Media: Distortion, Propaganda, Bias and Attacks on Freedom

Propagandistically Speaking Nahum 1:9 Whatever you devise against the LORD, He will make a complete end of it. Distress will not rise up twice. Reporters Give Money To Dems Over Republicans 9 To 1 The list: Journalists who wrote political checks MSNBC - By Bill Dedman - June 22, 2007 The following 143 journalists made campaign contributions from 2004 through the first quarter of 2007, according to Federal Election Commission records studied by MSNBC.com. Key: (D) contributed to Democrats or liberal causes. (R) to Republicans and conservative causes. Click on "details" next to each name to see the amounts and what the journalists have to say. - - - - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19113455 BBC network admits it: We're biased toward left WORLDNETDAILY - June 17, 2007 The BBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation, has acknowledged the network is biased toward the left, following a report commissioned by the company. A yearlong probe revealed the corporation especially partial in its treatment of single-issue politics such as climate change, poverty, race and religion, according to the London Times. "It concludes that the bias has extended across drama, comedy and entertainment, with the corporation pandering to politically motivated celebrities and trendy causes," the paper said. The report cites the danger of BBC programs being undermined by the liberal culture of its staff, who need to challenge their own assumptions more. "There is a tendency to 'group think' with too many staff inhabiting a shared space and comfort zone," says the report. It notes staff tend to mimic each other's common left-leaning values. A seminar on staff impartiality held last year is documented, with officials admitting they would broadcast images of the Bible being thrown away, but not the Koran for fear of offending Muslims. The report also warns that celebrities must not be pandered to and allowed to hijack the BBC schedule, according to the London Telegraph. It also offers 12 new principles for the corporation to adopt to safeguard objectivity, including: "Impartiality is no excuse for insipid programming. It allows room for fair-minded, evidence-based judgments by senior journalists and documentary-makers, and for controversial, passionate and polemical arguments by contributors and writers." A BBC spokeswoman said: "This report is about looking forward and how we are going to face the challenges of impartiality in the modern world." As WND reported in October, an internal BBC memo revealed senior figures admitted the national news agency was guilty of promoting left-wing views and anti-Christian sentiment. The admissions of bias were made at the impartiality summit. Most executives admitted the corporation's representation of homosexuals and ethnic minorities was unbalanced and disproportionate. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56228 British law threatening U.S. freedom of speech Experts: Lawsuit by Saudi billionaire puts American journalists under foreign courts WORLDNETDAILY - By Bob Unruh - June 16, 2007 The author of a U.S.-published book that accused a former Saudi banking executive of funding terrorism is battling a precedent that experts say could give any foreign libel law priority over U.S. free press and speech guarantees. The case involving Rachel Ehrenfeld is one of the "most important First Amendment cases of the past 25 years," and its potential for damaging the U.S. free press is "not yet readily recognized," 30-year American Civil Liberties Union board member Harvey Silverglate told her. Ehrenfeld, who has posted information about her case on the website of the American Center for Democracy, which she directs in its research of Middle East-based terrorism, told WND the situation is very simple, and very scary. In 2003, she documented and wrote, "Funding Evil: How Terrorism is Financed and How to Stop It," that alleged Saudi Arabian billionaire Khalid Salim A. Bin Mahfouz helped in that pipeline of financing. Mahfouz formerly was president of the National Commercial Bank of Saudi Arabia and Forbes estimates his personal wealth at more than $3 billion. He says he condemns terrorism and never has assisted Osama Bin Laden or others. Several of those books were purchased via the Internet by British buyers, and a short time later Mahfouz filed a libel action against Ehrenfeld within Great Britain, where antiquated libel laws put the burden of proof on the defendant. - - - - http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56207 Bush administration attacks 'shield' for bloggers CNET News.com - By Anne Broache - June 15, 2007 WASHINGTON--The Bush administration on Thursday blasted a congressional proposal that would shield a broad swath of news gatherers, including some bloggers, from revealing their confidential sources. The latest draft of the Free Flow of Information Act would pose a grave threat to national security and federal criminal investigations by protecting far too large a segment of the population, a U.S. Department of Justice official told Congress. "The definition is just so broad that it really includes anyone who wants to post something to the Web," Rachel Brand, assistant attorney general in the Justice Department's Office of Legal Policy, said at a House Judiciary Committee hearing here. She also argued it would protect "a terrorist operative who videotaped a message from a terrorist leader threatening attacks on Americans." Justice Department opposition has bedeviled Congress throughout its numerous attempts in recent years to enact federal shield laws. Supporters say such legislation is needed in light of high-profile cases involving New York Times reporter Judith Miller and what free-press advocacy groups characterize as a sharp rise in subpoenas to reporters in recent years. Laws recognizing some form of "reporter's privilege" already exist in 49 states and the District of Columbia--but, crucially, do not shield journalists from federal prosecutors. - - - - http://networks.org/?src=cnet:2100-1028_3-6191053 New Concerns on Russia Media Freedom ASSOCIATED PRESS - By Alex Nicholson - May 19, 2007 MOSCOW -- More than a half-dozen journalists with the Russian News Service, which produces reports that reach millions of radio listeners, resigned to protest the new pro-Kremlin management's policy that at least 50 percent of coverage must be positive, according to former correspondents. The company that owns the service, Russian Media Group, said Saturday that no one was available to comment on the claims, which come amid growing concern about media freedom in Russia. In another case highlighting the concerns, the Russian Union of Journalists is protesting an order that it vacate its offices that house state media operations, including the RIA-Novosti news agency and the Russia Today satellite television channel. During Vladimir Putin's presidency, major Russian media have increasingly come under state control or influence. The media arm of the state-controlled natural gas monopoly Gazprom took control of NTV television - once noted for its criticism of the Kremlin and independent reporting on the war in Chechnya - and the newspaper Izvestia. Analytical programs on Russia's main TV channels are increasingly infrequent and less likely to express criticism of the Kremlin. - - - - http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/R/RUSSIA_MEDIA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-05-19-07-33-46 FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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