Where CNN Gets Its Al-Qaeda Messages From

[simuvac]

It should be no surprise to anyone that the National Security Complex and the Corporate Media operate in a closed feedback loop. I think it's still useful to expose that relationship, to illustrate how the War on Terror has been created whole cloth from the NSC feeding "intelligence" to the CM.

Here's an example from CNN today, another front page story about an Al-Qaeda video:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/05/alqaeda.embassies/index.html

"We shall continue to target you at home and abroad just as you target us at home and abroad ... ," Gadahn -- also known as Azzam the American -- says in the video provided to CNN by www.LauraMansfield.com, a Web site that analyzes terrorism.

I checked out LauraMansfield.com. Not surprisingly, "Laura" worked for the US Embassy in the Middle East, and "has been a guest on both CNN and CNN International, as well as Fox News, Fox News UK, the BBC, and CBN (Canadian Broadcasting Network)."

In addition to her appearances on right-wing cable news, she has the standard connection with Israeli media: "She has appeared on numerous occasions on Israel National Radio."

She links to her writings on World Net Daily, and has a blogroll that includes Michelle Malkin, Daniel Pipes, and Little Green Footballs.

My point is not that everything "Laura" says is untrue; rather, my point is that her resume is typical of the far right-wing sources that media outlets such as CNN typically choose for their so-called "terrorism" coverage. If it's not Laura, it's some RAND Corporation shill or other MIC lackey in her place.

[PhilosophyGenius]

Do you think the reporters are in on it? Or the producers? Executives?

The reporters and producers of cable news don't seem like the kind of people who would pull this type of stuff off, unless they were feed it from higher ups without knowing what the real reason was.

[AuGmENTor]

They can't be THAT fucking stupid PG...

[Gold9472]

Here's another example... this bitch with her article of lies called, "9/11 "Truthers" ignore tragedy of first responders (http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/cover072307.htm)" has written for Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck and The Rant.

[simuvac]

Do you think the reporters are in on it? Or the producers? Executives?

The reporters and producers of cable news don't seem like the kind of people who would pull this type of stuff off, unless they were feed it from higher ups without knowing what the real reason was.

Reporters don't have much to do with this. They are largely slaves to a system that enjoys an incestuous relationship with the military. Reporters also don't want to lose their jobs, so they print stories they know their editors will like. But we also know of specific instances in which editorial policies are explicit censorship. Check out the new film War Made Easy for examples.

The basic problem here is that there is absolutely no incentive -- economic, cultural or otherwise -- for North American mass media to promote stories that portray Arabs and Muslims in a positive light. See the film Reel Bad Arabs, for examples of how systemic this is. There aren't many Arabs and Muslims in the media, for one thing, and there is no substantial Arab lobby in America. The politics of the oil oligarchs require that Arabs are portrayed as terrorists, and state-sponsored terror against them is portrayed as justified.

It's not so much that media are "pro-Israel" or "pro-America"; it's more that they are pro-statism and pro-corporatism. So the media forgive the atrocities of states and corporations, but foreground without perspective the atrocities of non-state terrorists.

Foregrounding these stupid little Al-Qaeda videos, while ignoring the illegality of the invasion of Iraq, is the result of one aspect of this incestuous media system rewarding another aspect. It's the easy choice. Ratings, profit, war. You know the drill.