> From: Nick Arnett <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > Julia Thompson quoted: > > > The $1 trillion cost estimate is wrong. It is based upon a completely > > inaccurate reading of historical data and deeply flawed mathematics. But > > the problems are worse than this. Not only was an inaccurate number > > repeated endlessly by the media without confirmation, but the flawed > > calculations were repeated again and again by various people with their > > own agendas. Reporters also appear to have ignored or evaded obvious > > weaknesses with the original source of the information, preferring to > > repeat an inaccurate number that they saw repeated endlessly rather than > > seek out better information. The story of the $1 trillion cost estimate > > raises some troubling questions about how modern journalism is > > conducted. > > But wait -- how can this happen in a free country? As JDG wrote in the
> message that appeared in my mailbox just before this one... > > > It seems clear to me that truly *winning* the war on terrorism is going to > > require eliminating the environments of oppression and ignorance that have > > bred the lies, which fuels the desperation that underlies the decision to > > turn to terrorism. This will require bridging the "freedom defecit" in > > the Arab world, and bringing the Arab people into the world of the free > > flow of information and participation in governance. > > Seems to me that perhaps freedom as we know it in the United States > today doesn't offer any assurance that the press will report reality. > Less and less all the time, in my opinion, due to the consolidation of > media power and the accompanying focus on revenue. > > I suspect that Iraqi publishers are just as eager to make a buck, so > their headlines reflect what sells, too, not what really matters. > > I grow increasingly convinced that freedom in a capitalist democracy is > relatively easily abused by doing just one thing well -- becoming big. Some Weblogs are banding together to do fact checking of journalists. In a kind of 'adopt a journalist' format, where everything a particular journalist says / writes is recorded, analyzed and checked for facts consistency and so forth. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
