Terrorism

Homefront Confidential

by Sheldon Rampton — September 12, 2003 - 11:49pm

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has released an updated report chronicling the effects the war on terrorism has had on the public's right to know. The 89-page report, called "Homefront Confidential: How the War on Terrorism Affects Access to Information and the Public's Right to Know," outlines actions taken over the last two years by state and federal government agencies that limit the ability of journalists to do their jobs.

Main Source: 
http://www.rcfp.org/homefrontconfidential/

Belated Courage

by Sheldon Rampton — September 9, 2003 - 11:00pm

Following recent revelations that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency misled the public about air quality in New York following the 9/11 terrorist attack, the New York Daily News has been crowing about how columnist Juan González "was the first to sound the alarm" that ground zero was a toxic dump after 9/11.

Main Source: 
Village Voice, September 10-16, 2003

Score One for Conspiracy Theorists

by Sheldon Rampton — September 3, 2003 - 11:00pm

"Gosh, I thought this was just some lunatic conspiracy theory," comments Tom Tomorrow, the world's best cartoonist.

Main Source: 
This Modern World, September 4, 2003

War On Terror = All-Purpose Opposition Cleanser

by Laura Miller — August 27, 2003 - 11:00pm

"Terrorism doesn't just blow up buildings; it blasts every other issue off the political map," journalist Naomi Klein writes. "The spectre of terrorism - real and exaggerated - has become a shield of impunity, protecting governments around the world from scrutiny for their human rights abuses.

Many have argued that the War on Terror is the US government's thinly veiled excuse for constructing a classic empire, in the model of Rome or Britain.

Main Source: 
Guardian (UK), August 28, 2003

EPA Failed New Yorkers On Post-9/11 Air Quality

by Laura Miller — August 25, 2003 - 11:00pm

Nearly two years after the collapse of the World Trade Center, the Environmental Protection Agency's inspector general reports that the failure of EPA officials to properly inform New Yorkers of the dangers of the fallout can be traced to inside the White House. "The news that White House staff ordered the EPA to minimize potential health dangers near Ground Zero was bad enough," NY Daily News' Juan Gonzalez writes.

Main Source: 
New York Daily News, August 26, 2003

Ashcroft's Charm Offensive

by Laura Miller — August 19, 2003 - 11:00pm

U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft recently launched a national campaign to dismiss growing criticism of the controversial USA Patriot Act, an anti-terrorism law passed after the September 11 attacks. Speaking at the right-wing American Enterprise Institute, Ashcroft said, "To abandon this tool would disconnect the dots, risk American lives and liberty, and reject Sept. 11th's lessons." The Department of Justice Patriot Act website is LifeandLiberty.gov.

Main Source: 
Chicago Tribune, August 20, 2003

28 Pages

by Sheldon Rampton — July 31, 2003 - 11:00pm

The New Republic has interviewed an official who has read the 28 pages that the Bush administration is withholding from the recent congressional report on September 11. According to the official, the still-classified section of the report documents connections between the 9-11 terrorist attack and "the very top levels of the Saudi royal family. ... This week, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al Faisal flew to Washington for a hastily convened meeting with President Bush.

Main Source: 
The New Republic, August 1, 2003

Pentagon Says 'Get Rich Betting On Terror! '

by John Stauber — July 27, 2003 - 11:00pm

"The Pentagon is setting up a stock-market style system in which investors would bet on terror attacks, assassinations and other events in the Middle East. Defense officials hope to gain intelligence and useful predictions while investors who guessed right would win profits. ...

Main Source: 
Associated Press, July 28, 2003

Qorvis Communication Quacks For Kingdom

by Laura Miller — July 24, 2003 - 11:00pm

"Qorvis Communication is helping Saudi Arabia lash out at critics who believe the 'blanked-out' section of the Congressional 9/11 report exposes the Kingdom's involvement in the terror attacks," O'Dwyer's PR reports. "The Bush Administration demanded that the 28-page section dealing with the role played by Saudi Arabia and other governments in 9/11 be omitted from the 900-page report." Qorvis has a $200,000 a month contract with the Kingdom for PR work. Saudi Arabia spent $288,000 at Patton Boggs -- a well connected D.C.

Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily, July 25, 2003

Bush's 9/11 Coverup

by Sheldon Rampton — June 17, 2003 - 11:00pm

"While the administration of President George W. Bush is aggressively positioning itself as the world leader in the war on terrorism, some families of the Sept. 11 victims say that the facts increasingly contradict that script," reports Eric Boehlert. "The White House long opposed the formation of a blue-ribbon Sept. 11 commission, some say, and even now that panel is underfunded and struggling to build momentum.

Main Source: 
Salon.com, June 18, 2003
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