Quoting Victims = Creating a Bias?

The BBC article is defined by anger, pain, and vengeance. When Israeli troops had attacked two Hamas members who were carrying heavy bags, a mother and her four children were having breakfast in their nearby home. The Israeli attack ignited the bags’ contents, apparently filled with explosives, causing the house to which the men were near, to explode, killing the woman and her four children.

The husband of the mother said, “I hope to God that the same thing that happened to me happens to whoever fired that missile at my house, that what happened to my wife and children happens to his family."

This article has a deep impact on the reader because it shows that even while a family may innocently have breakfast one morning, they may still be in tremendous danger of losing their lives. Though the writer of the article does not voice his own opinion, the quotes he used definitely sway the reader to sympathize with the Palestinians.

Since the author of this article is using information that is loaded with emotions, it appears as if the author is trying to persuade his readership of sympathizing with the suffering man. Even though losing a family is a terrible thing to happen to anyone, the article made me wonder if the author of the article is biased towards the Palestinians and hoping to sway his readers. If this is the case, then his article has been framed.

Although it makes sense to report on the terrible tragedies that occur in the Gaza Strip every day to make people around the world understand what it is, or must best be, like to experience war, the article perfectly fits into the discussion on journalists and framing.

Journalists are supposed to report onlythe facts? Or are journalists allowed to state their opinions or subtly submit their opinions by portraying a situation in a certain way that agrees with their beliefs? Should the writer of the article mention a similar tragedy from the Israeli side, just to seem free from bias?

Surviving family members, mourning at the losses of their loved ones.

Just wondering...

Vietnamese News Online

Since Vietnam is the country I chose for my country report, I did some research on the available news sources of and about Vietnam. I came across one online newspaper (newssite) that is called the Viet Nam News.

It looks very simple, has very few pictures, and whatever pictures are available, are tiny and not of great quality.

Life size picture on the Viet Nam News website:
Looks delicious, doesn't it? It's called Gai pan tod klua, Thai-style fried chicken.



Also, the website does not look very high-tech or modern, especially when compared to the new bbc.co.uk website, which you can personalize by changing colors, choosing which news topics will appear on the homepage, and also where each box is located.

Regardless, sometimes simplicity is key to organization and good oversight...

When I saw a link to an article about MTV Asia and their pop culture's recent boom, I clicked it. To my surprise, instead of reading about Vietnamese pop music, I was informed about the new Asian weight lifting champion, Hoang Anh Tuan...
<-- That's Hoang Anh Tuan.



Guess Viet Nam News needs to be a bit more careful when setting up links and sites.

Just out of curiosity, has this ever happened to anyone on a different news website?

Regardless, they also have a section on the government in action, laws, and court cases, as well as a page for Ong Tao's Kitchen... Myum!

Facebook Jailing

Image courtesy of bbc.co.uk

We all know that Facebook may affect your hire-ability and expose far too many life details to friends, or even complete strangers, but now Facebook has been labeled as a threat to national security. On April 23, the BBC published an article detailing the story behind an Israeli soldier belonging to an “elite intelligence unit” who was jailed 19 days for posting a photo of his military base. According to an earlier article, also published by the BBC on April 11, posting military related photographs and information is forbidden to Israeli soldiers; this is because Palestinian and Lebanese militants monitor Facebook and similar networking sites for such postings, which may contain classified information. In addition to Israeli soldiers, Canadian soldiers have been warned not to post military related information and photographs to Facebook.

Surprisingly, very few media outlets have covered this story. With the popularity of Facebook, and its growing number of apparent downsides, this article seems relevant to us as Americans; however, I was unable to find a US news outlet that covered this story in much more than 100 words, or included the story of the jailing as a follow-up of the rules. I’d really like to see this story covered in more depth with some added details on how this edict affects the US military and what the Facebook rules are for soldiers in America.

By: Brittany Behrman

So... will it be Mugabe or Tsvangirai for Zimbabwe?

As we learned throughout the entire semester, foreign correspondents face many challenges simply by performing their job. In global news today, scholars were informed that in Zimbabwe “reporting without proper accreditation” can signify journalists’ arrest. This is unfair because unlike many other professions, journalism has to heavily put up with the limitations the government imposes. In this case, the Zimbabwean government does not want citizens to know exactly what is occurring with the election.
So what is going on with the election really? The presidential election results have taken way longer than expected because incumbent President Mugabe keeps recounting the votes. He called for a run-off against opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai early in April when he realized that his rival could be the winner of his position. CNN news reported that based on the results of 243 votes posted outside the polling stations, Democratic Change Secretary General Tendai Biti said Tsvangirai won 50.3 percent of the vote! So why hasn’t the election results been announced yet? There is so much conspiracy and stimulation, but the one thing that is clear is that President Mugabe does not want to stop leading the country and will continue delaying the results to rig victory. He has led Zimbabwe since 1980 and will do anything to continue doing it. According to the CNN news coverage this weekend, Mugabe has been using violence and intimidation tactics against Zimbabweans who voted for his challenger.
The South African newspaper, the Mail & Guardian, also reported this past Sunday that African nation leaders are becoming aware of the situation and want to take action to help resolve an end to the election stalement. Jacob Zuma, an African National Congress presidential candidate for next year’s South African election, told CNN that South Africa could help Zimbabwe and that its President Thabo Mbeki was the man to lead the effort. “Definitely there is something wrong with those elections,” Zuma told CNN. Zuma said he was not sure what should be done, but that the first step should be a meeting between Mugabe and Tsvangirai and their parties, the Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change.
Zimbabweans only want the truth, but how can they know if many journalists are not even allowed to report on the subject?
For more information about Zimbabwe, please visit:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/04/19/zimbabwe.wrap/index.html#cnnSTCText
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/04/05/zimbabwe.election/index.html#cnnSTCText

Oil Price Rise Fails to Open Tap

As oil prices soared to record levels in recent years, basic economics suggested that consumption would fall and supplies would rise as producers drilled for more oil.

But as prices flirt with $120 a barrel, many energy experts are becoming worried that neither seems to be happening. Higher prices have done little to suppress global demand or attract new production, and the resulting mismatch has sent oil prices ever higher.
That has translated into more pain at the pump, with gasoline setting a fresh record of $3.60 a gallon nationwide on Monday. Experts expect prices above $4 a gallon this summer, and one analyst recently predicted that gasoline could reach $7 in the next four years.
A central reason that oil supplies are not rising much is that major producers outside the OPEC cartel, like Russia, Mexico and Norway, are showing troubling signs of sluggishness. Unlike OPEC, whose explicit goal is to regulate the supply of oil to keep prices up, these countries are the free traders of the oil market, with every incentive to produce flat-out at a time of high prices.


The rest of this article can be seen on the NY TIMES website http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/29/business/worldbusiness/29oil.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin


When I went to go and fill up my gas today, the price was 3.63 and it almost made me wonder why I'm not riding a bike to school. Unfortunately, if I rode my bike, it would take me almost 2 hrs to ride from Avenel to New Brunswick. $40 gave me 11 gallons of gas that normally would fill up my car which is a Caddilac Deville. It just gave me a little bit more then a half a tank. The way my engine is that will be gone in within the next 3 days, 4 if I'm lucky. The question I have is what can we do to stop this oil crisis? With the Iraq War still going on, gas prices will continue to sky rocket and leave us in debt. As a student my only concern is filling up gas and getting to school. As for our parents supporting us, they have to worry about the house, food, electric, and work fulltime. Gas is a neccessity but at what cost? How long will we continue to suffer from this? If or when it does succeed $4 a gallon, I might be forced to ride my bike again.....



(This is Tom Byrne) known to many by TooTaLL

Windowless Cell of Secrets

A recent story of horror has broke out Amstetten, Austria in which a 73-year-old man has admitted, after 24 years of secrecy, that he continually raped his own daughter. Josef Fritzl, the perpetrator, sexually harrased his daughter, Elisabeth, 42, starting at the young age of eleven and continued this cruel torture, until Monday when his second life was revealed and he openly admitted to the acts.


During nearly a quarter of century of violence, Elisabeth also gave birth to seven children all fathered by Josef, as well. Not only was this grotesque story the only secret, but Fritzl kept Elisabeth and three of their children locked in and underground cellar beneath his house and never allowed them to see the light of day.


Rosemarie, Fritzl's wife, and his other six children with her, or other friends and family did not of the horrors this well-liked, engineer was capable of. The whole town was had suspected that Elisabeth had run away at the age of eighteen, coming back unseen to leave three of her children to be taken care of by Josef and Rosemarie their supposed grandparents. Fritzl had even forged a note from Elisabeth explaining why she had to leave. This is when he drugged her and left her locked up, soon to be with the other three children; the seventh had died and the body was exposed of.


Fritzl was finally found out when Kerstin, the oldest daughter needed to be rushed to the hospital for medical treatment and family health history was needed and soon exposed.


Sadly, this is the second story of its kind to happen in Austria in the past two years. Natascha Kampusch was another young girl who was held captive for eight years, only to be found and released in 2006. The country as a whole seems to be shaken badly and wonders where it went wrong, and why such horrible acts seem to be taking place in their homeland.


Being an advocator of Domestic Violence Awareness, this story truly strikes a chord. Just this past Thursday, I participated in the Take Back the Night March, here on campus, in which I proposed awareness about actions similar to this case. I was surrounded by women who have been through similiar instances. I was appalled when they openly shared their stories and confused at how such acts could occur, especially and most commonly by relatives and friends. This story is another instance to add to the long list, and I only hope that the world becomes more and more aware of these violent acts and pushes to stop such injustices.





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW2tYiF5KyM





http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/29/world/europe/29austria.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin





http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1735610,00.html?xid=feed-cnn-world





http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04/28/austria.cellar/index.html#cnnSTCPhoto

By: Lauren Ricca

Iraqi suicide bomber

According to a report on CNN.com, "a female suicide car bomber attacked an Iraqi security forces checkpoint in eastern Baghdad on Sunday, killing at least three Iraqis and wounding 14". For nearly a month, the U.S. military and Iraqi forces have been battling fighters loyal to radical Shiite militiamen.

U.S. military were not involved in the bombing; however, reports on CNN showed support of the killings by claiming that the majority of those that were killed were "terrorists".

However, regardless of whether or not the U.S. was in favor of a bombing that killed "terrorists" in this circumstance, the titled news article targeted the bomber through gender. As a female, I admit that I often take notice of news articles about bombings that are gendered...however, I can say with absolute conviction that there is no difference between a male suicide-bomber and a female suicide-bomber. But how does this affect American audiences? In my opinion, our societal stereotypes significantly impact the ways in which information is received and incorporated into our daily routines or habitual/societal performances. I feel that many Americans, especially women, connect more in terms of gender...but does it impact the ways in which Americans continue to feel about the war?

Coverage of Kenya's Feuding Tribes

Tribal violence in Kenya is not a product of the presidential elections that took place in late December, but it has made feuds between Kenyan tribes newsworthy in recent months. Clark Boyd, of Public Radio International’s podcast, The World, reports on tribal violence and how, with the creation of a website, one man is trying to mitigate the feuds.
David Kobia, creator of the website forum, iHaveNoTribe.com, launched his website as a response to posts promoting tribal hatred on the forum mashada.com. It is on the I Have No Tribe website that people can discuss tribal conflicts without reducing the posts to bigotry. After listening to the podcast I checked out the website and found that what people would write to be helpful to my own understanding of the fighting amongst Kenyan tribes. Many of the posts on iHaveNoTribe.com are from Kenyans who have moved abroad, and comment on their experience and perception of tribal identity related to the larger concept of identifying as Kenyan. It seems as though the posts have slowed down however, and I can’t help but wonder why?
One post I found particularly interesting was from Alex Kinyanjui, a Kenyan posting from the United States who wrote, “I wish i could say i have no tribe but i cant. I have a tribe evident even on my last name. Is the problem really belonging to a particular tribe or subscribing to the tribes bad ideologies that has ruined our togetherness???” A lot of the posts on the site offer questions with little solution, however the forum offers an outlet to discuss.

Boyd’s podcasts do not have a time cap. This allows him to cover a story and go as in depth as he needs to when reporting. Also his news stories are innovative, and do not feature the same reporting that is seen in Big Media. This is an alternative to the regimented news on radio and television. It allows listeners to get a more personable and comprehensive view of a global news report.

Check out the sites:

http://ihavenotribe.com/

http://www.theworld.org/

A Rare Personal Story from Zimbabwe

To the Western world, the continuing elections conflict in Zimbabwe may seem distant and prolonged. Almost one month after the March 29 elections between current President Robert Mugabe of ZANU-PF, and Morgan Tsvangirai of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) a winner has not yet been declared. Day after day, riots break out in the streets between the two rival parties.

In Zimbabwe, journalism without accreditation is against the law and results in jail time. Barry Bearak, a foreign news correspondent for The New York Times, covered the elections conflict in Zimbabwe in secret for months. To avoid legal consequences, Bearak would enter Zimbabwe as a tourist, interview sources in private, and destroy all of his notes before returning to Johannesburg, South Africa (where he is based with his family) to file his story with the Times.

One day, however, the Zimbabwean authorities caught Bearak in the midst of a story in the city of Harare, and arrested him, along with a British journalist from The Sun Telegraph. His April 27 story “In Zimbabwe Jail: A Reporter’s Ordeal” details his thirteen day stay in a Harare prison. He vividly describes the poor cell conditions, which included acrid stench and limited food. More importantly, Bearak offers the untold story of the other inmates in the Harare prison. Many were jailed without allowing being allowed to notify their families. Others committed seemingly miniscule crimes such a “cutting the hindquarter off a deer that had been hit by a bus.” Bearark’s narrative allows the Western reader to see the despair of the starving Zimbabwean people—instead of characterizing them as political parties or “opposition forces” as CNN, the AP, Reuters, and other news sources do.

For journalists, Bearak’s account hits home hard. The words of the Zimbabwean authorities who arrested Bearak, “You’ve been gathering, processing, and disseminating the news,” virtually fit the job description of a Western journalist to a tee. However, the journalistic barrier of Zimbabwe’s law makes conveying the accurate truth near impossible. Journalists are required to produce stories “approved” by the Mugabe administration, an extreme form of censorship.

While Bearak’s vivid narrative of the Harare prison is informative and thought provoking, he was extremely lucky to be have been afforded a great public defender along with a relatively expedient and just trial. Thousands of Zimbabweans are not as fortunate. One can only hope that other news sources follow the Times lead and produce more first-person encounters of the tumultuous situation in Zimbabwe. Polarizing the elections conflict into ZANU-PF versus MDC, will inevitably lead to the desensitization of the Western audience, leaving the stories of the Zimbabwean people forgotten.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/world/africa/27bearak.html?scp=2&sq=zimbabwe&st=nyt

- Theodora Stringham

Lice-ridden German Artists Offend Israelis For The Sake Of Art

At this very moment, as we at Rutgers are still sleeping, recovering from last night, or posting to a class blog, countless people across the world are fighting for some cause they deem worthwhile. From Olympic protests to anti-war rallies to fights for human rights, people are taking a stand for a range of issues, such as stretching the boundaries of art with the help of lice.

Yes, lice.

Seven German artists are currently living in an Israeli museum near Tel Aviv with lice-infested heads. They plan to be there for the next three weeks on display. Why you ask? As Chief Curator Milana Gitzin-Adiram of the Museum of Bat Yam puts it, “Art is no longer just a painting on the wall. Art is life, life is art.” The article, seen here, comes from Reuters on April 27.

The article states, “The artists, who sleep, eat and bathe in the gallery, said the exhibition toyed with ideas about hosts and guests in line with a theme set by the museum and aimed to blur the boundaries between art and reality.” Or between sane and crazy perhaps?

As part of the gallery’s current theme of “hosting,” Gitzin-Adiram said she picked the lice idea from the many proposals she received for the exhibition. 23-year-old artist Vincent Grunwald, one of the seven people who are determined to make a statement in the name of art explained the lice-as-art idea is that “we live in the museum as their guests, and at the same time we are hosting lice on our heads.”

The exhibition is causing controversy, however. Reminiscent of a time when Jews were considered “parasites’ by Nazis, people are raising concerns over the German artists’ intentions. While they claim they had no idea it “would open up old wounds,” some people in the country are grateful for the larger issue that Jews in the country have taken it to mean, especially after the artists questioned whether the word parasite could be “reclaimed” in Israel. Lice-ridden Stefan Reuter, 27, said, "We we had one woman who came and thanked us for making such a great statement against the fascist rhetoric of German history."

I think the fact that people took offense to the exhibit is a bit ridiculous, but that those carrying out their mission are even more so. While this is essentially a human interest story covered by Reuters, it does bring up larger points, such as how far people will take their goals to make a statement. And, for the artists to be surprised by people’s offense to their exhibition is just plain dumb.

I’m no expert on art, but I do have an appreciation for it. With seven people who consider themselves artists currently scratching their heads on display in an Israeli museum as they continue to offend the nation’s people, there seems to be something wrong with this picture. Reuters however, throws these people into the spotlight, giving them the media attention which implies they are some sort of art crusaders. I just think they’re plain nuts.

Whatever the case, it’s an itchy situation.

Olympics Protests in Japan

It seems like everywhere the Olympic torch goes these days there are protesters there to greet it. The torch landed itself in Japan on Saturday, April 26 to a familiar scene, more protests! The runner was accompanied by 100 riot police, six patrol cars, and two motorcycles. Two men were arrested after trying to charge the torch, and another man apprehended after throwing eggs at the torch. After Japan, the Olympic torch will be heading to South Korea, North Korea, Vietnam, and then to Hong Kong.

For the NY time article and more information on this issue click here.

In my opinion, I think the Olympics should be separate from all the political troubles of China and Tibet. The Olympics represent international unity above all else, and by these protests of the Olympics, the world is missing out on the peace and unity that the Olympics uniquely brings. I understand why they are protesting, but in my opinion, the Olympics should be enjoyed by every country and separate from one country’s “beef” with another country.

In which we learn Italian profanities

Beppe Grillo's hand gesture is not sign language for "Vaffanculo." (I checked.)

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi looks a little uncomfortable. Is it media unrest or heartburn?

Thousands of angry Italians congregated to demand media reform in their country today, led by anti-political comedian Beppe Grillo.

The rally participants christened their protest "V-day." Not "v" as in "Valentine," or the kind of thing Eve Ensler talks about all the time, but as in "Vaffanculo!" I will not tell you what that means because this is a class blog, not a slam book of slurs and cusses, but if you're dying to know, Reuters explains it here.

Grillo ranted and raved to a crowd of at least 45,000 supporters against Berlusconi's media monopolization, comparing Berlusconi's ownership to a hypothetical Barack Obama owning Fox, ABC, and other television networks. Berlusconi owns Mediaset and exerts a good deal of control over RAI, the Italian national network, "indirectly controlling" up to ninety percent of Italian television audiences.

Berlusconi claims there's no real conflict of interest and that the leftwing media attacks him regularly, poor guy.

Blogger-comedian Grillo devised a petition to revoke the Gasparri law, a form of extreme media deregulation that limited competition and enabled Berlusconi's Mediaset to expand digitally.

While he brings up a lot of legitimate points, it seems Grillo's a tad off on the Obama comparison. If Berlusconi is complaining about being attacked by liberal media personnel, I think a better analogy would be "Rupert Murdoch running every network as well as the country." Thank Heaven he wasn't born in America, otherwise we might have a media mogul running for president.

I think a good alternative for the Italian people would be to quit watching TV and just YouTube everything. Screw political discourse--do you really think Berlusconi's networks will bring the Italian people anything like that Numa Numa guy?

*By Jessica Sager, who speaks fluent "Fritalian."

Kim Jong ILL: Nukes and North Korea

Kim Jong Il: Wanted for being awesome. (Image courtesy of www.boingboing.net.)

In news that would have the Team America: World Police officers in a frenzy, the United States revealed that North Korea assisted Syria's secret nuclear weapons program and that the reactor that Israel destroyed was "not for peaceful purposes."

Like, 0MGZ REALLY?!

Seriously people, let's think back a little. Hell, we don't even have to--the Associated Press did for us. Since December 2002, we've had reason to believe North Korea was up to no nuclear good when they tried kicking U.N. inspectors out of the country, then in January 2003 when they withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, then in July 2006 when it launched missiles into the Sea of Japan and in October of that same year, when they admitted to conducting their first nuclear test.

Can someone explain to me why we invaded Iraq for maybe having nukes (then taking it back and saying we wanted to liberate their people) when North Korea has made it clear since well before March 20, 2003 that they actually have the materials and the drive to produce chemical weapons?

John McCain's closed fist shows the kind of foreign policy he favors. (Image courtesy of Reuters.)

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that McCain is subtly attacking Obama's stance on North Korea and other foreign policy, saying that unconditional talks with dictators like Kim Jong-Il won't really help U.S. foreign diplomacy. But since when do we care about diplomacy anyway? Take a look at Iraq. They didn't even have weapons materials, and yet we gave up diplomatic efforts in favor of what was supposed to be a quick, easy war in spite of U.N. opposition. And look how far that's taken us!

Oh, wait...



*By Jessica Sager, who promises she will never die.

New York City, take notes

According to The New York Times , Madrid's summer nightlife is already booming. There is live music that plays through the streets of Madrid all night, where people who love music can pick from many different genres. There's jazz, rock, flamenco, folk rock or fusion.

Some artists like The Strokes and Busta Rhymes may be found there too.

This new emphasis on live music attracts tourits, as well. The New York Times also sites that Diego A. Manrique, the music critic of the daily El País and the Spanish Broadcasting Corporation, said: “It’s really still just beginning to take off. While many new places are finding their way, the old standards are adding performances and drawing larger audiences.”

The New York Times emphasizes how Madrid is the place to be this summer with their late and live music, but what makes Madrid so different? Live music in cafes, bars and restaurants also takes place right next door in the city that never sleeps, New York City.

The Chinese are in possession of a James Bond watch. Really?

According to a Chinese auto enthusiast website thetycho.com, the intelligent watch offers keyless entry capabilities. This device operating purely on motion allows the user to enter the automobile without physically inserting the keys. Say goodbye to digging through your pocket or your purse for the keys. Say hello to digging through your house for the watch!
[thetycho]

Germans help Japanese fight Pirates outside of Somalia... Wait, what!?

A recent article on CNN.com reported about a German warship helping a Japanese tanker fend off a pirate attack off the coast of Somalia. The tanker was on the way to Saudi Arabia.

The German warship Emden received a distress signal from the tanker Takayama saying that they were being "threatened by a boat with weapons and being fired upon." None of the people aboard the Takayama were harmed and the culprits right now seem to be Somalian pirates, since there have been other cases of this happening, including the seizure of the crew of a French yacht on April 4 who were only released after receiving the ransom they wanted.

Really, even though I know pirates still exist these days, it's always funny to hear about it in my opinion.

Will Someone Please Give Me The Story?

The War In Iraq has really become the War in America's Propagandist Media.

CNN and Fox News are doing their best to show me two extreme ideologies that are bad for America.

Let's start with CNN. Today's big story on their Inernational page is the battle in Baghdad's Sadr City. They talk about how a U.S. airstrike killed 10 and injured 17. Of course it implies later that those killed were terrorists because the bombing was a precision bombing and no civilians were killed. But the wording is so skewed that I almost feel as though they are making the military look like they are just in Iraq killing civilians for fun.

Then we have Fox. They don't even report this strike on their site, but they do post this story on a suicide bomber killing 4 in Mosul, a story CNN must have missed.

This is rediculous. Both sides completely leaving out stories that matter, and when they find an issue they like, they are quick to change it around so that it matches their ideology.

-Andrew Young

Climate Change, Global Warming, Whatever

The media continuously flip flops on what the issue should be called, but does it really matter? I think not, especially when I have lately developed the view that it is an issue completely exaggerated by the media, if not an altogether made up one.

A 2006 United Nations report found that cattle-rearing generated more greenhouse gases than transportation does, as noted by Reuters in a story that appeared on Tuesday, April 22 in The New Zealand Herald. This fact was mentioned in the story, “McCartney: Go Vege,” found here, which discusses former Beatles member Paul McCartney’s recent urging for people to become vegetarian in order to help save the environment. His reasoning, which he explained in a recent interview with PETA (People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals), is that the land and water used to maintain the meat industry is a huge reason for climate change and that many pro-environment organizations fail to push for vegetarianism. McCartney noted that, "I would urge everyone to think about taking this simple step to help our precious environment and save it for the children of the future." Thanks Paul, what would the media do without you? Perhaps have less of a campaign for the global warming fight.

Sir Paul McCartney: Former Beatles member and Animal Rights Activist

Call me a skeptic, but I really feel as though “climate change” is an event almost entirely created by the media, with McCartney being the latest celebrity to endorse the fight on the seemingly increasing problem. Sure, scientific evidence has shown that glaciers are melting due to increasing temperatures, but will we seriously see or feel the effects in our lifetime, or our grandchildren in theirs? I highly doubt that a handful of people opting to ditch meat will save the environment, and more so, those who opt to become vegetarian don’t do so with the intention of curbing climate change. The whole campaign just seems a bit silly, but I’m curious to know what you all think. Is climate change (global warming) an actual problem or is it exaggerated by the media?

Does Fox News have a credibility gap?

Anyone reading that headline right now likely just said to themselves, 'yes.' Well, ever since this blog was mentioned at the beginning of the semester, I knew this would be at least one of my topics of discussion.

There have been numerous case studies that I have been trying to document in recent weeks and months, but for space limitations, I have narrowed down a brief look at Fox News' reporting to three instances. One of them has been hinted at in two preceding posts.

1) 'The War on Terror'

-Today, if you stroll on over to the Fox News website, and click over to their super-special section on the War on Terror, the first story on their nice little list is about...guess what! Iraq war protests. I'm not sure which is more absurd...categorizing domestic war protests into a section about a global war on terror, or the fact that Fox News is still attempting to forge a connection, however subliminally, between the War on Terror and the Iraq War. Actually, I do. The latter is far worse. How many more intelligence reports and fact finding missions do we need before we stop pretending that the invasion of Iraq had anything to do with the efforts in Afghanistan and elsewhere in securing our country from terrorism? This isn't a matter of bias...it's a matter of just being plain wrong.

2) A Grim Milestone

-Professor Keith's initial post touched on the theme of a drop-off in Iraq War coverage. One event that was an exception to this was the 4,000th American death, right around the fifth anniversary of our war efforts there; this event was well documented throughout the media. That is, unless you happened to click over to Fox News' website the day of the milestone as I did. Those pages have long disappeared, but I took some screen shots. See how you do at this little game of 'one of these things is not like the other.'

Screenshots from March 24th, 2008 (4,000th American fatality)
ABC News
CNN
Google News (content amalgamator)
MSNBC
Yahoo! News (content amalgamator)

and last, but not least:
Fox News

Notice a difference? For the record, the story never appeared on the front page of their site that day, or any other. The biggest story out of Iraq in months, depicting an undeniably grim situation in the already unpopular war, and the headline is conveniently tucked away, nowhere to be found. Instead we get a headline about the six month old mystery of the disappearance of an attractive white woman (hint to detectives: talk to the husband).

3) The rise of the second Soviet Union!

-Being the communist fearing American that I ought to be, I trembled in terror today when Fox News informed me on the front page that the Soviet Union was making a comeback. And why, might you ask? Apparently because a poor, unfortunate pastor from the United States was out doing his bestest Russian friend in the whole wide world a big favor, when those mean old Soviets arrested him and threw him in jail...or so the Fox headline would have you believe. Why else would you embed a completely non-related headline, to a completely separate story, within the text of the jailed-priest story? Truth be told, the story's a little different (here's proof). Turns out that pastor friend of our's was actually smuggling illegal ammunition into the country. Going back to the screenshot of the Fox News front page, this absurdity is only compounded by what they boast as the top story: those crazy, off-the-wall liberals are apparently at it again in London, parading around in Monkey suits to protest God-knows what. The juxtaposition between this, and Fox's reactionary stance on a (truth-be-told) fairly jailed individual in a one-time communist state raises some interesting questions.

Then again, we are talking about a network owned by the very same man who owns the publication responsible for this:

Is this the direction that we want our news outlets to be moving in as we increasingly become an international community, dependent on these types of sites as a source for information on the world around us? Or am I beating a dead horse?

-Scott Kelley

Georgia-Russia Tension Escalates

MOSCOW —Georgia accused Russia on Monday of violating its airspace and using a MiG fighter jet to shoot down an unmanned Georgian reconnaissance drone over the separatist territory of Abkhazia on Sunday.

Russia’s Air Force denied the Georgian claim, saying that none of its military planes flew in or near southwestern Russia on Sunday and that its pilots were not working that day.
But Georgia released what is said was the video recording of the final live feed received from the unarmed reconnaissance aircraft before it was struck by an air-to-air missile and crashed at 9:55 a.m. Sunday.
Buoyed with what it called clear evidence, Georgia countered with a diplomatic and public relations offensive. President Mikheil Saakashvili appeared on national television and said he had spoken with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and demanded an end to what he called “unprovoked aggression against the sovereign territory of Georgia.”

the rest of this story is on http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/22/world/europe/22georgia.html?ref=world

I was wondering about what side you guys would take? I believe Georgia has Russia caught. They have the live feed and they were unarmed. I could see if they had a bunch of weapons aboard the plane but they were just crossing the lines and had no reason to be shot down. I think that President Putin is a fraud and just because he has governmental power, he is able to get away with literally murder. It's almost like our President getting way with everything he is doing now because of who he is.


This is Tom Byrne "Too TaLL"

Perceptions of Peanut President's Peace Prattles

Jimmy Carter on April 17, 2008. Who could reject that face? (Photo courtesy of Fox News.)

Once you've recovered from the aneurysm accompanying all that alliteration in my headline, take a gander at these two takes on pretty much the same story. For those of you too lazy to click the links, here's a quick summary: Jimmy Carter met with Hamas leaders in Syria to discuss peace with Israel. The leaders said they'd respect Israel as a neighbor. Jimmy Carter expressed some frustration with the U.S. and Israel's refusals to speak to the leaders themselves to attempt at rectifying the ongoing conflicts in the region.

With that said, I'm going to dissect their headlines and closing graphs specifically to compare and contrast, because even Dubya himself can find pretty clear differences in these, and he can't even adequately chew pretzels. The headlines and closing paragraphs are what, respectively, catch the readers' attention and help them draw conclusions on what they just absorbed.

I'll begin with The Daily Mail. Their headline reads "Hamas would let Israel 'live as a neighbour next door in peace', says former U.S. President Jimmy Carter." The Daily Mail closes their article with a non-descript telling of Israeli President Shimon Peres's scolding of Carter for meeting with Hamas officials.

Fox News's headline reads: "Hamas Leader Vows Not to Recognize Israel After Carter Trumpets Terror Group's Willingness to Be Good 'Neighbor'." Fox ends their piece with Carter's expressing disappointment over Hamas' rejection of a proposed truce. Fox ends on a note of failure on behalf of Carter, who said he "thinks they're wrong."

The Daily Mail doesn't go out of their way to point out that Hamas is a militant group in their headline; if their readers didn't know what Hamas was before, they have to look farther down into the story to find out. For all they know, it could be an Islamic bridge club. Fox, however, leaves little doubt as to how they view Hamas, citing them as a terrorist organization in the headline--before readers can interpret for themselves just what the group stands for.

In addition, The Daily Mail refers to Jimmy Carter as a former U.S. president, likely to cater to their U.K. audience (because really, how many of you can name former U.K. prime ministers off the top of your head?) and uses the verb "says;" Fox simply calls him Carter (while most of us assume better, how do we know he doesn't mean Shawn Corey Carter, or perhaps the Samuel L. Jackson Coach of the same surname?) and claims that he "trumpeted" the group. Fox also uses strategically placed quotation marks soley around "Neighbor," while The Daily Mail encloses more of the direct quotation within the marks. It seems that The Daily Mail is taking the statement at face value and somewhat more objectively--at least on the surface--than Fox News, because encapsulating a single term indicates a bit of skepticism, or at least some irony, in said term.

For example: Fox News is fair and balanced.
That reads quite differently from what I actually feel, which is: Fox News is "fair" and "balanced." Insert cough.



*By Jessica Sager, who thinks you should take a peek at her music blog.

Malaysian Torch Relay

A CNN article written today on the Malaysian Olympic Torch Relay was short and left me with a nagging question about the event. The article notes that the relay took place without hindrance by protesters; a contrast to the torch relays in Paris, London, and San Francisco. It also said that 500 pro-Chinese student demonstrators were given transportation to the torch relay and provided with pro-Chinese t-shirts and flags for their participation in supporting their country at the event. The article briefly mentioned 3 of those present with "pro-Tibet" signs as being carried away from the event, suggesting that it was, perhaps, for their own safety.
My remaining question after reading this article is how many pro-Tibet activists were actually present at the torch relay? I feel as though this article may have been a misrepresentation similar to the CNN coverage of the toppling of the Saddam statue in Iraq on April 9, 2003.
Upon investigating the story further in articles by the BBC, the AP, and Reuters, I learned that the CNN article's facts presented some disagreements with the other sources'. One main fact was that the Malaysian torch run was controlled under very tight security; all three mentioned 1,000 police officers were present and Reuters noted that the officers "...[warned] protesters they faced arrest if they tried to disrupt the run..." Both the BBC and the AP mentioned that there was one "notable disruption," a Japanese family that unfurled a Tibetan flag, causing outrage among Chinese supporters. Also, the other three mentioned the extreme weather of the day, a possibility for the reason that there was a smaller turnout for spectators. However, in contrast to CNN's noted 1,500 spectators, Reuters says that 3,000 were present and the BBC said that only 300 were Chinese students, instead of CNN's mention of 500. In addition, the fact that the Chinese students' visit had been organized by the Chinese Embassy was not included in the three other articles.
Though my question of actual pro-Tibet attenders went unanswered even after turning to other news sources, the heightened security at the event was probably the reason for their camouflage into the crowd of supporters, leaving no accurate count. I find it increasingly harder to trust Western News sources after learning about the coverage of the Iraq war by the United States in our Global News class. In examples like this, leaving out these important details lends to an inaccurate report on the whole, unbiased story. In addition, I was disturbed by the inclusion of the fact that the Chinese Embassy funded the Chinese students' attendance at the event, a fact attributed by CNN to only "an Olympics organizer" and "several of the students." This anonymity leaves me with doubt and reminds me of a certain article by the NY Times that we went over in class.

By Brittany Behrman

Haitian Migrants Dead at Sea

Recently there has been news about riots in Haiti because of rising prices for food and fuel. In an effort to survive in a country where the most an individual can earn in a day is $2, people opt to try and leave the country by boarding rickety old ships. According to BBC News, the bodies of 20 Haitian migrants were found off the coast of the Bahamas after their boat capsized, there were three survivors. In this area reports of drowning are common.

If individuals are unable to survive should there not be a better method to get by then leaving the country? Or if that is the only way to survive is there not a more safe method then boarding unsafe ships? Last year there were 61 deaths due to capsized boats.

This is just one indirect negative to the rise in prices. The riots have caused many deaths directly.

According to the AP, even though economic growth has increased and inflation has gone down there has not been any improvement in living conditions. The government can not expect people to survive on little to no food and fuel and be happy about it, riots and departures are the likely outcome.

Change in Paraguay

Elections everywhere. Fernando Lugo and the Patriotic Alliance for Change were elected in Paraguay on Sunday, ending 61 years of rule by the Colorado Party, the longest serving party in the world no more. Lugo, a former Catholic bishop, somehow united unions, Indians, farmers and radicals. This result follows the shift towards the left in South America (Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay).

Luis Fajardo, from BBC Mundo, (yea, I know that is not English) raised the interesting possibility that Lugo might start off by doing what Hugo Chavez did: raising the price for his country’s energy resources.

Many Paraguayans are apparently not satisfied with what their neighbors in Brazil, for example, pay for hydroelectric energy produced in Paraguay. Paraguay owns the largest hydroelectric plant in the world, yet 40% of its people live under the poverty line.

News Bias About Middle East

The treatment and rights of middle eastern women has been highly debated for quite some time. Nobody seems to know for sure exactly when it began, but the news are filled with stories about the injustices committed throughout the middle easter nations.
This BBConline article presents the idea that Saudi women are purposely treated in a way that forces them remain in the childhood stage in order to make women more controllable. Saudi women, according to the news article, need "permission from male relatives to work, travel, study, marry or even receive health care". This seems like a terrible injustice. It appears unbelievable to western people that anyone would need permission to work, study, or even to travel. Closely related to this discussion is the debate about headscarves and burkas. This second article allows insight to people who do not follow the Muslim belief system, although many women today in western countries could not imagine living through a summer without flip-flops, tank tops, and mini-skirts. Nevertheless, it is this kind of information that enables people from all backgrounds to come together and live in peace.
One problem with the first article is that it presents only one point-of-view. Though a large number of people throughout the world would most likely agree that these ways of treating women is absurd and needs to end, it is the news source's obligation to present the news in an unbiased manner. By providing only one side of the story, BBC is not remaining unbiased, which could make their news less believable and invokes questions in the readers' minds. What are the reasons that BBC is biased? Is BBC capable of being unbiased? Are any of the news BBC presents unbiased?
The first article is referring to a report in which there is clearly one point-of-view. The reporter also completely neglected the opposing point(s)-of-view, making the article somewhat unethical. Making a statement that directly attacks an establishment of sorts, in this case, Saudi men and the Saudi government, is only ethical if the establishment being attacked has a chance to defend itself.
Even though a person might agree with the content of the article, she might, nonetheless, prefer news reporting that is not loaded with personal opinion and, instead, prefer news that solely provide facts.
All points-of-view need to be presented at all times because they allow the readers to make their own decisions. A reader might not agree with or understand another person's religion, culture, or habits, but she is capable of respecting the other person's habits, beliefs, etc., if some sort of explanation is provided. Even though one does not understand another at times, as long as one respects another, two can live together without war.

Scary figures

This is only tangentially related to foreign news, but since we were talking during our April 17 class about job cutbacks at journalism organizations, I thought some of you might be interested in the latest gloomy figures. The American Society of Newspaper Editors release a report this week that showed that U.S. daily newspapers lost 2,400 jobs in 2007, reducing the size of the newsroom workforce to 52,600. As Rick Edmonds of the Poynter Institute, an expert on the business of journalism, reports in his Biz Blog, the drop-off was even higher than the 2,000 jobs lost in the recession year of 2001 and doesn't include hundreds more buyouts and layoffs announced so far in 2008.