Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy

Analysis:

This story from the Associated Press is one of many that deals with the Venezuelan government’s decision not to renew the license of RCTV, what the article refers to as an opposition station. The story cites Chavez, another government official and a spokesperson from Globovision – the largest broadcaster in Latin America. The GR Press version of the story refers to the Chavez government’s assertion that RCTV advocated for his assassination, but did not mention the TV station’s role in the 2002 coup attempt. The issue of the coup attempt is mentioned in the original version of the AP story. The article ends by mentioning that several government bodies and Human Rights Watch “have expressed concern about the move against RCTV,” but provides no details of those concerns. The last sentence mentions part of a statement released by the US State Department, but the AP story does not question the context of such a statement coming from the US. An important question to ask is why did the GR Press omit about half of the original AP story and after reading it do you have a better understanding of the issue?

Story:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez defended his decision not to renew the license of a popular opposition-aligned television network and warned Tuesday he might crack down on another TV station, accusing it of trying to incite attempts on his life.

Chavez said his refusal to renew the license of Radio Caracas Television, which went off the air at midnight Sunday, is “a sovereign, legitimate decision.”

He said another station Globovision — one of the few channels that is still harshly anti-government — had encouraged attempts on his life and could also face sanctions.

“A new destabilization plan is under way,” Chavez said, calling for his supporters to be “on alert” and ordering officials to closely monitor media coverage.

Thousands — both Chavez supporters and opponents — staged separate marches in Caracas on Tuesday. The Chavez opponents chanted “freedom!” while government supporters said they were in the streets to reject an opposition attempt to stir up violence.

Information Minister Willian Lara on Monday accused Globovision of encouraging an attempt on Chavez’s life by broadcasting the chorus of a salsa tune — “Have faith, this doesn’t end here” — along with footage of the 1981 assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II.

Globovision director Alberto Federico Ravell denied wrongdoing, calling the allegations “ridiculous.” Globovision replayed footage of the assassination attempt during a retrospective of news events covered by RCTV during its 53 years on the air.

International press freedom groups, the European Union, the Chilean Senate, Human Rights Watch and others have expressed concern about the move against RCTV. The State Department on Tuesday called on the Chavez government “to reverse policies that limit freedom of expression.”

Text from the original article ommitted from the Grand Rapids Press version:

“I recommend (Globovision) take a tranquilizer, that they slow down, because if not, I’m going to slow them down,” Chavez said in a speech.

Chavez did not elaborate, but said some broadcasters and newspapers are conspiring to spark unrest and warned that radio stations should not be inciting violence by “manipulating” public sentiment.

Globovision’s legal advisor Perla Jaimes told The Associated Press that Chavez had no legal basis to sanction the channel and said it would not be intimidated by the warnings.

“Globovision is not going to change its editorial line,” Jaimes said. “We cannot stop transmitting the news. We cannot self-censor. We have to broadcast everything that is happening in the country.”

The government turned over RCTV’s license to a new state-funded public channel, which showed a documentary on explorers in Antarctica, a children’s program and exercise programs, interspersed with government ads repeating the slogan “Venezuela now belongs to everyone.”

Chavez says it is a move to democratize the airwaves. He accused RCTV of helping incite a failed coup in 2002, violating broadcast laws and “poisoning” Venezuelans with programming that promoted capitalism.

While Chavez made his speech Tuesday, thousands of students and opposition supporters marched to the offices of the Organization of American States, where they urged the body to take a stand chanting, “This is a dictatorship!”

Scattered protests were held in affluent parts of Caracas, as well as eastern Anzoategui state and central Carabobo state.

Thousands of government supporters held a rival march to the presidential palace accusing the opposition of trying to foment instability.

“RCTV was rubbish. Its programming was horrible, banal. Not even (the opposition) watched it,” said Elena Pereira, an English professor at a state-funded university. “They want a reason to overthrow the government.”

There were no reports of violence Tuesday, though on Monday police firing tear gas clashed with protesters in Caracas.

Chavez did not mention CNN, accused by Lara on Monday of seeking to smear Venezuela. In a statement, CNN denied any campaign to discredit Venezuela and said it has “a long history of consistently balanced coverage” of the country.

Analysis:

This Cox News story is based upon a bill that passed in the House that deals with the issue of price gouging by the oil industry. The headline suggests that the House took a strong stance on this issue since the term “confronts” is used and then the first sentence says “Defying White House opposition, the House passed legislation Wednesday that would make gas price gouging a federal crime in times of an energy emergency.” There are two Democrats cited in the shortened version of this article that appeared in the Grand Rapids Press. The original version has a third Democrat and two Republicans. The GR Press version also cites a White House response to the House vote.

What is omitted from the story is the actual language of the bill other than the one line about price gouging. Despite the story using words like confront and defying the House bill was actually changed to be more accomodating to the oil industry. According to the staff at Corporate Crime Reporter the original bill did not include the condition that the Federal Trade Commission could go after price gougers only during presidentially-declared energy emergencies. Ask yourself how often a President has done that? The current administration didn’t even declare an energy emergency during Hurricane Katrina.

In the original version of the COx News story they also cite someone from the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association who says that “there is no evidence of market manipulation or price gouging.” The story does not source any consumer group like Public Citizen which testified before Congress on this matter and had clear talking points on how to protect consumers. Another significant omission from this story is that there is nomention of how powerful the Oil lobby is in Congress nor the correletion between how the House members voted and which ones receive money from the oil industry.

Story:

Defying White House opposition, the House passed legislation Wednesday that would make gas price gouging a federal crime in times of an energy emergency.

In a 284-141 vote, only one more than the two-thirds majority needed under special rules to speed passage, enough Republicans joined the narrow Democratic majority to approve the measure. The Bush administration said the president’s advisers would recommend he veto the measure if it passes the Senate.

The bill defines gouging as pricing that is “unconscionably excessive” or “indicates the seller is taking unfair advantage of unusual market conditions … to increase prices unreasonably.”

The legislation would allow the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department to investigate and prosecute alleged gougers only if a president declared an energy emergency. Upon conviction, oil corporations could be fined up to $150 million and industry officials could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison and fined up to $2 million.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on a similar measure next month as part of a larger energy bill. The anti-gouging provision already passed the Senate Commerce Committee.
The vote came as gas costs are the talk of the nation � prices at the pump are at record highs� and the Memorial Day weekend begins the summer vacation season, when millions of Americans hit the highways. “I can’t go home, and I imagine none of you can, without saying we tried to do something,” Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas) declared on the House floor.

The author of the House bill, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), told his colleagues that they had a “clear choice.” “Stand up for consumers,” who are paying a nationwide average of about $3.23 a gallon at the pump, or “side with Big Oil” when the industry is reaping “enormous profits.”

He said the bill is “a first step in addressing the outrageous prices we are seeing at the gas pump.”

However, the Bush administration issued a policy statement warning that “this bill could result in gasoline price controls and in some cases bring back long gas lines reminiscent of the 1970s.”

The White House said the legislation would “harm consumers” by interfering with normal market mechanisms and discouraging suppliers from providing enough gasoline to meet demands.

If Congress passes the measure and sends it to Bush, the statement said, “his senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill.”

Text from the original article ommitted from the Grand Rapids Press version:

If enacted, this would be the first federal law against gas price gouging. However, Georgia, Florida, Texas and North Carolina are among the more than two dozens states that have such laws.

Rushing the bill through before Friday’s start of the Memorial Day recess, the House acted under a suspension of regular rules; a two-thirds majority for passage was required and amendments were banned. If Bush were to veto the bill, it could be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote in the House and Senate.

Leading the opposition, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) said the legislative language was vague, “I don’t know what ‘unconscionably excessive’ means.” He said this “flawed bill” was a only “symbolic” congressional action at a time when constituents are angry over high gas prices.

Republican Whip Roy Blunt of Missouri warned that “mom and pop” owners of filling stations, truck stops and convenience stores could end up being prosecuted for pricing they didn’t know was illegal.

“The practice of gouging consumers at the pump is extremely rare, but if it occurs, we should prosecute those who do it to the fullest extent of the law,” said Blunt.

“Unfortunately, the bill brought forth by House Democratic leadership today was written so poorly and included so few details that small retailers and local service station operators could be thrown in jail without knowingly committing a crime.”

Supporters note that gas prices at the pump have jumped to more than $3 a gallon at a time when global crude oil prices have declined. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) ridiculed claims by some Republican opponents of the bill that the high prices are a result of supply and demand.

“Consumers are forced to supply whatever money the oil companies demand,” he said. “Christians had a better chance against the lions than consumers have at the pump” against giant oil suppliers.

But the oil industry said that the bill, if enacted into law, could backfire and cause shortages.

“We’d strongly encourage the Senate to consider the unintended consequences should it debate this or a similar bill,” said Charles Drevna, executive vice president of the National Petrochemical and Refiners Association, an oil industry trade group. He said the legislation may provide “a good political talking point” but there is no evidence of market manipulation or price gouging.

Analysis:

This story is also based upon a lecture by journalist and author Jeremy Scahill in Holland, Michigan on May 19. The Holland Sentinel reporter does state that “Scahill’s book highlights government contracts paying private companies, such as Blackwater, to provide military-type services but not being held accountable by the U.S. government.” However, the story doesn’t provide any details about how there is no accountability. The story cites Scahill twice but gives as much space to a Holland man who was at the talk. No other sources are cited in the story.

The article does mention “There has been an increased interest by Congress about the accountability of the private contractors in recent months,” but provides no specifics about investigation on legislative propsals to create more accountability of these private contractors, particularly Representative Jan Schakowsky’s proposed amendment on military contractor oversight. The article does mention that the founder of Blackwater is Erik Prince and that he is the son of Edgar Prince from Holland, Michigan, but no deatils of the influence that the Prince family has had in far right politics. Considering how much Scahill shared with the audience on Iraq, privatization, New Orleans, government oversight, human rights abuses and the role of the religious right in Blackwater’s philosophy, it is amazing that so little information appeared in this story.

Story:

Best-selling author Jeremy Scahill was in Holland Saturday, on the home-turf of Erik Prince, a man whose company was the focus of Scahill’s book.

The Democratic Club of West Michigan invited Scahill, author of “Blackwater — The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Private Mercenary Army” to speak at the Soccer Stop in Holland Township. Scahill will be at Leaf & Bean, Too 451 Columbia, at 10 this morning.

Scahill’s book highlights government contracts paying private companies, such as Blackwater, to provide military-type services but not being held accountable by the U.S. government. The book also notes Prince’s connections with influential political figures such as Dick DeVos and Ken Star.

“I really knew very little about the mercenary army (until reading this book),” said Jay Payne of Holland. “The American public knows nothing about the fact that their tax dollars are being used to pay mercenaries around the world.”

These mercenaries, via government contracts, were sent to New Orleans in the aftermath of the hurricanes, toting armor and weapons. “The people there needed food and water,” said Payne. They didn’t need rifle-toting mercenaries, he added.

This was Scahill’s first time in the area, but said he didn’t view being here differently than the other 29 cities he’s visited in the past two months, even though Holland is Prince’s hometown.

Prince bought Blackwater, a private security company in North Carolina, reportedly with money he inherited from the sale of Prince Corp. to Johnson Controls Inc.

“The company is one of the most powerful private actors in the global war on terror,” said Scahill. “The government and military say contractors (not Blackwater specifically) aren’t coordinating movements with the military,” Scahill said.

Contractors in Iraq are referred to as “cowboys” and “rock stars” by soldiers, said Scahill. The contractors have better body armor and equipment. Scahill foresees more accountability of private contractors in the future.

There has been an increased interest by Congress about the accountability of the private contractors in recent months.

“Finally Congress is waking up to the dangers of privatized warfare,” said Scahill. Prince, a Holland Christian graduate, was a Navy SEAL. He is the son of the Edgar Prince, who owned Prince Corp. in Holland. The business was sold to Johnson Controls in 1996, a year after Edgar Prince’s death. ?

Analysis:

This story was based upon a Press Conference and public talk by journalist and author Jeremy Scahill in Holland, Michigan on May 19. The article cites Scahill several times but ask yourself whether or not the comments sourced provide readers with substantive information. For example, when Scahill states “This is a company that has recruited mercenaries from countries with some of the most questionable practices on the planet,” there are no details or specifics about these “questionable practices” even though the author mentioned them in his talk. The Press writer says “He wants to educate the public about the impact that Prince and other private contractors are having on the Iraq war.” Again, the article does not provide any information or details as to how Blackwater is impacting the war in Iraq.

The short article spends a fair amount of time talking about where Scahill spoke during his visit and the only other source cited was an quote from an Erik Prince column that appeared in the GR Press on May 16. This writer was at the public lecture by Scahill so there was a great deal that the Press writer could have addressed, such as details about the role of Blackwater in Iraq, Blackwater’s role in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the company’s recruitment of former military and intelligence officers to work for the company. Scahill also mentioned that Blackwater is expanding it’s US facilities beyond North Carolina, that includes Illinois and maybe the west coast. The author also mentioned that the west coast facility may not happen in the proposed location because over half of the small town has signed a petition against Blackwater having a base camp in that area. The other omission in the story is the religious right connections that Blackwater has, not only in West Michigan, but the role this ideology plays in the direction of the company as it has grown into the largest private mercenary army in the world.

Story:

Intensely private like his late father Edgar Prince, Erik Prince has moved into the national spotlight because of a best-selling book about his elite private security company known as Blackwater.

On Saturday, Jeremy Scahill, author of “Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army,” made his first visit to the community where Erik Prince grew up as the son of the owner of the Prince auto parts company. Scahill came at the invitation of the Democratic Club of West Michigan.

“I’m neither Democrat or Republican. I’m a journalist,” Scahill, 32, told a crowd of about 100 who gathered on an indoor soccer field to hear him speak. Scahill says he tries to accept all invitations to speak but does not take money from private organization’s for his appearances.

In addition to the 4 p.m. speech, the Democratic club had Scahill do a 3 p.m. press conference, 6 p.m. dinner in Holland, 8 p.m. talk at Saugatuck’s Uncommon Grounds cafe, and another event in Holland today.

He wants to educate the public about the impact that Prince and other private contractors are having on the Iraq war. The “cowboy” behavior of the hired military contractors are endangering lives of U.S. troops, Scahill said.

“I’ve had a lot of people who tell me ‘I’ve read your book and it is a lot worse,’ ” said Scahill, whose reports on Blackwater began as articles for The Nation magazine.
Prince’s longtime ties with conservative causes and his deep pockets set his firm apart from the 180 firms in Iraq doing armed security. So does Blackwater’s reputation as an elite security contractor.

“It’s sort of like the Maserati of the industry,” Scahill said. “They are being tasked with some of the most critical missions in Iraq.”

Attention from Congress

Scahill’s in-depth knowledge of Blackwater operations are generating calls from Congress. Two weeks ago, he spoke before the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on defense.

Erik Prince had said his firm is being wrongly labeled as mercenaries by journalists.

“Blackwater professionals do not engage in offensive missions. You would be correct in calling them a team of bodyguards, but very wrong in using a description of them as a private army. Clearly, the mercenary label is intended to polarize the discussion and craft the most negative image possible of Blackwater,” he wrote in a statement printed in The Press on May 16.

Scahill contends Blackwater is the definition of mercenary. The firm hires contractors from countries including Chile, Colombia, Poland and Bulgaria. “This is a company that has recruited mercenaries from countries with some of the most questionable practices on the planet,” Scahill said.

Erik Prince declined Scahill’s repeated requests to interview him.

Analysis:

This Associated Press article on the death of Rev. Jerry Falwell tries to present the conservative christian leader in a balanced manner. The story only cites Pat Robertson who speaks highly of Falwell and Matt Foreman, with the National Gay and Lesdian Task Force, as quite critical of Falwell. The article states early on “The Moral Majority’s condemnation of homosexuality, abortion and pornography was praised in some circles and reviled in others.” The AP story goes on to give examples of how Falwell challenged those in the pornography industry particularly Larry Flynt of Hustler magazine. The only other criticism in the article was in reference to a comment Falwell made after the attacks of September 11, 2001 “essentially blaming feminists, gays and liberals for bringing on the terrorist attacks, drew a rebuke from the White House, and he apologized.” The full comment he made was “I really believe that the pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians, who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way – all of them who try to secularize America – I point the finger in their face and say, ‘You helped this happen.”

The story also mentions that one of Falwell’s “greatest triumphs came when Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980,” but never goes on to say what role he played in the Reagan years. According to author of numerous books on the Christian Right, Sara Diamond, Falwell played a significant role in not only politicizing abortion and homosexuality, he was very involved in US foreign policy campaigns in both the reagan/Bush years and during Clinton’s 2 terms. Falwell was a big supporter of the State of Israel. Why would the AP story not include Falwell’s involvement in political issues beyond those dealing with sexuality? Framing the life of Falwell in such a way makes it easy for people to dismiss the conflicts with some groups simply as a moral debate. However, when we look at Falwell’s involvement and statements it goes beyond simple moral posturing. Other issues that were omitted in this story was Falwell’s contempt for feminism. Here is one comment he made about femenist women, “I listen to feminists and all these radical gals…These women just need a man in the house. That”s all they need. Most of the feminists need a man to tell them what time of day it is and to lead them home. And they blew it and they”re mad at all men. Feminists hate men. They”re sexist. They hate men; that”s their problem.” Falwell was also anti-Islam. After the September 11, 2001 attacks he join other Islamaphobes by stating “I think Muhammad was a terrorist. I read enough by both Muslims and non-Muslims, [to decide] that he was a violent man, a man of war.” The AP story also mentions that Newsweek magazine named Falwell one of the 25 most influential people in America in 1983, but never provides any evidence or reasons for his influence. It’s as if the AP reporter went out of their way to avoid dealing with any of the complexities and reach that Falwell and the Moral Majority had in the US.

Story:

Spiritually, the Rev. Jerry Falwell seemed prepared for his passing. A little more than two weeks ago, the founder of the Moral Majority preached of man being indestructible until he has finished God’s work, then told churchgoers he was at peace with death.

On the day before he died, Falwell called his son and asked him to take a drive up the mountain that overlooks Liberty University, where he posed for pictures near a new, massive “LU” logo with students from the school he built.

“He said he was feeling better than he’d felt in awhile,” Jerry Falwell Jr. said. “He’d been feeling kind of tired in the past two weeks.”

On Tuesday morning, the 73-year-old Falwell was discovered without a pulse in his office at Liberty and pronounced dead at a hospital about an hour later. Dr. Carl Moore, Falwell’s physician, said he had a heart condition and presumably died of a heart rhythm abnormality. His funeral was set for Tuesday.

The big, blue-eyed preacher with a booming voice used the power of television to found the Moral Majority and turn the Christian right into a mighty force in American politics.

The rise of Christian conservatism made Falwell perhaps the most recognizable figure on the evangelical right. The Moral Majority’s condemnation of homosexuality, abortion and pornography was praised in some circles and reviled in others.

Over the years, Falwell waged a landmark libel case against Hustler magazine founder Larry Flynt over a raunchy parody ad, and created a furor in 1999 when one of his publications suggested that the purse-carrying “Teletubbies” character Tinky Winky was gay.

Driven into politics by the 1973 Supreme Court ruling that established the right to an abortion, Falwell founded the Moral Majority in 1979. He credited the conservative lobbying group with getting millions of like-minded people to vote, and one of its greatest triumphs came when Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980.

“I shudder to think where the country would be right now if the religious right had not evolved,” he said when he stepped down as Moral Majority president in 1987.

Falwell was both a businessman and a preacher, roles that each of his sons embody. He had made careful preparations for a transition of his leadership to Jerry Jr., vice chancellor of Liberty University, and Jonathan, executive pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church.

But neither is involved in politics, an area where Falwell’s influence had declined in recent years. He was quietly led in and out of the Republican Party’s 2004 national convention. Just four years earlier, he was invited to pray from the rostrum.

Nonetheless, his political impact was monumental.

“Jerry was the seminal figure in bringing evangelical and fundamentalist Christians out of the catacombs and energizing them into a political voting bloc that helped elect Ronald Reagan twice and was responsible for a lot of Republican success after that,” said Cal Thomas, syndicated columnist and vice president of the Moral Majority from 1980-85.

Fellow TV evangelist Pat Robertson, a one-time Republican candidate for president, declared Falwell “a tower of strength on many of the moral issues which have confronted our nation.”

Others remembered the fundamentalist preacher for being divisive.

Matt Foreman, executive director of National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, extended condolences to those close to Falwell, but added: “Unfortunately, we will always remember him as a founder and leader of America’s anti-gay industry, someone who exacerbated the nation’s appalling response to the onslaught of the AIDS epidemic, someone who demonized and vilified us for political gain and someone who used religion to divide rather than unite our nation.”

In recent years, Falwell had become a problematic figure for the GOP. His remarks a few days after Sept. 11, 2001, essentially blaming feminists, gays and liberals for bringing on the terrorist attacks, drew a rebuke from the White House, and he apologized.

Falwell, who started a fundamentalist church in an abandoned bottling plant in Lynchburg in 1956 with just 35 members, built it into a religious empire that included the 24,000-member Thomas Road Baptist Church, the “Old Time Gospel Hour” carried on TV stations around the country, and 9,600-student Liberty University, which he founded in 1971 as Lynchburg Baptist College.

From his living room, he broadcast his message of salvation and raised the donations that helped his ministry grow.

The Moral Majority grew to 6.5 million members and raised $69 million as it supported conservative politicians and railed against liberal social issues.

In 1983, U.S. News & World Report named Falwell one of the 25 most influential people in America.

With his high profile came frequent criticism, even from fellow ministers. The Rev. Billy Graham once rebuked him for political sermonizing on “non-moral issues.”

Falwell quit the Moral Majority in 1987, saying he was tired of being “a lightning rod” and wanted to devote his time to his ministry and Liberty University. But he remained outspoken and continued to draw criticism for his remarks.

In 1999, he told an evangelical conference that the Antichrist was a male Jew who was probably already alive. Falwell later apologized for the remark but not for holding the belief. A month later, his National Liberty Journal warned parents that Tinky Winky, the children’s TV character, was a gay role model and morally damaging to children.

Falwell was re-energized after family values proved important in the 2004 presidential election. He formed the Faith and Values Coalition as the “21st Century resurrection of the Moral Majority,” to seek anti-abortion judges, a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, and more conservative elected officials.

Falwell dreamed that Liberty would grow to 50,000 students and be to fundamentalist Christians what the University of Notre Dame is to Roman Catholics and Brigham Young University is to Mormons.

As a student, Falwell was a star athlete and prankster who was barred from giving his high school valedictorian’s speech after he was caught using counterfeit lunch tickets.

He ran with a gang of juvenile delinquents before becoming a born-again Christian at 19. He turned down an offer to play professional baseball and transferred from Lynchburg College to Baptist Bible College in Springfield, Mo.

“My heart was burning to serve Christ,” he once said in an interview. “I knew nothing would ever be the same again.”

Falwell’s survivors include his wife, Macel, his two sons and a daughter, Jeannie Falwell Savas.

Analysis:

This story was on the front page of the GR Press the day after Jerry Falwell died. The article sources six people all together, 3 who spoke positively of Falwell, 2 critically, and one who attempted to provide some context for Falwell’s role in the chrsitian right movement. There are numerous terms applied to Falwell, such as kind, loving, man of prayer, and “a man interested in issues of justice.” These comments are juxtaposed with 2 critical comments to give readers a sense of balance, but there is no independent information for readers to determine what kind of person Falwell was beyond opinions.

The story begins by saying “Katie Feenstra will not remember the Rev. Jerry Falwell as the televangelist who formed the Moral Majority and issued controversial statements about gays and terrorism,” but the article never explores what was so controversial about the man. Even the Calvin professor who is cited doesn’t provide readers with any details of how “Falwell’s Moral Majority was a symbolically important movement that laid the groundwork for the more politically effective Christian Coalition.” Considering the role of groups like the Moral Majority, the Press failed to provide people with any significant analysis or investigative reporting to shed light on what impact the person of Jerry Falwell and the Moral Majority actually had on US politics during the 80s and 90s.

Story:

Katie Feenstra will not remember the Rev. Jerry Falwell as the televangelist who formed the Moral Majority and issued controversial statements about gays and terrorism.

The Grand Rapids native and pro basketball star instead recalls Falwell as the kind chancellor of Liberty University in Virginia who honked cheerfully at students and gave them rides on rainy days.

He also regularly appeared at athletic events and encouraged Feenstra, now a WNBA player with the Detroit Shock, and her teammates.

“To us, he wasn’t this famous person. He was a simple man and a great Christian,” said Feenstra, a 2005 Liberty graduate. “I can’t say a bad word about him because he was so giving and would help students any way he could.”

Following Falwell’s sudden death Tuesday at age 73, other West Michigan residents with personal ties to the prominent preacher also spoke of a man very different from his outspoken public persona.

“There were two Jerry Falwells,” said the Rev. Ed Dobson, who served as Falwell’s right-hand man before coming to Grand Rapids’ Calvary Church in 1987. “The real Jerry Falwell was a man of deep compassion and love, a man interested in issues of justice, a man who was devoted to prayer (and) loved his own family.”

Dobson served under Falwell at Liberty as vice president of student affairs and was his associate pastor at Thomas Road Baptist Church. He recalls praying with Falwell and “feeling like God was right there.”

“He was the real thing. He was no different when we were with President Reagan or (Israeli) Prime Minister (Menachem) Begin than when we were visiting an alcoholic in his home.”

Dobson, a key architect of the Moral Majority, later rejected Christian-right politicking. But he remained close to Falwell and said his movement accomplished much.

“It encouraged millions of people to get involved, to vote and try to influence the process, and that’s always good.”

Harvey Gainey, a longtime board member at Liberty University, called Falwell “a great voice for morality in America.”

“He was good at putting his foot in his mouth sometimes,” acknowledged Gainey, owner of Gainey Transportation Services. “But in reality, Dr. Falwell was a wonderful guy with a huge heart.”

Gainey credited Falwell with building “a great Christian university” of 25,000 students and a law school.

As for the Moral Majority, he said, “It at least got people to thinking that maybe we ought to think about the direction we’re heading.”

Others disagreed, saying Falwell’s political movement and moral pronouncements did more harm than good. “I value anyone whose faith puts him into the middle of the public
square,” said the Rev. David Baak, longtime director of the Grand Rapids Area Center for Ecumenism (GRACE). “But I found him to be a polarizing figure, and felt that often he used that faith in the service of a political agenda.”

Falwell’s strong condemnations of homosexuality turned many gays from the church, said the Rev. Jim Lucas, chaplain of the support group Gays in Faith Together. “The way he spoke about gay and lesbian people did enormous harm, not only to people who are gay but to the reputation of the Christian community,” Lucas said. “Because he was so high profile, a lot of people came to see him as representing the Christian church.”

Falwell’s Moral Majority was a symbolically important movement that laid the groundwork for the more politically effective Christian Coalition, said Calvin College political scientist Corwin Smidt.

“(Falwell) became a prominent figure representing a segment of the American people and speaking on their behalf,” Smidt said. “He articulated grievances that people felt.”

Analysis:

This guest column by Blackwater CEO Erik Prince is instructive in terms of what he does say and what he doesn’t say. Prince addresses 3 objections in his column, objections that are based on the Grand Rapids Press stories on Blackwater from April 29. The first objection was that Prince doesn’t feel that Blackwater was “capitalizing” on the attacks of September 11, 2001. Prince provides nothing to substantiate this by providing readers with the company’s contracts before and after September 11, 2001. Instead, Prince points out that the company was simply providing security needs. He also states that “Very brave American veterans, many of whom were retired, once again answered the call to duty by working for my company.” What Prince does not address is that these veterans get paid a great deal more money to “serve” the country and that many of the soldiers are not even from the US. In Jeremy Scahill’s book “Blackwater,” he documents that Blackwater has recruited mercenaries from many countries, especially former soldiers who served under brutal regimes like Pinochet in Chile.

The second objection that Prince raises has to do with the use of the term mercenary. He says that “Blackwater professionals do not engage in offensive missions,” and instead prefers to call them body guards. The whole US military operation in Iraq was an offensive mission and since Blackwater is doing some of the US military’s work, like guarding Paul Bremer when he was in charge of Iraq, that constitutes on offensive operation. Also, according to Scahill, “In Azerbaijan, Blackwater would be tasked with establishing and training an elite Azeri force modeled after the US Navy SEALs that would ultimately protect the interests of the US and its allies in a hostile region.” This would seem to contradict Erik Prince’s claim that “Blackwater does not now, nor has it ever, provided security services for, or on behalf of, any country other than the United States of America.”

The last objection by Prince in the essay has to do with the GR Press mentioning no-bid contracts, which Prince does not deny. However, he claims that most of their contracts have been “competitively bid.” He also dismisses the insinuation that these contracts were the result of “political connections,” but again provides no evidence that Blackwater does or does not have such connections. Scahill documents a tremendous amount of political connection in his book, particularly the recruiting of former government officials to come work for Blackwater shortly after departing from positions in the US government that have been directly tied to current US wars and the intelligence community. For example, Cofer Black a 37-year veteran of the CIA, was hired by Blackwater in February of 2005 as the company’s vice chairman. Black had been appointed by Bush as his “coordinator of counterterrorism, with the rank of at large ambassador at the State Department.” Soon after that the company scored another big insider in the person of Joseph Schmitz. Schmitz, before joining Blackwater was tasked with the job of overseeing all war contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Schmitz, whose connection to war profiteers was well known, determined after his investigation that “there was no wrong doing” with any of the private contractors in Iraq or Afghanistan.

This guest essay by Prince clearly demonstrates his unwillingness to opening debate the role that his company, Blackwater, plays in the global war on terrorism. The GR Press did include an editor’s note at the end of the essay saying that they tried to interview Prince on several occasions, but the company spokesperson said no one was available. Whenever any entity receives government funding there should be as much transparency as possible, particularly considering the amount of private soldiers Blackwater has in Iraq and how much money thay have made in recent years.

Story:

In response to a series of articles about me and my company, Blackwater USA, I am compelled to clarify a few points.

My company is a turnkey solutions provider to a variety of clients and has been responsible for increased operations in increasingly hostile environments. Blackwater’s core competency is in training military and law enforcement personnel. We have provided cutting edge training to these communities since long before 9.11 and continue to do so. My plan never was to reap benefits from terrible events, but when there was a compelling need for advanced capabilities, the plan was adapted.

I take issue with the reporter’s claim that my company sought to “capitalize” on these attacks. Shortly after the gruesome attacks of 9.11, a security need arose in some of the most dangerous places in the world. Very brave American veterans, many of whom were retired, once again answered the call to duty by working for my company. The individuals who risk their lives each day working for Blackwater have not forgotten and they remain committed. They swear the same oath to defend the United States Constitution that the uniformed military services do.

Your story referred to Blackwater as “arguably the world’s most powerful private army.” The Constitution does not permit the establishment of a private army, and Blackwater’s team of highly motivated and capable security professionals serve at the request of the United States Government. Furthermore, Blackwater professionals do not engage in offensive missions. You would be correct in calling them a team of bodyguards, but very wrong in using a description of them as a “private army.”

Clearly, the mercenary label is intended to polarize the discussion and craft the most negative image possible of Blackwater. The highest authority on rhetoric, the Oxford English Dictionary, however, defines “mercenary” as: “a professional soldier serving a foreign power.” Blackwater does not now, nor has it ever, provided security services for, or on behalf of, any country other than the United States of America.

Your reporter accurately reported that my company was awarded a no-bid contract to guard the Iraqi Coalition Provisional Authority. We were also awarded 14 other competitively bid contracts in the same region within months. No-bid contracts are awarded in urgent and compelling situations. For the record, the same contract was later competitively bid and awarded. In fact, over 90 percent of Blackwater’s contracts are competitively bid, casting doubt on the reporter’s insinuation that the company’s success has been due in large part to political connections. All of Blackwater’s facilities and development projects are funded with private Blackwater dollars. We have never received any of the “plus ups” or directed appropriations that continue to undermine the integrity of Congress.

Analysis:

This story from WZZM 13 announces that former Secretary of State Colin Powell was scheduled to speak in Grand Rapids. The story functions as nothing more than an announcement, simply stating that Powell will be speaking. Even as an announcement it is limited, as it does not mention what Colin Powell will be discussing, why he was chosen, or his past record.

There was no follow-up story and no coverage of the actual talk. WZZM 13 never explored Powell’s record, which would have been relevant given the ongoing war in Iraq and Powell’s role in building support for the invasion .

Story:

Grand Rapids – Former Secretary of State Colin Powell will be in Grand Rapids Friday to speak to law enforcement personnel.

He is a keynote speaker at this year’s Great Lakes Homeland Security Training Conference and Expo, which is taking place at the DeVos Place. The conference brings together law enforcement and security professionals to network and see the latest in security and emergency response products.

Powell last visited Grand Rapids in 2005, to speak at the city’s annual Economic Club dinner.

Michigan State Police hosted the conference.

Analysis:

This editorial by the Grand Rapids Press raises numerous issues about the US wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the role of government propaganda as an result of the government hearings on what happened with the death of Pat Tillman and the wounding of Jessica Lynch. The editorial first points out the flawed Jessica Lynch story and then says that “She blames the media and the military for the early reports about her battlefield bravery.” The editorial then goes on to provide a mild correction to the Pat Tillman case, but what the Press editorial fails to do is acknowledge its own role in promoting these fabricated stories about Lynch and Tillman. The Press ran Associated Press stories that made Lynch and Tillman heroes without questioning the Pentagon’s acknowledgement that they have been creating fake news stories in order to win the battle for public opinion. The Pentagon’s propaganda was a part of the Iraq war plan from the very beginning, since we now have a newly declassified document which states in part “civil-military transition of the new Iraq to a broad representative government” would take “1-2 years,” and the U.S. government would establish – in 12 months – an information system that would serve “as a model for free media in the Arab world.” To ensure that the message would be controlled, Iraq was to be provided with a “Temporary Media Commissioner” to regulate against “hate media”. He or she would operate in a receptive environment: the team would “identify the media infrastructure that we need left intact, and work with CENTCOM targeteers to find alternative ways of disabling key sites.”

The Press editorial ends by saying “This nation can handle the truth about what happens on the battlefield, no matter how disconcerting. The American public, along with the families of the fallen, injured and captured deserve nothing less.” Again, this is an interesting statement to make since the Grand Rapids Press and most of the major media has decided to not report about the truth of what happens on the battlefield. There has been limited coverage of US military wrongdoing, the trauma and suffering that wounded US soldiers have endured, and an almost complete omission of Iraqi casualties. The public should be able to handle the truth about battlefield realities, but the Press needs to make that reality a part of ongoing coverage not an occasional editorial when there are government investigations.

Story:

Fog of war shouldn’t obscure truth

Making up stories about battlefield heroics — and awarding medals to boot — dishonors the military and the nation. That should come through loud and clear following hearings into the circumstances surrounding the death of Cpl. Pat Tillman in Afghanistan and the capture and rescue of Pvt. Jessica Lynch in Iraq.

In testimony late last month before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Ms. Lynch said she was befuddled by stories initially painting her as a female Rambo who was injured and captured only after emptying her weapon when her Army convoy was ambushed in Iraq in 2003.

The truth is quite different. Ms. Lynch was seriously injured and knocked unconscious when the jeep carrying her collided with another U.S. vehicle during the ambush. She woke up in an Iraqi hospital having never fired a shot. The young supply clerk became an instant celebrity when she was rescued by U.S. Special Forces and her supposed exploits were disseminated by the media. The Washington Post first reported the story, quoting unidentified U.S. officials. Lynch was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious combat service, the Purple Heart and the POW medal. She blames the media and the military for the early reports about her battlefield bravery.

In the Tillman case, the Army originally reported that the Special Forces Ranger was killed while under fire from Taliban forces. He was awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart. His 2004 death received an extraordinary amount of publicity because he’d given up a lucrative professional football career to enlist in the military after the terrorist attacks of September 11.

It shouldn’t have taken five weeks for the Army to tell the Tillman family and the nation that he was killed by “friendly fire” from his own unit. It also should not have taken another three years before a military investigation found that nine high-ranking Army officers, including four generals, knew the truth soon after the shooting and kept quiet. They should be appropriately disciplined.

The truth of war is not always pretty. Friendly fire accidents are a part of war. Comrades and allies can and are killed in accidental shootings. Mr. Tillman’s actual heroism ought not be tarnished by the circumstances or deceptions surrounding his death. He died serving his country; just as Jessica Lynch was injured and captured while serving.

Fabricated and embellished stories about wartime heroics do a disservice to the courage, commitment and honor exhibited daily by U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This nation can handle the truth about what happens on the battlefield, no matter how disconcerting. The American public, along with the families of the fallen, injured and captured deserve nothing less.