Why do United Nations human rights bodies focus on some countries, but not others? Why do organizations like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International appear to ignore important evidence presented to them? And why do the media repeat stories of human rights abuses without questioning their veracity?
(The author has changed certain names and details to protect individuals’ privacy.)
When you arrive in another country, there is nothing more precious than new friends who adopt you, protect you, and teach you about their language, music, culture, and traditions. For an open-minded traveler, ethnographer and anti-imperialist organizer, this new family is more valuable than any air-conditioned hotel, amount of comfort or money.
Sep 27, 2022 – During the first Gulf War journalist Jon Alpert evaded his government controllers and censors to smuggle evidence of civilian casualties out of Iraq to show the American public the truth about the war’s devastating consequences. His higher-ups at NBC News had different ideas, however, and fired him rather than show the shocking footage. And then CBS News fired a producer who tried to bring Alpert on. It’s an appalling story of self-censorship in favor of war propaganda in the US news media.
Oct 3, 2007 Jon Alpert traveled to Iraq in 1991 to document the war. Hours before his footage was to air on NBC, the network canceled its broadcast and fired him. In this Link TV interview, Robert Scheer discusses the firing and we air the controversial film.
“This type of revolving-door behavior should be prohibited for military officials to serve in a private capacity representing military contractors,” said one consumer advocate.
‘The American population was bombarded the way the Iraqi population was bombarded. It was a war against us, a war of lies and disinformation and omission of history. That kind of war, overwhelming and devastating, waged here in the US while the Gulf War was waged over there.’ (Howard Zinn, ‘Power, History and Warfare’, Open Magazine Pamphlet Series, No. 8, 1991, p.12)
You must be logged in to post a comment.