The Media Flunks WikiLeaks 101

[Hissyspit]

http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/event/article/id/100026321/group/Opinion

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Maybe we were fortunate that the U.S. press chose to print any WikiLeaks disclosures at all. Given the media’s generally supportive stance of unilateral American foreign policy, it could have simply said, “We’re not interested.” Luckily it did better than that, but not much. The media reported articles of minor diplomatic embarrassment with glee, but let matters revealing serious U.S. government perfidy or brutality slide.

Take Honduras. There was always strong suspicion that the State and Defense Departments had quietly supported the military that overthrew the populist president. Naturally, our media never noticed. It has always taken a dim view of liberal presidents. But then WikiLeaks provided chapter and verse of our involve-ment. Still no coverage.

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Media support of our various wars is equally plain. Just before Christmas, hundreds of military veterans and supporters gathered in the snow in front of the White House to protest the war in Afghanistan. More than 130 vets were arrested. That probably wasn’t as painful an ordeal as their basic training. But in our society, willingness to risk jail time for one’s beliefs marks’ a real commitment. Nonetheless most of the mainstream media, including The New York Times, didn’t report a word.

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So don’t expect WikiLeaks’ dramatic revelations to lead to change in the short run. Since the mainstream media is a co-conspirator in our nation’s corporate pro-war culture, the tide of domestic disgust with wars rises very slowly. But abroad, it ascends far faster, and pressures are mounting internationally for us to behave ourselves, as we have recently been forced to do in Egypt.

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OtherWords columnist Willi-am A. Collins is a former state representative and a former mayor of Norwalk, Conn.

[SoCalDem]

1. I think part of the "trouble" is that the folks in charge

discredit sources that have "odd" names.. "wikileaks" does not sound (to an old fart) like anything reputable

"anonymous" (to them) sounds unprofessional and not worthy of taking seriously..

"The Pentagon Papers" has a serious-sounding name.

people posting online may have legitimate news, but when the tweet-name/online name is something like bananamilkshake, or buddyboy13, it's not hard to see why mainstream media discounts the information.

[Kurovski]

2. I say we change it to Foofenpoopersplus.

Will that do it? :-)