Paxety Pages

Another Red Crescent ambulance caught smuggling explosives. If you can believe Debka, it was a plot to attack Powell.

The Cutist Little Communist in Congress has gone completely nuts. She says Mr. Bush knew.

Islamofascists and Eurofascists unite. They're advocating the use of the new International Criminal Court to destroy Israel. It only took a day.

If you think reporters don't know what they're talking about, you're not alone. They don't either, according to a survey presented by The American Society of Newspaper Editors (from Don Fitzpatrick's Shoptalk).

The survey says most reporters believe they're poorly prepared to cover the most significant issues facing the country. It goes on to say that 56% rate the overall quality of reporting at a 3 (1-5 scale), and nearly three-forths rate their preparation for covering important national issues at 3 or less.  

I would agree. In my years as a television producer, I was often astounded at the lack of knowledge exhibited by reporters and producers. One, I remember well, asked me to confirm that World War II was fought in the 60s. Geography is another subject of ignorance. And simple math is wholly beyond the capability of most.

My advice to anyone wanting to become a reporter is this - avoid journalism school - particulary broadcast journalism. Get a good liberal arts education so that you can converse intelligently on a number of topics. Track down internships where you can learn the newspaper or tv business. Probably the smaller the better - you'll get to do more.

I generally hate to see military takeovers, but perhaps this one will work out best. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez was forced from office by the military after a huge public demonstration against him. Chavez had become friends with fidel castro and promised to institute a castro-style government in Venezuela. There are also reports that Chavez helped the international terrorist Carlos The Jackal, who is serving a life sentence in France.  Why should folks in the US care about Venezuela? Because the country exports huge amounts of oil.

April 11

Seven months today. I've begun a 9/11 page - links to personal stories from folks who saw the horrible murders from different places. I've added an original story - it's an e-mail from Robert Lee, who is a producer at CNN Headline News. He was the producer on duty in the control room booth when the planes hit. He's given me permission to publish his e-mail. Read it. News people can hurt, too.

Best writing of the day. FromKen Layne:

Japan still sort of likes us, but Germany is shakier. France just likes to yell at us. They know we'll be back when it gets ugly. France is the insecure girl who mistreats her big lug of a boyfriend in public but always comes back crying when there's trouble -- car won't start, Nazis attacking, etc.

April 9

Over the weekend, I became increasingly annoyed at the way the traditional media was portraying the present Arab-Israeli portion of WW-IV. Sunday night/ Monday morning, I was up monitoring the Art Bell program. CNNRadio news came on at 330 with a one sentence story about a Palestinian firefighter who was killed. No attribution in the story. When the Art Bell show resumed, the guest was talking about Shadow People living in the center of the Earth, Space Aliens, and some other foolishness, but she used attribution throughout her story - moreso than CNNRatio. In frustration, I sent the following e-mail to my good friend Robert Lee, who is a producer at CNN Headline News:

Can you explain to me why the traditional media is so anti-Israel? Is it as simple as the idiots at AP don't write both sides and everybody else is just doing a cut and paste job from AP?

For instance, everyone - including CNN - spent the weekend complaining that the Israelis are not allowing Palestinian ambulances through. Nobody I've heard is adding the Israeli side - that they've caught the Palestinians smuggling explosives inside the ambulances. Why aren't both sides reported?

For instance, CNNRadio news at 3:30AM today had this report on the fighting in Bethlehem - I will quote the story in it's entirety - "A Palestinian firefighter has been shot and killed by IDF troops as he tried to put out a fire caused by the Israelis."
That's the entire story. Where is any attribution? And of course later in the day, other sources are reporting that it was a Palestinian soldier who was killed - and that the firefighters were allowed to put out the fire by the IDF -a fire started by the Palestinians.

Who knows what the truth is - this is why we, as the audience, need attribution in stories.

His reply:

I don't know about anyone else...  but at Headline News, we reported that a priest inside the church was claiming that a Palestinian police officer had been shot while trying to put out a fire started by an Israeli stun grenade - but that we were unable to confirm what happened because Israeli soldiers will not allow us near the church.  Our video did show smoke rising from the area of the church - so we knew there was a fire.

As for bias, how could the media be biased against Israel?  After all, isn't the popular "quietly-spoken" opinion that all U-S media is owned by Jews?  If nothing else out of the Mideast coverage, perhaps that idea will now finally be put to rest for those who accuse the media of a Palestinian slant.

Seriously, though, as for the Red Crescent ambulances - we *have* reported that some have been used in the past to smuggle armed Palestinians.   Still, that doesn't explain why Israeli soldiers won't let the ambulances through after searching them. 

And Israel has brought some of the problems on itself - by threatening reporters and trying to keep them away from the news - going so far as to shoot stun grenades and rubber bullets at them without warning.  We have lots of video of our crews being fired at by Israeli soldiers.  They even raided our bureau in Ramallah and threatened to kick everyone out.  Apparently, it was resolved somehow - because our reporter is still there.  (The same reporter who had an Israeli stun grenade go off at his feet while he was trying to cover special envoy Anthony Zinni's visit to Arafat's compound.)

A lot of the problem with covering this story has to do with getting independent confirmation.  Palestinians are calling reporters and making claims - but the Israelis won't let us anywhere near the action to confirm or deny those claims.  But the fact is - there are a lot of dead Palestinians being racked up - and not all of them are gun-toting adults.  When children start dying, people get upset.  The U.S. took criticism for civilian casualties in Afghanistan, and it wasn't even in the street-fighting stage - where you can at least "see" who you are shooting.

Basically, I believe this whole thing can be traced back to Saddam Hussein.  He started offering suicide bomber families money about the time he got scared we in the U-S were about to light up Baghdad and toast his palace.  He may be crazy - but he's definitely crazy like a fox.  I think he knew Israel would eventually have to react if the bombers kept coming... And once Israel finally reacted - he had to know the Arab world would rise up in anger.

And as radio talk show host Glenn Beck put it: since the Muslim adage is "The enemy of my enemy is my friend".. Saddam knew the Arabs would be angry at the U.S. also - for being friends with Israel.  And thus goes any chance of getting the Arab world to support a U.S. attack on Baghdad.

Now Saddam is sitting pretty - because he's shifted the focus off himself - and onto the Mideast.  Would the U-S dare try to topple him in the midst of a virtual meltdown in the region?

I think not.
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I'm glad to see someone in the traditional media is thinking about Saddam and his involvement. I'm not sure that is making it on the air, though.

Nelson Ascher tells Instantman that the present Arab-Israeli situation may point to the beginning of Cold War II - this time between the US and Europe.

In other words, we are not talking any longer of different opinions on how to achieve the same goals, nor are we talking about disagreement inside the Western Civilization. We are talking about great-power politics. Nato or Shmato aside, it seems quite realistic to say that we are seeing the first open shots in the new clash of civilizations, and the opposing sides in it are the US and Europe. The European Union is clearly taking a Gaullist turn. Equally clearly, the goals of each side in the Middle East (I mean the US and Europe) are divergent. And in a collision route. I would not be absolutely sure by now that Europe is at all commited to the existence of a Jewish state in the region, not if it harms its interests (its growing and developing anti-American alliance with the Arab world) and advances America’s. Britain, obviously, up to the moment, is split in the middle.

Something very serious is up - and something far beyond the news media's perception. This morning's CBS story on the Israeli pullback from two cities said that Sharon had finally obeyed Bush. Typical news goober shallow thinking.

Perhaps if the Eurofascists get close enough to the Islamofascists, Europe will import more of Palestine's only export - suicide bombers.