War / Peace

Censoring Private Ryan

"As American soldiers were dying in Falluja, some Americans back home spent Veteran's Day mocking the very ideal our armed forces are fighting for freedom," writes Frank Rich. "Ludicrous as it sounds, 66 ABC affiliates revolted against their own network and refused to broadcast 'Saving Private Ryan.' The reason: fear.

Weapons of Mass Deception: Book Reviews and Author Interviews

"The Propaganda Industry: A Conversation With Sheldon Rampton," Austin Chronicle, October 17, 2003
"Obviously we want to explain how some of the misrepresentations were made that got us into this mess in Iraq, because I think that helps somewhat in figuring out how we're going to get out of the mess."

Playing Good Flack, Bad Flack

"On the eve of the Democratic National Convention ... well-dressed politicians, corporate executives and their friends watched [fireworks] from a private party at a waterfront restaurant. ... Rick Rendon [was] the man in charge of the party," writes Pratap Chatterjee.

US Army Needs A Few Good Ideas

The U.S. Army's $200 million advertising account is in review. According to the trade journal Advertising Age, the five-year-old "Army of One" tagline may be "out of touch" with the reality of war. The Army will use its ad campaign as its most public face as it tries to recruit 80,000 new soldiers next year. But the Army has to be "careful," Evan Wright, a Rolling Stone journalist and author of Generation Kill. Devil Dogs, Iceman, Captain America and the New Face of American War, told Advertising Age.

Censorious or Sensitive?

Clear Channel Communications refused to display a peace group's billboard ad in New York's Times Square during the Republican Convention. The ad features a red, white and blue bomb graphic with the words "Democracy Is Best Taught by Example, Not by War." The peace group says Clear Channel also rejected their alternative ad, in which a dove replaced the bomb graphic.

Third Time's a Charm

"Cold War hawks are resurrecting a decades-old group to lobby for a harder line against terrorist organizations and rogue states," reports The Hill. The Committee on the Present Danger will see its third incarnation (it was established in 1950 and re-formed in 1976) as a Washington DC-based lobby group, headed by PR pro and former Reagan adviser Peter Hannaford.

New, Improved Mercenaries

"A private British firm that won a $293 million contract from the Pentagon for coordinating security in Iraq is headed by a retired British commando with a reputation for illicit arms deals in Africa and for commanding a murderous military unit in Northern Ireland," reports Charles M. Sennott. The firm is owned by Lieutenant Colonel Tim Spicer, a former British military officer.

'Good' War Versus 'Bad' War

The 60th anniversary of D-Day was a major production, but most previous anniversaries weren't. "A chronicle of each decade's commemoration of Normandy shows how the passage of time has softened the pain of the experience, and how the modern American presidency has evolved into a giant stage production to promote political goals," reports the New York Times.

The March of Whose Freedom?

At the U.S. Air Force Academy's graduation, George Bush compared the "War on Terror" to World War II, saying, "We will secure our nation and defend the peace through the march of freedom. ...

Rotten to the DynCorp

In Iraq, private military contractors "are protecting key leaders, escorting convoys, guarding military installations or oil pipelines, training Iraqi forces, interrogating prisoners ... some have become entangled in firefights," reports Contra Costa Times. "The potential role of contractors in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, and the legal obstacles to prosecuting them for reported abuses ...

Syndicate content