Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy

Analysis:

This article provided an overview from the “official” sources. The conference, which was organized and sponsored by numerous entities, including several environmental organizations, non of which are mentioned in the Press article. Readers get the perspectives of former Steelcase CEO Peter Wege, Governor Granholm, and State Sen. Patricia Birkholz. Something as important as Great Lakes restoration certainly warrants a comments from an environmental organization.

One issue raised in this article was by Governor Granholm and had to do with Great Lakes water withdrawal. Michigan is the only state that does not have a law on this, but the Press article does not provide any real context on water withdrawal in Michigan and who is doing it.

The other issue raised in this story that the Press did not verify was the “release of a $20 billion fast-tracked plan established by President Bush” for the Great Lakes clean up. According to the Great Lakes Restoration group, made up of government, environment and citizen representatives, the actual amount of federal funds is only $13 billion. The Great Lakes states are responsible for the other $7 billion.

Story:

Great Lakes gathering draws wave of support
By Kyla King
The Grand Rapids Press

WEST MICHIGAN — After three decades of lobbying to improve the water quality of the Great Lakes, Peter Wege is making some progress.

But even as he looked out Thursday at an unprecedented gathering of national and statewide government and environmental leaders assembled to tackle the issue, he was quick to let them know he is not satisfied.

“They say it’s going to take 20 years (to clean up the lakes),” said Wege, a local philanthropist and former Steelcase Inc. executive. “I’m 85. I want it done by the time I’m 90. All those in favor, hold up their hands.”
Wege’s comments drew chuckles from the crowd of leaders gathered Thursday at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids. They were brought together in part through Wege’s efforts for the first “Great Lakes Restoration” conference.

It’s the first of five planned conferences in the eight states and two Canadian provinces that surround the five Great Lakes. The goal is to create a timeline modeled after an effort in Florida that succeeded in winning billions in state and federal aid to restore the Everglades.

In response to increased attention to the issue from the White House and Congress, Wege formed the “Healing Our Waters” coalition last year.

The group drew up an agenda for the federal government that focused on improving water quality, ridding the lakes of invasive species and cleaning up toxic sediment.

Thursday’s conference comes after the July release of a $20 billion fast-tracked plan established by President Bush.
U.S. Environmental Protection Administrator Steven Johnson was scheduled to attend until he was called away by Hurricane Katrina issues.

Wege said he was encouraged to see federal interest in the effort.

“It’s a good sign they’re reacting,” said Wege, who in the past has expressed frustration with the current administration’s environmental commitments. “Hopefully, it’s a new light shinning.”

Gov. Jennifer Granholm attended the conference and vented her frustration with state legislators, whom she said have stalled her efforts to pass a law to regulate Great Lakes water withdrawal.

“How much longer do we have to wait in order to get a statute that protects the greatest resource we have?” Granholm asked. “It’s a shameful thing that Michigan is the only state in the Great Lakes basin that does not have a water-protecting statute.”

Granholm urged attendees to elect federal and state legislators who pledge to protect the lakes.

“Water is not a Democratic or Republican issue,” she said. “You’re going to need some action by the federal government or the government of your state in order to put feet to your prayers.”

State Sen. Patricia Birkholz, R-Saugatuck, who attended Thursday’s conference, said her interest in the issue grew after she helped establish legislation regulating the discharge of ballast water into the lakes. She now chairs a legislative caucus working to combine the efforts of all eight states and both Canadian provinces.

“We could be studying beach closings over here on the shores of Lake Michigan and they are over on the other side in Milwaukee doing the same thing,” Birkholz said. “What we’re trying to do is get researchers coordinating their information and we could all benefit.”

Analysis:

This article is about claims made by the current Iraqi President concerning the crimes of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. In the article the primary perspectives quoted are Iraqi president Talabani and a lawyer representing Hussein. The particular allegations levied against Hussein in the article are that he ordered the killings of thousands of Kurds in 1987-88, including the gassing of the village Hilabja, and that he ordered the 1982 massacre of Shiites in Dujail. The article frames this issue as a legal one, whether Saddam admitting these orders constitutes a confession, as claimed by Talabani, or whether Saddam believed they were legal orders at the time.

Left out of this discussion is the larger context of who enabled Saddam to carry out these crimes during the 1980’s. In 1982, when it was known that Saddam had massacred the Shiites in Dujail, he enjoyed good relations with the United States government. The US knew Saddam was using banned chemical weapons at the time and yet restored normal relations with Iraq in November of 1984. The use of chemical weapons by Hussein in 87-88 against the Kurds was enabled by various western governments which allowed pharmaceutical and chemical corporations sell Saddam the components necessary to create the weapons. Also during this period the Reagan and Bush Sr. administrations approved the sale of biological toxins such as anthrax and botulism to Iraq along with other weapons. Whether or not these sales would mean that these western governments and companies could be considered accomplices to Saddam’s crimes is something that a court would have to decide, but these facts should at least be reported. Rather, the crimes against humanity Saddam Hussein has been charged with have largely been reported on as committed solely by him alone ignoring any international “help” he may have received.

Story:

Iraqi president says Saddam has confessed to regime’s crimes
OMAR SINAN
The Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Iraq’s president said Tuesday that Saddam Hussein had confessed to killings and other “crimes” committed during his regime, including the massacre of thousands of Kurds in the late 1980s.

President Jalal Talabani told Iraqi television that he had been informed by an investigating judge that “he was able to extract confessions from Saddam’s mouth” about crimes “such as executions” which the ousted leader had personally ordered.

Asked about specific examples, Talabani, a Kurd, replied “Anfal,” the codename for the 1987-88 campaign which his Patriotic Union of Kurdistan maintains led to the deaths of about 182,000 Kurds and the destruction of “dozens of Kurdish villages.”

Those villages included Halabja, where thousands of Kurdish villagers were gassed in 1988.

“Saddam Hussein I s a war criminal, and he deserves to be executed 20 times a day for his crimes against humanity”, said Talabani.

However, Abdel Haq Alani, a legal consultant to Saddam’s family said Saddam did not mention any confession when he met Monday with his Iraqi lawyer.

“Is this the fabrication of Talabani or what? Let’s not have a trial on TV. Let the court of law, not the media, make its ruling on this,” Alani said.

Saddam faces his first trial Oct. 19 for his alleged role in another atrocity – the 1982 massacre of Shiites in Dujail, a town north of Baghdad, following an assassination attempt there against him.

The Iraqi Special Tribunal has decided to conduct trials on separate alleged offenses rather than lump them all together in a single proceeding.

Saddam could face the death penalty if convicted in the Dujail case, the only one referred to trial so far.

Iraqi television aired the interview so late that it was impossible to reach Saddam’s lawyer, Khalil al-Dulaimi, or officials of the special tribunal.

However, Abdel Haq Alani, a legal consultant to Saddam’s family, condemned Talabani’s remarks and said the alleged confession “comes to me as a surprise, a big surprise.”

“I have heard nothing whatsoever about this alleged media speculation,” Alani told The Associated Press in Amman, Jordan. “This is a matter for the judiciary to decide on, not for politicians and Jalal should know better than that. Why should he make a statement on the accused to the public? The court, the judge need to decide on this.”

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

Saddam’s former chief lawyer, Ziad Khasawneh of Jordan, said the Iraqi president could still face the death penalty if he confessed, but a full trial would not be necessary if he admitted to the charge.

However, details of the purported confessions were unclear. It was uncertain, for example, whether Saddam believed he was admitting to a crime or simply acknowledging having issued orders which he believed were legal – something only a trial could determine.

Operation Anfal took place during Iraq’s war with Iran, which the Iraqi government believed maintained ties to the Iraqi Kurds.

The 1991 suppression of Iraqi Shiites, another atrocity for which Saddam may face charges, occurred after the majority rose up after U.S.-led forces drove the Iraqi army from Kuwait. Shiite leaders had hoped – wrongly – that the Americans would intervene on their behalf.

Saddam’s lawyers could argue that Talabani’s comments were prejudicial, which might not sway an Iraqi court but would have resonance abroad and within the country’s already disaffected Sunni Arab minority, of which the former president is a member.

Sunnis, who form the core of the insurgency, are already enraged by alleged killings of Sunni civilians by the Shiite-dominated security forces – a charge the government denies – and by the draft constitution which was approved Aug. 28 by the Shiites and Kurds over the objections of Sunni negotiators.

The perception that Saddam was being convicted before a trial could add the Sunni anger.

Saddam’s legal team said it plans to challenge the starting date as allowing insufficient time for a proper defense. Defense lawyers also said they would challenge the trial’s legitimacy.

Saddam has been in U.S. custody at an undisclosed site in Baghdad since his capture in December 2003, eight months after his regime was overthrown by U.S. forces.

Analysis:

Not much can be said about this story other than it is a self-promotion piece for more programming on WOOD TV 8’s parent network NBC. The new Martha Stewart show, which viewers are told in this story, will air on WOOD TV 8, and the clip that was used for this piece is from another show on NBC, The Today Show. Viewers should ask themselves two things. First, how can channel eight justify putting this on their newscast? Second, was there nothing else of importance in West Michigan that could have been reported on to fill this 46 second slot?

Story:

WOOD TV 8 News reader – Homemaker Martha Stewart is looking forward to launching her new show called “Martha.” In an interview on NBC’s Today Show this morning co-host Matt Lauer asked Martha Stewart her trial and her efforts to appeal verdict, her infamous ankle bracelet and now her new show.

NBC Today Show Host – Do you think the audiences, because of the live element is going to see a different side of you than they have seen in the past?

Martha Stewart – I can be more spontaneous and more relaxed. Remember the old show was taped in segments, but now I have the opportunity to interact with an audience and with guests in a much freer atmosphere.

WOOD TV 8 News reader – The first show of “Martha” can be seen on WOOD TV 8, that starts Monday morning. It airs at 11:00am. Stewart’s new show, The Apprentice – Martha Stewart is also on WOOD TV 8 and is scheduled to begin on September 21st.

Total Time: 46 seconds

Analysis:

This article is a step up from the numerous local news stories about rising gas prices. Unlike many of those stories, this article does provide some background information putting rising gas prices into a larger context. An independent source is provided, in this case Tom Mast, author of a book on oil supply. A local perspective is included, the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Alternative and Renewable Energy Center, although the information provided about this facility is rather limited. While this story does point out some of the basic facts about the limitations of the oil supply and the possibilities of various alternative energies, there are other related topics left out. One relevant topic not addressed is the government’s role in pursuing alternative energies and formulating energy policies. Information about the amount of public funds allocated to research on renewable resources would be useful information to give the viewer. Also not addressed is the role of government policy in advancing the interests of the large energy and oil companies, as well as the level of subsidies and public funding they receive.

While much of the story is factually correct, the final comments by the newsreader is questionable. The story ends with the newsreader noting “Some economists believe that as oil prices rise, demand will decline, and so will worries about a shortage.” Viewers should ask themselves which economists are being referred to here? This is never clarified so the statement is not easily verified. Nor does the evidence on oil demand back up this conclusion. Global demand for oil has been increasing dramatically over the past decade, particularly in emerging economies such as China.

Story:

WOOD 8 Newsreader – With gas prices hitting record levels, there is growing concern that he world in running out of oil. 24 hour news Anne Schieber recently talked to an oil industry expert from Texas to learn more about oil alternatives and their hurdles.

Reporter – Never before has filling up the gas tank felt so painful.

Motorist #1 – My wife just put 19 gallons into our van it cost her 53 dollars.

Motorist #2 – Right now I’m going to Detroit so it’s going to cost me like 60 dollars, to get there and get back

Reporter – Motorists either give up or put up.

Motorist #1 – We can’t afford to go shopping or take our kids to the schools they want to go to, the rich people can afford it but the middle class people can’t.

Reporter – This year gasoline prices are up over 50% than the price last year. That makes it the highest level ever, even with inflation. Much of the spike having to do with the skyrocketing price of oil.

Tom Mast – We think it’s always going to be there because we’ve had it the last hundred years or so.

Reporter – Tom Mast is an energy expert from Texas who is so worried about the supply of oil that he set out to write a book that would be non-partisan, simple and brief.

Mast – I realized that this oil situation is very complex, and I’m and engineer but most people don’t have the interest or the background to really understand it.

Reporter – In his book “Over a Barrel”, Mast shows what has become a
Center point in a theory known as peak oil. When world wide production of oil peaks, and then rapidly declines because it can’t meet demand. Proponents refer to graphs like this one in Mast’s book, showing world oil discoveries by the decade. They’ve been downhill since the 50’s. Mast believes this is no secret to the oil industry.

Mast – They have gobs of money, they have huge amounts of money but they’re not spending much of it in efforts to find new oil.

Reporter – finding a replacement for oil is going to require a lot of brain energy. One of the nice things about oil is that it’s very portable. It converts pretty easily into things like gasoline. And it’s chalked full of energy, no wonder 97% of the worlds transportation depends on it. Coal, solar, wind, hydrogen, nuclear, even waste from farms: plenty of sources, some even cleaner burning than oil. But so far turning them into a portable fuel has required more energy and money than they produce. It might be easier to turn those alternatives into electricity, but then somebody has to build a battery that will last longer than a couple of hours.

Mast – We need to be working on a lot of things in parallel because we don’t know what the winners are going to be.

Reporter – The Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Alternative and Renewable Energy Center, a joint venture by Grand Valley State University and the city of Muskegon, is attempting to be a development center for alternative fuel. But things are off to a slow start. None of the start up companies were in on the Friday morning that we visited. The main activity that day was a conference on child abuse. The centers director expects actively to heat up once the university is back in session.

Imad Mahawili – But not much happens the whole facility is the program that you are seeing, the fuel cell is working, everything you saw in light was actually functioning.

Reporter – You can see a number of alternative energy technologies in action in the center, including this fuel cell which extracts hydrogen from natural gas to provide power for the building. But with a 1.3 million dollar price tag, and a shelf life of about 5 years, it’s hardly ready for household use. Experts like Tom Mast think that a search for an alternative to oil is not impossible. It requires will.

Mast – When John Kennedy decided to send a man to the moon, he just said we were going to do it. And we’re going to do it in a decade and by golly we did it.

Reporter – If oil prices continue to heat up, there may be no shortage of will. Anne Schieber, 24 hours news 8.

Newsreader – No one knows exactly how much oil the earth holds. It’s difficult to determine scientifically and countries are reluctant to share geological data. Some economists believe that as oil prices rise, demand will decline, and so will worries about a shortage.

Total Time: 4 minutes 15 seconds

Analysis:

The story provides a great deal of data information for Michigan and several Michigan communities on both the East and West sides of the state. The data mostly deals with poverty rates, household income, joblessness, and the percentage of people without health insurance.

The Press article quotes a total of five people. One is Governor Granholm’s Press Secretary, one was a representative with the Kent County Department of Human Services, and the other three were with non-profit research institute’s or public policy organizations. The Press article referred to one of them, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, as a “liberal Washington-based policy group”, and the other two are Lansing based, the Michigan League for Human Services and the Public Policy Associates Inc. The comment from the Robert Greenstein, a spokesman for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities that the Press included was about the data as well, even thought their press release had some critical comments about the administration. All 5 people who are quoted make claims about poverty, jobs or health insurance, but not once does the Press seek to verify such claims. One question that listeners might ask themselves is since the story is about people whose income has dropped, who live in poverty, or who have no health insurance, why weren’t people in those circumstances interviewed? Essentially, the Press missed an opportunity to put a human face on the data.

Story:

Income falls; poverty rises in state: 10.4 Percent Indigent in Kent County and 7.2 percent in Ottawa County
By Sarah Kellogg
Press Bureau

WASHINGTON — The economic news for Michigan seems to go from bad to worse.
U.S. Census Bureau figures released Tuesday show that the number of Michigan residents living in poverty went up between 2003 and 2004, and the state’s median household income went down.

“The report confirms what we’ve known all along,” said Sharon Parks, a spokeswoman for the Michigan League for Human Services, a policy and research group in Lansing. “This is pretty much a jobless recovery, and even those with jobs aren’t seeing major improvements in their incomes.”

While Michigan’s poverty rate of 12.3 percent in 2004 was lower than the national average of 12.7 percent, it was up from the state’s 11.5 percent poverty rate in 2003.
About 1.2 million people in Michigan were living in poverty last year.

Between 2003 and 2004, Michigan’s median household income dipped by $1,270, from $45,550 to $44,280. The U.S. median household income remained stagnant at $44,436 in 2004.

Michigan also has the poorest city in the nation, the Census Bureau reported. Detroit was elevated to the No. 1 spot with a 33.6 percent poverty rate in 2004. El Paso, Texas, and Miami were Nos. 2 and 3.

In West Michigan, Kent County had an estimated 10.4 percent of people in poverty and Ottawa County, 7.2 percent.

“I’m glad to see that our numbers are somewhat better than the state average,” said Andy Zylstra, director of Kent County’s Department of Human Services. “We certainly have the impression that our economy is better than some other places in the state.”

But Zylstra said it remains tough for many welfare clients to find work as local factories continue to cut back, close or ship jobs out of the state or country.

“We are concerned about losing manufacturing jobs because that’s where a lot of our clients find entry-level work,” Zylstra said.

The estimate found that 14.2 percent of Kent County children under age 18 lived in poverty and 8.7 percent in Ottawa County.

Single-parent families — long linked with poverty — continued to post poverty rates far above that for all families. The poverty rate for female-headed households with no husband present was 20.3 percent in Kent County, 14.2 percent in Ottawa County. For all families, the rate was 6.8 percent in Kent County, 5.9 percent in Ottawa County.

Michigan isn’t alone in suffering through the economic doldrums. Twenty-five states saw their median household incomes drop in 2004 and 33 states saw their poverty rates rise.
“If (2004) were a recession year, these would actually be quite reasonable results,” said Robert Greenstein, a spokesman for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal Washington-based policy group. “For the third year of an economic recovery, they have to be branded as quite disappointing.”

State officials were disappointed as well, noting they have tried to diversify Michigan’s economy to trim its reliance on automobile manufacturing and expand its economic base.
“We don’t need a report out of Washington to tell us that people are hurting in Michigan,” said Liz Boyd, Gov. Jennifer Granholm’s press secretary. “Michigan’s reliance on old industries has to change, and change is hard.”

Michigan’s child poverty rate rose between 2003 and 2004, jumping from 15 percent to nearly 18 percent, the report shows.

Detroit had about 48 percent of children in poverty, second only to Atlanta. The 2004 poverty threshold was $19,311 for a family of four.

The differences between Michigan’s haves and have-nots was most clearly illustrated in the economic results from Oakland and Wayne counties, which are neighbors in Southeast Michigan.

Oakland was Michigan’s most affluent county, according to the data, with a median household income of $63,035 in 2004, while Wayne County’s median household income was $40,322.

There was one piece of good news in the report for Michigan. The number of Michigan residents without health insurance declined slightly between 2003 and 2004, inching down from 11.3 percent to 11.2 percent. About 1 million people in Michigan are without health insurance.

“The number of people who do have health insurance in Michigan is still above average,” said Laurence Rosen, an analyst with Public Policy Associates Inc., a Lansing-based policy group. “A lot of that has to do with the fairly heavy union presence here in the state.”

Analysis:

This story primarily focused on the fact that a woman on the Westside was beaten and raped. Channel 13 provided the victim with a fair amount of airtime to talk about what happened to her, more than the average time given to people. In all the video footage used you can see the woman on camera, but never her face. The channel 13 story used her first name three times in the story and even putting it on the screen once while she spoke as you can see in the still clip here.

According to a Michigan guide for journalists called “Media Reporting on Sexual Assault” put out by the Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Assault reporters should cover these stories primarily as a means to promote public safety, but that they should always be careful about respecting the privacy of the victim. In this case too much information was provided about the victim – her first name, where she lives, and the video footage of her and her home. It is important that all 3 stations gave the victim a chance to speak on camera, but reporters must be respectful of the victim’s privacy. Second, none of the stations provide information to the general public about resources available in the community, such as resources for victims, nor resources on sex assault prevention. Lastly, there is no context to the story. Reporters should provide some statistics on sexual assault in the area. This provides an opportunity for the public to understand to what extent these kinds of assaults are happening in their community. Also, the reporters missed out on an opportunity to speak with area advocates who can provide some useful information on this issue.

Story:

WZZM 13 News reader – A 24 year old woman was attacked in her driveway early this morning and tonight she wants to tell her story. It happened about 4:15 am in the 1000 block of West Fulton.

Reporter – The young mother of two says she was sexually assaulted outside of her home about a block from here over on Garfield avenue. And as difficult as she says it is to come forward she says she will not cower in fear. She will describe what happened to her and the person who did it so he can be captured and punished.

Victim – My nose is fractured. I’ve got cuts, I’ve got bruises. I’ve got huge lumps on my face.

Reporter – A 24 – year old Grand Rapids woman, her name is Nikki says she left her Westside home about 3 in the morning to go buy cigarettes. As she was getting into her car she said she was grabbed from behind.

Victim – I got drug down my driveway. He just literally beat the crap out of me. I mean he just kept on hitting me and hitting me. It was like he was just getting off on beating me up.

Reporter – The young mother of two little girls says she was also sexually assaulted, too afraid to scream for fear of what else her attacker might do to her or her daughters.

Victim – I screamed once and he threatened to kill me and he would make sure he left a lasting impression on the two little girls.

Reporter – The woman says the attack was so swift and silent that her husband sleeping inside didn’t even awaken. Nikki says the attack left her with feelings of fear and rage, but she will not hide.

Victim – I can talk about it. I can deal with it. I can overcome it and the person who did this to me is not going to make me cower.

Reporter – Nikki says the man who sexually assaulted her was a skinny White male in his 30’s wearing a baseball cap on backwards and wearing combat boots. In May an 84 year old woman was sexually assaulted in her home in this same neighborhood, but so far police say they have not concluded the same person is responsible for both crimes.

Total time: 2 minutes and 26 seconds

Analysis:

This news piece ran during FOX 17’s “Tech Trend” segment. This segment often consists of Video News Releases made by corporations promoting a specific product or service. This particular piece has many of the earmarks of a VNR in that it has plenty of footage that was obviously not filmed by the local FOX affiliate but it is not sourced as coming from the parent network. Most likely this story was provided by a separate entity and then the local FOX station had their newsreader read the script over the provided footage. Unlike many segments which are promoting a new product, this piece is promoting new government security measures. While the majority of VNR’s are from Private companies, many are provided by governmental agencies as well. The piece is made to resemble a news story and while it includes an opposing voice, the story is framed in such a way as to dismiss that voice. This is near the end of the story when the NY Civil Liberties Union spokespersons comments are rebutted with “get over it”, a statement attributed to a commuter who is framed as representing the majority of public transportation users. This statement from the commuter is further reinforced by saying that the commuter’s brother was near 9/11, a fact that clearly does not have much to do with the actual issues involved but is included to provoke an emotional response.

Story:

Fox 17 Newsreader – Toni Catanzaro takes a New Jersey Transit train to New York’s Penn station every day. And every day she worries about her safety.

Toni Catanzaro – Usually this train is so crowded especially at this time, so people are kind of hanging out in between the cars. So sometimes it’s unsettling.

Newsreader – But each morning when she begins her commute there are cameras watching her. That’s because New Jersey has already installed over fourteen hundred surveillance cameras with so-called “smart” technology in its train stations. Among other things it helps authorities identify suspicious packages, even suspicious behavior.

Joseph Bober (NJ Transit Police Chief) – We spotted baggage that was left unattended and it helped us solve it before we literally had to shut down the system. And that was during the Republican National convention so it was very beneficial for us, and beneficial for the customer.

Newsreader – On Tuesday New York City’s Metropolitan transit Authority unveiled its own plan: price tag two hundred twelve hundred dollars to place one thousand cameras with similar technology through the cities vast network of train and bus stations, bridges and tunnels. It’s the countries most complex and most used transportation system. The goal is to avoid the type of attack that hit London this summer.

Police – This object has been left and it’s flashing red, that’s what issued our alert.

Katherine Lapin (MTA Executive Director) – This is cutting edge technology for a transit environment. As we begin to identify workable bioterrorism systems, chemical and explosives detection systems, those will be hooked up into this.

Newsreader – Critics say the money would be better spent on manpower.

Donna Lieberman (NY Civil Liberties Union) – Cameras can’t prevent a crime, they can’t jump in and stop a crime from happening, they can’t jump in to help a passenger in distress.

Newsreader – Commuters like Toni Catanzaro say “get over it.” Her brother was near ground zero and survived 9/11. In this day and age, she says the more eyes watching the better.

Newsreader – For more on high tech security cameras go to our website. Go to wxmi.com and hit news links.

Total Time: 2 minutes

Analysis:

This article presents Representative Hoekstra’s version of what is happening in Iraq and nothing else. No other perspectives or opinions are included in the piece, nor is any attempt by the reporter made to provide additional information either refuting or collaborating Hoekstra’s claims. The article is about 600 words of which 250 are direct quotes from Hoekstra, a very high percentage compared to most GR Press articles. This article, by including so many direct quotes without presenting any other perspectives or verifying information is basically stenography, not journalism. This trend of only reporting government and military voices is not uncommon. GRIID has documented that the local media rely almost exclusively on “official” voices when reporting on war.

The first quote from Hoekstra is “If we just leave Iraq without getting the job done, our credibility in the Middle East will be shot and we will leave a haven for terrorists.” No where does he clarify what would constitute the “job being done” or what exactly he means by “credibility”. Hoekstra goes on to say that the said Iraqi insurgents “want a civil war. That is the ultimate chaos. That is a good environment for them and a bad environment for us.” Again, this claim is not verified nor does the reporter ask if this is possibly a simplistic explanation of what the various insurgent groups operating in Iraq want. Further in the article Hoekstra makes two statements that are linked together in the article: “These are people who remember the Crusades,” “And they are just learning the art of politics. Again, the meaning of this statement is probably unclear to most readers and deserves some clarification. Viewers should ask themselves, if reporters asked these kinds of critical questions to people in positions of power, how would that change or clarify peoples understanding of the war in Iraq?

Story:

Credibility at stake in Iraq, Hoekstra says
Friday, August 26, 2005
By Myron Kukla
The Grand Rapids Press

HOLLAND — The United States needs to get the job done in Iraq and leave a stable government there before it pulls out its troops, U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra told Holland Rotarians Thursday.

“If we just leave Iraq without getting the job done, our credibility in the Middle East will be shot and we will leave a haven for terrorists,” said Hoekstra, who as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee recently returned from a tour of Iraq, Jordan and Egypt.

The Holland Republican said the United States and Iraqi leaders are making progress toward a stable country, but face fierce opposition from insurgents.

“The insurgents will do everything and anything they can to stop the process of an elected government and constitution there,” he said.

“They know that once there is a legitimate government in Iraq, their support will be undermined.”

He said Iraqi insurgents “want a civil war. That is the ultimate chaos. That is a good environment for them and a bad environment for us.”

Between 800 and 1,000 Iraqis are being killed every month, but most Iraqis continue to show they are willing to make democracy work, he said.

“You’re seeing young Iraqis 18 to 25 years old signing up for the police, signing up for the armed forces, knowing that just the mere fact of signing up makes them targets” of insurgents’ attacks, said Hoekstra, who has been to Iraq six times since the war started.

He said despite mounting U.S. casualties, morale is good among military troops.

“They understand the need for us to be successful there to help create stability in the Middle East,” he said.

Crucial to that strategy for success is developing a strong, well-trained military and police force. The United States is working with and training 175,000 Iraqi military personnel to take over the protection of the country.

If that falls into place, Hoekstra believes U.S. troops could start coming home by next summer. But there are no guarantees, and nothing is easy about the process.

Hoekstra said the job of reconstructing Iraq would have been easier if the Iraqi army had not been disbanded.

“We are paying for that mistake today,” Hoekstra said.

“They were not loyal to Saddam Hussein, and when we disbanded the army, all we did was take away the paycheck that fed their dependents and put a guy with military training and a gun on the streets,” he said.

The biggest hurdle to progress on Iraq’s constitution is getting factions that have been enemies for generations to work together.

“These are people who remember the Crusades,” Hoekstra said. “And they are just learning the art of politics.

“They are great at brinksmanship, where they take things to the edge, but have to learn when to take a step back, discuss things and come to a compromise,” he said.

While the focus has been on Iraq for the past three years, Hoekstra said other major issues that need to be addressed by the United States, including making its borders secure against terrorists.

“One thing we need to do is enforce our immigration laws,” said Hoekstra, noting there are now between 8 million and 10 million illegal aliens living in the country. “If they are illegally here, they have to go home.”

Rotarian Dave Shellenbarger said he felt Hoekstra was very straightforward in his comments.

“He is very candid and shares what he thinks without being real political,” said Shellenbarger, who agreed with Hoekstra’s assessment that the job of creating a stable government in Iraq must be finished before U.S. troops leave.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Analysis:

The Grand Rapids Press ran this LA Times article on Wednesday, August 24. In the article they give a fairly long quote from Robertson in which he says that Chavez has made his nation “a launching pad for Communist infiltration and Muslim extremism all over the continent” and also that “We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability.” In response to these comments, the article quotes the Venezuelan vice-president who simply calls Robert’s remarks “Terrorist statements” and the Bush administration who called the comments “inappropriate.” Most of the article is focused on Robertson and the only independent voices presented are Jesse Jackson and the executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and state, both who make comments about the level of Robertson’s political influence. No voices are presented giving further assessment of the validity of Robertson’s comments and his depiction of Hugo Chavez as a dictator.

It should be noted that what Robertson is calling for, the assassination of a foreign leader, is illegal under international as well as US law, a fact that was briefly mentioned in the GR Press article. In fact, the very act of just calling for political assassination, as Robertson did, may be illegal, depending on how one interprets Title 18 of the United States code. But more importantly, it should be noted that while all this article is critical of Robertson’s call for assassination, it does not challenge his claims about the need for political change in Venezuela or his depiction of Chavez as a “strong-arm dictator”. Not mentioned is the fact that Huge Chavez is a democratically elected official who has three times won elections and that the elections have been certified as valid by foreign observers. It is also worth noting that while Venezuela does not have a perfect human rights record, according to mainstream human rights organizations (1, 2), its record is much better than its neighbor Colombia, a country which is a US ally and recipient of more US military aid than any other country in the Hemisphere. Another important contextual bit of information left out of the GR Press article is that Venezuela is a major oil exporter and that their number one customer is the United States. This oil relationship is the reason Robertson said the US should assassinate Chavez; calling Chavez “a dangerous enemy to our south, controlling a huge pool of oil that could hurt us very badly.” This rationale which Robertson put forward was not included in the article. Finally, readers should ask themselves what would have been the response if a foreign religious leader had called for the assassination of George Bush or Tony Blair? Would the media portray those comments as merely “controversial” as in this case, or would they be denounced as illegal and possibly even terrorism?

Video clip of Robertson’s comments

Story:

WASHINGTON — Televangelist Pat Robertson’s call for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez provoked a storm of criticism Tuesday, triggering condemnation from religious leaders and international outrage, though the Bush administration said he was a private citizen whose remarks were “inappropriate.”

Robertson, who did not comment on the furor, was criticized across the political spectrum in the United States. The head of the National Assn. of Evangelicals said Robertson was endangering the lives of Christian missionaries in Venezuela.

A pioneer of the nation’s evangelical political movement, Robertson is the founder of the Christian Coalition of America and was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 1988. Hundreds of thousands of his conservative Christian fans tune in daily to his television show “The 700 Club.”

Although in recent years the influence of the 75-year-old Robertson has ebbed among religious conservatives nationally, he retains a huge following and occupies a revered position within a key GOP constituency.

Robertson said on Monday’s “700 Club” program that the Venezuelan leader would make his nation “a launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism all over the continent.” Killing Chavez, an ally of Cuban President Fidel Castro, would be “a whole lot cheaper than starting a war,” Robertson said.

He added: “We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability. We don’t need another $200-billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator. It’s a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.”

In Venezuela, Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said Tuesday that Robertson’s remarks were “terrorist statements.” He condemned them as incitement to commit murder, and called on U.S. officials to make clear that the law applied “even to such Christians.”

An executive order signed by President Ford on Feb. 18, 1976, prohibits any U.S. government employee from engaging in political assassination.

Chavez, who was winding up a visit with Castro in Cuba, brushed off the controversy. He told reporters at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport that he had never heard of Robertson and did not know or care what the televangelist had said.

Still, Robertson’s remarks caught — and exaggerated — the tensions that have existed between the Chavez and Bush administrations.

Some of his most vocal critics insisted in telephone interviews Tuesday that he remained influential.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson said any effort to portray Robertson as lacking an audience was “just not accurate,” and the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, said Robertson had “tremendous authority in the minds and hearts of about 20% of the American electorate.”

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

Speaking at a news conference in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, Rangel said: “The ball is in the U.S. court after this criminal statement by a citizen of that country. It’s a huge hypocrisy to maintain this discourse against terrorism and at the same time, in the heart of that country, there are entirely terrorist statements like those.”

Chavez, who according to polls has the approval of 70% of his nation even as poverty increases, uses his open hostility toward the United States to maintain his political foundation, and the U.S. government, wary of Chavez, nevertheless looks to Venezuela as a reliable supplier of oil.

The scope of Robertson’s influence drew considerable debate Tuesday.

His syndicated television program, for which he claims an audience of at least 1 million, has drawn an average of 863,000 viewers a day during the 2004-2005 television season, Nielsen Media Research said.

His electoral reach was at its peak in the 1988 presidential campaign. He won primary elections in Hawaii, Alaska, Nevada and Washington, but captured only 15% of his native state, Virginia, and was out of the race after the Super Tuesday contests.

Some in the evangelical movement have said Robertson’s influence among evangelicals in the United States had weakened.

“He’s an old man and there’s a group of old women and old men who watch him,” said one leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he said he respected Robertson’s past ministry and did not want to alienate Robertson’s followers. “The spokespeople for evangelicalism are significantly distanced from him politically and spiritually. The Moral Majority days are long gone. It’s a different world.”

Yet, Robertson maintains a degree of influence with the religious conservative movement through his Christian Broadcasting Network and, in particular, as a leader in the push to confirm conservative judges. He has had differences with the White House and is not considered a member of President Bush’s inner circle.

Bob Edgar, the general secretary of the National Council of Churches USA and who served as a Pennsylvania Democrat on the House Select Committee on Assassinations from 1976 to 1979, said Robertson’s comments made no sense.

“It defies logic that a clergyman could so casually dismiss thousands of years of Judeo-Christian law, including the commandment that we are not to kill,” Edgar said.

The Rev. Ted Haggard, a Colorado pastor and president of the National Assn. of Evangelicals, said Robertson increased the danger for evangelical missionaries in Venezuela because “if this dictator starts to think of evangelicals as people who are gunning for him, that could be difficult for missionaries there.”

In California, the Rev. Kevin Mannoia compared Robertson’s statement to those of Islamic extremists. “We complain about the Islamic fanatics making statements like that,” said Mannoia, a former president of the National Assn. of Evangelicals who is now chaplain at Azusa Pacific University, an evangelical institution.

He called Robertson’s statement “an extreme, fanatical reaction that is not representative of the Christian faith in general and the evangelical movement in particular. It’s out of line and inappropriate and should not be made by a serious person in a serious forum.”

Mannoia said he thought Robertson’s influence was diminishing, particularly with new generations of evangelicals.

The ABC Family Channel, one of the outlets for “The 700 Club,” distanced itself from Robertson, saying in a statement that it was contractually obligated to carry the program and had “no editorial control over views expressed by the hosts or guests.”

“ABC Family strongly rejects the views expressed by Pat Robertson in the Aug. 22 telecast of the program,” the statement said.

Robertson’s office did not respond to a telephone call or an e-mail message seeking comments on his remarks and the reactions.

Robertson is familiar with controversy.

In 1998, he responded to a campaign to fly flags in downtown Orlando, Fla., to celebrate National Gay Pride Month with a warning to the city: “You’re right in the way of some serious hurricanes, and I don’t think I’d be waving those flags in God’s face if I were you. This is not a message of hate; this is a message of redemption. But a condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. It’ll bring about terrorist bombs; it’ll bring earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor.”

During the 2004 presidential campaign, in which he supported Bush’s reelection, Robertson said he had expressed to the president his misgivings about going to war with Iraq.

Bush told him, Robertson said on CNN, “Oh, no, we’re not going to have any casualties.”

This year, Robertson said he would be wary of appointing Muslims to top positions in the U.S. government, including judgeships.

The White House made no comment on Robertson’s remarks. At the State Department, spokesman Sean McCormack said Robertson’s views did not “represent the policy of the United States.” He called the comments “inappropriate.”

“I would think that people around the world would take the comments for what they are,” he said. “They’re the expression of one citizen.”

But Bernardo Alvarez Herrera, Venezuela’s ambassador to the United States, pointed to Robertson’s Republican political ties and his support for Bush and said, “Mr. Robertson is, of course, no ordinary private citizen.”

McCormack rejected suggestions that Robertson’s remarks would damage the U.S. agenda in Latin America. One expert in the region said the comments amounted to a political windfall for Chavez.

“This is pure gold for Chavez,” said Moises Naim, editor of Foreign Policy magazine, who served as Venezuela’s minister of trade and industry and played a central role in starting economic reforms in the early 1990s. “He could not have wished for anything better to happen.”

The comments dominated news coverage in Venezuela, which is divided between fierce Chavez opponents and an equally strident and larger group of loyal Chavistas.

“As a Venezuelan, I can tell you it was just an act of stupidity,” said Livia Suarez, a civil servant who works for the ministry of communications. She said she did not take Robertson’s comments as representative of a broader segment of the U.S. population. “I think this man is speaking without support from anyone.”

Alberto Ravel, president of private Globovision TV, which has sparred with the populist president over curbs on broadcast media, said “a lot of us can’t understand how a priest could say such things, even among opponents of Chavez.”