>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >To: "International"<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >International Action Center >39 West 14th St., #206 >New York, NY 10011 >212-633-6646 fax: 212-633-2889 >Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Web Page: www.iacenter.org > >1/28/2000 > >EXCITING, NEW, INTERNATIONAL ACTION CENTER BOOK THAT > RIPS THE MASS MEDIA. �War, Lies & Videotape: How >media monopoly stifles truth� exposes the true >character of the media today. Order a copy now with >your credit card on www.leftbooks.com. > >Have you ever wondered whether the news you hear is >true? Who makes the news and how? How do mega- >mergers and the consolidation of media outlets >affect what you see on the evening news? > >The International Action Center�s new book, �War, >Lies & Videotape: How media monopoly stifles truth� >is a superb new work by some of your favorite >fighters for justice and media critics. Read new >works by Ramsey Clark, former U.S. Attorney >General; Michael Parenti, author; Nawal El Saadawi, >Novelist & Journalist; Ben Bagdikian, former editor >of the �Washington Post�; Sara Flounders & Brian >Becker, Co-Directors of the IAC; Diana Johnstone, >former European Editor of �In These Times�; Jean- >Bertrand Aristide, former President of Haiti; Scott >Armstrong, Co-Author of �The Brethren�; and others >on the very nature of the news we see and read. > >RAMSEY CLARK ON MEDIA MANIPULATION OF FOREIGN >POLICY: �The means of communication are controlled >by a handful of interests. Ninety percent of all >television fare comes from six or seven companies. >A General Electric or Rupert Murdoch can >marginalize a Socrates. A cup of hemlock might seem >to so the same, but the fact of Socrates� existence >and authenticity abides. > >�This is not an easy time to be a thinker. When the >media marginalizes a Socrates of our time, if there >will be one, where will the memory of his word >abide? > >�Our (the U.S. Government�s) ability to manipulate >and admit without alarming the public is >overwhelming. There was a review in the New York >Times last week of the new book called �To Win a >War� by Richard Holbrooke. It�s written in the >first person, telling how he did it. He didn�t >title his narrative �To Establish a Peace.� And in >his tale he reveals the horrors of ethnic cleansing. > But pride overcomes discretion, and he writes, >boastfully according to a review, of how, even as >Washington was condemning the Croatian purge of more > than a quarter million Serbs from the Krajina, he >was in Zagreb making sure that the Croatians did >exactly that, identifying the cities to be purged, >the deaths and the massive forced emigration. > >�The power of the Media to demonize is perhaps its >most dangerous and vicious power.� > >MICHAEL PARENTI ON MEDIA EVASION: �We often think of >the news media as sensationalist and intrusive. In >fact, the press�s basic modus operandi is evasive >rather than invasive. More important that >sensationalist hype is the artful avoidance� > >�The news media�s daily performance is not a failure >but a skillfully evasive success. Their job is not >to inform but to disinform, not to advance >democratic discourse but to mute it. The media >gives every appearance of being vigorously >concerned about events of the day, saying so much, >meaning so little, offering so many calories and so >few nutrients. When we understand this, we move >from a liberal complaint about the press�s sloppy >performance to a radical analysis of how the media >serve the ruling circles with much craft and >craftiness.� > >NAWAL EL SAADAWI ON NEO-COLONIALISM AND MEDIA�S DARK > AGE: �Two phrases in an African-Jamaican song >summarize the media�s dark age in which we live: > > Raise the chains off the body. > Put the chains on the mind. > >��This is one of the functions of the media. To give >you the illusion that you are free to choose what >you like from the free market, that you are free to >elect your representative in Congress or >Parliament. But in media�s dark age how can anyone >be free? > >�Never before in history has there been such >domination of people�s minds by the mass media. >Never before in history has thee been such a >concentration and centralization of media, capital, >and of military power in the hands of so few >people. All the countries that form the group of >seven (in the North) control almost all the >technological, economic, media, information and >military power.� > >SARA FLOUNDERS ON THE ACHILLES HEEL OF MEDIA POWER: >LOSS OF CREDIBILITY: �The more absolutely >controlled and homogenized news and information >becomes the more it lacks credibility--and the more >vulnerable it is to the truth. A generation ago in >the U.S. the average person accepted or believed >what governmental officials said and what they >heard on the news. > >�Now the distrust of the media goes even deeper than >the alienation from government. Today the average >person knows that the politicians lie. They lie >about their personal lives and sexual affairs, of >course. They lie about taxes and finances and they >lie about reasons for going to war. This distrust >is reflected first in apathy and alienation� > >�Consider the response on issues of U.S. military >action. Historically, war is one issue where every >strata and class in society is aroused, apprehensive >and has an opinion� Wild claims of self-defense or >demonizing an opponent are hardly new tactics in the > annals of war. Great wars of conquest and plunder >have always been masked by noble appeals� > >�During the 40 days of bombings when more than >110,000 aerial sorties were flown against Iraq, >under a 24-hour- a-day media barrage calling on the >public to �support our troops,� approval ratings of >President Bush and the war reached 80%. But the >support was shallow and short- lived. Six months >later this approval rating for President Bush had >plummeted to 30%. It takes greater hype and in >heavier doses to achieve even temporary support.� > >�War, Lies & Videotape: How media monopoly stifles >truth� is 280 pages, fully indexed, for $15.95. You >can either order it now, on-line, with your credit >card at www.leftbooks.com for 15% off or you can >send a check to the International Action Center for >$15.95 plus $4 shipping. This book is now in stock. >Buy it for a friend; use it in a discussion group, >or as a textbook. Help circulate the truth about >the corporate control of the media. And help to >support the International Action Center as it >continues uncompromising leadership against U.S. >interventions and militarism. > > --30-- > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
