In the wake of Eason Jordan's departure from CNN, this flashback from New York Times correspondant John Burns exposing the deep corruption in the media. With a near certain attempt underway by some in the mainstream press to transform Jordan from conspiracy theorist and propogandist into a "victim of the right wing blogosphere", Burns' words bear repeating. Originally published in September of 2003.
Terror, totalitarian states, and their ways are nothing new to me, but I felt from the start that [Iraq] was in a category by itself, with the possible exception in the present world of North Korea. I felt that that was the central truth that has to be told about this place. It was also the essential truth that was untold by the vast majority of correspondents here. Why? Because they judged that the only way they could keep themselves in play here was to pretend that it was okay.There were correspondents who thought it appropriate to seek the approbation of the people who governed their lives. This was the ministry of information, and particularly the director of the ministry. By taking him out for long candlelit dinners, plying him with sweet cakes, plying him with mobile phones at $600 each for members of his family, and giving bribes of thousands of dollars. Senior members of the information ministry took hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes from these television correspondents who then behaved as if they were in Belgium. They never mentioned the function of minders. Never mentioned terror.
In one case, a correspondent actually went to the Internet Center at the Al-Rashid Hotel and printed out copies of his and other people's stories -- mine included -- specifically in order to be able to show the difference between himself and the others. He wanted to show what a good boy he was compared to this enemy of the state. He was with a major American newspaper.
Read it all.
great article and sounds like a great man.
The Liberal Blogs: All Dressed Up, But No Place To Go
The myopic MSM, always looking to paint themselves as a victim, are lashing out at the blogs. They claim that the conservative blogs are a bloodthirsty, savage, and unrepentant lot. Obviously, they still don't understand the nature of their enemy. They're desperately waging a Quixotic battle with a windmill from the back of an ass.
www.peeniewallie.com