Media Alert – Where Is the Afghanistan Debate?
This Media Alert is from the national media watchdog group FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting)
With new polls showing the American public becoming increasingly critical of the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, the Sunday morning network talkshows turned primarily to Pentagon officials and war boosters to discuss the issue, continuing the media marginalization of critics of the escalation of the war (Extra!, 4/09).
The most recent ABC/Washington Post poll (8/13-17/09) found that 51 percent of respondents believe the war is not worth fighting–the first time that position has received majority support. Just 24 percent supported sending more troops to Afghanistan, while 45 percent think the level of troops should be decreased.
As the New York Times reported (8/24/09): “The White House has been concerned about declining support for the war among the American public. After recent polls illustrating the decline, [Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman] Admiral [Mike] Mullen and Karl W. Eikenberry, a retired general who is the ambassador to Afghanistan, went on Sunday talkshows to discuss the direction of the mission.” Indeed, this pair of officials appeared the same morning (8/23/09) on both NBC‘s Meet the Press and CNN‘s State of the Union.
State of the Union host John King also presented “three U.S. senators from across the ideological spectrum [to] debate whether to send more troops to Afghanistan.” The views expressed by Republican Sen. Richard Lugar, independent Joe Lieberman and Democrat Benjamin Cardin, though, could hardly be considered a debate: Lugar said that “everyone waits for General McChrystal to give, really, the outline of where we’re headed, how many troops or whatever else is going to be required” while Cardin declared that “we need to make sure that Afghanistan and, quite frankly, the border with Pakistan is not a safe haven for terrorists,” and “we now need to know what do we need to do as far as resources to accomplish that mission.”
Lieberman, declaring that “we can’t let the Taliban come back,” suggested that the U.S. “give our troops and our civilians there…the support that they need as quickly as we can get it to them.” (“Don’t dribble it out, don’t go for incrementalism,” Lieberman warned.) Lugar concluded the segment by predicting that the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan would last “many, many years beyond” President Barack Obama’s current term.
On ABC‘s This Week, Sen. John McCain gave his appraisal of Obama’s conduct of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. (As the ABC web headline put it, “McCain: Obama Doing What I Would Do on Battlefields.”) Host George Stephanopoulos asked McCain about the public’s attitude towards the war: “The majority now say that it’s not worth fighting. Two to one, they don’t want more troops. The clock is ticking both with the public and Congress. You say 12 to 18 months. What do we need to see in 12 to 18 months to make sure the public and the Congress stay behind this war?” Note that the issue for the host is shaping public opinion to conform to the policy, rather than asking whether the policy should change in response to public opinion.
On the show’s roundtable, conservative columnist George Will was the most forceful critic of the war (saying, “I think the American people are right about this”), while liberals Paul Krugman and Robert Reich downplayed both the political significance of the war and the importance of recent polls; Krugman said that he would like to ask Americans who are surveyed to find Afghanistan on a map.
CBS‘s Face the Nation did not feature a discussion of Afghanistan this week. Last week (8/16/09), the program featured former Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel and former Democratic Rep. Lee Hamilton, neither of whom seemed to have a strong opinion about the war.
It makes sense that government officials would try to reverse the trend of declining public support for the war by going on TV. But why are the networks allowing themselves to be used this way? Why is the corporate media response to rising dissatisfaction with the Afghanistan War not an effort to include that point of view in the discussion, but to bring on more officials to explain to the public why their opinions are wrong?
ACTION:
Encourage the Sunday morning shows to acknowledge the public’s views on Afghanistan by including peace advocates and other critics of the escalation of the war as guests on their programs.
CONTACT:
NBC‘s Meet the Press
Email: meetthepressquestions@nbcuni.com
Webform: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6872152/ns/meet_the_press/
ABC‘s This Week with George Stephanopolous
Email: thisweek@abc.com
CNN‘s State of the Union
Email: StateoftheUnion@CNN.com
CBS‘s Face the Nation
Email: ftn@cbsnews.com
More Thoughts on Art Prize
It has been almost two months since I originally wrote a critique of the DeVos initiated Grand Rapids Art Prize. I have received lots of feedback on my critique, both verbal and written responses. All the feedback has been interesting and has contributed to a larger dialogue that people are having as the art contest event grows near.
The most recent response I received via this web page was such that I felt the need to provide additional comments on why I still feel that Art Prize is problematic. The writer made two basic arguments; any art that comes to this community is “good” and the further development of downtown Grand Rapids (what I called gentrification) is beneficial to this community.
I also felt it was important to post my response to these recent comments since the local media continues to provide only glowing coverage of the evolving Art Prize event. What follows is my response.
“Cynthia, thanks for your thoughts on this matter. I completely agree that there can be a great deal of “good” that can be gained from people being exposed to more art, particularly when it inspires and gives us a sense of awe. I have no doubt that there will be some positive benefits to Grand Rapids with more art being created and displayed.
My initial article and critique was not designed to dwell on the negative, instead it was meant to challenge us all to think about the art contest within a larger social context. Doing so is not a negative, rather an opportunity to push us to think about these issues and the long-term implications they have on this community.
Art and other forms of creative expression can always have the power to give us a sense of peace and wonderment. My mother was in a movie about women in Nazi concentration camps, which had the opportunity to prolong their lives if they possessed the ability to play a musical instrument. The music that was played for the Nazi camp officials and their guests no doubt gave men who were in charge of mass extermination a sense of joy or an appreciation of the beauty that comes from classical music. However, looking at the larger context reminds us that this beautiful music was for genocidal murderers. Now, in no way am I comparing the DeVos family to the Nazis. The example was merely to illustrate a point about the importance of looking at the social, political and economic context in which art and creativity is often expressed.
Anyone can look at the churches and other buildings that are part of Rome or the Vatican and many other European cities and be amazed at the beauty, the detail and the craft of the artists who were commissioned to create those works of art. Again, the larger context forces me to come to terms with the fact that much of the gold and silver used in churches throughout Europe was imported from Latin America and mined by indigenous populations for several hundred years after the European conquest of the Americas.
Gandhi once said there was no beauty in the finest linens made in Europe if they caused poverty in India. One of the points I was making in the original article was the economic impact that the art contest could have on the downtown of Grand Rapids. Gentrification may “improve the quality of life for those involved and those around them,” as you say, which was exactly my point. Those who will benefit from this gentrification are those who already are economically privileged and whatever gentrification will come out of it will mostly fatten the wallets of those who live better than most of us. Ask people in Heartside if their being displaced or brutalize by the police, so that gentrification may occur without any resistance, feeling that this art contest is of benefit to them.
The last point I want to make on this matter is that the more we ignore the larger context in which wealthy and privileged sectors of society operate, especially when they engage in philanthropic acts, the more difficult it will be to challenge them when they blatantly exploit and abuse working class sectors of society. A great resource that explores this issue is a book published by the group INCITE! entitled, “The Revolution Will Not Be Funded.”
The consequence of not shining the light on Art Prize, which is the brainchild of one of the DeVos family members, is that it may make it more difficult for people to question the policies and influence that such families and other power structures have on our community in the future. They may withhold funding because they disagree with something that people without power are proposing in the city or they might use their political and economic influence to subvert the democratic process. We would all be naïve if we did not acknowledge that candidates are bought by people like the DeVos family and political and economic policy which impacts as all is all too often dictated by their influence.
Media Bites – Beer & Gender
This week’s Media Bites takes a look a some recent Budweiser commercials that normalize gender roles through a male dominated lens. These commercials are part of Budweiser’s Lager Lesson’s series that uses music from the band Jet. We address in our critique of these spots how in beers ads the consumption of beer is often equated with the consumption of women.
Immigration Reform Interviews – A social worker and religious leader share their views
These interviews are part of a series that we will be posting with people from West Michigan who are working to push for a new immigration policy from the federal government. The West Michigan Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform is working with the national group Reform Immigration For America (RIFA) to hold the new administration to its promise to reform immigration policy. You can join the local group by becoming a member on Facebook or contact Diane at dianelawkessler@gmail.com.
The first interview is with Jerry Dykstra, who is the Executive Director of the Christian Reformed Church in North America. The other interview is with Kathy Siegenthaler who is an Infant Health Therapist with a local social service agency.
Reprinting Media Releases: The GR Press fails to practice journalism in story about new TV show
In last Sunday’s edition of the GR Press it was announced that a local Christian non-profit, The Dove Foundation, will be producing a new TV show that will offer movie and video game reviews with a “faith-based” perspective.
The article notes that Rachel Ruiz from WOOD TV8 and a “senior associate at Grand Rapids public relations form Lambert, Edwards & Associates, will offer their take on new movies and DVD releases.”
The article also cites the Dove Foundation founder and director Dick Rolfe who emphasizes the show’s focus is to provide a Christian program to help families know which films are “appropriate” to view as a family.
The Press offers no background information on the Dove Foundation but quotes Rolfe as saying, the show will be “a vehicle to expand our brand and our reach to more consumers.”
The Dove Foundation has very narrow guidelines about what films are family friendly, based on their own interpretation of Christianity. For instance, while they take issue with obscene language and hyper-sexual content in movies, they rarely challenge violence and hyper-commercialism that are more and more present in films that target younger audiences.
One of the officers for the Dove Foundation is Dar Vander Ark, the director of the Michigan Decency Action Council, a right wing organization that promotes censorship and is actively anti-gay. The Dove Foundation also has on its board of director Dr. Laura Schlessinger, a conservative radio talk show host.
Dove also has received funding from such entitles as the Dick & Betsy DeVos Foundation and the Edgar & Elsie Prince Foundation (parents of Blackwater founder Erik Prince).
The Dove Foundation has a very clear agenda that is more than a vague notion of promoting family values media. It is unfortunate that the GR Press did not do more than reprint a version of the Media Release that the foundation sent out.
This is the first of a series of interviews that we will post with people from West Michigan who are working to push for a new immigration policy from the federal government. The West Michigan Coalition for Comprehensive Immigration Reform is working with the national group Reform Immigration For America (RIFA) to hold the new administration to its promise to reform immigration policy. You can join the local group by becoming a member on Facebook or contact Diane at dianelawkessler@gmail.com.
This interview is with Barry Mehler, a Professor of History at Ferris State University and the Director of the Institute for the Study of Academic Racism. Barry addresses the historical and contemporary relationship between White Nationalist/White Supremacists and anti-immigration movements.
(Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of news analysis pieces that will look at the Grand Rapids Press coverage of the US occupation/war in Afghanistan and Pakistan. This new GRIID study began on May 26 and will continue through the end of August. This article begins with analysis of the GR Press story and then includes the article at the bottom. Note that the text that is bold is the portion of the original story that was omitted in the GR Press version.)
On Sunday, the GR Press ran an Associated Press story about recent violence in Afghanistan. The article focuses on a recent suicide bomb attack by the Taliban on a NATO facility in Kabul. Most of the story gives details of the attack, how many wounded and how the bomber was able to elude the security checks.
The only source in the GR Press version of the AP story was Afghan President, Hamid Karzai. Karzai is quoted as saying the attack was from the “enemies of Afghanistan” who were “trying to create fear among the people as we get close to the election.” In the original AP version of the story there are addition sources cited and even a Taliban spokesperson is quoted at length.
Unfortunately, there is no context to this story, particularly as it relates to suicide bombings in Afghanistan. Professor Robert Pape, author of the book Dying to Win has written that there were virtually no suicide bombings in Afghanistan prior to the US occupation of that country in 2001 and that the main cause of the attacks is because of the occupation.
This is also the first article all summer in the GR Press that has mentioned the upcoming election in Afghanistan. However, the article doesn’t provide any information about the election, who the candidates are, or what the Afghani population is wanting to see as an outcome of the elections.
August 16 AP
Seven dead in bombing
A suicide car bomber struck near the front gate of NATO headquarters in Kabul on Saturday, killing seven people and wounding nearly 100 in a brazen daylight attack less than a week before Afghanistan’s landmark presidential election.
Also Saturday, U.S. Marines pushed deeper into the strategic Helmand province town of Dahaneh for a fourth straight day, meeting fierce Taliban resistance as surface-to-surface missiles and Harrier fighter jets pounded insurgent positions in the surrounding hills.
The blast, which occurred about 8:35 a.m. in Kabul’s heavily guarded diplomatic quarter, appeared aimed at frightening Afghans against participating in Thursday’s presidential election and demonstrating that insurgents can strike whenever and wherever they want.
A Taliban spokesman claimed responsibility for the explosion, which rattled windows across a wide area of the Afghan capital and sent a huge, mushroom cloud of dense black smoke rising into the blue sky.
It was the biggest insurgent attack in Kabul in six months and shook public confidence in the extensive network of checkpoints and armed guards that maintain security in the city.
The bomber managed to evade several rings of Afghan police and detonated his vehicle about 30 yards (meters) from the main entrance to the NATO base, where top U.S. commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal has his headquarters. It was unknown whether McChrystal was there at the time of the attack.
After the blast, bloodied and dazed Afghans wandered the street. They included children who congregate outside the NATO gate to sell gum to Westerners. Windows of nearby antique shops and diplomatic residences were shattered and blood smeared the ground.
President Hamid Karzai blamed the attack on the “enemies of Afghanistan” who were “trying to create fear among the people as we get close to the election,” in which Karzai is favored to win a second, five-year term.
Karzai said in a statement that Afghans “are not afraid of any threats, and they will go to cast their votes.”
Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility and said the target was the NATO headquarters and the U.S. Embassy about 150 yards (meters) down the street. A top Kabul police official blamed al-Qaida because of the size of the blast.
Brig. Gen. E. Tremblay, the spokesman for the NATO-led force, said some soldiers in the International Security Assistance Force were wounded in the blast but did not say how many. Macedonia said three Macedonian soldiers who were guarding the gate were slightly injured.
Afghan security forces stopped the vehicle in front of NATO headquarters, then the bomber detonated the explosives, Tremblay said.
“The security measures in place have stopped cold the bombers as planned,” he said, calling the latest attack an example of the “residual risk” that remained despite the safety measures taken. “It’s very difficult to stop a suicide bomber.”
The blast killed seven Afghans and wounded 91, Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi, the spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Defense, said.
Among the wounded were four Afghan soldiers and Awa Alam Nuristani, a member of parliament and Karzai’s campaign manager for women, the ministry said.
“I was drinking tea in our office when a big explosion happened,” said Abdul Fahim, an Afghan in his mid-20s who suffered leg injuries. “I lay on the ground and then I saw wounded victims everywhere, including police and civilians.”
The chief of Kabul’s criminal investigation department, Abdul Ghafar Sayadzada, said 600 pounds (272 kilograms) of explosives were used, and that because of the amount he suspected al-Qaida was involved. The attacker passed three police checkpoints, Sayadzada said.
But Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, said a suicide bomber named Ahmadullah from the Bagrami district of Kabul province carried out Saturday’s attack.
It was the first major assault in Kabul since February, when eight Taliban militants struck three government buildings simultaneously in the heart of the city. At least 28 people, including eight assailants, were killed.
Interior Ministry spokesman Zemeri Bashery said police were trying to figure out how the insurgents managed to carry out such an attack in one of the most tightly secured areas of the city.
“They must have used a new tactic to carry out this suicide attack,” he said. “What kind of tactic we cannot say until the investigation is over.”
Mujahid brushed aside talk of new tactics but said “we have peoples’ support with us, the people are helping us to carry out our attacks.”
“We have already announced that the people should not participate in the election,” he said. “We have announced that the people should not participate in this American process. We are going to block the highways and roads leading to polling centers and attack those polling centers where we see Americans and other foreigners.”
In Dahaneh, Marines launched a pre-dawn raid against a Taliban position on the southern edge of the town, storming a fortified compound and then blowing up two towers from which insurgents fired rockets and mortars at U.S. troops the day before.
Marines found marijuana plants growing in the courtyard and confiscated trigger plates used to manufacture roadside bombs.
U.S. troops launched an assault on Dahaneh early Wednesday, hoping to disrupt Taliban supply lines in the Now Zad valley and establish Afghan government control over an area held by the Taliban for years.
New GRIID Intern – Divain
GRIID is fortunate to have another new intern that joined us this week. Divain is no stranger to GRIID, since she participated in the Yo Puedo Media Project, where Latino/a students produced media around the themes of dating violence and sexual assault prevention. Divain is entering her senior year at Lee High School and will be working on several media projects over the next few weeks.
Media Bites – JC Penny Back to School
In this week’s Media Bites we take a look at a new back to school commercial by JC Penny. The 1-minute spot has students transform a school cafeteria into a fashion show runway. The commercial uses music from a hip band and promotes a line of branded clothing that the company sells. The commercial also plugs its website which features the same models used in the TV ad. This spot is an excellent example of how advertisers target youth, where youth are not just selling products, they are selling style.
The GR Press Promotes “Corporate Sustainability”
On Saturday the Grand Rapids Press ran a front-page story in the business section entitled “Eco-friendly packages have benefits.” The Press article looks at some recent decisions by four companies to make some changes in how they package certain food/beverage items; Spartan Stores, Old Orchard Brands, Ice Mountain and Wal-Mart.
In many ways the story reads like a public relations piece, with bits of information that are framed positively about what each company is doing. For example, when the Press writer refers to what Wal-Mart is doing it says:
“In Wal-Mart stores, the changes are evident. Only highly concentrated liquid detergent in smaller containers is sold. Granola bars are sold wrapped in pre-cut tape instead of boxes. When suppliers are able to reduce packaging and costs, it has a ripple effect, said Wal-Mart spokesman Kory Lundberg.”
The Press reporter then goes on to quote the Wal-Mart spokesperson at length, with no other perspectives provided that might challenge what the company claims when it say this policy “benefits everyone.” It is almost like reading the Wal-Mart promotional material on their web page that touts the company’s sustainable practices.
The same is the case with the other three companies featured in the story, positive commentary followed by input from company spokespersons. In fact, the only other source cited in the story is a representative from a Muskegon-based packaging company and they also speak favorably about the trend with “eco-friendly” packaging.
The story also includes a highlighted section on what the companies have done, which includes the heading, “How the packages make a difference.” There is even a staged photo that the Press included with items from each of the companies featured in the story.
Green Capitalism
This story is part of a growing trend within the corporate world and to some degree within environmental circles where anything that is perceived to be eco-friendly it is celebrated. The problem with this approach, particularly for journalism, is that it tends to avoid criticism of corporate practices, which means that the public is exposed to less dialogue and less information about the long-term impact of such practices.
For example, there is a rowing movement of people who would say that the very idea of bottling water is inherently unsustainable. Ice Mountain/Nestle is making millions of dollars in profit off the use of water that should be part of the public domain and then the company turns around and tries to convince us that they are environmentally responsible.
Then there is Wal-Mart, the largest retail company in the world. Wal-Mart has a long history of exploiting workers, they destroy local businesses and take advantage of local communities, and have significantly negative impacts on local ecosystems. The fact that companies like Wal-Mart can continue to get such uncritical coverage should tell us something about the state of journalism in this country.
In additional to promoting Green Capitalism, this August 8 GR Press story also puts the emphasis on the demand side of the market. Over and over again in the article the Press reporter doesn’t challenge comments from corporate spokespersons who say things like, “A lot of the customers have requested more eco-friendly, recyclable materials.” This implies that it is up to consumers to demand sustainable manufacturing practices, when in fact other countries have decided that the responsibility lies with those who make the product, not just the consumers.
Germany adopted a policy a few years ago where manufacturers are responsible for all the packaging they produce. Once you are done using the product you can bring it back to the company and they must deal with the waste. Germany calls it their Green Dot Policy.
To emphasize that the Press views this issue from the consumer end of things they included an additional insert in the story. The insert is entitled “Green Shopping,” where the public is encouraged to “buy products in bulk” and to “buy products made from recyclable materials.” This insert came from the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The problem with this type of reporting is that it helps to frame the debate about what must be done for humans to truly live sustainably in the world. (See a recent article by Derrick Jensen that explores what is wrong with individual behavior instead on real political change.) As long as the Press and any other news media fail to challenge corporate perspectives, or include independent perspectives, the public debate on one of the most critical issues of our day will be one-sided.
Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy 