U.S. Media Ignore Call for Criminal Investigation of Bush Torture (F.A.I.R.)

[chill_wind]

Timely discussion at F.A.I.R.

U.S. Media Ignore Call for 'Criminal Investigation' of Bush Torture
Thursday, January 22nd, 2009

Scott Horton of Harper's(1/21/09) tells us of some big news on "the German television program Frontal 21, on channel ZDF": In an interview there, "internationally renowned law professor" and "independent expert for the United Nations" Manfred Nowak, "the United Nations Rapporteur responsible for torture, stated that with George W. Bush's head of state immunity now terminated, the new government of Barack Obama was obligated by international law to commence a criminal investigation into Bush's torture practices."

But, outside of one widely picked-up AP piece in which the professor is vaguely quoted stating that "justice also means to look into the past," Google News shows not a single U.S. outlet mention of Nowak on the matter.

Horton has more news on high-level accountability you won't get in the U.S.



(more)

http://www.fair.org/blog/2009/01/22/us-media-ignores-calls-for-criminal-investigation-of-bush-torture/


In the AP piece:

The U.N.'s torture investigator, Manfred Nowak, considered the news a first sign of goodwill by the new American administration. But he warned that shutting the prison will require difficult decisions and said freed inmates should be allowed to sue the United States if they were mistreated.

"Justice also means to look into the past," Nowak told The Associated Press. Nowak has previously said he had reliable accounts to indicate that Guantanamo detainees have been tortured.

[chill_wind]

1. Google it:

http://news.google.com/news?q=%22Manfred+Nowak%22+-%22The+UN%27s+torture+investigator%22&num=50&hl=en&safe=off&sa=G&scoring=d

[FreakinDJ]

2. And people say "We don't need the Fairness Doctine"

this is exactly why you can not have a Democracy without the Fairness Doctrine

[LynnTheDem]

4. We're #36! We're #36! Any wonder so many are so damned dumb???

#36
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Cape Verde
- South Africa
- Spain
- Taiwan
- United States of America

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=29031

[chill_wind]

5. Thanks for that link. For funzies,

I decided to look at 2003.

Grim, but not surprising.

http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=8247

- Special situation of the United States and Israel The ranking distinguishes behaviour at home and abroad in the cases of the United States and Israel. They are ranked in 31st and 44th positions respectively as regards respect for freedom of expression on their own territory, but they fall to the 135th and 146th positions as regards behaviour beyond their borders.

We have had a disgraceful record, which strongly continues.

[chill_wind]

6. We URGENTLY need major media reform

to address both continuing poisons: Fairness and Ownership.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x419420


Media Ownership Reform Act of 2005attempts to address both.

Text of H.R. 3302


http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h109-3302

[shraby]

3. We need to get an Attorney General in place first. n/t

[chill_wind]

7. That should not stop the U.S. Media from reporting the events and facts to date.

We have reporters to cover the U.N. Where are they?

[chill_wind]

8. ..