319 pages

English

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Je m'inscris

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Pluto Press - Edited by David Miller

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319 pages

English

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Description

Did the US and UK governments lie about weapons of mass destruction to promote an attack on Iraq? Did the media hold them to account or act as cheerleaders for war?

Tell me Lies reveals the systematic propaganda used by both the US and UK governments to convince us of the 'threat' from Iraq. It shows how we were deliberately misled into a war that has resulted in a humanitarian disaster in Iraq and threatens to create further instability and resentment of the US and UK throughout the Middle East.

Written by some of the world's leading journalists and commentators, it's a scathing indictment of the role of the mainstream media in legitimising government actions and undermining dissent. Critics, activists and journalists from both sides of the Atlantic explore alternatives such as the internet and Al Jazeera and provide analysis and guidance on resisting the media war.

Contributors include John Pilger, Noam Chomsky, Robert Fisk, Edward Herman, Mark Thomas, Mark Steel, and cartoonist Steve Bell amongst many others.
Acknowledgements

Foreword by Mark Thomas

Introduction by David Miller

Part 1 The Media War

1. A great betrayal by John Pilger

2. The lies of old by John Pilger

3. The case for civil disobedience by John Pilger

4. Crime against humanity by John Pilger

5. The unthinkable is becoming normal by John Pilger

Part 2 Propaganda Wars

6. War is sell by Laura Miller, John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton 7. Brainscrubbing: The Failures of U.S. Public Diplomacy After 9/11 by Nancy Snow

8. Misreporting war has a long history by Des Freedman

9. Psychological warfare against the public: Iraq and

beyond by Mark Curtis

10. The Propaganda Machine by David Miller

11. History or bunkum? by Philip Knightley

12. Spies and lies by Stephen Dorril

13. No Blood for oil? by Andy Rowell

Part 3 Misreporting war

14. The minute it’s made up, you’ll hear about it by Mark Steel

15. Reporting the war on British television by Justin Lewis and Rod Brookes

16. 9/11, Spectacles of Terror, and Media Manipulation by Doug Kellner

17. 'Look, I'm An American' by Norman Solomon

18. 'Let the Atrocious Images Haunt Us' by Julian Petley

19. Normalising aggression by Ed Herman

20. Little Ali and other rescued children by Patricia Holland

21. Watchdogs or Lapdogs? by Granville Williams

22. The BBC: A personal account by Abdul Hadi Jiad

23. Mass Deception: How The Media Helped The Government Deceive The People by David Cromwell & David Edwards

24. Covering the Middle East by Robert Fisk

25. Why the BBC ducks the Palestinian story by Tim Llewellyn

26. Black holes of history by Greg Philo and Maureen Gilmour

Part 4 Alternatives

27. Al Jazeera's war by Faisal Bodi

28. Target the media by Tim Gopsill

29. Turning my back on the mainstream by Yvonne Ridley

30. Working in and against the system by David Crouch

31. Disruptive Technology: Iraq and the Internet by Alistair Alexander

32. The anti-war movement by Noam Chomsky

Sujets

Iraq

Media studies

Irak

Science

Informations

Publié par	Pluto Press
Date de parution	20 novembre 2003
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781849644747
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,6250€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Tell Me Lies

Propaganda and Media Distortion in the Attack on Iraq

Edited by David Miller

P Pluto Press LONDON • STERLING, VIRGINIA

First published 2004 by Pluto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA and 22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166–2012, USA

www.plutobooks.com

The right of the individual authors to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN ISBN

0 7453 2202 6 hardback 0 7453 2201 8 paperback

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data applied for

Designed and produced for Pluto Press by Chase Publishing Services, Fortescue, Sidmouth, EX10 9QG, England Typeset from disk by Stanford DTP Services, Northampton, England Printed and bound in the European Union by MPG Books, Bodmin, Cornwall, England

Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword Mark Thomas

Introduction David Miller

Part 1

The Media War

1. A great betrayal John Pilger 2. The lies of old John Pilger 3. The case for civil disobedience John Pilger 4. Crime against humanity John Pilger 5. The unthinkable is becoming normal John Pilger

Part 2

Propaganda Wars

6. War is sell Laura Miller, John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton 7. Brainscrubbing: the failures of US public diplomacy after 9/11 Nancy Snow 8. Misreporting war has a long history Des Freedman 9. Psychological warfare against the public: Iraq and beyond Mark Curtis 10. The propaganda machine David Miller 11. History or bunkum? Phillip Knightley 12. Spies and lies Stephen Dorril 13. No blood for oil? Andy Rowell

Part 3

Misreporting War

14. The minute it’s made up, you’ll hear about it Mark Steel

vii

100

108

115

129

Tell Me Lies

15. Reporting the war on British television Justin Lewis and Rod Brookes 16. 9/11, spectacles of terror, and media manipulation Douglas Kellner 17. “Look, I’m an American” Norman Solomon 18. “Let the atrocious images haunt us” Julian Petley 19. Normalising godfatherly aggression Edward Herman 20. Little Ali and other rescued children Patricia Holland 21. Watchdogs or lapdogs? Media, politics and regulation: the US experience Granville Williams 22. The BBC: a personal account Abdul Hadi Jiad 23. Mass deception: how the media helped the government deceive the people David Edwards and David Cromwell 24. Covering the Middle East An interview with Robert Fisk 25. Why the BBC ducks the Palestinian story Tim Llewellyn 26. Black holes of history: public understanding and the shaping of our past Greg Philo and Maureen Gilmour Part 4 Alternatives

27. Al Jazeera’s war Faisal Bodi 28. Target the media Tim Gopsill 29. Turning my back on the mainstream Yvonne Ridley 30. Inside the system: anti-war activism in the media David Crouch 31. Disruptive technology: Iraq and the internet Alistair Alexander 32. The anti-war movement An interview with Noam Chomsky

Notes on contributors Index

132

144

157

164

176

185

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204

210

215

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232

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251

262

269

277

286

293 298

Acknowledgements

This has been a book produced at some speed between mid-May and mid-August 2003. It could not have been done without the commitment and help of all the contributors, who have often produced articles under very heavy pressure of other commitments and certainly to tight deadlines. I had anticipated that it might be difficult to fill the book in so short a period, but as it turned out I was deluged with offers and no one refused my requests for chapters. Even more astonishing there were only a couple of unavoidable drop outs. In the end there was too much material, some of which I have had to hack down for reasons of space. My apologies for any offence to authors’ sensibilities for this! Pluto also appreciated the need to get the book out fast. My thanks to everyone there for their efforts. People who have helped in big and small ways in putting this together deserve thanks. Thanks to all the contributors for their chapters and especially to Faisal Bodi, David Cromwell, David Crouch, Tim Gopsill, John Pilger, Andy Rowell, Norman Solomon, John Stauber, Mark Thomas, Granville Williams, for other contributions. Thanks also to Carmel Brown, Cindy Baxter, Susan Casey of MWAW, Louise Christian, James Curran, Jeremy Dear, Lindsey German, Ken Loach, Eveline Lubbers, Robert McChesney, Mike Marqusee, John Meed, Seumas Milne, Andrew Murray, and last but not least, the indefatigable Barry White of the CPBF. The book could not have been completed without alternative media and the myriad of information made available by activists and switched-on journalists on and off the web. Mainstream media organisations contain many dissidents who often do what they can to counter corporate and government priorities. They all deserve our support as workers and truth tellers. Thanks especially to all those who have leaked memos and other inside information to me and others – always gratefully received. Dissidents are important for what they can do now, but also for their potential future role in the creation of genuinely free and independent media. This is a notion which – post-Seattle and post-Iraq – once more seems just about within the bounds of the thinkable. Thanks are also due to dissidents outside the mainstream, who have become incredibly important resources for intellectual self-defence. To Media Lens, PR Watch, the Institute for Public Accuracy, to all the people who have posted on the Media Watch list, to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, to Media Workers Against the War, to Pacifica Radio (and especially its Bay area, California affiliate KPFA) and to Z Net. Special mention should be made of the inspiring work of Glen Rangwala who uncovered the plagiarism in the “dodgy” dossier and has forensically monitored government statements for lies, misinformation

vii

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and evasions. His website at <http://middleeastreference.org.uk> is an essential resource. I would like to acknowledge my debt first of all to the anti-war movement which has inspired me and countless others to add our voices to a truly global protest. The radicalising sense, not just of being part of a protest movement, but of being a small part in acollectivewhole can only be bad news for our rulers. I would also like to thank the myriad of activists in the movement with whom I have talked, argued, protested, and the rest. In particular I owe a debt to the members of the Stirling University anti-war group, the Glasgow Branch of the NUJ and especially to Glasgow Southside Against War. I should also mention a personal debt to David Maguire, Patsy King, and to my highly esteemed colleague and friend William Dinan who kept his head when all around him were losing theirs. A huge thank you to Emma Miller for her sustaining commitment, anger and humour in the face of the adversity of the “war on terror” and the relentless advance of corporate power; for her committed research on development and globalisation and for her participation in our hobby of shouting at television news. Lastly, thanks and love to Caitlin and Lewis Miller – especially for their repertoire of anti-war slogans (Who let the bombs drop?…). Some of the chapters in this book have appeared before in various forms. The original sources are acknowledged below. Chapters 1–4 originally appeared in theNew Statesmanon 3 February 2003, 17 February 2003, 17 March 2003 and 14 April 2003, respectively. Chapter 5 originally appeared in theIndependent on Sundayon 20 April 2003. Chapter 6 is based on two articles which originally appeared inPR Watchin the last quarter of 2002 and the first quarter of 2003. Chapter 11 originally appeared inBritish Journalism Review, June 2003. Chapter 12 is adapted from various pieces which originally appeared inFree Press. Chapter 14 originally appeared in theIndependenton 3 April 2003. Chapter 19 originally appeared inZ Magazine, June 2003. Chapter 23 has been adapted from a Media Lens alert on 6 June 2003. Chapter 24 was originally broadcast on Friday 23 May 2003 on Pacifica Radio’sPeace Watchin the US. Chapter 32 was originally published in theGuardianon 4 February 2003. The cartoons on pages 13 and 39 by Steve Bell originally appeared in theGuardianon 1 April 2003 and 10 January 2003 respectively. The cartoon by Polyp on page 241 was originally published inRed Pepperin June 2003. The photomontage by Steve Caplin on page 127 was commissioned for this volume. Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders of any third-party material included in this book.

Foreword

When the US and UK troops invaded Iraq I like many became obsessed with trying to find out what was happening to the civilian population, including the conscripted civilians forced to fight. I felt that I had to follow every detail of this one-sided fight and would sit glued to breakfast TV trying to get a handle on what had occurred the previous evening, while my children demanded a return to kids programmes. I received the news of deaths through friendly fire or the latest fake report of a chemical weapon hoard being discovered by the US military through a barrage of under-10 heckling of “Turn it over! This is rubbish! Mum ... Dad’s watching the news again!”, whilst peanut buttered toast was waved angrily in my direction. In retrospect I should have joined them shouting and waving bits of breakfast at the news. It certainly would be a more appropriate response than actually watching it with some vague hope of ... well ... er ... hearing some actual news. With barely enough coffee in my system to survive the early morning onslaught of GMTV/BBC presenters I would channel hop. Skipping and flashing through presenters in studio toin situwith the embedded journalists. The BBC had coffee tables that transformed into battle maps, to give us that cosy neighbourly analysis while cooing about how careful the bombers were to avoid civilian casualties and giving credence to the most incredible military claims of finds of chemical or biological weapons. Then they would cut to their khaki-clad desert colleagues hanging out with the troops fulfilling what looked like some sort of weird homoerotic/Duke of Edinburgh award/Apocalypse Nowfantasy. They would tell us that they couldn’t tell us where they were but that they were winning and how the lads they were travelling with were all a great bunch. This wasn’t so much reporting, more like a sub-Royal Tournament commentary. Then it would be back to GMTV and discussion and interview from a set of presenters I would just about trust to give me correct information on foundation creams for make-overs, but little else. What was fantastic was to turn off the news. I actually had a greater clarity on the situation when I didn’t watch the news. “Ah-ha!” some media hack might say. “That’s because the news challenged your preconceptions and without them being challenged you found it easier to cling to your interpretation of events.” Not so. Basra and the reporting surrounding the city’s capture by UK troops is a good example of what media folk came to call “the fog of war” and what ordinary mortals called distortions or lies. First it was ours, then only a bit of it was ours, then Saddam’s men were killing civilians trying to leave, then we had a bit less than first thought, then it turns out the military decided that it wasn’t that important a place anyway.

Tell Me Lies

This was not “fog”, it was the media reporting exactly what they were told without properly questioning it. This was mainlining uncut propaganda. The news editors from the UK were completely wedded to the embedded journalist, they thought it would fill the gaps in their 24-hour news scheduling. In a careless moment they might even have thought that embedded reporters would return to the idea of great war journalists travelling with the troops enduring their hardships and then reporting the truth back home. Instead we had an entirely one-sided vision of the war, with a lot of testosterone. If the broadcast media had any plan to present a view that was anything other than base propaganda then surely they should have had embedded journalists in the Iraqi hospitals. Reporting on the civilian end of the war. Then perhaps viewers might see that the narrow jingoistic view of the invasion was precisely that. The TV might even have started to broadcast the consequences of this conflict. At the time of writing, the Hutton inquiry had just questioned Dr Kelly’s widow. The BBC had tried to portray themselves as avid defenders of the truth standing up to the government and Alistair Campbell’s vicious spin machine. However, it is hard to see how the BBC stood up to the government in its broadcasting during the invasion. How did the reporting of the apparent collapse of the anti-war movement challenge the government? How did parroting the US and UK military press releases challenge the government? Even in Dr Kelly’s death the media carried on the propaganda war, “Dossier Claims First Victim” was one of the headlines, as if some 20,000 dead Iraqis didn’t count, and callously ignoring the dead coalition troops the media had proudly claimed to support. For many though the propaganda has not worked. In fact it has had the opposite effect. The appetite for alternative news sources is immense, whether it be the Indymedia sites reporting actions and demonstrations that the mainstream media continually ignore, or the amazing work of iraqbodycount.org which collates the maximum and minimum figures of reported Iraqi civilian fatalities. From Chomsky to Pilger to Klein bookshelves are scoured in search of information and ideas on how to challenge the status quo. This invasion has been an incredible political event for thousands of people, where their actions and those of countless others have been marginalised by the mainstream media in favour of the pro-war camp. It is not often that the rift between the world’s people and their leaders is so thoroughly exposed. The media might be failing to provide us with the information that we need but in the quest to find it a whole new generation of dissent is being galvanised by it.

Mark Thomas London, September 2003

Introduction

David Miller

The title of this book recalls Adrian Mitchell’s famous poem “Tell Me Lies About Vietnam”. Mitchell himself performed the poem at the anti-war rally in Trafalgar Square on 13 October 2001, changing the end of each verse to Iraq, Palestine and Afghanistan respectively. Since 11 September 2001 the propaganda machine in the US (and UK) has been cranked up to levels not seen outside the 1939–45 war. It should be no surprise that the content of the propaganda cranked out quietly to selected journalists or with fanfare in the form of several dossiers or grandstanding appearances before the United Nations, should be riddled with deception. Governments have long believed that – to misquote Wilfred Owen –dulce et decorum est pro patria decipio. But it does remain difficult to find a straightforward espousal of this thesis in the mainstream media. Much of the media continue to assume that the statements of government officials and politicians are characterised by what Mark Curtis calls a “basic benev-1 olence”. They may lie here or there, or they may act in a foolish or misguided way, but to advance the proposition that they are calcu-lating liars, in full consciousness of the outcomes of their policies is beyond the pale. Thus discussions of propaganda strategy and deliberate deception remain rare. For the sake of clarity, let us say a few words about lies – to combat the accusation of erecting a mirror image propaganda from the margins. Lies are falsehoods the status of which the liar is aware. Of course it is difficult to prove intention in these matters even in personal relations. In governmental circles it is more difficult as there is always someone else who can take the rap. I didn’t know that this information was false. I took it in good faith from Alastair Campbell, MI6, the Office of Special Plans, Italian intelligence, Iraqi defectors (delete according to taste). A further muddying element in official misinformation is that the system of relations between journalists and government in and out of war is based on confidence and trust. Off the record briefing, disguised sources, and the like are a funda-mental part of the system and are fully exploited by government in the US and UK. One of the “most insidious” – because least checkable