-Caveat Lector- ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alberto M. Giordano" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, November 02, 2000 1:08 PM Subject: [narconews] New FAIR alert on AP-McFarren story > -------------------------- eGroups Sponsor -------------------------~-~> > eGroups eLerts > It's Easy. It's Fun. Best of All, it's Free! > http://click.egroups.com/1/9698/3/_/_/_/973192240/ > ---------------------------------------------------------------------_-> > > Colleagues, > > Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) is keeping > up the pressure on Associated Press (AP) and its Managing > Editor's association (APME) to come clean on the > conflicts of interest of ex-AP Bolivia correspondent > Peter McFarren. > > If you missed the Narco News reports that broke this > story, click: > > Part I: http://www.narconews.com/mcfarrenstory1.html > > Part II: http://www.narconews.com/mcfarrenstory2.html > > Here is FAIR's latest update. Check it out and > participate in the struggle for authentic journalism > in our Am�rica. > > salud y abrazo, > > Al Giordano > Publisher > The Narco News Bulletin > http://www.narconews.com/ > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > ACTIVISM UPDATE: AP's Inadequate Investigation > Bolivia reporter's conflicts glossed over > > November 2, 2000 > > In an October 26 Action Alert, FAIR reported that the Associated Press' > Bolivia correspondent, Peter McFarren, was resigning amid revelations of > clear conflicts of interest. > > (See http://www.fair.org/activism/ap-bolivia.html .) > > McFarren had long had a significant involvement in Bolivian politics -- a > situation that went unnoticed even after an expose by Narco News Bulletin, > until FAIR called the wire service to request comment on McFarren's status. > > In our Alert, FAIR urged readers to ask AP for a full investigation of these > conflicts and how they may have impacted McFarren's reporting. > > The same day that the FAIR alert went out, AP released a story on McFarren's > resignation. However, the report glossed over key aspects of the case. (The > full text appears at the end of this message.) > > AP acknowledged that McFarren had publicly promoted a private water project > that would financially benefit the reporter's foundation. But, AP wrote, > McFarren has "never written about the water project for AP." > > While technically true, the claim is more an indictment of McFarren and the > wire service than a defense. Since last April, when the intense struggle > over water rights became one of Bolivia's biggest news stories, McFarren has > filed several reports about water policy, including three such stories in > the last six weeks. The privatization of water that was one of the issues at > the root of large-scale protests was a necessary precondition for the > project McFarren was promoting. To report on the water protests without > disclosing his personal stake in the issue is a gross violation of > journalistic standards. > > The AP reports McFarren's claim that a speech he gave on the water project > was delivered not to the Bolivian legislature, but to "an organization of > community leaders" who happened to be "in a Bolivian congressional > building." The AP does not, however, note McFarren's admission to Narco News > that he works "pro bono" as a "promoter of the water export law," nor does > it note that McFarren's presentation explicitly called for passage of "a > specific law." These details are relevant to any assessment of whether or > not McFarren was in fact lobbying the legislature, and should have been > included in the AP's story. > > In addition, the AP story says nothing about how McFarren's supervisors > could have been, as they claim, unaware of his activities. Narco News > reports that McFarren is "a near mythical player in the highest levels of > Bolivian society," often covered in the La Paz press' society pages "as he > rubs elbows socially with... the foreign diplomatic corps, the commander of > the Bolivian armed forces and other officials." > > AP fails to report on additional McFarren projects that may have compromised > his, and thus AP's, reporting. A simple search of the Nexis news database > and a look at McFarren's Quipus Foundation website reveal that McFarren has > for years been involved in projects dependent on numerous government > agencies and corporations. A favorable 1997 profile in the publication > Americas (11/21/97) stated McFarren "is perched on the pinnacle of a > cultural-publishing-media-philanthropic conglomerate, perhaps the only one > of its kind in the world." According to the profile, McFarren is also "a > founder and board member of the Bolivian Export Foundation." > > Quipus, another foundation that McFarren created and presides over, boasts > $6 million in support from the city government of La Paz, Bolivia's capital, > and also receives funds from the country's national government. Other > contributors acknowledged on the foundation's website include the > Netherlands, Spain, Canada, Germany, Mexico, the World Bank, USAID, USIA, > IBM-Bolivia and American Airlines. > > A reporter whose projects are so dependent on the good will and largesse of > so many powerful governments, agencies and corporations necessarily > undermines his independence and impartiality. > > All of this information was easily available to AP when it published its > brief, inadequate report on McFarren on October 26. The public deserves to > know the truth -- that AP's Bolivia correspondent was, for all practical > purposes, a conflict of interest disguised as a journalist. And the public > deserves total disclosure, including a report on how McFarren's financial > and political involvements may have compromised AP reporting from Bolivia. > > AP's Code of Ethics advises subscribing media outlets to "report matters > regarding itself or its personnel with the same vigor and candor as it would > other institutions or individuals." One would hope AP does not claim that > its piece on McFarren meets that standard. > > ACTION: Urge the Associated Press to conduct and publish a more rigorous > investigation into McFarren's conflicts of interest, and explain how they > were overlooked by the wire service. > > CONTACT: > > You can reach the AP at the following addresses: > > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > (Jerry Ceppos is an officer of the Associated Press Managing Editors group.) > > As always, please remember that your comments are taken more seriously if > you maintain a polite tone. Please cc [EMAIL PROTECTED] with your > correspondence. > > ***** > ASSOCIATED PRESS, 10/26/00 > > AP correspondent in Bolivia resigns amid conflict of interest > > NEW YORK (AP) A reporter for The Associated Press in Bolivia has resigned > after it emerged that he made a speaking appearance in favor of a water > project in that South American country. > > Peter McFarren, a Bolivian native who also holds U.S. citizenship, has > worked for the AP in Bolivia since 1983. > > In September, McFarren made a presentation in the capital La Paz in favor of > a proposal to export water from Bolivia to copper mining companies in Chile. > > The Web site NarcoNews.com reported that McFarren spoke before the Bolivian > Senate on behalf of the Bolivian Hydro-Resources Corp. McFarren said his > speech was to an organization of community leaders, although delivered in a > Bolivian congressional building. > > McFarren said he was not paid and said he didn't have any connection to the > corporation, but acknowledged that the project would financially benefit a > foundation he has set up to build children's cultural museums in Bolivia. As > proposed, money from the water project would go to a national fund for > culture, education and environment. > > "As soon as we were aware of the facts in this matter, we moved immediately > to cure a conflict of interest," said James M. Donna, the AP's vice > president for human resources. "He resigned on the spot. AP rules make very > clear that it is unacceptable for staff members to endorse or give the > appearance of endorsing causes or political points of view." > > McFarren, who had never written about the water project for AP, said he had > told his supervisor of his involvement with the project and that he was > planning to resign from the AP if any money came in to benefit his > foundation. His supervisor, Eduardo Gallardo, the chief of bureau for Chile > who oversees coverage in Bolivia, said, however, that he was not aware of > McFarren's efforts on behalf of the water project. > > ***** > > _________________________________________________________________________ > Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. > > Share information about yourself, create your own public profile at > http://profiles.msn.com. > > > To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. 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