U.S. Journalist Quits Pentagon Iraqi Media Project Calling -US Propaganda

[cthrumatrix]

Wednesday, January 14th, 2004
U.S. Journalist Quits Pentagon Iraqi Media Project Calling it U.S. Propaganda

snip

DON NORTH: Well, I think the people that were hired by S.A.I.C., if I may say so, including myself, were highly experienced people. I have been a journalist since I was 21, covering the Vietnam war. I have recurrently been involved in training journalists, particularly television and radio journalists in Bosnia, in Afghanistan and in Romania, particularly countries that are emerging from a tyranny so, I think I have a sense of what it was the Iraqis needed after 35 years of controlled media. Our news director was a young Iraqi ex-pat, Achmed Al-Rikabi, who had grown up in Sweden. And was a producer and reporter for Swedish television. He broadcast for the B.B.C. And he broadcast for the Free Iraq Radio. He was well respected by the Iraqis. But we immediately started clashing with coalition provisional authorities, who wanted control -- they just couldn't resist controlling the message. Unfortunately, they turned what should have been an independent voice for Iraqis -- this was our aim, to sort of make a PBS, a public broadcast radio and TV for the Iraqis. But instead, it just became a mouthpiece for the coalition, and the Iraqis didn't find it credible. They just thought of it as another voice of America, and turned to other satellite broadcasters like Al-Jazeera and Al-Alabira, Arabic stations broadcasting into Iraq. Those are the stations they're watching and not the station that was created for them.

AMY GOODMAN: Don North, I want to thank you very much for being with us. We had a military wife on, who was describing her husband working with the Iraqi media as well. And he was saying that the Iraqis there were bristling under the U.S. Control was saying -- was calling the U.S. people in charge "Little Saddams"

DON NORTH: Oh, dear. Well, it's unfortunate. I mean, with all of the best intentions, we are trying to bring democracy to Iraq in a way and in a way, we are imposing democracy, and a free and independent media is the bullwork, the cornerstone of any democracy. But somehow, even though we are -- ourselves are have created and have established a marvelous democracy of our own, we don't seem to be able to transfer this and export this to people who are hungry for it and really want it like the Iraqis.

AMY GOODMAN: Don North, I want to thank you very much for being with us. Don North has written a piece in "Television Week" about the Iraqi media called "Iraq -- Project Frustration. One Newsman's Take on How Things Went Wrong."


snip
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/01/14/1555223

[priller]

1. Ha ha, create a PBS in Iraq, right

The Pukes hate PBS here, why would they create something like that in Iraq? A free and independent press? Ha! What self-respecting neocon PNAC'er would put up with that?

[lovedems]

2. Ha Ha! They are doing to Iraqi media what they have done to ours

they are controlling the message. That doesn't surprise me one bit. I am sure the message they are getting is "how wonderful life is and how great things are going" they are doing that to us with the economy "it's growing, jobs will be available". Obviously the Iraqi's aren't quite as stupid as we Americans are. They don't buy the bullshit that is spoon fed to them like so many do here at home.

[Plaid Adder]

3. OK, 2 things:

1. It's bulwark, not bullwork.

2. Am I the ONLY person on the planet who can figure out that since the essence of democracy is freedom to choose, you cannot IMPOSE democracy on people? What the hell is democratic about being told they have to have free elections--OR ELSE?

Argh,

The Plaid Adder

[supernova]

4. Not the only one

PA. I certainly understand it. For me the idea of imposing democracy on another country from the beginning was a huge :wtf: .

I still don't understand how that's supposed to make sense.

[rman]

6. it's part of the deception, isn't that sensible?

"perfectly logical within an insane frame of mind" - Chomsky

[Insider]

5. our own democracy?

"created and have established a marvelous democracy of our own"

hanging on by a string