting on the sidelines in this game. If you don’t participate you allow the problems to get worse, so doing nothing means you’re still doing something. Inaction is complicity.

Ultimately it comes down to a fundamental decision: Do you want to be part of the problem, or part of the solution? If you want to be part of the solution then you need to act accordingly.

Don’t be part of the problem. We need you to tell us the stories that really matter. We need you to tell us the truth, now more than ever.

Please don’t let us down.


>> What’s on Bill’s mind? Political commentary with attitude and more at http://www.BillsBrain.com

[Pawel K]

37. Thanks for posting, I have some faith in Aaron Brown

I see him as a good reporter but he caves in to political pressure way too much. Still a better alternative to everything else (with exception of KO of course).

[Pystoff]

38. On Aaron Brown...

Brown is a good reporter that visably struggles not to piss off his editors but still get a little actuall news through the filters. I commend him for the effort.

I saw John Stewart give Powell a pass but I understand. JS likes Powell and wants to keep getting big time guests on his show so he doesn't nail any really badly to their faces.

With this said I live for friday nights and Bill Maher because he'd rip pretty much anyone a new one for openly lying and cares not if they can take it :nuke: somewhat in that fashion there LOL

[CAcyclist]

40. Welcome to DU, Pystoff!

:hi:

[Pystoff]

55. Thank ya

:hi:

[Rainscents]

57. Pystoff... Welcome to DU!!!

:hi:

[Pystoff]

58. And a thank you to you too.

:hi:

[jazzjunkysue]

39. CNN is doing news?

:think:

[Roland99]

41. Yeah, baby! YEAH!!

[wookie294]

42. Yes, fixing facts is a pattern

Here's another example fact-fixing...

Bush administration distorts science to shield Halliburton from pollution laws

WASHINGTON, March 16 (HalliburtonWatch.org) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will investigate complaints by one of its engineers who said the agency distorts science in order to shield Halliburton from pollution laws, the Los Angeles Times reported today.

more...

http://www.halliburtonwatch.org/news/epa_whistleblower2.html

[Professor Chronotis]

44. Don't forget to write...

Don't forget to write NewsNight ...

http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?13

... thank them for running this story, and ask for more great coverage. Remember, news media needs public support in order to do its job. We don't have Deep Throat anymore, and we're fighting against Deep Pockets.

(And don't call Aaron Brown "Skip." ;) )

- Prof.

[piniella]

46. 3 articles back up the DSM

Bush has decided to overthrow Hussein
By Warren P. Strobel and John Walcott
Posted on Wed, Feb. 13, 2002
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/special_packages/11809605.htm

WASHINGTON - President Bush has decided to oust Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein from power and ordered the CIA, the Pentagon and other agencies to devise a combination of military, diplomatic and covert steps to achieve that goal, senior U.S. officials said Tuesday.
No military strike is imminent, but Bush has concluded that Saddam and his nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs are such a threat to U.S. security that the Iraqi dictator must be removed, even if U.S. allies do not help, said the officials, who all spoke on condition of anonymity.
"This is not an argument about whether to get rid of Saddam Hussein. That debate is over. This is ... how you do it," a senior administration official said in an interview with Knight Ridder.
Bush also is dispatching Vice President Cheney next month on a tour of 11 Middle East nations, including many of Iraq's neighbors, whose leaders are leery of a U.S. attack on Baghdad.
While the mission's purpose has been portrayed publicly as sounding out Middle Eastern leaders on Iraq policy, Cheney in fact will tell them that the United States intends to get rid of Saddam and his regime, several top Bush aides said.
"He's not going to beg for support. He's going to inform them that the president's decision has been made and will be carried out, and if they want some input into how and when it's carried out, now's the time for them to speak up," one senior official said.
Secretary of State Colin Powell signaled Bush's new approach last Thursday, telling a House of Representatives committee that "regime change" in Iraq "is something the United States might have to do alone."



A Partner in Shaping an Assertive Foreign Policy
Elisabeth Bumiller. New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: Jan 7, 2004. pg. A.1

Ms. Rice was in similar lock step with Mr. Bush, and Mr. Cheney, on going to war with Iraq, senior advisers to the president said, and served as an implementer of the president's wishes. Richard Haass, the former director of policy planning at the State Department who is now the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, recalls going to see Ms. Rice in July 2002, well before the president began making a public case for ousting Mr. Hussein, to discuss with Ms. Rice ''the pros and cons'' of making Iraq a priority.
''Basically she cut me off and said, 'Save your breath -- the president has already decided what he's going to do on this,' '' Mr. Haass said.

"We're taking him out"
Daniel Eisenberg. Time. New York: May 13, 2002.Vol.159, Iss. 19; pg. 36, 3 pgs

TWO MONTHS AGO, A group of Republican and Democratic Senators went to the White House to meet with Condoleezza Rice, the President's National Security Adviser. Bush was not scheduled to attend but poked his head in anyway-and soon turned the discussion to Iraq. The President has strong feelings about Saddam Hussein (you might too if the man had tried to assassinate your father, which Saddam attempted to do when former President George Bush visited Kuwait in 1993) and did not try to hide them. He showed little interest in debating what to do about Saddam. Instead, he became notably animated, according to one person in the room, used a vulgar epithet to refer to Saddam and concluded with four words that left no one in doubt about Bush's intentions: "We're taking him out."
Dick Cheney carried the same message to Capitol Hill in late March. The Vice President dropped by a Senate Republican policy lunch soon after his 10-day tour of the Middle East-the one meant to drum up support for a U.S. military strike against Iraq. As everyone in the room well knew, his mission had been thrown off course by the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. But Cheney hadn't lost focus. Before he spoke, he said no one should repeat what he said, and Senators and staff members promptly put down their pens and pencils. Then he gave them some surprising news. The question was no longer if the U.S. would attack Iraq, he said. The only question was when.

[Supersedeas]

52. connecting the dots or will the MSM stenograph, celebrity gossip and

sports and weather us to death?

[4_TN_TITANS]

50. I'm not so anti-CNN.....

Most of the daytime programing is crap but Lou Dobbs, Aaron Brown, and sometimes Anderson Cooper aren't bad. I love the way Lou has absolutely hammered the "Exporting America" crisis. But, I'll admit, it's too much to hope for that they can eliminate all the bias and opinion and report just news - real news.

The MSM will take itself down.

[Gronk Groks]

54. Now will any other MSM pick it up?????

If not it will only be an unnoticed ripple in the ocean of misinformation that the Repugs are putting out. How do we amplify this into a wave??? :shrug: