How the mighty are falling?

[illusionofjoy]

I have a conspiracy theory about the neo-cons and the mainstream media. For years Republicans have complained about a so-called "liberal bias" in the media, namely because Republicans can't handle the truth. Given the sheer audacity of the Bush administration in trying to control the perceptions of the nation, I recently had the thought that neo-cons had moved from the realm of merely complaining about the "liberal media" into actively sabotaging media outlets.

This thought came to me in light of the incident wherein Newsweek allegedly made an inaccurate report about the Koran being flushed down a toilet by U.S. troops. The Bush administration not only called upon Newsweek to apologise for what they called an inaccurate report, but to go several steps further and, "help repair the damage that has been done, particularly in the region [by explaining] what happened and why they got it wrong." Interestingly, an article in The Nation explains how Newsweek really didn't get it wrong. On the other side, neo-con know-nothing Ann Coulter, true to form is taking this ball and running with it.

Needless to say, I trust The Nation and Newsweek more than I trust Ann Coulter (who should not throw stones at the glass house of journalistic accuracy, seeing as how she believes that Canada sent troops to Vietnam to aid U.S. forces). Given the way U.S. troops have treated Iraqi prisoners - torture, rape, etc. - it wouldn't surprise me in the least if copies of the Koran were sent to an undignified death in the water closet.

The bigger issue, however, is just how accurate the mainstream media is. For the past several years, well-respected news organisations labelled "liberal" have been caught with egg on their face in ways unheard of for decades. Historically, the only major journalistic snafu of the modern era that I can recall began with the headline, "Dewey Defeats Truman." At the close of the 2000 election, every network accurately called the results for Gore - who did win the popular vote; every network, that is, except Fox. We should all remember how that turned out.

Four years later, during the 2004 election, a scandal erupted over a report made by Dan Rather on the CBS evening news, regarding the authenticity of papers detailing Bush's National Guard service. Eventually the papers were proven to be fake, several CBS Evening News staffers were fired and Rather retired not long afterwards, a smudge blotting an otherwise stellar career. Bush, with his usual lack of decorum, even went so far as to mock "the accuracy of the mainstream media" during the presidential debates, after being asked a question which referred to the media.

It makes me wonder if The White House didn't plant those papers at CBS in an attempt to discredit the network and embarass the "liberal" Dan Rather. I wouldn't put it past them - this is the administration which fakes news articles, hires and plants their own reporters and pays journalists to write positive press about thier policies. George Orwell, where art thou? Slipped down the memory hole, methinks.

It's no secret that the Bush administration and most Republicans in general are corrupt hypocrites (Tom Delay and Rick Santorum, I'm fingering you). This is why I'm beginning to wonder if my theory of Republican sabotage in an attempt to subvert the "liberal" media isn't so far-fetched. These are the guys who made 51% of America believe that John Kerry, a war hero, was nothing more than a flip-flopping schmuck. If the war is to be fought with words and one can't win with a standard arsenal of the facts, how does one win but to resort to "guerilla warfare" - discrediting one's opponent and twisting their words? I doubt that Newsweek will be the last time we hear anything about a respected journalistic institution getting a black eye over an article which portrays the neo-cons and their policies in a negative light.