Terrorism

Israel's War of Words Gets Dirty

by Sheldon Rampton — April 13, 2002 - 11:00pm

Israeli troops are still denying foreign reporters access to the Jenin refugee camp, amid reports that they are burying bodies in mass graves, but Israel "cannot bury the terrible crime it has committed: a slaughter in which Palestinian civilians were cut down alongside the armed defenders of the camp,

Main Source: 
Independent (UK), April 14, 2002

Homefront Confidential

by Sheldon Rampton — March 25, 2002 - 12:00am

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press has issued a special "RCFP White Paper" chronicling the effects the "war on terrorism" has had on media coverage. Available as a free PDF download, the 34-page report outlines actions taken over the last six months by state and federal government agencies that limit the ability of journalists to do their jobs.

Video News Release Business Gets Back to Normal

by Laura Miller — March 18, 2002 - 12:00am

"In the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the ensuing war on terrorism, the news hole for video public relations shrunk dramatically," writes Paul Holmes, editor of public relations trade newsletter The Holmes Report. "Most of the major production and distribution companies canceled projects in the wake of the terrorist attacks, but in the months since then, the business has been getting back to normal." Michael Santorelli, co-founder of the video production company Dogmatic, told Holmes: "News stations have come to depend on us for content.

Main Source: 
The Holmes Report's PR Knowledge, March 18, 2002

Nichols Dezenhall PR Sees "Eco-Terrorists" Everywhere

by John Stauber — March 13, 2002 - 10:13am

"If you've ever given money to an environmental organization ... you might even be a terrorist, or at least an accomplice. At least that's what Nick Nichols seems to think. Nichols views wouldn't matter if he were just another backwoods loser. On the contrary, environmental watchdogs fear he's at the vanguard of efforts to exploit the nation's post-September 11th mood by tarring the entire green movement as extremists. ...

Main Source: 
TomPaine.com

Neo-Conservatives Rally Around Bush's "War On Terrorism"

by Laura Miller — March 12, 2002 - 12:00am

"A powerful group of neo-conservatives is launching a new public relations campaign in support of President George W. Bush's war on terrorism," AlterNet's Jim Lobe writes. The group of well connected Republicans is calling itself Americans for Victory Over Terrorism (AVOT).

Main Source: 
AlterNet, March 12, 2002

Bush's Little Shop of Horrors

by Sheldon Rampton — March 5, 2002 - 12:00am

Since September 11 the FBI has issued 43 terrorism alerts, inducing feelings of fear, anxiety and helplessness in many Americans -- a condition that Washington, DC psychologist Rona Fields describes as Acute Prolonged Stress Syndrome. "After so many vague alerts, many based on uncorroborated evidence, it's fair to ask, What's the point? Why spook a country that's already spooked?" writes Geoffrey Gray.

Main Source: 
Village Voice, March 5, 2002

"If You Are Not With the Polluters, You Are With the Terrorists"

by Sheldon Rampton — March 5, 2002 - 12:00am

Ann Coulter's recent death threat against liberals is only the latest in a string of deliberate efforts by conservative propagandists to turn the "war on terrorism" into a domestic war against people who dissent from their conservative agenda.

Main Source: 
CLEAR news release

Toxic Haste

by Sheldon Rampton — February 25, 2002 - 12:00am

Literally before the dust had cleared at Ground Zero, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and the city's news media rushed to assure people that the city's air was safe. Now evidence is accumulating that these reassurances may have been tragically wrong, as investigators find dangerous levels of PCBs, mercury and asbestos thrown into the air by the disaster. "Many people who live or work in lower Manhattan are convinced that they have not been told the truth," reports Alyssa Katz. "They say that they're sick--throats sore, lungs hacking.

Main Source: 
American Prospect, February 25, 2002

Why Are Journalists Targets?

by Sheldon Rampton — February 23, 2002 - 12:00am

Following the murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, Robert Fisk ponders "the slow, painful, dangerous erosion of respect" for journalists who cover international conflicts. "We used to risk our lives in wars -- we still do -- but journalists were rarely deliberate targets," he writes. One reason for the change, he says, is that journalists themselves have lost their status as impartial witnesses to war. "What on earth was CNN's Walter Rodgers doing in US Marine costume at the American camp outside Kandahar?

Main Source: 
ZNet, February 23, 2002

Axis of Evil

by Sheldon Rampton — February 15, 2002 - 12:00am

Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh has used President Bush's phrase about an "axis of evil" to make vicious attacks on the "evil axis" of Congressional Democrats.

Main Source: 
Spinsanity, February 15, 2002
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