Human Rights

The American Dream

by Sheldon Rampton — January 21, 2005 - 1:32am

"In all of Iraq, Jumana Hanna was the bravest witness to the horror of Saddam's regime, telling the Americans of torture, rape, and mass murder," writes Sara Solovitch. Paul Wolfowitz recounted her story to the Senate Foreign Relations Commitee. Her suffering was described in agonizing detail in a Washington Post story by Peter Finn.

Main Source: 
Esquire, January 2005

Trying to Manage a Real Crisis

by Diane Farsetta — January 10, 2005 - 3:33pm

Colin Powell said U.S. aid to tsunami-stricken countries "does give the Muslim world and the rest of the world an opportunity to see American generosity, American values in action. ...

Main Source: 
International Herald Tribune, January 5, 2005

Jailhouse Rocks

by Sheldon Rampton — December 15, 2004 - 12:14pm

In an effort to get wanted criminals to turn themselves in, the government of Saudi Arabia is running TV spots that say prison life is better than living at home. "I swear to God, they (jailers) are nicer than our parents," says one of the prisoners featured. James Sturcke reports that "Saudi authorities have aired militant confessions and interviews with fathers of wanted men as part of a public relations campaign to rally the public against radicals who have carried out attacks inside the kingdom, killing Saudis, other Arabs and westerners."

Main Source: 
Guardian (UK), December 15, 2004

Bhopal Anniversary Marked By Corporate Social Responsibility Hoax

by Laura Miller — December 7, 2004 - 6:26pm

On December 3, 1984 a toxic gas release from a Union Carbide pesticide factory in Bhopal, India killed at least 7,000 people. Two decades later, 15,000 additional people have died and 100,000 have health problems stemming from the leak of poison gases. Activists worldwide have called on Dow Chemical, which now owns Union Carbide, to take responsibility for the industrial disaster and make reparations.

Main Source: 
Guardian (UK), December 7, 2004

Absolutely Stunning

by Diane Farsetta — December 6, 2004 - 4:16pm

"Stun-gun manufacturer Taser International has launched a media and client-relations campaign to counter mounting accusations that the company's weapons are dangerous and potentially deadly," reports PR Week.

Main Source: 
PR Week (sub req'd), December 6, 2004

Exporting Weapons of Mass Deception

by Diane Farsetta — December 3, 2004 - 12:00am

"Despite the prolonged arms embargo imposed by the United States on Indonesia," for the Indonesian military's serious human rights violations, other military assistance continues. Six U.S. Pacific Command members led a three-day discussion on "how to present information and news to the press" to 30 information officers from the Indonesian Army, Navy and Air Force. "The officers shared experiences in dealing with the media," reported the Jakarta Post. The U.S.

Main Source: 
The Jakarta Post, December 3, 2004

View to a Kill

by Sheldon Rampton — November 21, 2004 - 12:00am

Kevin Sites, the cameraman who filmed a U.S. Marine shooting a wounded prisoner in Fallujah, has written a detailed and powerful account, addressed to the soldiers, of what he saw and his decision to release the footage. "This week I've even been shocked to see myself painted as some kind of anti-war activist," he writes. "Anyone who has seen my reporting on television or has read the dispatches on this website is fully aware of the lengths I've gone to play it straight down the middle. ... .

Main Source: 
Kevin Sites Blog, November 21, 2004

Tortuous Logic in Gonzales Coverage

by Diane Farsetta — November 11, 2004 - 12:00am

Dan Froomkin asks, "What's the most important thing about White House counsel [and attorney general nominee] Alberto R. Gonzales? ... That he would be the first Hispanic attorney general? That he has been a longtime and deeply loyal friend to the president?

Main Source: 
Washington Post, November 11, 2004

We're Here, We're Peers, Get Used to It

by Diane Farsetta — November 5, 2004 - 12:00am

"More than 20 chemical companies," including Monsanto and Dow Chemical, "have taken the unusual step of issuing subpoenas to five peer reviewers of a scholarly book." The book, "Deceit and Denial: The Deadly Politics of Industrial Pollution," presents evidence that, "in the late 1960s and early '70s, chemical-industry leaders failed to inform the government about a link that had been found in experiments with rats between expo

Main Source: 
The Chronicle of Higher Education (reg. req'd.), November 5, 2004

Blocking the Black Vote

by Sheldon Rampton — November 1, 2004 - 12:00am

"Overseas, our troops are being mauled in the long dark night of Iraq," writes Bob Herbert.

Main Source: 
New York Times, November 1, 2004
Syndicate content