Sunday, June 10, 2007

Media News Roundup- Sunday May 27th to Sat June 2nd



Keeping an eye on the failing Fourth Estate and looking for some TRUTH in journalism.

Media notes AIDS pledge at G8 but not massive cut of important medicare to those infected. Five stories of actual importance buried by the media's shameful Paris Hilton-mania. Bright spot of the week: Sam Seder show, taking cue from Media Matters report, shows what diversity in news media can look like.


Media Reports G8 AIDS Pledge; Misses Important Cut to Medicare of Infected

As noted by Democracy Now on June 7, while there was much publicizing of the G8 AIDS pledge, little coverage was given to deep medicare cuts for HIV/AIDS patients promised just two years prior. The Financial Times reported that under pressure from the U.S., the G8 has backtracked on a two-year old pledge to fund universal access to medical care AIDS sufferers. In 2005 at Gleneagles the leaders of the summit had agreed to reach ten million AIDS patients. However internal documents now show the G8 has proposed to cut that number by half--to five million. The lowered goal was introduced by U.S. negotiators, just one week after President Bush cited AIDS funding as a major priority. A senior G8 official called the proposal “a huge backward step.”

5 News Stories Buried by the U.S. Media's Shameful Paris Hilton-mania.

In a week that highlighted the shameless trend of the U.S. corporate news media to cover celebrity gossip in a chase for profits rather than conducting investigative journalism, several news stories of profound impact were woefully underreported or missed completely:

(1) Retired Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, who commanded U.S. forces during the first year of the Iraq war, this week derided the idea of a military "victory" and stated that the best outcome America can hope for is to "stave off defeat."

(2) Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney's former chief of staff, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for lying to a grand jury and the FBI during the investigation into the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame, wife of former ambassador Joseph Wilson who challenged the White House on claims of Saddam Hussein-WMD ties to Niger during the lead up to the Iraq War.

(3) The Senate Judiciary Committee passed an important bill to restore habeas corpus, the fundamental right to challenge government detention in court. Last year Constitutional rights activists were stunned when the Military Commissions Act, passed by a GOP led Congress, revoked habeas corpus—an act that was widely criticized as unconstitutional and un-American.

(4) In back-to-back rulings, military judges threw out all charges against Canadian Omar Khadr and Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a Yemeni national, who are detainees at the now infamous Guantánamo Bay prison. Khadr has been held there since he was 15; Hamdan has been fingered as the alleged chauffeur of Osama bin Laden. In a move that highlights weaknesses in the Bush administration’s unlawful definition of “enemy combatants,” the judges claimed the cases could not go on because the U.S. government had failed to “establish jurisdiction.”

(5) Former Deputy Attorney General James Comey told the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in written remarks this past Wednesday, that Vice President Dick Cheney blocked the promotion of a top Justice Department lawyer after the official called into question the legality of the White House's secret domestic spying program. Relatedly, this was the fourth week in which the wire-tapping hospital drama involving Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, White House Chief-of-staff Andrew Card and a gravely ill John Ashcroft went underreported in the mainstream press. As cited previously in this forum, James Comey's May 15 congressional testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee on the matter was like a bizarre tale out of an Oliver Stone film.


Bright Spot of the Week

Sam Seder Show’s Diverse Political Roundtable

A recent report by Media Matters highlighted the manner in which women and people of color are all but shut out of most political news discussions. So it was a breath of fresh air this past weekend to hear the political roundtable on the Sam Seder Show on Air America Radio. Featured were not only media critics like Glenn Greenwald and a voice for women through FireDogLake blogger Christy Hardin Smith, but also Ron Daniels the Executive Director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and President for the Institute on the Black World 21st Century. Daniels was not simply invited on to discuss pertinent "African-American" specific issues, but was given the rare opportunity to voice his thoughts on political topics as diverse as the Iraq War, American foreign policy and more. Kudos to Sam Seder for recognizing that people of color have opinions on large topics that are not always bound to topics of race, something of which most mainstream media Sunday shows seem wholly unaware.


4 comments:

Unknown said...

louis vuitton outlet, gucci outlet, oakley sunglasses, ugg boots, longchamp, louis vuitton, ray ban sunglasses, louboutin shoes, nike free, louis vuitton, ray ban sunglasses, ray ban sunglasses, longchamp pas cher, louboutin outlet, longchamp outlet, tory burch outlet, replica watches, replica watches, cheap oakley sunglasses, louis vuitton, nike outlet, nike air max, nike air max, prada handbags, tiffany jewelry, polo ralph lauren outlet, nike free, louboutin pas cher, louboutin, oakley sunglasses, longchamp outlet, oakley sunglasses, burberry, uggs on sale, polo ralph lauren outlet, michael kors, oakley sunglasses, nike roshe run, ugg boots, christian louboutin outlet, jordan shoes, tiffany and co, sac longchamp, ralph lauren pas cher, kate spade outlet, air jordan pas cher, air max, louis vuitton outlet, chanel handbags, prada outlet

Unknown said...

abercrombie and fitch, michael kors outlet, hogan, burberry outlet online, tn pas cher, air force, coach purses, replica handbags, michael kors outletC, new balance pas cher, true religion jeans, michael kors, michael kors, ugg boots, true religion jeans, hermes, north face, michael kors, hollister, hollister pas cher, sac guess, nike air max, nike blazer, coach outlet, vanessa bruno, kate spade handbags, nike roshe, burberry, nike free run uk, mulberry, michael kors outlet, nike air max, oakley pas cher, true religion outlet, nike air max, vans pas cher, michael kors, timberland, coach outlet, ugg boots, michael kors outlet, michael kors outlet, ralph lauren uk, ray ban uk, ray ban pas cher, true religion jeans, converse pas cher, north face, lacoste pas cher, lululemon

Unknown said...

baseball bats, louboutin, ferragamo shoes, mcm handbags, p90x workout, nike huarache, timberland boots, jimmy choo shoes, north face outlet, converse outlet, hollister, gucci, reebok shoes, wedding dresses, nike air max, instyler, babyliss, longchamp, valentino shoes, mac cosmetics, soccer jerseys, ralph lauren, chi flat iron, north face outlet, herve leger, hollister, nike air max, lancel, converse, insanity workout, lululemon, nike trainers, vans, new balance, mont blanc, nfl jerseys, celine handbags, hollister, bottega veneta, giuseppe zanotti, iphone cases, asics running shoes, soccer shoes, birkin bag, nike roshe, oakley, abercrombie and fitch, ray ban, ghd, vans shoes, beats by dre

Unknown said...

karen millen, louis vuitton, thomas sabo, louis vuitton, pandora charms, wedding dresses, juicy couture outlet, ugg,uggs,uggs canada, moncler, ugg boots uk, moncler, swarovski, marc jacobs, canada goose, doudoune canada goose, swarovski crystal, canada goose, moncler, sac louis vuitton pas cher, canada goose, toms shoes, canada goose, hollister, barbour, canada goose uk, canada goose outlet, bottes ugg, supra shoes, moncler, pandora charms, moncler, moncler, coach outlet, canada goose outlet, moncler outlet, louis vuitton, pandora jewelry, louis vuitton, ugg pas cher, juicy couture outlet, barbour jackets, links of london, montre pas cher, pandora jewelry, moncler, ugg,ugg australia,ugg italia, replica watches