Davids Medienkritik

Notice the Difference?

For our bilingual readers: Check out this CNN piece. Then look at this SPIEGEL piece on the same topic. Notice the difference? Note that CNN offers context and qualification - where SPIEGEL makes not attempt at anything but black-white propaganda. SPIEGEL also sets up the article so as to discredit those calling on the media to report progress in Iraq (in this case General Michael Walsh) - or anything but the latest bombing for that matter. Just more evidence that SPIEGEL ONLINE is a profoundly biased media outlet.

Anyone willing to translate the SPIEGEL piece into English - please post that in the comments section and we will put up a side-by-side comparison later. (Posted by Ray)

Another Mercenary...

Listen, SPIEGEL: another mercenary! And he even works for ... (gasp!) ... Halliburton!

CNN:

Family need sent Mississippi dairy farmer to Iraq

JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) -- Thomas Hamill's neighbors in Macon, Mississippi, knew all too well about the hard times that drove the gentle family man to sell off his dairy herd and take a high-paying but dangerous job in Iraq, where he was abducted April 9.

"This is a small town. It hits us hard. God bless him, he's just trying to make a living for his family," said longtime resident Marion Gilbertson.

Hamill fought hard to keep the dairy business that had been in his family for three decades, working long,

Terrorists Are Terrorists Are Terrorists

CNN:

"...terrorists killed a pregnant Israeli woman and her four children near a Gaza settlement..."

tagesschau (German public TV news):

"...five Israelis were killed..., four children and their mother. Two Palestinian attackers were killed, too."

AFP Germany:

"Settler family killed ... Palestinian attackers..."

WELT:

"...armed Palestinians..."

Germany's media painstakingly avoid the term "terrorists" for the Palestinian terrorists who coldbloodedly killed a pregnant Israeli woman and her four children. Of course, the German media don't hesitate to identify terrorists, when the killing is in Madrid, Riad, Manila, Mazedonia, etc., etc.

In the case of Israelis, it's not barbaric terrorism ... it's "Cycle of Violence".

Naomi Regan is a novelist living in Jerusalem. I'm on her mailing list. This is her comment to the terror attack:

Two Islamic "heroes" opened fire on a car carrying a woman in her eighth month of pregnancy, along with her four little girls. They opened fire on the car, and when it spun out of control, they walked towards it and shot the woman and her daughters one by one. ... I'm trying to envision the kind of people that could shoot a pregnant woman and an eleven, nine, seven and two year old. I'm trying. But all I come up with is Nazis. All I see are Auschwitz criminals. I guess that's Islam. I guess that's the way they honor their Prophet Mohammad. I guess that's the honor they bring to their Allah.

If that's what Islam teaches, it's not a religion. It's a sickness.

To join Naomi's mailing list and receive her columns by email, send an empty email message to: NaomiRagen-on@mail-list.com.

Saddam's Next Election / Saddams nächste Wahl

(Deutsche Version am Ende des Beitrags)

CNN:

Bush defends Iraq invasion, war on terrorism

(...) The president also attacked his Democratic contender's stance on Iraq.

"My opponent admits Saddam Hussein was a threat, he just didn't support my decision to remove Saddam from power. Maybe he was hoping Saddam would lose the next Iraqi election."

I think that's funny...

But "the next Iraqi election" is precisely what many commentators in the German media seemed to hope for. Had the Americans not started the war, the Iraqis would have thrown out Saddam in the next election...

Sure.

(Hat tip Stefan)

(Translation check by Ray Drake)

It's Not A Killing / Es ist kein Mord

(Deutsche Version am Ende des Beitrags)

Compare (German news agency) dpa and CNN on the latest terrorist bombing in Jerusalem:

dpa:

Bombing in Jerusalem

A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in a public bus in Jerusalem, and took another 9 passengers along with him. ... (our translation)

CNN

Suicide bomber kills 8 in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- A suicide bomber on Sunday killed at least eight passengers on a crowded bus in Jerusalem at the height of rush hour, according to police in the city and Israeli ambulance services. ...

The dpa piece makes it appear as if the prime goal of the bomber was to blow himself up, and the passengers (kids - it was a school bus) happened to die because they were in the vicinity...

Also, dpa goes to great length to avoid any reference to "terrorism", while CNN expressedly speaks of a "terrorist attack". It's a dpa tradition: If Israel is the target, it's not terror...

Red Meat Frenzy / Blutrausch

(Deutsche Übersetzung unten)

WASHINGTON (CNN)

O'Neill: 'Frenzy' distorted war plans account

Former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill said Tuesday his account of the Bush administration's early discussions about a possible invasion of Iraq has been distorted by a "red meat frenzy."

I like "red meat frenzy". It describes the media's behavior in the last couple of days quite nicely. Whenever a former government insider criticizes President Bush, the media go ballistic.

SPIEGEL ONLINE does not mention O'Neills red-meat quote. It just reports on O'Neill's backpedalling. Did I expect SPIEGEL ONLINE to present a quote that in fact criticizes the media harshly? Would I expect a shark to apologize for bad behavior?

BTW: O'Neill now has exhausted his usefulness for the media. He was quite welcome as a witness against Bush. Coming out in favor of Bush makes him as attractive as - dead meat.

Deutsche Übersetzung / German translation

WASHINGTON (CNN)

O'Neill: 'Rausch' verzerrte Kriegsplan-Darstellung

Der frühere Finanzminister Paul O'Neill sagte Dienstag, seine Darstellung der ersten Diskussionen in der Bush Administration über eine mögliche Invasion im Irak sei verzerrt worden durch einen "Blutrausch". (unsere Übersetzung)

Mir gefällt der Ausdruck "Blutrausch" (original: "red meat frenzy"). Er beschreibt das Verhalten der Medien in den letzten Tagen ziemlich gut. Wann immer ein früherer Regierungs-Insider Präsident Bush kritisiert, drehen die Medien durch.

SPIEGEL ONLINE erwähnt das "Blutrausch"-Zitat von O'Neill nicht. Es wird nur über O'Neills Dementi berichtet. Hatte ich erwartet, daß SPIEGEL ONLINE ein Zitat anführen würde, das die Medien scharf kritisiert? Würde ich erwarten, daß ein Hai sich für schlechtes Verhalten entschuldigte?

Übrigens: Paul O'Neill wird nicht mehr von den Medien gebraucht. Er war sehr geschätzt als Zeuge gegen Bush. Nachdem er nun für Bush testiert, ist er so attraktiv wie totes Fleisch.

Good News for Frogs / Gute Nachrichten für Frösche

(Deutsche Version am Ende des Beitrags)

CNN:

Cash-strapped Germany building $285,200 frog tunnel

Germany's cash-strapped government is paying 225,000 euros (U.S. $285,200) to build a tunnel to help frogs avoid the perils of a busy road, officials said Monday. ...

The foreign ministry, headed by Green Party member Joschka Fischer, is funding construction of the tunnel near a training center for diplomats on the outskirts of Berlin.

A foreign ministry spokeswoman said the tunnel was part of a package of environmental measures agreed when the ministry took over the Villa Borsig, a country house located in a nature protection area in the north of Berlin.

Germany's government is expected to breach European Union budget deficit limits for a third year in a row in 2004.

If it's good for frogs, it's good for Germany...

No More Options for Saddam / Keine Optionen mehr für Saddam

(English translation at end of post)

Im Rückblick auf 2003 habe ich mir noch einmal die "State of the Union"-Rede von Präsident Bush vom 28. Januar 2003 angesehen.

Während immer wieder über die Behauptung in der Rede diskutiert wird, daß Saddam nukleares Material im Sudan zu kaufen suchte, ist die eigentlich wichtige Botschaft diese Passage:

Vor dem 11. September glaubten viele Menschen, daß Saddam Hussein unter Kontrolle gehalten werden könnte. Aber chemische Stoffe, tödliche Viren und geheime Terroristen-Netzwerke können nicht so einfach unter Kontrolle gehalten werden. Man stelle sich die 19 Terroristen (vom 11. September) mit anderen Waffen und anderen Plänen vor - dieses Mal durch Saddam Hussein ausgerüstet. Es würde nur eine kleine Menge Viren, nur einen Kannister benötigen, der in dieses Land hineingerät, um einen Tag des Horror zu bringen, wie wir ihn noch nie gekannt haben. Wir werden alles in unserer Macht stehende tun, um sicherzustellen, daß dieser Tag niemals kommt. (Beifall.)

Manche haben gesagt, wir dürften nicht handeln, bis die Gefahr unmittelbar droht. Seit wann hätten Terroristen und Tyrannen ihre Absichten angekündigt, hätten uns höflich darauf hingewisen, daß sie einen Anschlag vorhaben? Wenn wir es zulassen, daß eine solche Gefahr unmittelbar und plötzlich vor uns auftaucht, kämen alle Aktionen, alle Reden und alle Gegenmaßnahmen zu spät. Das Vertrauen in die Vernunft und Zurückhaltung von Saddam Hussein ist keine Strategie, und es ist keine Option. (Beifall.)

Nun: Saddam hat keine Optionen mehr. Was ist daran schlecht?

Das sieht offensichtlich auch die Mehrheit der Amerikaner so.

English translation

Going through material of 2003 I reread President Bush's "State of the Union" speech of January 28, 2003.

Finally: The French Become Vigilant Against WMD / Endlich: Die Franzosen gehen energisch gegen Massenvernichtungswaffen vor

(Deutsche Übersetzung am Ende des Beitrags)

CNN:

PARIS, France (Reuters) -- France: Oysters can be dangerous

Anxious to show vigilance after being criticized in August for failing to warn the public of an impending heatwave, France's national health watchdog issued a stern warning Tuesday about the dangers of opening oysters. ...

"One should, wherever possible, try to prevent such accidents happening, by taking simple precautions," the INVS said.

"Sit yourself down comfortably with an oyster knife and the appropriate know-how, and either use hand protection or get an oyster-seller to open them."

The French slurp down thousands of oysters, many of them farmed off the west coast, over the Christmas and New Year period.

French authorities have taken pains to give the public advance warning of the risks of floods and cold weather, as well as a flu epidemic, after failing to warn of the dangers of an August heatwave that killed 15,000 mainly elderly people.

It's comforting to know that French are finally waking up to WMD on the home front. Now, if they only would care about WMD elsewhere...

What a Coincidence! / Was für ein Zufall!

English translation at end of post

Mit Bush geht's aufwärts und mit Schröder abwärts.

CNN/Gallup:

"Die Popularität von Präsident Bush - die in den vergangenen Wochen gefallen war - hat sich wieder erholt, vor allem aufgrund von Gewinnen bei Männern und bei Besserverdienern. Dies belegt eine neue CNN/USA Today/Gallup-Umfrage. In einer CNN/USA Today/Gallup-Umfrage Ende August stand Bushs Popularität bei 59 %. Einen Monat später fiel sie auf 50 %. In der letzten Umfrage erreicht Bush 56 %."

SPIEGEL:

Bundeskanzler Schröder ist derzeit so unbeliebt wie noch nie seit seinem Amtsantritt vor fünf Jahren. ... 53 Prozent der repräsentativ befragten Bundesbürger äußerten sich überdies zufrieden mit Stoibers Politik. Der Unions-Kanzlerkandidat des vergangenen Jahres liegt damit deutlich vor ... Kanzler Schröder (30 Prozent zufrieden, 68 Prozent nicht zufrieden).

Sieht so aus, als ob jemand das richtige tut, und jemand anderes verkrümmelt sich allmählich...

English translation

Bush's up and Schroeder's down.

CNN/Gallup:

"President Bush's approval rating -- which had declined in recent weeks -- moved back up, primarily due to big gains among men and among high-income Americans, according to a new CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll. ... In a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll in late August, Bush's approval rating stood at 59 percent. One month later, it slid to 50 percent. This latest poll has Bush's approval rating at 56 percent."

SPIEGEL:

German Chancellor Schroeder has reached his lowest popularity levels in the last 5 years. ... 53 % of the German population is satisfied with (conservative) Stoiber's policies. He's clearly leading Chancellor Schroeder (30 %).

Looks like someone's doing the right thing, and someone else's just withering away...

Nachtrag zum Tod von David Kelly

So Jul 20, 03:21:36 PM
Am Ende einer Meldung von CNN heißt es: "As the press conference ended a journalist shouted: "Have you got blood on your hands prime minister? Are you going to resign?" That question was not answered because Japanese authorities were wrapping up the briefing."
Das bedeutet: Blair verweigerte nicht die Antwort - die Pressekonferenz war durch die japanischen Gastgeber einfach beendet worden. Man weiß nicht einmal, ob Blair die Frage überhaupt gehört hatte.
Im SPIEGEL hieß es noch: "In Japan wurde Blair von einem Journalisten gefragt, ob Blut an seinen Händen klebe. Blair ließ die Frage unbeantwortet."BILD zum gleichen Vorgang: "Ein Reporter der Londoner Zeitung „Mail on Sunday“ fragte ihn: „Premierminister, haben Sie Blut an den Händen?“ Blair wurde aschfahl. Wortlos stürmte er aus dem Saal."

Es geht eben nichts über den deutschen Qualitätsjournalismus...

Deutsche Medien: Bitte dringend lesen!

Mi Jun 04, 04:11:31 PM
Der stellvertretende US-Verteidigungsminister Wolfowitz hat in einem CNN-Interview noch einmal die Vorwürfe zurückgewiesen, die US-Regierung habe die Existenz von Massenvernichtungswaffen als Vorwand für den Irak-Krieg benutzt.
Zitat: "We had, in fact, three concerns about Iraq, from the beginning, and it’s repeated in Colin Powell’s statement in the UN. One was weapons of mass destruction, about which I’ve never seen as unanimous a view in the intelligence community on almost any issue. Second was the Iraqi connection with terrorism, about which there is a range of views, although everyone agrees that there is a connection there. And the third was Iraq’s mistreatment of its people, which has unfortunately never been in any doubt. But in many ways, it’s the first two reasons that were crucial, and as I said in that interview, there is really a fourth reason, which is that connection between weapons of mass destruction and terrorism. That’s the axis the President originally was talking about in his State of Union message, is that connection between terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. It’s complicated, it’s not a simple issue, but when people say our rationale keeps changing, its not that keeps changing. We’ve had all three of those reasons from the beginning but people who often choose to focus exclusively on the weapons of mass destruction piece of it."