Month: October 2024

Western Media “Doublespeak” on Middle East?

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Article by Ahmad Wuhidi in The Intercept, 10/4/24

Headline: “U.S. Media’s Doublespeak: Israelis Live in ‘Densely Populated Areas,’ Palestinians Are ‘Human Shields’

Subhead: “But Palestinians in densely populated Gaza are all Hamas’s “human shields” — letting Israel deflect the blame for civilian death”

” . . .The Western media’s double standards when it comes to Israel and Palestine are hardly new. The discourse around “human shields” — or the failure to use the term — is an example of hypocrisy pushed to the extreme. Earlier this year, several of CNN’s own staff complained of “a systemic and institutional bias within the network toward Israel.”

” . . . The U.S. media has a long history of accusing America’s ideological foes of using civilians as “human shields.” In 1967, the Associated Press reportedly described the Viet Cong as “using children as human shields.” President George W. Bush highlighted Saddam Hussein’s use of civilians as “human shields” to justify his Iraq War.”

https://theintercept.com/2024/10/04/israel-human-shields-hypocrisy/

Media Giants Care More for Kids Than Money, Right?

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Article by April Rubin in Axios, 10/5/24

Headline: “States target social media companies over kids’ health, safety as Congress hesitates”

“Attorneys general of three states in less than a week revealed separate lawsuits against social media giants for their platforms’ alleged harmful effects on children, including sextortion, addiction and privacy violations.”

“. . . State attorneys general, most recently, sued TikTok, Snap and YouTube, alleging culpability in risks to children’s safety or wellbeing.”

https://www.axios.com/2024/10/05/state-lawsuits-social-media-children-harm-addiction

All the News That’s Fit to Control!

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Article in AP By Justin Spike, 10/25’24

Headline: “Hungarians protest state media ‘propaganda factory’ and demand unbiased press”

“Thousands of protesters gathered outside the headquarters of Hungary’s public media corporation on Saturday to demonstrate against what they say is an entrenched propaganda network operated by the nationalist government at taxpayer expense.”

” . . . Both Hungarian and international observers have long warned that press freedom in the Central European country was under threat, and that Orbán’s party has used media buyouts by government-connected business tycoons to build a pro-government media empire.”

https://apnews.com/article/hungarians-protest-media-propaganda-ef0f419ea38ea8d2beb4f0dd56d82d57

Time to Abandon Media-Ship?

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World of Cruising photo

Article in ProPublica by Robert Faturechi, Justin Elliott and Alex Mierjeski, 10/3/24

Headline: “Top Execs Exit Trump Media Amid Allegations of CEO’s Mismanagement and Retaliation”

Subhead: “Several people involved with the former president’s company, operator of Truth Social, believe the departures were retaliation following internal complaints about CEO Devin Nunes to the company board. “

“Former President Donald Trump’s media company has forced out executives in recent days after internal allegations that its CEO, former Rep. Devin Nunes, is mismanaging the company, according to interviews and records of communications among former employees.”

“The chief operating officer and chief product officer have left the company, along with at least two lower-level staffers, according to interviews, social media posts and communications between former staffers reviewed by ProPublica. The company, which runs the social media platform Truth Social, disclosed the departure of the chief operating officer in a securities filing Thursday afternoon.”

https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-media-truth-social-executives-ousted-devin-nunes

 

Do Media Prop-up Corrupt Politicians?

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Article in Huffington Post by By Michael Arceneaux, 10/4/24

Headline: “Like Foreign Governments, The Media Helps Prop Up NYC Mayor Eric Adams”

Subhead: “One writer claimed Adams would “save New York,” another said he was in their top 5 for the next democratic nominee for president — both ignoring the trail of corruption investigations that followed the New York mayor.”

“. . . According to Shachtman’s reporting, “The coverage was so slanted that the City Hall bureau chief left in part over disagreements with management over the fawning coverage of Adams.”

“It can’t be overstated how much-alleged straw donations from a foreign government used to gain eight figures in matching public funds undoubtedly played a role in Adams’ win in that hotly contested NYC mayoral race.

“Similarly, ridiculous headlines and conservative political tones aside, the New York Post remains an important paper in the city, so it also can’t be overlooked how much the paper’s endorsement and slanted coverage influenced the results of an election determined by less than 7,000 votes. ”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/opinion-media-new-york-eric-adams_n_66ff08dee4b03185708eb118

 

Blowing up the Press in Mexico

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Article in Reuters by Angerlica Medina, 10/4/24

Headline: “Chivas player firework joke backfires, outrages Mexican media”

“Chivas winger Roberto Alvarado’s firecracker prank at the club’s press conference backfired, with Mexican media deeming the action inappropriate and walking out in protest.

” . . . Alvarado threw [a firecracker] into the press room as part of an alleged prank ahead of Thursday’s conference in Verde Valle, Guadalajara, leading to claims of aggression from reporters.

“Unbelievable what happened at Chivas today … In almost 15 years of covering the team, this has NEVER happened. It was NOT a joke as they claim. They smashed an ‘explosive’ into the door of the press room with everyone inside,” journalist Karina Herrera wrote on social media platform X.”

https://www.reuters.com/sports/soccer/chivas-player-firework-joke-backfires-outrages-mexican-media-2024-10-04/

 

Native Americans Sue Social Media Companies

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Article in The South Dakota Searchlight by John Hult 10/3/24

Headline:  “Standing Rock Tribe is latest to sue social media companies for alleged mental health effects”

“The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North and South Dakota has filed a lawsuit in California against the parent companies of Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube and TikTok.

“The lawsuit, which alleges the tech companies’ social media apps are addictive and contribute to a mental health crisis on tribal lands, is the latest in a series filed by Native American tribes through the Minneapolis-based Robins Kaplan law firm.”

https://southdakotasearchlight.com/2024/10/03/standing-rock-tribe-is-latest-to-sue-social-media-companies-for-alleged-mental-health-effects/?emci=cd049c64-ba81-ef11-8474-6045bda8aae9&emdi=109f6ace-3f82-ef11-8474-6045bda8aae9&ceid=73177

 

 

US Elections Have Impact on International Media

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Article in Poynter by By: Cristi Hegranes, 10/2/24

Headline:  “International news is on the line in the upcoming presidential election”

“So much is on the line in the U.S. presidential election, including the future of international philanthropic giving — and the international news it funds.

“Politics aside, a second Donald Trump victory would undoubtedly ensure that more donated dollars from individuals and foundations will go to domestic causes, rather than abroad. Conventional wisdom suggests that elections heighten overall donor engagement, but that’s not true for international causes.”

” . . . there is always a downturn in international giving during election season, and the future of that giving will depend largely on who ends up in the White House.”

” . . . of course, the current investment trend in local news in the U.S. is necessary and deeply important. But this is also a critical moment for international news, which receives just a fraction of journalism philanthropy.

https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2024/international-news-is-on-the-line-in-the-upcoming-presidential-election/

 

The Media, Miss Fossil-Fuel Flood Link

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Feature by Amy Goodman on Democracy Now 9/30/23

Headline: “Fossil-Fueled Climate Change Left Out of Media Coverage of Hurricane Helene: Scientist Peter Kalmus”

“Helene is expected to be one of the costliest hurricanes in U.S. history and was fueled by abnormally warm water in the Gulf of Mexico, but most of the media coverage has failed to connect the devastation to the climate crisis.”

https://www.democracynow.org/2024/9/30/hurricane_helene_climate_crisis