Counterspin
-
Yes, You Can Be for Press Freedom and Still Think...
The reality is that it is possible to both protest government intrusions on press freedom and to condemn bad journalism of the sort practiced by Jonathan Karl. It's important for protect journalism from official control for the same reason that it's important for media outlets to do a good job.
-
What an Anonymous U.S. Official Says About Iranians in...
Suggesting that the Free Syrian Army believes Iranians are in Syria--which is probably true--is not the same thing as saying "Iran has sent soldiers to Syria" to fight on Assad's behalf.
-
Problems at PBS, From Rose to Koch
If you think public television exists to offer challenging, independent news and public affairs shows that bring us stories the stories the commercial media too often ignore, free of the influence of big sponsors and corporate owners... well, this hasn't been a good week.
-
Bum Rap: The U.S. Role in Guatemalan Genocide
The New York Times report, "Trial on Guatemalan Civil War Carnage Leaves Out U.S. Role," raises at least one obvious question: How much has U.S. coverage of the Ríos Montt trial talked about U.S. support for genocide?
-
You're to Blame for Factory Deaths. Well, You and Walmart
The New Yorker's James Surowiecki has figured out who's to blame for unsafe working conditions for garment workers: people who wear clothing: "The problem isn't so much evil factory owners as a system that's great at getting Western consumers what they want but leaves developing-world workers toiling in misery."
-
FAIR TV: The IRS & Obama's Scandal Trifecta, Matthews...
What should we make of the so-called "trifecta" of scandals hitting the Obama White House? And what questions should we ask about the IRS/Tea Party story? Also this week: Chris Matthews wants Obama to take charge–just like the union-busting Ronald Reagan. And the Newseum decides two Palestinian journalists shouldn't be considered part of their tribute to journalists who died reporting the news.
-
Is There Really a 'Scandal Trifecta'?
Benghazi, the Justice Department seizing AP phone records, and the IRS targeting Tea Party groups: Much of the Beltway press corps--which has pushed the Benghazi story for months--is seeing the Obama presidency in a state of near free-fall. But what's actually happening?
-
The Supreme Court Is an Ass
From Free Press's helpful explainer of the AP phone records scandal, noting the legal background: Smith v. Maryland — In this 1979 decision, the Supreme Court found that people have no expectation of privacy when it comes to the numbers they call because they understand it has to be transmitted through a third party (telephone company). Thus, the [Digital Media Law Project] notes, "the government can obtain that information simply by issuing a subpoena to a telephone company or other third...
-
Matthews: Obama Needs to Break a Union Like Reagan
Praise for a conservative president's breaking the air traffic controllers' union--that's what you hear on the liberal cable channel.
-
The Problem With Journalism? Scott Pelley Blames the...
CBS anchor Scott Pelley declared, "We are getting big stories wrong, over and over again.'" Well, that sounds like pretty dramatic self-criticism. But, as usual with corporate media self-critiques, Pelley's criticism mostly misses the mark.
-
Heritage Immigration Scandal Proof That…Both Sides Do It?
The controversy over Heritage's dubious immigration report led Bill Keller of the New York Times to write a column about the big lessons of this scandal. And the first lesson? Think tanks on "both sides" are up to no good.
-
Bursting Benghazi's Bubble–Only to Boost Bush
Benghazi isn't the scandal that Obama's critics make it out to be, the Washington Post's Jackson Diehl writes. But the real point of his column is to protect the legacy of the Bush White House's Iraq claims.
-
Dead Journalists and the Newseum Scandal
A memorial for journalists who died while reporting the news wouldn't seem to be the kind of thing that would attract controversy, but that's exactly what's happened with an exhibit at the Newseum.
-
L.A. Times' Distorted Report on USAID
"USAID Develops a Bad Reputation Among Some Foreign Leaders," read a May 7 Los Angeles Times headline, followed by the subhead: The U.S. Agency for International Development doesn't just offer aid to the poor, it also promotes democracy, which is seen as meddlesome or even subversive. Fighting poverty and spreading democracy–what's not to like? And so, the report seems to suggest, there's something a little off about foreign leaders, nine in recent years, who've expelled the agency. Why else...
-
FAIR TV: CBS 'Covers' Immigration, Joe Klein's Angry...
This week on FAIR TV: CBS Evening News looked like it was covering an immigrant rights rally-- but it was merely a set up to talk about chaos at the border. Time's Joe Klein goes after the "gun lobby" by saying... both sides are at fault? And Cokie Roberts hears the public doesn't want to start a war with Syria. Why does she think that's "dangerous"?
-
Benghazi Bias on One Page
The controversy over the attacks at a diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, is a great test of the right's tired claim that the corporate media have a liberal bias. If that were true, then this "scandal" would exist almost entirely on Fox News Channel and conservative talk radio.
-
When Libyans Die From NATO Airstrikes, It's Not Benghazi
There's another Libya story that should be getting attention. It's not, and never really has, because the dead are Libyan civilians, killed by U.S./NATO airstrikes.
-
Iron Man 3 and the Art of Missing the Point
Hollywood's latest superhero movie has a political message that's not particularly hard to decipher. Yet fail to decipher it New York Times film critic Manohla Dargis evidently did.
-
Between Two Economists Lies the American Center
The "center" doesn't usually indicate where most of the public is, but rather where elites have determined an appropriate middle between opposing arguments.
-
Those Who Send Innocents to Prison Are Not Like...
It shouldn't be necessary to spell out, but apparently it is, that sending the Central Park Five to prison for a crime they hadn't committed was wrong because they hadn't committed the crime.
-
What's the Standard on Reporting Israeli Airstrikes?
The claims made about Israeli airstrikes against Syria could be true, or not. What is certain is that the assessments of the airstrikes are being shared anonymously by governments involved in carrying them out, a scenario that cries out for more skepticism.
-
FAIR TV: Syria Sarin Skepticism, Tom Friedman's Sick...
This week on FAIR TV: Do the claims about Syria's chemical weapons hold up? Tom Friedman's column about the "sick madness" of attacking innocents. The Week magazine turns the Caucasian Tsarnaev brothers into non-whites.
-
Killing Civilians Is a More Popular Than You'd...
Where do Americans get the idea that it's OK to kill civilians? Could it be that they're listening to media pundits?
-
The ACLU Is Like the NRA Because It Is
Decrying "the ability of well-funded extremist groups to thwart the will of the overwhelming majority," Time's Joe Klein cites defenders of Social Security--who, of course, are trying to thwart the will of an overwhelming minority.
-
Guantanamo Prisoners as 'Reengaged' Terrorists
If Guantanamo prisoners are being held without charge, and there is no available evidence to charge them with any terrorism-related offenses, why is the Washington Post talking about the possibility that they may "reengage in extremist activity"?
-
NYT's Beat Sweetener on New Interior Secretary
"Beat sweetener" was written all over John Broder's April 30 New York Times profile of new Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, "a woman of untamed energy, competitiveness and confidence in the boardroom and on a mountain trail."
-
How Dare Hamid Karzai Take Our Money!
NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams had a most peculiar reaction to revelations that Afghan president Hamid Karzai receives regular deliveries of cash from the Central Intelligence Agency.
-
Syria and the 'Red Line' Nonsense
The pundits' message on Barack Obama's talk of a "red line" on Syria is that they are concerned about the credibility of the president's threats of violence--much more so than about the credibility of his evidence.
-
Breaking with Bush–Many Years Too Late
When someone says they "broke" with George W. Bush over the Iraq War, you might be inclined to think that they did that sometime before 2006 or so, which is about when Bush strategist-turned-TV pundit Matthew Dowd is saying he left.
-
Cutting the Military Budget Is a Problem…for the Left?
The Washington Post presents a "paradox" wrapped in a "conundrum" inside a "quandary"--all on top of a big heaping of right-wing policy advice for the left.
-
An Invitation to a Live-Action Infomercial
I was invited to an event yesterday that was held specifically so that media companies can take money from companies who will pay for the chance to be mistaken for an expert.
-
The Sick Madness of Tom Friedman's Culture
What is going on in our community that a critical number of our columnists believe that every American military action in the Middle East is justifiable?
-
Reporting 'Says' Rather Than 'Says It Believes' Could...
The front page of the New York Times had a very definitive headline on Syria and chemical weapons--but when you read the actual story, a much more ambiguous picture emerged.
-
Texas Fertilizer Plant Disaster: Little Coverage, Much...
The West Fertilizer Co. explosion last week was largely obscured by blanket coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing. More than that, says legendary EPA whistleblower Hugh Kaufman, a guest on this week's CounterSpin, what coverage there was often obscured the real story.
-
Bill O'Reilly's Dangerous Islamophobia
Fox's Bill O'Reilly, who hosts the most-watched cable news show, has spent much of the week making inflammatory claims about Islam. Sounds like somebody is looking for a religion to scapegoat--or, given his track record, some countries to attack.
-
Drone Strike Testimony: Not News?
In a moment when media are fixated on terrorism and the possibility that some people might be motivated to carry out acts of violence against the United States in part because of the effects of U.S. wars, a Yemeni writer's account of the effects of drone strikes on his village would be well worth covering.
-
Jon Lee Anderson Explains: Because I Said So
New Yorker staff writer Jon Lee Anderson has a blog post on the magazine's website (4/23/13) addressing the controversy over his recent coverage of Venezuela (FAIR Blog, 4/17/13): At issue are sentences in three different pieces written in the course of a number of months—two on the New Yorker's website and one in the magazine. Readers pointed out what they saw as factual errors in each. In two cases I agreed, and corrected the sentences; in the third I didn't, for reasons I'll explain. So...
-
Erin Burnett Wants a Different Kind of Terrorism Suspect
CNN host Erin Burnett wonders whether it's time to come up with some new laws in the wake of the Boston bombing, since the old ones seem to give Dzhokhar Tsarnaev too many rights.
-
George W. Bush Is a Swell Guy, Just Ask His Friends
The opening of the George W. Bush library is generating coverage about the state of the Bush legacy. But if the journalists who were far too generous in their coverage of Bush's presidency are the same ones writing about how that presidency should be viewed now, he's in safe hands.
-
Al Neuharth's Front-Page Sexism
Seeing a photograph of USA Today founder Al Neuharth above the fold in the edition of his newspaper that reported his death calls to mind a rather famous story about Neuharth's outburst at a 1983 USA Today editorial meeting.
-
Don't Quote Me by Name, But My Friends the Koch Brothers...
The New York Times finds anonymous sources to assure us that the Koch brothers are not trying to buy the Tribune newspapers in order to "destroy the other side." But Mother Jones finds an actual person who explains how the Kochs actually treat media outlets whose reporting they don't like.
-
Costas Panayotakis on Greek protests; Jesselyn Radack on...
Coverage of protests in Greece and Spain over austerity measures offers a glimpse of how corporate view the crisis. As Spanish protesters surrounded the Spanish parliament and Greek protesters called for general strike, U.S. media worried about the pain the events might inflict on ... financial markets. We'll talk with NY City College of Technology professor Costas Panayotakis about the economic crisis in Greece, and what better coverage would look like. Also on the show: Obama offered...
-
Vijay Prashad on Muslim Rage, Imara Jones on 47 percent...
This week on CounterSpin: In the wake of the killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and angry demonstrations in several other Muslim countries, corporate media are largely fingering religious differences and the peculiarities of Islam as the reason for this "Muslim Rage." But was this all really sparked by an internet video clip insulting to Islam? Vijay Prashad, a professor at Trinity College and the author of Arab Spring, Libyan Winter, will join us to talk about some other reasons for...
-
Kevin Kumashiro on Chicago teachers' strike; Rose...
This week on CounterSpin: The biggest fight the striking Chicago Teachers Union face is with the school district and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. But the story has exposed, once again, that corporate media have little good to say about organized teachers. We'll talk to Kevin Kumashiro of the University of Illinois-Chicago about what the fight in Chicago is really about. Also on CounterSpin: In a campaign in which economic issues play prominently, the issue of poverty, affecting huge numbers...
-
George Farah on open debates, Muhammad Sahimi on IAEA...
This week on CounterSpin: If the party conventions are something of a carnival, many people still expect the presidential debates to offer something more substantive: candidates answering unrehearsed questions on real issues, and having a real back and forth. Our guest says that is exactly what you wont see--and it's by design. Indeed, Walter Cronkite described the current method of organizing presidential debates as "unconscionable fraud." We'll hear from George Farah, founder and...
-
Keenan Steiner on RNC convention, David Sirota on...
This week on CounterSpin: The Republican convention was just held in Florida, but while cameras focused on the high-profile speeches and rallies, the real story was what happened after hours and away from the convention floor, at parties and mixers where reporters were emphatically not allowed. Why not? We'll hear from Keenan Steiner of the Sunlight Foundation, about what you didnt see in news out of Tampa. Also on the show: Newspapers are dying, shedding readers and journalists along the...
-
Corbin Carson on vote fraud, Ali Abunimah on Josh Trevino
This week on CounterSpin: You might think a media debate about voter fraud would have the question of whether such fraud exists at its center. Instead stories focus on the 'controversy' around the laws, or, lately, whether theyre supported by voters, who dont know anything about them. Putting the facts back in the story was left to journalism students, who thankfully were up to the task. We'll hear from Corbin Carson of the Who Gets to Vote? project, based at Arizona State University. Also...
-
Trudy Lieberman on Medicare the campaign; Leonie Haimson...
This week on CounterSpin: Charges and countercharges are being tossed around about which candidate would (or has already) cut Medicare. Democratic politicians and pundits say Romney's choice of Paul Ryan as a running mate, as well as Romney's past proposals, indicate a Romney/Ryan administration would end Medicare as we know it; Republicans countercharge that Obama has already cut Medicare, pointing to Medicare changes entailed in his Affordable Care Act. We'll be joined by Trudy...
-
Chip Berlet on Sikh temple massacre, Chuck Zlatkin on...
This week on CounterSpin: The shooting at the Sikh temple near Milwaukee offers many lessons about racism, religious bigotry and fear, but are the media picking up on those lessons? We'll talk with journalist and expert on right- wing and racist movements, Chip Berlet, about what the media is getting right--and what they're missing. Also on CounterSpin today, the Post Office is a relic of bygone era, losing millions of taxpayer dollars because it is ill-equipped for the 21st century....
-
Jonathan Cohen on AIDS conference, Gore Vidal tribute
This week on CounterSpin: the international AIDS conference recently concluded in Washington DC was called the largest ever, but doesnt mean it was inclusive. In fact, absent were many of the people who might be said to be at the heart of the pandemic. We'll talk with Jonathan Cohen, deputy director of the Open Society Public Health Program, about who was left out and why it matters. Also on the show: Something a little unorthodox on the show this week. A tribute to Gore Vidal who passed...
-
Steffie Woolhandler on ACA single payer, Aziz Huq on...
This week on CounterSpin: Now that Obamacare has largely been upheld by the Supreme Court, barring its political defeat, it will be fully implemented over the next couple of years. What can Americans expect? How will they be served? And how well have they been served by a media discussion that focused mostly on the one monetary aspect of the program, the individual mandate, at the expense of what healthcare will look like under the plan? We'll talk with Dr. Steffie Woolhandler of the...
-
Maegan La Mala Ortiz on Supreme Court and Arizona,...
This week on CounterSpin: Media seemed unable to decide if the Supreme Court's ruling on Arizona's controversial immigration law was good news for the law's supporters or its opponents. Was the ruling that murky, or do journalists just not see it so clearly? We'll hear from VivirLatino blogger and writer Maegan La Mala Ortiz on the impact of the Courts decision. Also on the show: The legal drama surrounding WikiLeaks' Julian Assange has intensified over the past week; Assange is reportedly...
-
Sara Khorshid on Egypt, Mohammad Abdollahi on immigration
This week on CounterSpin: In the wake of the Egyptian military and courts dissolving that country's parliament, and suspending an announcement of the winner in the presidential election, US politicians and journalist have begun to talk about $1.3 billion in military aid the U.S. gives to Egypt each year. But is it really a shocker that the Egyptian military doesn't support democracy? We'll talk with independent Egyptian journalist Sara Khorshid about the betrayal of Egyptian democracy....
-
Diane Ravitch on education the election; Lori Wallach on...
This week on CounterSpin: With candidates from both parties supporting corporate-minded education reform to varying degrees, and with media often skittish about stepping outside the box of the candidates' views, this election season doesn't look good for advocates of strong public education. Well buck the trend with an interview with Diane Ravitch, professor and historian of education at New York University, and the author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How...
-
Fatima Goss Graves on wage gap, Alexis Baden-Mayer on...
This week on CounterSpin: The Paycheck Fairness Act, aimed at making it easier to fight gender-based wage discrimination, failed to muster the votes to break Republicans' filibuster in the Senate. Sadly, the measure also failed to muster journalists to address the underlying problem, rather than dismiss it all as just more partisan politicking. It seems unfairness against women, even if it's devastating and daily, just isnt that newsworthy. We'll hear from Fatima Goss Graves of the National...
-
Scott Horton on Obama's kill list, Yousaf Butt on Iran...
This week on CounterSpin: The New York Times story on how the White House chooses targets and executes assassinations provided a lot of new information, but it also left some pressing questions unanswered. We'll be joined by Scott Horton, attorney and Harpers web columnist, to talk about the White House "kill list." Also on CounterSpin today, the talks over Iran's nuclear program are getting the usual headlines: stalled negotiations, Iranian intransigence. But is that the right way to look...
-
Dana Frank on Honduras, Gary Rivlin on Economic Hardship...
this week on CounterSpin: The story of DEA involvement in the killing of four civilians in Honduras on May 11, provides a compelling opportunity to look at the broader U.S. role in a country that is being torn apart by an escalating drug war. Well talk with historian and Honduras-watcher Dana Frank, about whats happening there and how the media are covering it. Also on the show: Americans have become used to a media conversation in which the idea that poor people's problem is that they...
-
Kenyon Farrow on NC Amendment 1, Nada Alwadi on Bahrain
This week on CounterSpin: Before media were saying Obama's declaration of support for same sex marriage shows how far we've come, they were saying how North Carolina's constitutional amendment banning recognition of those marriages shows how far we have to go. Both can be true, of course, but what did media miss about North Carolina's Amendment One that might've changed that 'you win some, you lose some' framing? We'll hear from activist and writer Kenyon Farrow on that. Also on...
-
Gareth Porter on bin Laden raid, Pamela Brown on student...
This week on CounterSpin: The one year anniversary of the NAVY Seal raid that killed Osama bin Laden brought us a prime time behind the scenes at the White House account on NBC, leaks from bin Laden intelligence files about his new terror schemes and a tiresome debate over whether Barack Obama could claim credit for the killing-- and if so, how. But there are bigger questions--namely, do the stories that surround the killing of Osama bin Laden add up? Gareth Porter challenges some of the...
-
Jonathan Chait on Paul Ryan, Brentin Mock on vote fraud
This week on CounterSpin: Republican Congressman Paul Ryan, we're told over and over again, is a serious budget wonk on a mission to reduce the deficit. Not quite, says New York magazine reporter Jonathan Chait. He argues that Paul Ryan's political history doesn't really resemble the Paul Ryan you hear about in the media. He'll join us to talk about that. Also on CounterSpin today, Voter fraud is almost non-existent in the U.S. but conservatives continue to brandish it as a major threat,...
-
Mark Cooper on e-book price fixing; Milton Allimadi on...
This week on CounterSpin: The Justice Department has sued Apple and five major book publishers for colluding to fix prices e-book prices, in an attempt to undermine competitor Amazon. What should you know about the suit and its broader implications for, say the music and film industries? Well talk to the Consumer Federation of America Mark Cooper. Also on the show: Any community icon's passing leaves a void, but when that person is responsible for arguably the single serious TV program...
-
Brendan DeMelle on fracking, David Swanson on Rachel...
This week on CounterSpin: You've heard the gas industry PRtheir ads are all over television and public radio. And the messagethat gas drilling is a safe, affordable path to energy independenceis being echoed by some pundits. Anti-fracking activists sure think otherwise, and they're challenging the media-industry line. We'll talk about this with Brendan deMelle of DeSmog Blog. Also on CounterSpin today, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow has a new book taking a critical look at U.S. military power....
-
Vijay Prashad on war, diplomacy media
This week on CounterSpin: What can we make of a media that seems to thrive on war? Just this week a New York Times news report lamented that the Obama administration was not doing a better job of selling the war in Afghanistan. The Washington Post featured an editorial and a column last week voicing the same regrets. Never mind Afghanistan seems to have little to do with U.S. security or that polls show that majorities of Americans have been sour on the war for years. Today, a special...
-
Tyson Slocum on gas prices, Andrew Coates on health care...
This week on CounterSpin: The right is charging that Barack Obama is responsible for high gas prices, but its a given among liberals that Barack Obama has no power over the matter. Media Matters and Think Progress have published pieces chiding Fox News blaming Obama for the high prices at the pump, but could Fox News be right? (Even if for the wrong reasons?) Well talk to Tyson Slocum of Public Citizens Energy Project about gas prices and politics. Also on CounterSpin today: Remember the...
-
Sonali Kolhatkar on Afghanistan, Kevin Gosztola on...
This week on CounterSpin: The burning of copies of the Koran by US military in Afghanistan touched off a week of protests, including attacks on US soldiers. While US media have by and large denounced the Koran burning as unacceptably stupid, they still seem to be having trouble placing the current violence within the context of the larger decade-long violence that is the US/NATO occupation. We'll talk to Sonali Kolhatkar of the Afghan's Women Mission and KPFK's Uprising radio show about...
-
Best of CounterSpin 2011
This week we'll be bringing you just some of the highlights from the past year. We've had guests bringing us something other than the usual corporate media line on stories from the Arab Spring to trade policy, from Fukushima to Occupy Wall Street. We try throughout the year to bring listeners information and perspectives that they might not hear elsewhere, that might complicate or even upend the storyline they're getting from the nightly news. We do that by relying on a range of activists,...
-
Joe Torres on News for All the People, Amy Alexander on...
This week on CounterSpin, a special look at race and people of color in U.S. journalism. Told quickly it's a story about under representation and exclusion, of bias... and of breakthroughs. And all along, recognition that the stories news media tell us about the world and one another are a tremendous shaping force on the state of racial and ethnic understanding and the advance of social justice. We'll hear from Joseph Torres of the group Free Press, co-author with Juan Gonzalez of a new book...
-
Jamilah King on the digital divide, John Knefel on OWS...
This week on CounterSpin: Few deny anymore that internet access is becoming critical to taking part in political and economic life. So, what does it matter that research shows that higher proportions of African Americans and Latinos than white people are achieving that access through relatively more affordable smartphones rather than home computers? Our guest says unless things are changed, it's going to matter very much indeed. Jamilah King from Colorlines.com will join us to talk about the...
-
Michael Dorsey on COP-17, Karl Grossman on Fukushima
This week on CounterSpin: The annual United Nations meeting on climate change is underway. That might be news to you if you rely on television for your information. These international conferences tend to produce stories that dwell on the lack of progress, or the unwillingness of countries like China to do more. Dartmouth environmental studies professor Michael Dorsey is on the scene in Durban, South Africa and he'll join us to talk about what's happeningand what's at stake. Also on...
-
Sharif Abdel Kouddous on Egypt, Hannah Gurman on Fallujah
This week on CounterSpin: Egypt just finished its first round of elections since the uprising earlier this year by democratic activists. So why aren't the activists overjoyed? We'll talk about the state of democracy in Egypt and the way US corporate media are covering it, with independent journalist and Democracy Now! Cairo correspondent Sharif Abdel Kouddous. Also on the program: US elite media provided cover for the military during the 2004 invasion of Fallujah, dismissing and downplaying...
-
Charles Kurzman on 'Missing Martyrs,' Amy Goodman on...
This week on CounterSpin: The coverage of the recent arrest of a would-be Muslim terrorist ready to carry out attacks here at home had a we've-been-here-before feel. Whatever questions might surround this particular case, most media consumers are by now accustomed to the general presumption that Muslim terrorism is a serious, prevalent danger. University of North Carolina Islam scholar Charles Kurzman argues exactly the opposite in his recent book, The Missing Martyrs: Why There Are So Few...
-
Julie Berebitsky on sexual harassment, Jim Horn on...
This week on CounterSpin: Sexual harassment has been in the news recently because of allegations that GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain sexually harassed women in the 1990s. But what does the way media discuss sexual harassment tell us about how we view women, especially working women? We'll talk to Julie Berebitsky, professor of history and womens' studies at Sewanee: The University of the South. Also on CounterSpin today, the corporate media message on schools and so-called education...
-
Cyrus Safdari on Iran/IAEA, Frances Fox Piven on poverty
This week on CounterSpin: The International Atomic Energy Agency published its latest report on Iran on November 8th, but for nearly two weeks beforehand news media were rife with leak-based stories promising the report would be "game changing." What did it actually say, and what of that is to be believed? We'll talk to Cyrus Safdari who is tracking the story at IranAffairs.com. Also on the show this week: As the Occupy movement continues to focus attention on economic inequality, a spate of...
-
Costas Panayotakis on Greece, Nusrat Choudhury on FBI...
This week on CounterSpin: This is how ABC anchor Diane Sawyer explained the Greek crisis: "The Dow down nearly 300 points, so, what changed? Well, blame it on the country of Greece, long criticized for being undisciplined and now threatening American retirements." With the EU bailout of Greek in danger and the government calling for a referendum, corporate media in this country are back to bashing pampered Greek workers and demanding austerity as the cure for the country's fiscal woes. NY...
-
John Feffer on Africa 'counter-terrorism,' Heidi...
This week on CounterSpin: When Barack Obama ordered armed military advisors to central Africa to help regional officials fight the brutal Lord's Resistance Army and its leader Joseph Kony, few journalists asked why or why now. The fact that the LRA is bad seemed to be enough. But is the move against the LRA part of something bigger happening in US foreign policy with regard to Africa? Well talk to the Institute for Policy Studies' John Feffer about searching for terrorists in Africa. Also on...
-
Todd Tucker on trade deals, Karuna Jaggar on Think...
This week on CounterSpin: The congressional passage of so-called 'free trade' agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama was met with applause by many in the corporate media. The cheering was not only for the corporate friendly provisions of the bills, but for what journalists insist was the bipartisan support for the legislation. Todd Tucker of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch will join us with a different view of the trade pacts. Also on the show: From pink dog toys to...
-
Arun Gupta on Occupy Wall Street, Jasmin Ramsey on Iran...
This week on CounterSpin: Did the corporate media turn on the Occupy Wall Street protests? When the protests started, the media story was a familiar onethe press ignored them, then derided activists for being leaderless, bongo pounding know-nothings. But then something happened, and suddenly anti-Wall Street activism is leading the nightly newscasts and splashed on the front page. Independent journalist and co-founder of the Occupied Wall Street Journal Arun Gupta will join us to talk about...
-
Harvey Wasserman on Solyndra, Diane Ravitch and Brian...
This week on CounterSpin: The Solyndra scandal is the kind of story tailor made for Fox News: A green jobs creating solar power company receiving millions of dollars of taxpayer funds celebrated by the Obama White House... goes belly up. Much of the coverage all but shouts 'Scandal!'. It's not that there's nothing here, but the story we're hearing about Solyndra might not be the one we should be hearing. Journalist and activist Harvey Wasserman will join us to talk about that. Also on...
-
Allison Kilkenny on Occupy Wall Street, Moshe Adler on...
This week on CounterSpin: Yes, the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations aren't being covered much in the corporate media. But then when papers like the New York Times come down to take a look, one might wish they hadn't. We'll talk to Allison Kilkenny of Citizen Radio about the quality and quantity of media coverage of Occupy Wall Street. Also on the show: "We all know why the Postal Service is hemorrhaging cash," says the Chicago Tribune. Corporate media are clear on the causes of the Post...
-
Neil deMause on poverty, Phyllis Bennis on Palestinian...
This week on CounterSpin: Census Bureau data showing one in six Americans live in poverty was received soberly by the press corps, but should it have surprised them? And what about next week, when the government doesn't release a report and people are still poor? We'll talk with journalist Neil deMause about medias treatment of poverty and the poor. Also on the show: Mainstream reporting on the Palestinian bid for UN recognition regularly employs loaded language in portraying the initiative...
-
Brandi Grissom on Texas death penalty, Tom Engelhardt on...
This week on CounterSpin: For a lot of people, the Republican debate on September 9 had one memorable moment: when Texas governor Rick Perry was asked about his state's death penalty record, the audience cheered wildly. Moderator Brian Williams wanted to know if Perry lost sleep worrying whether he'd ever executed an innocent man. Perry said no, and that's where it was left. But what's the record in Texas? We'll ask Texas Tribune reporter Brandi Grissom. Also on CounterSpin today, at this...
-
Katie Galloway on 'Better This World,' Yousef Munayyer...
This week on CounterSpin: Two men were arrested at the 2008 Republican National Convention and charged with a firebombing plot. For the FBI and headline writers, violent domestic terrorists had been thwarted before the act. The new film Better This World takes another look at the story and finds much more to say about the definition of terrorism and the U.S. legal system. We'll speak with filmmaker Katie Galloway. Also on CounterSpin today, a UN report about last year's Israeli raid on a...
-
Lorne Stockman on Keystone pipeline, Faiz Shakir on Fear...
This week on CounterSpin: Why have more than 700 people been arrested at the White House in recent days? Don't ask nightly news-- they've so far yet to find anything newsworthy in the largest environmental action in years: a massive protest against the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. We'll get the story TV's missing from Lorne Stockman, Research Director at the group Oil Change International. Also on CounterSpin today, the Center for American Progress has published a new report on...
-
Faiza Patel on NYPD surveillance, Rena Steinzor on...
This week on CounterSpin: An Associated Press report about how the New York City Police Department is working with the CIA to carry out domestic spying operations on minorities in cities across the U.S., is making some waves, and raising questions about ethnic and racial profiling. NYPD has tried to deny aspects of the August 25th story, and on August 26th, a news conference by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was cut short when a reporter asked about it. We'll be joined by Faiza Patel, the...
-
Jim Hightower on Rick Perry, Glen Ford on Somalia
This week on CounterSpin: 'Next time I tell you someone from Texas should not be elected president of the United States, please pay attention.' That was late columnist Molly Ivins' advice near the end of the George W. Bush era. But lo and behold another Republican governor of Texas is running for president, and from the tone of the coverage so far Rick Perry is some kind of job-creating machine. What else should we know about Rick Perry? Texas columnist and commentator Jim Hightower will...
-
Karl Grossman Steve Wing on Fukushima
Listen to this show:
-
Bill Hartung on military cuts, Rania Khalek on taping...
This week on CounterSpin. The debt ceiling has been lifted; that fixed everything, right? Well, the Democratic base is unhappy with the White House capitulation, the ratings agencies still aren't sure the United States has its fiscal house in order, and there's nothing here to address the jobs crisis. Of the budget cuts we've been hearing about, reports say that one early slice comes from the military budget--with a second round of potentially larger cuts possible in a few months. But is...
-
Devin Burghart on Norway terror, Julianne Escobedo...
This week on CounterSpin: The US media narrative equating terrorism with Islam was on embarrassing display last week following the Norwegian terror attacks, a story which raised issues about right-wing extremism, and the links between violent speech and violent actions. We'll speak with Devin Burghart, the vice president of the Institute for Research Education on Human Rights, who has written about white nationalism in Norway and the US. Also on CounterSpin today, some things about the...
-
Mary Bottari on ALEC Exposed, Marjorie Cohn on prison...
This week on CounterSpin: You've probably never heard of the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC. So why do they have so much sway over the laws affecting your life? We may get some sunlight on the actions of this influential "public/private membership organization" with the release of a cache of previously secret documents on their work. We'll hear from Mary Bottari of the Center for Media and Democracy about the ALEC Exposed project, and what it all means. Also on the show: A...
-
James Galbraith on debt ceiling, John Nichols on Murdoch...
This week on CounterSpin: The United States is hurtling toward fiscal catastrophe as the dramatic standoff persists between Barack Obama and Congressional Republicans on a deal to raise the debt ceiling... that's the story anyway. How much of this is political theatre and what's the fallout for non-politicians likely to be? We'll hear from economist James Galbraith about questions the elite media aren't asking about this debt ceiling debate. Also on the show: Bribing police, helping murder...
-
Noam Chomsky on Arab Spring, Monica Novoa on Drop the I...
This week on CounterSpin: Where things stand with the Arab Spring and drive for democracy in the region. U.S. interests have always been prioritized over human rights and democratic values; the people-powered uprisings have threatened the status quo and scrambled some of the usual media narratives. But how much? We'll hear from MIT professor about longtime activist and critic Noam Chomsky about what has changedand what hasn'tover the past few months. Chomsky's speech was part of FAIR's 25th...
-
Patrick Cockburn on Libya, Jordan Flaherty on New...
This week on CounterSpin: Congressional debate over the Libya War shows an apparently bipartisan sense of frustration and outrage over the NATO mission. This has triggered a serious debate over the legality of the war, among other things. But there is almost no discussion of whether the pretext for the war has actually held up. Patrick Cockburn of the Independent has been investigating the stories of mass rapes and mercenary fighters that paved the way to war, and he'll tell us what he's...
-
Susan Saladoff on Hot Coffee, Suki Hawley and Michael...
This week on CounterSpin we're talking about two new films which, while journalism is not their central subject, directly engage news media's influence and real world impact as a critical part of the stories they tell. First up: You've heard the one about the old woman who sued McDonalds for MILLIONS just because her coffee was hot! A new documentary tells the real story about that infamous case starting with how almost everything you know about it is wrong. The film Hot Coffee explores the...
-
Shahid Buttar on civil liberties, Gareth Porter on Syed...
This week on CounterSpin: An activist in Texas gets his FBI filesand finds out that agents have been tailing him for years. Activists in the Midwest are the targets of a wide-ranging investigation, including a half-dozen house raids and an array of subpoenas. Andoh yeahparts of the Patriot Act were renewed, there's an effort to extend the term of FBI chief Robert Mueller, and the FBI is giving agents new powers. Can media start connecting the dots? We'll ask Shahid Buttar of the Bill of...
-
Harvey Wasserman on Fukushima; Andrew Fieldhouse on Bush...
This week on CounterSpin: After a lull in reporting about the Japanese nuclear disaster comes news that officials there are admitting that radiation releases were much larger than previously claimed-- not a surprise to critics who saw those early claims as part of a government/corporate/media misinformation loop that kicks in whenever we talk about nuclear power. So what is the real story out of Fukushima, and where can you get independent information? We'll talk to journalist and activist...
-
Jane Slaughter on NLRB-Boeing, Pamela Newkirk on black...
This week on CounterSpin: the National Labor Relations Board has told Boeing that they cant move operations from Washington to South Carolina in order to avoid union organizing. It may seem straightforward that a company cant retaliate against workers for exercising their legal rights but the ruling has anti-labor conservatives in uproar and so-called mainstream reporters arent doing much to set the record straight. Well hear from Jane Slaughter of Labor Notes about what the NLRB ruling...
-
Bill McKibben on climate and extreme weather, Allison...
This week on CounterSpin: The deadliest tornado in decabes swept through Missouri, the latest example of what seem to be unusually volatile weather patterns around the world. But when it comes to discussing extreme weather, one thing media don't want to dwell on is climate change. Environmental activist and author Bill McKibben wrote in the Washington Post about the detached way in which our strange new weather is discussed. He'll join us to talk about it. Also on CounterSpin today, there...
-
Ali Abunimah on Palestinian protests, Glenn Greenwald...
This week on CounterSpin: The Israeli defense minister says that major protests like those on Israel's borders May 15th require new responses; but what if anything is new about US journalists' approach to Palestinian protests and rights? Journalist Ali Abunimah of Electronic Intifada will join us to talk about that. Also on the show: We'll play part of Glenn Greenwald's address at FAIR's recent 25th Anniversary celebration at Symphony Space in New York City. The Salon writer shared his...
-
Miranda Spencer on renewable energy, Mike Ervin on...
This week on CounterSpin: What are renewables and why are media telling us so little about them? With energy prices rising, and a nuclear disaster still unfolding in Japan, it would seem to be the perfect time to talk about renewable energy sources, like solar, wind and geothermal. But this hasn't been the case. Independent journalist Miranda Spencer will join us to talk about how the media dismiss alternative forms of energy that are safer, cleaner and cheaper, but apparently still less...
-
Matthew Alexander on torture, Tyson Slocum on gas prices
This week on CounterSpin: The killing of Osama bin Laden has delivered plenty of media themes: Can the U.S. trust Pakistan? What does this mean for Al Qaeda? And, predictably enough, did Bush-era torture help find the al Qaeda leader? Torture advocates' insistence that this proves their case has given media yet another chance to weigh the supposed benefits of illegal interrogation. We'll speak with former military interrogator and author Matthew Alexander about why this is all wrong. Also on...
-
Andy Worthington on Guantanamo files, Lucinda Marshall...
This week on CounterSpin: If you've heard much at all about WikiLeaks new disclosures about Guantanamo, you've probably noticed that US media tend to emphasize information justifying and rationalizing the U.S. actions regarding its offshore prison camp. But what should listeners really know about the new WikiLeaks revelations? We'll talk with journalist and Guantanamo expert Andy Worthington about what the latest disclosures mean. Also on CounterSpin today, the U.S. public soured on the...
-
Amanda Marcotte on Planned Parenthood, Dave Lindorff on...
This week on CounterSpin: The budget battle over Planned Parenthood's federal funding produced more than the average dose of media misinformation. And clues, mostly missed by the media about the GOP's actual agenda. We'll talk with journalist and blogger Amanda Marcotte about Planned Parenthood. Also on the show: Standard Poor's issued a "negative outlook" report on the U.S. debt, warning that the country's credit could be in jeopardy in the next few years. If true this could seriously...
-
Sharif Abdel Kouddous on Egypt, John Nichols on labor...
This week on CounterSpin: With the Egyptian military still firmly in power, the Egyptian revolution is still very much a work in progress. The same military that we were once told was a liberal friend of democratic activists, is reportedly continuing policies of torture, political detainment and censorship. But you wouldn't know this from the reporting of many US media outlets, who seemed to lose interest in Egypt after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak in February. We'll talk about Egypt with...
-
Harold Meyerson on Paul Ryan, Lizzy Ratner on Goldstone...
This week on CounterSpin:. Republican Budget Committee chair Paul Ryan unveiled his party's budget plan this week. Media consumers learned that Ryan is gutsy, that he's serious as a heart attack, that the plan is bold and sweeping... but what would it mean for peoples' lives? And what would reporting look like if it stayed focused on that. We'll talk to Harold Meyerson of the Washington Post and the American Prospect about the 'vision' in the Ryan budget, which Meyerson says isn't really...
-
Stephen Zunes on Libya, Karen Greenberg on America's...
This week on CounterSpin: The U.S.-led NATO bombing of Libya was supposed to last just a few days. It was supposed to just protect Libyan civilians. And, according to the White House, we weren't supposed to think of it as a war at allit is a "kinetic military action." But the war in Libya has unmistakably expanded, with serious talk of arming anti-Qaddafi rebels and removing the Libyan dictator from power. Stephen Zunes from the University of San Francisco will join us to talk about it. Also...
-
Asli Bali on Libya, Alia Malek on US Muslim prisons
This week on CounterSpin: The U.S.'s sudden military involvement in Libya raises many questions that have not been answered by officials who've plunged the country into a war they say is to protect civilians, or even asked by many journalists who have been too busy cheering to ask them. Questions like how certain are we that going war will be better for Libyan civilians than the threat they faced from Libyan dictator Muammar el-Gadhafi? And what solutions short of war were sought? We'll be...
-
Arjun Makhijani on Japan's nuclear crisis, Cindy Folkers...
This week on CounterSpin: Ever notice how corporate media coverage of nuclear accidents largely avoids industry critics, in favor of industry defenders generally low-balling the health and safety dangers of the technology? That's never been truer than in coverage of the Japanese nuclear disaster, which, as with earlier accidents, the initial, rosy predictions by media-favored experts have clearly been overtaken by dire facts. We'll talk to Dr. Arjun Makhijani, an industry critic, nuclear...
-
Phyllis Bennis on Libya, Graham Rayman on Newburgh Four
This week on CounterSpin: Soldiers loyal to Libya's Muammar Qaddafi continue their assault on rebels, nearly a month into the democratic uprising there. Media are debating how and when and even whether the US should intervene, but how much of their reasoning has anything to do with what Libyans want? We'll talk with Phyllis Bennis from the Institute for Policy Studies about Libya. Also on CounterSpin today, Congressman Peter King's hearings on Islamic extremism are generating headlines and...
-
Chuck Collins on U.S. Uncut, Laura Flanders on Wisconsin
This week on CounterSpin: As politicians of both parties and pundits of various ideological stripes discuss what services and rights need to be cut and stripped from working people, the subject of raising taxes seem almost taboo in corporate media discussions. Not so here. We'll talk about raising taxes with Chuck Collins, a senior scholar with the Institute for Policy Studies, and the co-founder of U.S. Uncut, a network working to stop corporate tax dodging. Also on the show: It's not the...
-
Laura Dresser on Wisconsin, Dean Baker on pension crisis
This week on CounterSpin: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's move to strip collective bargaining rights from state workers, because he says he need to close his state's looming $3.6 billion budget deficit, is being resisted in the streets of Madison, but not so much in the national media. Is the Wisconsin story part of a larger trend to make workers pay for an economic downturn caused by Wall St. and deregulators? We'll talk with Laura Dresser of the Center on Wisconsin Strategy about all...
-
David Swanson on military budget, Aram Roston on...
This week on CounterSpin: The federal budget is big news this week, but while your hearing all the calls for cuts, cuts and more cuts, ask yourself, what isnt considered an acceptable target for substantive reductions? Heres a hint: it accounts for more than half of the countrys public spending. Well talk about the budget with activist and author David Swanson. Also on CounterSpin today, public interest groups and media activists of all stripes lined up to oppose the Comcast-NBC merger. And...
-
Mark Weisbrot on Haiti elections, Vijay Prashad on Egypt...
This week on CounterSpin: Why did Hillary Clinton jump on a plane to Haiti on January 30th in the middle of a major diplomatic crisis caused by the Egyptian uprising? She was going to Haiti because Washington is worried that U.S. efforts to deliver a Haitian president to its liking are threatened by democracy. It has not been easy to follow this story in the corporate media, but Mark Weisbrot of the Center for Economic and Policy Research will bring up to date on Haiti. Also on the show: How...
-
Adil Shamoo on Egypt, Fawaz Gerges on Muslim Brotherhood
This week on CounterSpin: The massive uprising in Egypt has been covered as a story of violent clashes and an awakening on the so-called 'Arab Street.' As we record this program, some pro-Mubarak forces are attacking journalists. Plenty of U.S. coverage focuses on the U.S. foreign policy positionwith plenty of euphemisms about a 'tightrope' and 'delicate balance' for a U.S. government that has propped up the Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak for three decades. We'll talk about that with Adil...
-
Laila El-Haddad on Palestine Papers, Robert Weissman on...
This week on CounterSpin: Al Jazeera and the Guardian newspaper are publishing what are being called the Palestine Papers, leaked documents relating to the Israel-Palestine negotiations. The revelations, mostly of significant Palestinian concessions, are mostly being ignored in the U.S. media, dismissed as things we already knew. But are they? And what are Palestinians thinking of all this? We'll speak with journalist and author Laila El-Haddad. Also on CounterSpin today, pundits scoured...
-
Helena Cobban on Tunisia, Wayne Au on teacher testing
This week on CounterSpin: Tunisia is hardly ever in the US news, but when demonstrations by a largely secular movement led to the ouster of the country's long-ruling, American-backed dictator, US elite media took notice. We'll talk with Helena Cobban of JustWorldNews about what is happening in Tunisia. Also on the show: There's been some pushback to so-called educational reform efforts with their emphasis on standardized tests as the preeminent measure of educational value, for students and...
-
Chip Berlet on Tucson shootings, Ladd Everitt on gun...
This week on CounterSpin: What do we know about alleged Tucson killer Jared Lee Loughner's world view, which has been described as rambling, incoherent and non political in various news media reports? And what of the right-wing backlash attacking anyone who even suggests that vitriolic right-wing rhetoric has gotten out of hand? We'll talk with right watcher Chip Berlet of the Political Research Associates. Also on CounterSpin today: The national debate in the aftermath of the Tucscon...
-
Bob Parry on GOP info war, Nancy Lockhart on Scott...
This week on CounterSpin: the Tea Party takes power in Washington. The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives brought a certain type of political theatergiant gavels, the reading of the Constitution, and John Boehner's tears. But there is another kind of theater to come, as Republicans vow to launch a variety of investigations of the Obama White House. Robert Parry of Consortium News will join us to talk about how these efforts are likely to play in the press. Also on...
-
Best of CounterSpin 2010
Welcome to the Best Of CounterSpin for 2010. We think all of our shows are important, and shed some light on how media work and the stories they tell. But, at the end of the year, some stories stand out -- for the omissions or confusions of corporate media coverage, or for the impact of that coverage, and often, for how the failures of elite media illustrate the important growing role of independent journalists, who every day seem to become less alternatives to the big guys and more like...
-
Trudy Lieberman on health care law, Lee Stranahan on...
This week on CounterSpin: Following a federal court ruling in Virginia finding the individual mandate provision of the 2010 healthcare act unconstitutional, there was some solid coverage of the Constitutional issues involved in a policy that will, if ultimately upheld, require every American to purchase private insurance. But what about coverage before the bill was passed? We'll talk with the Colombia Journalism Review's Trudy Lieberman about media coverage of the mandate, before and after...
-
Michael Dorsey on Cancun climate talks, Bob McIntyre on...
This week on CounterSpin: On the Fox News the story of the recently concluded UN climate summit was that it was really cold in Cancun, where the summit was held, so what was the point? Even actual journalists didn't seem to find much to say though; one account said the results didn't look like helping much with global warming, but they were a vote of confidence in 'the process' of addressing global warming. We'll get another take on things from Michael Dorsey, professor of global...
-
Glenn Greenwald on WikiLeaks
This week on CounterSpin: The journalism organization WikiLeaks is under massive attack by U.S. government officials, corporations, and journalists. Many are calling for the group and its spokesperson Julian Assange to be prosecuted; some have even called for Assange's execution or assassination. Transnational companies like Visa, MasterCard and Paypal have cut off services, and even liberal US pundits are attacking the group with inaccurate smears. WikiLeaks crime? Making leaked U.S....
-
Robert Naiman on WikiLeaks-Honduras, Richard Prince on...
This week on CounterSpin: WikiLeaks strikes again, this time with the release of 250,000 diplomatic cables that shed considerable light on how U.S. foreign policy is conducted. The headlines so far are about Iran's weapons and the perilous situation in Pakistan. But one story hasn't received enough media attention: how the U.S. embassy really saw the 2009 coup in Honduras. How did this cable conflict with official U.S. pronouncements and corporate media spin? We'll talk to Robert Naiman of...
-
Robert Kuttner on the deficit obsession; David Swanson...
This week on CounterSpin: Elites including within the corporate media insist, against the evidence, that voters are highly concerned about the deficit. This is one of the reasons the draconian plan put forth by Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson, co-chairs of the president's deficit commission, got such a friendly reception in the media. We'll talk to economist Robert Kuttner about coverage of the Bowles Simpson plan and about a media that obsesses over future deficits in the midst of economic...
-
Wenonah Hauter on GE salmon, Rose Aguilar on Native...
This week on CounterSpin: The FDA is on the verge of approving genetically engineered salmon in spite of opposition by the public, scientists and consumer groups. On November 15th the group Food Water Watch released internal documents from Fish Wildlife Service scientists expressing misgivings about the safety of the altered salmon and the legality of the FDA's procedures. We'll talk to Wenonah Hauter, the executive director of Food Water Watch. Also on the show: A one-minute commentary by a...
-
William Greider on G-20 trade, Ali Gharib on Iran...
This week on CounterSpin: Coverage of the G-20 summit in Seoul is squarely focused on trade deals and U.S. relations with China. But is the whole discussion of globalization, China and trade missing the point? William Greider makes that case in a new piece in the Nation magazine. He'll join us to talk about it. Also on CounterSpin today: There's growing talk of a US military attack on Iran. And some elite journalists, who think they have found evidence of Iranian interference in Iraq, are...
-
Jim Naureckas on elections; Chris Kromm on 'vote fraud'
This week on CounterSpin: The midterm tidal wave. As it stands, and as you've no doubt heard by now, Republicans have retaken the House and picked up seats in the Senate. The corporate media consensus is pretty clear: Voters wanted to send a message to Barack Obama and the Democrats, and that message is something along the lines of, 'You went too far, you tried to do too much.' Which fits perfectly with the standard media line on the Democrats needing to move to the right. Does the actual...
-
Clarence Lusane on Juan Williams, Chris Rogers on...
This week on CounterSpin: The firing of Juan Williams from NPR might seem like an inside media story; its become more as Williams, who was let go after saying people in 'Muslim garb' on planes make him nervous, has become something of a cause celebre for the right. We'll talk about what it all says about the present moment from Clarence Lusane, professor at American University and author of the forthcoming The Black History of the White House. Also on CounterSpin today: The U.S. war in...
-
Steve Rendall and Julie Hollar on PBS
This week on CounterSpin: What's public about public TV? That's the question posed by new research by FAIR, the group that brings you this show. PBS was founded to serve as a real alternative to commercial television, to be the place where you could find perspectives and views that the corporations that pay for commercial TV wouldnt want to support. The network may have some very good programming still, but how well is it serving the goals with which it was charged? FAIR's expose looks at...
-
Peter Stone on campaign financing; Dean Baker on TARP
This week on CounterSpin: Reporters can always find many themes in election season, but some are saying this time around there's really only one and thats money. A new study from the Center for Public Integrity examines the fundraising going into the midterm elections; what impact is the Supreme Court's Citizen United ruling having on the already prepossessing flow of dollars to candidates and their PR? We'll hear from the studys author, Peter Stone, the head of Center for Public Integrity's...
-
Jodi Jacobson on Tea Party social issues; T. ...
This week on CounterSpin: The New York Times says democrats are 'wielding' issues like abortion rights in hopes of frightening voters about Republican victories in upcoming elections, whereas Republicans really just want to talk about the economy. Same goes for the Tea Party: we're told not to focus on the movement leader who calls rape 'part of God's plan,' because actual Tea Partiers really only care about fiscal issues. Whats going on, or not going on, here? We'll hear from Jodi Jacobson,...
-
Rick Ayers on Waiting for Superman, Vivian Stockman on...
This week on CounterSpin: The media accolades heaped on the new documentary Waiting for Superman would be the envy of any filmmaker. The movie's stirring endorsement of corporate-backed education reform makes it an easy sell in the corporate media. But education professor and author Rick Ayers calls Waiting for Superman a 'slick marketing piece full of half-truths and distortions.' He'll join us to explain. Also on the show today, you wouldnt know it from the corporate press, but thousands...
-
Reza Aslan on Turkey, Todd Tucker on free trade...
This week on CounterSpin: Turkey voted on a package of constitutional reforms this month. The message you heard in much of the media coverage is that the victory for the ruling Islamic party, Justice and Development, is more evidence that Turkey is drifting in the wrong direction, shunning the West and playing to its Islamic majority. But does this analysis make sense? We'll talk to author and professor Reza Aslan. Also on the show: More so-call free trade agreements are on the White House...
-
Amitabh Pal on French austerity protests, Hye Jihn Rho...
This week on CounterSpin: As French protestors take to the streets against proposed austerity measures, the U.S. media have taken sides. Expressing scorn for spoiled French workers; and cheering the grown up, responsible attitudes of those, like French President Sarkozy who seek to cut promised retirement benefits. How are these same battles covered back home in the US? We'll talk to Amitabh Pal, columnist and managing editor of the Progressive magazine. Also on CounterSpin today, when...
-
Josh Ruebner on Mideast peace talks; Diane Ravitch on...
This week on CounterSpin: The theme in coverage of the current Mideast peace negotiations going on in Washington between Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas appears to be skepticism. But does being critical of this process mean you dont want peace? We'll hear from Josh Ruebner, the national advocacy director for the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation. Also on the show: Grading teachers based on how well their students perform on tests is a...
-
Phyllis Bennis on Obama Iraq policy, Dean Baker on...
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
Pratap Chatterjee on Task Force 373, Timothy Karr on net...
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
Hannah Gurman on Iraq, Norman Solomon on Petraeus and...
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
Rick Steiner on oil spill; Stephan Salisbury on Ground...
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
Sonali Kolhatkar on Afghan War women, Laura Carlsen on...
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
Daniel Ellsberg on WikiLeaks; A.C. Thompson on New...
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
Thomas Ferguson on Wall St. reform, Michael Messner on...
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
Adam Serwer on DOJ/New Black Panthers, Mark Weisbrot on...
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
Alexander Zaitchik on Glenn Beck, Jon Jeter on...
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
Nancy Altman on deficits and Social Security, Alfie Kohn...
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
Joshua Holland on Afghanistan, Sandy Cioffi on Nigeria's...
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
Riki Ott Tim Dickinson on BP Gulf disaster
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
Catherine Lutz on Okinawa, Jodi Enda on Capital Flight
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
James Zogby on Gaza, Scott Horton on Guantanamo
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
David Helvarg on BP spill, Earl Ofari Hutchinson on Rand...
-
Helena Cobban on Iran, Mike Epitropoulos on Greece
-
Glenn Greenwald and Marjorie Cohn on the Elena Kagan...
Push play button to stream this week's show:
-
Gabriel Arana on immigration, Ron Daniels on Henry Louis...
-
Marcie Keever on oil spill, Alessandra Soler Meetze on...
-
Cyrus Safdari on Iran, Robert Alvarez on nuclear power
LINKS: -- Iranaffairs.com --"Nukes Aren't the Answer," by Robert Alvarez (Commondreams.org, 2/15/10)
-
Sebastian Jones on Media-Lobbying Complex, Ibrahim...
This week on CounterSpin: Paid-for pundits. If you've ever wondered who the so-called experts pontificating on cable news channels really are, a new investigation published in the Nation magazine gives you some answers. Reporter Sebastian Jones will join us to talk about the secret corporate PR spinners and lobbyists who pose as punditswithout viewers knowing who they're actually working for. Also on CounterSpin today: Did a local Nashville TV newscast, which featured extremist anti-Muslim...
-
Sikivu Hutchinson on Tea Party movement, Carl Conetta on...
This week on CounterSpin: Journalists are lining up to tout the Tea Party movement's relevance and strength, but show little interest in probing its deep contradictions or finding out what actually makes the activists tick. That's why they can describe as populist a movement closely, if fitfully, allied with the corporate-dominated GOP. In her report "Mainstream Media's Tea Party Tryst," Sikivu Hutchinson digs a little deeper. Hutchinson, the editor of BlackFemLens.org and a contributor to...
-
Robert McChesney and John Nichols on The Death and Life...
This week on CounterSpin: a special look at the state of the media in America. Every week on CounterSpin we talk mostly about what the media are getting wrong. But the big story inside the media business is the collapse of the business itself. What are the implications for citizens? What can we do about it? And how concerned should we be about the failures of corporate owners that have done so little to promote good journalism in the first place? We'll talk about all that and more with our...
-
Charlie Cray on Supreme Court election ruling, Mark...
This week on CounterSpin: The Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that corporations may not be limited in their spending to influence elections, because they have the same free speech rights as people. Among the many questions raised are not just what this means for elections, but what it means for 'free' speech. We'll hear from Charlie Cray of the Center for Corporate Policy on that story. Also on the program: Amidst the misery, there are a many feel-good stories being reported in the US press about...
-
Norman Solomon on Mass. election, Glenn Greenwald on...
This week on CounterSpin: Corporate media chatter about the Republican Senate victory in Massachusetts reflects participants priorities: which means you're unlikely to hear advice offered to Democrats other than that they should act more like Republicans. Is that the takeaway? We'll get another angle from journalist and activist Norman Solomon. Also on the show: Anonymous news sources are a journalistic scourge, abetting some of the worst policies of our times, and allowing the powerful to...
-
Bill Fletcher on Haiti, Beau Hodai on Charles Overby
This week on CounterSpin: Haiti's status as the poorest nation in the hemisphere has been mentioned time and again by journalists covering the current catastrophe, but where were journalists before the earthquake hit? And how are they doing in explaining the larger context of how Haiti got to this point? We'll talk to Bill Fletcher, former president of TransAfrica Forum and executive editor of The Black Commentator. Also on the show: Charles Overby is CEO of the Freedom Forum, a foundation...
-
Sam Husseini on Gaza Freedom March, Dean Baker on WaPo...
This week on CounterSpin-- It had the elements of a nightly news story: Protestors, including some Americans, being abused by officials in an Arab country. But this story was a non-starter with U.S. media. We'll talk to Sam Husseini of the Institute for Public Accuracy, who just left Egypt where a delegation of human rights activists were abused by Egyptian police when they protested that countrys refusal to let them cross the Egyptian border into Gaza for a Freedom March. Also on the show:...
-
D.D. Guttenplan on I.F. Stone, Peter Richardson on...
This week on CounterSpin: Some of the current conversations about the future of journalism trade on some pretty rose-colored notions of journalisms past. The reality is journalism has always been a very mixed bag, with just some reporters doing the challenging, talking truth to power work that later generations may imagine Everyone was doing. This week on the show were going to take a look back at a couple critical institutions in the history of what we now think of as investigative...
-
Best of CounterSpin 2009
On this special CounterSpin program well take a look back at some of the stories of the past year, and hear again from a few of the many journalists, activists, researchers and critics that brought those stories to us, or helped us make sense of them.
-
Michelle Chen on Copenhagen, Joe Conason on ACORN videos
This week on CounterSpin: Walkouts and protests at the Copenhagen summit have highlighted the political friction in responding to climate change. But is the press corps that brings us headlines like the New York Times' "Poor and Emerging States Stall Climate Negotiations" the right place to look for an understanding of concerns about the inequality of climate change's human impacts? We'll get a different perspective from writer Michelle Chen, whos been following the story. Also on the show:...
-
Curtis Brainard on Climategate, Corie Wright on...
This week on CounterSpin: The so-called Climategate scandal seems to have throw media coverage of climate change back a decade, with news outlets giving climate deniers more or less equal time alongside actual climate scientists. Part of the problem has been the media's general laziness in explaining what is actually in the hacked emails that are the source of the scandal; Curtis Brainard of Columbia Journalism Review will join us to provide some of that missing context. Also on the show:...
-
Norman Solomon on Afghan escalation, Robert Naiman on...
This week on CounterSpin: 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan at the 'fastest possible pace,' President Obama has declared, are in our vital national interest. The Washington Post called it a strong but carefully calibrated to Afghanistan and Pakistan, describing the plan as "a counterinsurgency strategy aimed at protecting the Aghan population." Perhaps some message shifting going on, about whether US actions are aimed at helping Afghans or defending ourselves, (or maybe you can take your...
-
Maryann Napoli on mammography guidelines, Rebecca Solnit...
LINKS: --Center for Medical Consumers --The Battle of the Story of the "Battle of Seattle"
-
Jodi Jacobson on the Stupak amendment, Barbara Miner on...
This week on CounterSpin: The Stupak Amendment, a last-minute addition to the Houses recently passed healthcare reform plan, would severely restrict abortion coverage for those on the "public option" part of the plan and those buying private insurance using government money. Many House Democrats journalists and pundits have portrayed Stupak as a sacrifice that must be made to get healthcare reform. Reproductive health advocates and many others differ, saying it could enormously impact...
-
Trudy Lieberman on health care, Laurie Williams Allan...
This week on CounterSpin : a source from a senior citizens group quoted in the Washington Post said the groups main challenge today is simply to try to keep the record straight about what's actually in the health care reform bill, as opposed to whats being claimed about it. That would seem to be the basic challenge facing reporters, too, but have they been too caught up with coverage of congressional politicking to do justice to it? Well hear from journalist Trudy Lieberman on that. Also on...
-
Greg Gordon on Goldman Sachs, Phyllis Bennis on...
This week on CounterSpin: A new investigative series by McClatchy newspapers Greg Gordon reveals that in 2006 and 2007, Goldman Sachs sold more than $40 billion in securities backed by risky home mortgages, "but never told the buyers it was secretly betting that a sharp drop in U.S. housing prices would send the value of those securities plummeting." Sounds important. Well talk to Greg Gordon about his story. Also on the show: Israel/Palestine is in headlines at the moment as the press...
-
David Swanson on health care debate, Bruce Dixon on the...
This week on CounterSpin: Making sense of the health care debate. In the past week we've supposedly seen the comeback of the public option, in some form or another. We're also told that Harry Reid must gather 60 votes to pass a bill. Is any of this right? And what about a true public health system like single-payer? Author and activist David Swanson will join us to try and untangle these story lines. Also on the show: Progressives and others interested in truly universal healthcare, as in...
-
Kristin Thomson on the Performance Rights Act; Jennifer...
This week on CounterSpin: The Performance Rights Act would require broadcasters to pay royalties that would be split between recording artists and record companies. The bill has just passed through house and senate committees, and will presumably be debated and voted on. The legislation, naturally faces strong opposition from the broadcasting industry, who say it will hurt stations and artists alike. Kristin Thomson, of the Future of Music Coalition, a group that supports the bill, will join...
-
Marie Trigona on Argentina media law, Peter Richardson...
This week on CounterSpin: Argentina just passed a media law that will severely curb the power of the countrys most powerful conglomerates by putting a majority of the countrys broadcast licenses in non-corporate hands. How did the law come about, and how is it expected to change Argentinas media landscape. And what lessons might US media activists take from Argentinas example? Well talk with Marie Trigona, an independent journalist and filmmaker based in Argentina. Also on CounterSpin today:...
-
Cyrus Safdari on Iran, Nomi Prins on bailouts
This week on CounterSpin: The story of Iran's nuclear program certainly isn't going away; glance at the newsstands this week and you might see the Newsweek cover story 'After Iran Gets the Bomb.' And a leaked report suggesting Iran is indeed pursuing nuclear weapons made its way to the front page of the New York Times. What should we make of that story, and the general media consensus on the Iranian threat? Analyst and Iranaffairs.com blogger Cyrus Safdari will join us to share his thoughts....
-
Gareth Porter on Iran, Christopher Martin on ACORN
This week on CounterSpin: Did the White House really disclose the existence of Irans new Uranium enrichment plant, and does the plant, as many news stories seem to indicate, really violate the law? And what evidence is there that the plant has anything to do with a nuclear weapons program, as certain prominent US media figures have claimed? Well talk to historian and free lance journalists Gareth Porter about the latest wave of allegations against Iran. Also this week: The community activist...
-
Joseph Romm on Climate Summit, Elinore Longobardi on...
This week on CounterSpin: the highest-level conference yet on climate change took place this week at the UN. The press made much of the obstacles faced on the way to any international agreement -- but if the front page of the country's paper of record is saying that temperatures haven't risen in 10 years, maybe one of those obstacles is media coverage? We'll talk to Joseph Romm of Climate Progress.org Also on the show: Words mean things and the way reporters use them can shade the way we see...
-
Daniel Ellsberg and Rick Goldsmith on 'The Most...
This week on CounterSpin: The Most Dangerous Man in America. That's how Henry Kissinger described whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg, who famously leaked a top-secret study of the Vietnam War in 1971 to the NY Times and other news outlets. The publication resulted in a landmark Supreme Court decision on freedom of the press, increased pressure to end the Vietnam War and was a key factor in the resignation of Richard Nixon. A new film tells that story. This week on a special edition of CounterSpin...
-
Mark Cook on Honduras, Diana Duarte on Saving the...
This week on CounterSpin: The media lie that will not die about the Honduras coup is that ousted president Manuel Zelaya was attempting to change the Honduran constitution in order to extend his time in office. But there is nothing new about this current set up; the same lie was used 45 years ago to remove another democratically elected president from office. Journalist Mark Cook has written about the eerie parallels in the September issue of FAIR's magazine Extra!. We'll talk to Mark Cook...
-
Jordan Flaherty on Katrina anniversary, Sarah Anderson...
This week on CounterSpin: Corporate media promised to pay more attention to poverty and race after the Gulf Coast's Katrina disasters in 2005, and for a short time they did a little more reporting. But where was the followup on this years August anniversary, when papers like the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, and networks like ABC and Fox offered virtually no coverage. We'll talk to journalist Jordan Flaherty, reporting the story since 2005, about the stories from the continuing...
-
Spencer Ackerman on CIA torture documents, Ed Herman on...
-
Matt Taibbi on Goldman Sachs
This week on CounterSpin: Goldman Sachs, Wall Street profiteering and... vampire squids. Wait... what was that last one? Journalist Matt Taibbi wrote a long takedown of the venerable Wall Street firm in Rolling Stone. Business journalists pronounced themselves mostly unimpressed with Taibbi's analysis, and troubled by his languagelike calling the company 'a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity, relentlessly jamming its blood funnel into anything that smells like money.'...
-
Trudy Lieberman on health care reform, Gary Schwitzer on...
This week on CounterSpin: Healthcare reform is still the top political story of the moment. But the coverage seems to have gone from bad to worse, with noisy town hall meetings standing in the way of any coherent discussion of the dysfunctional healthcare system in this country, and what can be done about it. Trudy Lieberman has been watching healthcare coverage for Columbia Journalism Review; she'll join us to talk about what she's found. Also on CounterSpin today: An ongoing review of...
-
Alfie Kohn on education 'reform,' Iyanna Jones on...
This week on CounterSpin: Charter schools raise a lot of concerns for educators interested in the future of truly public education; the corporate press have tended more toward boosterism of charters and their high profile promoter, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. That's the subject of a story in the current issue of Extra! and CounterSpin discussed the phenomenon on the occasion of Duncan's nomination with education expert Alfie Kohn, author of The Schools Our Children Deserve, among...
-
Sonali Kolhatkar on Afghan women and the war, Dedrick...
This week on CounterSpin: Some prominent feminist and liberal voices have recently lent their endorsement to the ongoing U.S. war in Afghanistan, based on the idea that the war is an effort to improve the lives of Afghan women and girls. That was a major argument at the war's onset, but how does it stand up 8 years later? We'll talk with Sonali Kolhatkar, co-director of the group Afghan Women's Mission and host/producer of Uprising Radio. Also on the show: Have you noticed how President...
-
David Swanson on healthcare reform, Harold Meyerson on...
This week on CounterSpin: "Obama May Have To Wait for Health Reform" explained one July 22 headline. Leave it to corporate media to take a life-and-death issue for millions of Americans and reduce it to an item on a president's wish list. But if they're going to mainly cover healthcare policy as inside the Beltway politicking, how good a job are they doing even of that? We'll hear from activist and author David Swanson about the current state of play in healthcare reform efforts and what...
-
Gerald Lemelle on Obama in Africa, Katha Pollitt on...
This week on CounterSpin: Barack Obama's recent trip to Africa gave the press corps a chance to opine predictably on Obama's "unique role" as a "son of Africa" who was specially suited to "tell African leaders hard truths". It should've also been a chance for a hard look at the nature of U.S. Africa policy. How'd they do on that score? We'll hear from Gerald Lemelle of Africa Action. Also on the show: In her Time magazine cover story, "Why Marriage Matters," Caitlin Flanagan argues for...
-
Sasha Abramsky on 'Breadline USA', Jim Naureckas on the...
This week on CounterSpin: Some 25 million Americans, nearly 9 percent of the population--rely on food pantries. But with rare exceptions, and despite its devastating impact, big media just don't seem to find a reportable story in chronic hunger. A new book hopes to make the issue more visible, by actually talking to people. It's called Breadline USA: The Hidden Scandal of American Hunger and How to Fix It; we'll speak with author Sasha Abramsky. Also on the show: Hard times and decreasing...
-
David Barsamian on Iran upheaval, Chandra Bhatnagar on...
This week on CounterSpin: Events in Iran continue to unfold with protesters still in the street in what seemed to begin as a rejection of the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Has it become something more now? And how are the press corps--not famously nuanced on Iran--handling events? We'll hear from David Barsamian, founder and director of Alternative Radio and co-author of the book Targeting Iran. Also on the show: The UN Human Rights Council's report on racism in the U.S.,...
-
D.D. Guttenplan on I.F. Stone
This week on CounterSpin: I.F. Stone was not only among the greatest American investigative reporters, he was also an activist and man of the left, according to D.D. Guttenplan, who has just published the latest biography of the journalist. Because he challenged U.S. power, often simply by reporting on the contents of official documents, and because he was a leftist, Stone's reputation has been under assault by vestigial McCarthyites who have been claiming for decades that Stone was a Soviet...
-
Phyllis Bennis on Obama's Cairo speech, Jonathan Tasini...
This week on CounterSpin: Barack Obama has either been currying favor with Muslims or extending an olive branch in the Middle East depending on which media you consume. We'll talk with Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies about Obama's major speech in Cairo, and the size of the gap between words and actions. Also on the show: The Boston Globe says it will impose a 23 percent wage cut on its employees on June 14. This is needed, says the Globes parent New York Times Company,...
-
Fred Clarkson on Tiller murder; Adam Serwer on Sotomayor
This week on CounterSpin: Theres been a lot of coverage of the murder of Dr. George Tiller, allegedly killed by and anti-abortion activist. But there has been relatively little discussion of the culture that such violence arises from, where mainstream anti-abortion figures regularly demonize abortion providersand were not just talking about Bill OReilly. Well talk to Fred Clarkson, who has been monitoring and writing about anti-abortion violence for years. Also on the show: As the vetting...
-
John Feffer on North Korea, Han Shan on Shell Ken...
This week on CounterSpin: When the media talks foreign affairs, there's generally an assumption that countries have identifiable interests and rationally pursue them as best they can. All that's thrown out the window when it comes to North Korea. That country's apparent decision to conduct an underground nuclear test and test-fire several missiles has re-engaged the media discussion about the nuclear-armed dictatorship. But what do we still not understand about that country's behavior? And...
-
Mike Lillis on climate bill, Joy-Ann Reid on Cheney...
This week on CounterSpin: Climate change legislation is making its way through Congress, but weirdly, that might not be good news. Some environmentalists are saying that in this case, no law might be better than this bill--that started out as a call to reduce carbon emissions but seems to be turning into something else. We'll talk with Mike Lillis, who covers Congress for the Washington Independent. Also on the show: Did top Bush officials instruct interrogators to torture detainees, not...
-
Manan Ahmed on Pakistan, Dean Starkman on 'Power Problem'
This week on CounterSpin: There are many legitimate concerns about Pakistan, but our guest, University of Chicago historian Manan Ahmed, says the U.S. media discussion of recent developments there, portraying Pakistan as a country "on the brink," border on hysteria. Well talk to Manan Ahmed about the hype, and about what he thinks the media should be paying more attention to in Pakistan. Also on CounterSpin today: It certainly seems like the business press missed the big stories of the...
-
Bart Laws on swine flu, Kristin Thomson on radio...
This week on CounterSpin: If you didn't panic over the swine flu, then maybe you weren't watching much TV, where scary charts and maps documented the spread of a worldwide pandemic. At least that's what we were hearing last week. With the media hysteria subsiding, the question isn't so much did the press overreact, but how much. But how do we assess the role of public health officials, who perhaps by nature are supposed to worry about these kinds of things? And is there a different...
-
Stan Karp on No Child Left Behind, Robert Greenwald on...
This week on CounterSpin: No Child Left Behind may be up for reconsideration in Congress soon, but if current coverage of national math and reading scores is an indication, media coverage will need to get a lot deeper to be useful. We'll hear from Stan Karp of Rethinking Schools about what questions ought to be asked. Also on the show: With an online campaign, and the "real time" documentary, Rethink Afghanistan, Robert Greenwald and his colleagues at Brave New Films are trying to break...
-
Glenn Greenwald on Torture, Rose Aguilar on tent cities
This week on CounterSpin: While its pretty clear that Bush-era torture occurred, and that U.S. and international treaties oblige the U.S. to investigate, the hot media discussion centers not on when investigations will begin, but on whether President Barack Obamanot the Justice Departmentthinks they should go forward. Well talk to Glenn Greenwald of Salon.com about the torture story. Also on CounterSpin today: Media are flocking to so-called tent cities to try and put a human face on the...
-
Miriam Pemberton on military budget, Terence Samuel on...
This week on CounterSpin: The White House's proposed military budget comes to some $534 billion dollars, and that's without including the costs of war in Iraq and Afghanistan. So why on earth are some saying Obama is "disarming America". We'll hear what this budget does and doesn't do from Miriam Pemberton, research fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies. Also on Counterspin today, the polarization of America. If you watch Fox News or listen to talk radio, America has adopted socialism...
-
T.R. Reid on Sick Around America, Mark Danner on torture
This week on CounterSpin: Sick Around America, the recently aired documentary on PBS's Frontline purported to ask why the US can't finance universal health care the way other developed countries do. But the picture was at best incomplete, since it seems some options were considered off the table. We'll hear from reporter and author T.R. Reid, who worked on Sick Around America as a follow up to his Sick Around the World from last year, but who disassociated himself from the domestic version...
-
Mark Weisbrot on the G20, Gareth Porter on the...
This week on CounterSpin: Barack Obamas military surge in Afghanistan has caught very little flack in the media, even though experts on the region say it doesnt make sense and distorts realities on the ground in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan. We'll talk to journalist Gareth Porter about coverage of the Afghanistan surge, an Obama policy he calls "a stunningly irrational blunder. Also on CounterSpin today, the G-20 summit in London has attracted a lot of media attention; that this is...
Recommended Shows
PROGRAM INFORMATION
- New York, NY
- Media, Current Affairs, Progressive Talk
- English
-
FAIR
112 W. 27th Street
New York, NY 10001212-633-6700 -
Visit the station website
Email the show
Update show info
