The 8 Smears and Misconceptions About WikiLeaks Spread By the Media

[Better Believe It]

8 Smears and Misconceptions About WikiLeaks Spread By the Media
Shredding the corporate media's malicious attacks on WikiLeaks.
By Julianne Escobedo Shepherd and Tana Ganeva
December 31, 2010

The corporate media's tendency to blare misinformation and outright fabrications has been particularly egregious in coverage of WikiLeaks. As Glenn Greenwald has argued, mainstream news outlets are parroting smears and falsehoods about the whistleblower site and its founder Julian Assange, helping to perpetuate a number of "zombie lies" -- misconceptions that refuse to die no matter how much they conflict with known reality, basic logic and well-publicized information.

Here are the bogus narratives that keep appearing in newspapers and on the airwaves.

1. Fearmongering that WikiLeaks revelations will result in deaths.

2. Spreading the lie that WikiLeaks posted all the cables.

3. Falsely claiming that Assange has committed a crime regarding WikiLeaks.

4. Denying that WikiLeaks is a journalistic enterprise.

5. Denying a link between Ellsberg's Pentagon Papers and WikiLeaks, despite Ellsberg's support of the site.

6. Accusing Assange of profiting from WikiLeaks.

7. Calling Assange a terrorist.

8. Minimizing the significance of the cables.

Read the full details on this smear and disinformation campaign at:

http://www.alternet.org/story/149369/8_smears_and_misconceptions_about_wikileaks_spread_by_the_media/?page=entire

[Joanne98]

1. MSM worthless whores!

[Arctic Dave]

2. Yep. SOP for damage control.

Need to add to the list: Defamation of character. (ie; commie, rapist, drug user, pervert, etc.)

[xchrom]

3. recommend

[KansDem]

4. They're throwing the word "terrorist" around like they did "communist" 60 years ago.

Just another tactic of the capitalists to demonize those individuals who would expose them for the thugs and gangsters they are...

[wtmusic]

5. I love how bloggers now consider themselves "journalists"

and have the gall to deny Assange the title.

[Uncle Joe]

6. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Better Believe It.

[Better Believe It]

7. I think this effectively answers some of the major smears against Assange and WikiLeaks.

But new ones seem to be popping up nearly everyday.

Answer one false charge or claim and a new one takes its place.

That's how character assassination and smear campaigns work.

[Luminous Animal]

8. Kick.

[L0oniX]

9. So they are saying they love dirty deeds ...not done dirt cheap but with a lot of our tax dollars.