Concocting the case for war in Iran

national | arts and media | other press Friday March 16, 2007 11:47 by David Manning and Miriam Cotton - MediaBite editors at mediabite dot org

Below is the latest MediaShot from MediaBite. We have focused this time on the extraordinary myopia that appears to have overtaken the Irish media when considering the so-called 'evidence' being pushed by the Bush administration for military intervention in Iran.

It is as if Iraq had never happened, as if we had not all learned how baseless the grounds for that illegal war was and how we had been deliberately misled - not to mention the ongoing and devastating consequences for the Iraqi people. Are we, lemming-like, about to let the same thing happen all over again? If anything, the evidence for military strikes this time round is even more transparently false.

Our MediaShot 'The authorities on criminality - The West vs Iran' takes a critical look at some of the Irish Time's reporting that is smoothing the way for Ireland's continuing and unquestioning support for the 'war on terror'. The majority of reporting, we have found, has consisted of little more than regurgitation of official rhetoric and propagation of 'dominant myths'.

If, like us, you are concerned by the media failure we perceive, please do write to the Irish Times to let them know what you think - contact information is given at the foot of the MediaShot. We ask also if you would copy your correspondence to us at editors@mediabite.org.

The authorities on criminality - The West vs Iran

"Journalism is the only profession explicitly protected by the U.S. Constitution, because journalists are supposed to be the check and balance on government. We're supposed to be holding those in power accountable. We're not supposed to be their megaphone. That's what the corporate media have become." [Amy Goodman, Host and Executive producer of Democracy Now!] [1]

As readers of the Irish Times we enter into a ‘contract’ each day. For their part they provide "the best journalism in Ireland: reports that are honest, accurate and comprehensive; and analysis that is informed, fair and based on the facts." [The Irish Times - Message from the Editor, Geraldine Kennedy] [2] And for our part we offer ourselves as potential customers to it's advertising partners.

It is our contention that at least one of us is failing to uphold their part of the contract. And given Ireland's descent into rampant, unsustainable consumerism, that part is most probably the Irish Times'.

continued...

http://www.mediabite.org/article_The-authorities-on-cri....html