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Far Gone in 30 Seconds. CNN Sentences Palestine To Death

News/Current Events Editorial Keywords: PALESTINE, CNN, PROPAGANDA
Source: the eXile
Published: 20 Sep 2001 Author: Matt Taibbi
Posted on 09/29/2001 12:39:21 PDT by Samir

The infamous scenes of Palestinians celebrating the attacks, appeared on CNN, get Matt Taibbi to examine the ethical aspects of TV journalism...Be Cool, America. War??? Think it Over
Looking at the situation after the attacks and possible scenarios of the US response, Matt Taibbi brings up some key issues that appear to be blindly ignored by mainstream American media...
Far Gone in 30 Seconds.
CNN Sentences Palestine To Death
By Matt Taibbi
taibbi@exile.ru
I don’t know how long 30 seconds of videotape is. A foot? Two feet? It can’t be much. And yet that’s all it took for CNN, in one of the most outrageously irresponsible editorial decisions of our time, to sentence an entire nation to death.

We all saw the pictures. About an hour after the bombing, CNN— using videotape purchased from the two largest news video production houses, APTN and Reuters— broadcast scenes of Palestinians, mainly children, celebrating the attack on America.

The montage lasts exactly 30 seconds. There are five scenes in the sequence. They are, as follows:

1) A shot of a white station-wagon taxi pulling away from a storefront. The taxi pulls away to reveal a group of Palestinians in the Arab section of Jerusalem standing in front of the store. Though the taxi driver appears to be smiling, no one else is celebrating in the picture. The shot lasts about six and a half seconds.

2) The longest shot of the sequence. It features a group of children, two of whom take turns appearing directly in front of the camera, apparently shouting “Allah Akhbar!” and waving the Palestinian flag. The second child has a distinctly irrational, intoxicated gleam in his eye. This sequence lasts just over ten seconds.

3) The third shot, the shortest, shows a Palestinian man extending a plate with a pastry to an unseen person. There is a smile on his face. If this shot were broadcast at any time other than in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, it would be appear absolutely meaningless. But in the context, it— and in particular the vaguely satisfied smile of the cafe worker— comes across as fraught with meaning. This shot lasts about as long as it takes the man to walk some six feet to deliver the pastry— about four seconds.

4) The second-longest shot. A matronly woman in glasses and a shawl, seemingly in her fifties, is beaming and pumping her two upraised hands in celebration. All around her, children are jumping up and down and cheering. The shot lasts about seven seconds.

5) The last shot. A white van containing three men in the passenger seat is honking its horn and moving through the street. All around the van, children are cheering. One jumps on the hood of the van, then jumps off.



My very first thought, when I saw those scenes, was that the shots were fakes. I had a very strong suspicion that the footage was old. This was not paranoia. It was a logical inference, based upon the circumstances surrounding the airing of the sequence.

As it turns out, the pictures were real. Despite rumors to the contrary that have been flying around the internet, these celebrations really did occur, and they really were captured by Western news agencies.

But the reasons reporters like myself were forced to independently confirm that fact (I went so far as to call the APTN bureau in Jerusalem, and contact the press watchdog agency FAIR, which had also inquired about the footage) were the same reasons that made this sequence so shockingly irresponsible. If CNN had not so far overstepped its bounds in running this sequence in the manner that it did, there would have been no reason to suspect the footage’s authenticity. If they had even in been in the ballpark of journalistic ethics, there couldn’t have been any questions at all.

The television news business carries with it a set of ethical problems that are a world apart from the concerns of print journalists. Because they are so routinely ignored, few people— particularly people whose only relation to TV news is as a consumer— are even aware of them. They mainly involve problems of attribution and context. Very often, they’re exactly the opposite of the problems one encounters in print journalism.

Anyone who has worked as a print journalist knows he has certain advantages over the television reporter. A print journalist can walk around in the middle of a news event and not be observed. Because he’s not operating a camera or concentrating on the logistical problem of getting someone to go on the air, he usually has much more time to simply watch and digest what is happening in front of him. A print journalist can recall something from memory, whereas in television, memory is useless.

More importantly, a print journalist always knows he can construct his narrative after the fact. He does not have to be concerned with the purely mechanical problems of story construction while he is covering the story. A print journalist does not lose his story if, for instance, he does not catch a defendant walking out of a courtroom. But a TV journalist covering a trial has to catch people going in and out of various buildings, walking their dogs, stepping out of planes— all utterly meaningless events to the print journalist, but of critical importance to the TV journalist, who needs these moments to “establish” the outline of his story.

One last thing. Print journalists in some ways have much more room to lie. When a print reporter publishes a man-on-the-street interview, only God will actually know if that interview ever happened. There is no way to track down the those kinds of sources in print. But on television, you have to get a picture, and a picture is difficult to fake, particularly since it requires a conspiracy of many (the reporter, his cameraman, his producer, his editors) to make it happen.

On the other hand...

On the other hand, the very absence of a lengthy narrative instantly absolves the TV reporter of a great many ethical responsibilities. A print reporter has to work very hard to produce an effect. The most powerful print stories are almost always based on hard information, or specific quotes. But television, as the images last week proved, can change the course of history with a single picture. And unlike print, television does not have to explain its context in order to be effective— not truthful or just, mind you, but effective, in stimulating a response.

In the case of the pictures last week, CNN had a responsibility— particularly given the extreme gravity of the situation— to provide an exact context for the footage it was showing. The man handing over the piece of pie— why was he smiling? Who was he handing the pie to? The implication was obvious: this Palestinian was so happy about the bombings, he was giving pie away to strangers.

But how do we know that? Assuming it was true, CNN needed, at the bare minimum, to say so explicitly: “Our reporter on the scene observed this man, Saleem X, handing a piece of pie to a stranger for free. X said he was glad America was bombed, and that everything was on the house today.”

But there was nothing. All we were told, by CNN, was that these were pictures of “Palestinians celebrating the attacks.”

This kind of presentation makes it impossible for any individual, much less an entire nation, to defend himself against the media. The cafÈ owner has no deniability. He never spoke to the journalist. Indeed, there wasn’t one there, just a cameraman. The cameraman, on the other hand, has total deniability. No one knows his name or will ever know it (APTN refused to release the cameraman’s name, and refused all requests to interview him), and, what’s more, he wasn’t responsible for how his pictures were used. CNN is similarly isolated from responsibility: it didn’t take the pictures, and the only information it needed from its video service was that these were pictures of Palestinians celebrating the attack on America. That’s all it needed: one sentence worth of information about the story.

Therefore you get, in the end, a picture that in the context speaks literally volumes, and which may have actually finally engendered American hatred toward Palestinians, which rests on a single sentence worth of information.

But this is all standard television practice. None of what I’ve described so far departs very much from the ordinary. What was extraordinary about the CNN transmission were three things: the lack of a “time peg”, the lack of balance, and the lack of editorial restraint.

The time issue was the one that made me suspect the pictures were faked. Given the situation, it seemed imperative that CNN establish on camera that the pictures were directly connected to the attacks in New York. Forget about a narrative attribution— the proof here needed to be on the air.

The easiest way to do this would have been through an on-camera interview. Approach any one of the people in the picture and shout a single sentence a them: “Are you celebrating the attack on America”? A “yes” would have been enough, though a follow-up would have been better. Anything else is the television equivalent of an unnamed source, an assertion without proof.

You can use unnamed sources in print. It’s an accepted practice, used most often as a way of supporting attributed fact-gathering. But you can not use unnamed sources to send a whole country to war against a particular nation. And that’s what CNN did.

Another thing CNN could have done to peg the time would have been to film Palestinians cheering as they watched television reports of the attack. I can’t imagine that this would have been too hard. Every television in the city must have been on. It’s quite possible that they tried and failed to catch anyone celebrating. If that’s the case, I think the world had a right to know, had a right to see pictures of people not celebrating. It doesn’t even matter that we’ll never know now (with APTN and CNN issuing flat “no comments” about the shooting done that day in Jerusalem and Nabluz). The world needed to know that day. The peculiar nature of TV journalism makes it essential not to screw up at the moment, because it is impossible to undo the damage of doing a bad job once it’s been done.

The irony here is that it would have been very easy to get a “time-pegged” shot of Palestinians reacting rationally and sensitively to the attack. I’d guess that the vast majority of Palestinians would have been willing to go on the record saying that they sympathized with the victims. That would have been true even for the great number of Palestinians who believe they have excellent reasons to hate the United States. There was a candlelight vigil in East Jerusalem on the night of the attacks; Yassir Arafat gave blood; schoolchildren around the country took part in moments of silence in reaction to the attacks. And a large part of the nation’s public figures spoke sensibly and generously about the American victims.

CNN’s decision not to show these reasoned responses underscores the anti-intellectual nature of television news— and its ability to influence people in an anti-intellectual direction. A sudden outburst of emotion simply makes for better and more powerful television than a reasoned response. Conflict looks better on television than peace. The focus on this side of humanity (particularly when covering foreign peoples, who are more easily dehumanized) produces in viewers the habit of believing that emotional responses are more valid than reasoned ones.

The long-term effect of this kind of coverage was illustrated dramatically on the day of the attacks. Throughout the day, CNN restricted its visual reporting to a remarkably small number of video sequences. The number of images, in fact, was so small that I suspected— and still suspect— that there was some kind of government control, or at least a consensus between the government and the company, over which material would be transmitted. The actual attack on the World Trade Center was played over and over again, of course. There was footage of the Pentagon on fire, footage of the crash site in Pennsylvania, footage of the mysterious plane flying over Washington, footage of warplanes flying over New York, and significantly, these pictures of Palestinians celebrating in Jerusalem and Nablus. All of these pictures— all extremely dramatic and/or inflammatory— were interspersed with a steady stream of interviews with government and ex-government representatives, most of them Republican.

Amazingly, throughout the course of the entire broadcast of the first day, there was scarcely a hint of a reaction from an ordinary person, American or foreign. The commentary was restricted almost entirely to inflammatory images, warmongering questioning and commentary from television reporters, and right-wing government or ex-government spokespeople. In the first eight hours after the attack, there were only two people with even the vaguest associations with the Democratic party interviewed, Madeline Albright and William Cohen. And these two, it goes without saying, were hardly from the dovish side of the loyal opposition.

After showing the pictures of the Palestinian children, CNN commentators (in particular the unbelievably loathsome Jill Dougherty) would invariably begin asking their interview subjects what our military response was likely to be, how extreme it needed to be, and whether we had failed to be vigilant enough in the past in dealing with the terrorist threat. The station’s obvious agenda was to rally its viewers around the very crudest response to the news: violence, and celebration of violence, needed to be met with more and more violence and a political clampdown.

The most dramatic result of the station’s manipulation of the Palestine images came during an interview with former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger. During part of the interview the station maintained a split-screen effect which showed the porcine ex-bureaucrat in one small box, while images from the day’s shocking events rolled on in a sort of endless montage in the other. The celebrating Palestine children were shown during one sequence. Soon afterward, Eagleburger dropped a bombshell comment. He was not referring specifically to the celebrating children, but his— and the station’s— implication was clear:

“There is only one way to begin to deal with people like this,” he said, “and that is you have to kill some of them, even if they are not immediately directly involved in this thing.”

Only in the United States, a country which sentences minor criminals to death, would such journalism even be thinkable.

And that wasn’t even the worst part.

Television has almost no probative value. Unlike reading, which requires people to assemble images and associations in their minds, television trains people to become completely passive consumers of information. You’re not supposed to look beyond the picture. Therefore you get this amazing phenomenon of an image without explanation. People are seen doing and saying things that appear to make no sense at all. The result can be more inflammatory than an outright lie— and that’s what happened in this case.

During the entire first day of coverage, CNN never once broached the question of what might have aroused Arab anger toward the United States. The station speculated endlessly that Osama bin Laden was the culprit, but it never once bothered to ask what might have been bin Laden’s motive. The same held true for the shots of the celebrating Palestinians. No reason was offered. Instead, the station simply asked for Americans to rely on their own preconceived notions of Islam to form the motive for their behavior. The groundwork for that appeal has been steadily laid over the course of the last three decades— since about the time of the formation of O.P.E.C., incidentally.

In general, American coverage of Islam tends to focus on two or three key themes that are offered as explanation for Arab hostility to America. The first is the poverty of Islamic countries; Muslims are inevitably portrayed as murderously envious of American affluence. The ency is almost always blind and irrational. To quote the New York Times analysis from September 16, Muslim extremists profess a “hatred for the values cherished in the West as freedom, tolerance, prosperity, religious pluralism and universal suffrage.” The second is religious fanaticism, as expressed in the endless “America seen as Great Satan” pieces. Muslims do not fear death because they believe in an afterlife; Muslims are all inspired to jihad by commandment from above; Muslims are willing to kill anyone, guilty or innocent, to recapture the homelands and rid the world of infidel, i.e. American values.

The third theme is anti-Semitism. Muslims are shown throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers for no apparent reason. The “rock-throwing towelhead” photo was one of the great cliches of 20th-century journalism. The reason they were throwing rocks, we were always told, is that they’re crazed anti-Semites. And we know who else was an anti-Semite.

But Palestinians have a very simple reason to hate Americans. Americans are supporting the occupation of their country by Israel. Israeli armed forces, the same people who are bulldozing neighborhoods and shooting into crowds, use American weapons— even American missiles. The United States is basically a colonial aggressor to most Palestinians, some 360,000 of which are living as refugees in Lebanon.

But all of this got left out, making the situation much worse than it ever was.

The whole thing reminds me of this scheme I used to use to get free McNuggets at McDonald’s. It worked like this:

You go to McDonald’s with your friend. You convince him to buy a big 20-pack of McNuggets. Then, as soon as he sits down, you send him back up to the front of the restaurant to get napkins, or ketchup, or whatever. While he’s gone, you flip open the McNuggets box and swipe five or six Nuggets. Then you replace the lid on the box. He comes back, opens the box, and thinks he only got fourteen nuggets, when he paid for twenty. “Go complain to the manager,” you say. Thinking he’s really been ripped off, your friend then goes up to the manager and, with all the gall of a wronged person, angrily demands his six McNuggets. His act is usually so believable that he gets what he wants. It works every time— just make sure you don’t tell him until you’re in the car on the way home.

American coverage of the Middle East works the same way. You cover an Arab-Israeli conflict for years, following a certain storyline. Along the way, you lie to your viewers about what’s really happening, setting them up to think that America’s position in the Middle East is reasonable. Then something like the bombing happens, and you show Palestinians dancing in the streets. Americans then, quite naturally, go completely crazy with rage and demand total retaliation. The lie is in the missing McNuggets. If Americans knew that CNN had stolen them before, they wouldn’t be rushing to the manager for justice now.

Probably no single film clip in recent history has had as much of an impact as the Palestine clip. Summing it up one way was Ehud Sprinzak, an Israeli expert on terrorism, who was quoted in Reuters, referring to the clip:

“From the perspective of Jews, it is the most important public relations act ever committed in our favor.”

Put it another way: in the 48 hours after the clip ran, Israelis shot and killed 13 Palestinians in the Jenin area of the West Bank.

Thirty seconds was all that took. Forget about anyone ever being reasonable when this is the way our leading journalists work.

for your consideration and comment

Poppycock!

Thirty seconds was all that took. Forget about anyone ever being reasonable when this is the way our leading journalists work.

So people would think if they didn't know (or didn't want to admit) the history of the last 1300 years of that region of the world.

Thats the longest trail of crap I've ever had to read. Would someone be so kind as to post the TWENTY OR SO threads about the PA's threatening to kill any journalist who televised the mass celebrations.

ALL the Palestinians - gone in 30 seconds? Nuked?

That would be WAY cool!

The second-longest shot. A matronly woman in glasses and a shawl, seemingly in her fifties, is beaming and pumping her two upraised hands in celebration.

You mean this one?

Thirty seconds was all that took. Forget about anyone ever being reasonable

In thirty seconds we watched the United States of America attacked by Islamic Terrorists. You have yet to see our response.

If the people you claim to represent had any sense whatsoever they would immediately implement a cease fire in all their cities and put on sackcloth and ashes. Then they would plead for mercy.

If the people you claim to represent

I do not claim to represent the people of Palestine.

My very first thought, when I saw those scenes, was that the shots were fakes. I had a very strong suspicion that the footage was old. This was not paranoia. It was a logical inference, based upon the circumstances surrounding the airing of the sequence.

As it turns out, the pictures were real.

So it turns out he really WAS paranoia. I got news for you, the Western Media don't fake news footage like the Arabs at Al-Jazeera do.

I don’t know how long 30 seconds of videotape is. A foot? Two feet? It can’t be much. And yet that’s all it took for CNN, in one of the most outrageously irresponsible editorial decisions of our time, to sentence an entire nation to death.

CNN did its job to report the news. If Taibbi wants absolute censorship, he's not going to find it in our media. In fact, we would have video of THOUSANDS of them celebrating in the streets, except for Arafat's terrorists' threatening of the cameramen's lives.

"For your consideration and comment."

O.K.

He would have flunked Composition 101.

A vague rambling screed that fails to make any kind of coherent point.

Interminable nonsense. Thousands of Americans were murdered; *many* Palestinians (and Muslims elsewhere) celebrated. TOO BAD if someone filmed them.

You know what really sickens me? The fact that jackasses like the fella who posted this REALLY TRULY believe it! They'd much sooner believe in some zany GW Bush / Jewish conspiracy than the obvious. They deserve whatever Hell overtakes them.

Only in the United States, a country which sentences minor criminals to death, would such journalism even be thinkable.

We don't sentence people to death for minor crimes, so I guess he means we execute people under the age of 18 or 21. Well, heck, I made it through being 15 years old without killing anyone, and I knew it was wrong, and so can everyone else. If any 15-year-old brutally murders someone, they SHOULD be put to death.

Of course, for Taibbi to be so worried about the children, it certainly doesn't concern him to see the Palestinians using their children to attack Israeli soldiers, it only concerns him that the Israelis shoot back in self-defense! Even if you assume the Jews are evil, evil, evil, and murder Palestinian kids whenever they get the chance, then why--WHY--would the Palestinians keep sending their kids out to throw rocks at them?

I suggest you get in contact with your friends in this story. You'll all have much to discuss.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,35301,00.html

I'm getting a little tired of hearing about all the "good" muslims who were shocked and horrified by these attacks. Where are they? I see a few (very few), "professors" telling us that Islam has been hi-jacked. Where are the angry thousands who want their religion back? Where are they?

You mean this one?

She's celebrating a birthday!!!!!!!

Sometimes the truth hurts.......and all the bull-oney coming from this man is meaningless blather.

How can I castigate CNN for one of the few times they have apparently shown the truth?

(This article has raised an important area of concern, however. I certainly hope that the McDonald's Coporation gets reimbursed for those McNuggets that Taibbi stole.)

Where are the angry thousands who want their religion back? Where are they?

I'm with you.

Palestinians sentenced Palestine to death. By their own actions, for which there can be no justification and no excuse. And in the U.S. murder is not considered a minor crime. As, apparently, it is in Palestine, or rather just an innocent recreation.

No matter if a picture represents the truth or a lie, it's still worth a thousand words.

That's the longest hand-wringing session I've read in a while.

Bottom line is that the footage is real.

I find it curious that you are crying about lack of ethics in your diatribe however proudly explain how to STEAL from McDonald's. Clearly a lack of ethics in my book. Moreover, CNN did not write a death sentence to Palestian by simply airing a factual event....one must remember that there are consequences to our actions and one must be careful these days because the world is watching

Thanks - an essay from an admitted crook who thought the video was fake because he didn't like the content.

re: I'm getting a little tired of hearing about all the "good" muslims who were shocked and horrified by these attacks. Where are they? THEY HIDING BEHIND UNCLE SAM! Can't you see them? There, behind Ole Glory?

Palestinians showing support of the United States

um, i'd like to see the spiked AP footage. truth is, well, truth.

The TRUTH Hurts, doesn't it?

Tell Matt Tabibi, whoever or whatever he is, that we execute people for rape, murder, and hopefully soon, treason. Those no doubt are "minor" crimes where he comes from, but not here in civilization.

As for the rest, what kind of ethics holds that the representation of the act is a worse offense than the act itself.

You call this ethics? Do whatever obscene crap you want, but if someone catches you at it, cut his head off? or is it just his hand, or maybe poke out his eye so he can't watch you celebrate mass murder anymore?...

Please oh wise one, enlighten us poor infidels....is it worse to do it, or to show it being done? ...Is it worse to kill 6000 innocent victims and dance on their still bleeding corpses, or to expose the obscene behavior of the supporters of the perpetrators to the civilized world?

C'mon, that shouldn't be hard for a smart little guy like you.

Thanks for wasting my time and FR's bandwidth. This drivel was exactly 49 paragraphs too long.

Peaceful Palestinians celebrating Their Terrorism (model of bombing of civilians)

Good questions all. Why don't you put up a vanity post so asking them and give the squishies a chance to respond? I'm betting you'll get as many replies as if you ask people to list all the Italian war heroes.

Yeah, sure, right. CNN did it. Just like the maker of video cameras that film thugs murdering the 7-11 clerks. It's all their fault. The thugs are innocent.

You don't have a case here, son. You might post something thoughtful here that will make us think that Islam is all peace and charm. But this isn't it.

The palestinians did indeed celebrate the murder of over 6,000 Americans. And it wasn't just a few palestinians, it was all of them.

I no longer care what happens to them, nothing you can say or do will make me care about them.

The Israelis may do whatever they want to the palestinians, you won't hear me complain.

ankaboot: for your consideration and comment

I read it the other day from Khalid's mailing list. The effect of this article is essentially to harden the hearts of those who have already made up their minds. For those of us who watched as the same tape played for twenty-four hours straight, while everything else was ignored, it's neither news nor much help, the negative image was burned into the minds of the American people. So what else is new?

I think it is a waste of time to attempt to persuade anyone that there were not people delighted with the attack, and also with the effects of the attack -- with the backlash against muslims in general -- and the anticipated "improvement" in Congress' cynical infatuation with Israel openly and spontaneously delighted Benjamin Netinyahu. To even suggest that there weren't people -- muslims included -- who as their first spontaneous reaction to the news said "Yes!" and pushed their fists in the air and did a little "war dance" ... why would we want to even try to tell that lie?

A neighbor woke me with a telephone call, I couldn't believe it. I went immediately to the Web. No previous calamity has hit us as hard, whether "us" is Americans or American muslims or muslims around the world. The implications of this insanity were clear years before this happened. For whatever reason or strategic purpose, those behind the Tuesday Terror certainly intended a backlash against muslims and a cowboy response. It was a foregone conclusion that Americans would promote that portion of the terrorists' agenda.

But the terrorists' backlash plan backfired. Utterly, in grassroots America, in localities all over the country. Ninety formal investigations underway and three dead -- that's a pretty weak backlash. And although I'm sure muslims in America feel under the gun anyway, we sure haven't been here in this area: neighbors covered the lawn at the mosque with flowers, in Hawaii the flowers were accompanied with cards reading "I've been so ignorant about muslims and what you believe -- please forgive me."

Yeah, people were jumping with joy in Palestine. What a huge surprise. Yeah, the media used it to distort the picture according to the usual agenda. What a huge surprise. Yeah, it was deliberate and irresponsible. What a huge surprise.

This article doesn't help, and posting it doesn't either. We have nothing to apologize for, nothing to justify, no reason to feel remorseful -- we didn't do it. Americans are finding that out, those that hadn't already known that, all over the place -- despite a "free press" information media that ignores most such news.

Some people welcomed the cold-blooded murder of 6,193 human beings. They cheered it exactly the way people cheered at the television coverage of the bombing of Baghdad. Don't ask me why, ask them. That wasn't my reaction.

But it was interesting to read some of the reactions of Freepers.

was-salaam,
ankaboot
--
Rejoice, muslims, in martyrdom without fighting,
a Mercy for us. Be like the better son of Adam.

Let me guess. CNN did this because they are so pro-Israel. Uh, huh.

This punk is a communist sympathizer working on a three man staff.

We're Back [eXile #125]

We're Back

By Matt Taibbi

taibbi@exile.ru

What has surely been the most embarrassing chapter in the very embarrassing four-year history of the eXile is apparently at an end.

The intramural snafu which resulted in the ouster of the eXile’s original editorial staff has been, to put it as vaguely as possible, resolved. Mssrs. Ames and McElwee, as well as yours truly, are back in control of this miserable newspaper.

For reasons that should be obvious to the reader, I am reluctant, at this time, to explore the issues surrounding the eXile’s temporary collapse, and its sudden return. I should say, however, that the intervening period saw the rapid dissolution of many serious misconceptions on the part of all the parties involved.

For instance, certain figures in the publishing house Ne Spat, the majority interest in the eXile, were introduced to the difference between an offer of investment, and actual investment.

Kevin, Mark and I, meanwhile, were most unceremoniously sent hurtling into a nightmare previously never thought imaginable by any of us—an utter vacuum of public outcry at our closing. Nearly a week passed after the initial announcement before we received a single letter of support. True, the letters did pour in later, in large enough numbers, but the white knights with fat wallets we expected would come to our rescue not only never came, they didn’t even send a goddamn Hallmark.

It would probably not be accurate to say that Jake “Sex Machine” Rudnitsky had any serious illusions shattered by his experience as Editor-in-Chief. I doubt if even Jake thought he could competently run a newspaper by himself. Jake is being maintained on the staff for the simple reason that the sheer awfulness of his “product” was the single largest factor in ensuring our return. Advertisers threatened to walk en masse at first exposure to Jake’s literary talents. I leave it to readers to decide whether or not we influenced his editorial decisions in absentia.

The full story of what happened last month will, I promise you, be revisited at a later date. Right now, though, I’m frankly very tired of talking about it and, given the events of last week, feel sure no one is much interested in hearing about it at length. Suffice to say that we’re back—and just in time, I might add. Imagine looking for a job at The Washington Post at a time like this!

About this war… there are plenty of things to say about it, and we tried to get to most of the more important things in this issue. But there is one particular issue, now arising as a result of the war, which is specifically relevant to the recent eXile mess, and our return. This is the worldwide surrender of humor to make way for war hysteria.

Careful readers of the news will have noted this week that the cable channel Comedy Central has temporarily pulled the popular “Daily Show,” hosted by Jon Stewart. The channel’s explanation is that news parody is inappropriate right now, when the news itself is so grave. As one of the show’s producers explained, “Irony is dead right now.” The channel is also carefully editing reruns of the Matt Stone/Trey Parker show “That’s My Bush,” removing any parts of the show which might be particularly offensive to our august leader.

Meanwhile, America’s leading humor publication, the Onion, announced this week that it is halting all new material, and that its next issues will be reruns of older, lighter articles. Apparently that’s as opposed to their newer, more innovative, more dangerous material, which so violently shakes popular conceptions.

These organizations were all responding to the troubling rhetorical question: “Who could laugh at a time like this? What kind of heartless monster would even dare?”

Hey, we have no idea, either. If we meet the guy, we promise—we’ll hang him from the first tree.

In the meantime, I guess you’ll all have to settle for the old eXile. Heartless? Maybe. But at least we’re not Stars and Stripes. No comic makes a good patriot. He’s too busy shitting his pants. That’s us. Back just in time—to shit our pants. See you in two weeks.

 

—Matt Taibbi

From your Fox story linked above:

"All Pakistani newspapers, all the papers in the area, they all write it here," shouted a protester at one rally, jabbing copies of articles proclaiming Israel's guilt, but offering no evidence. "They could not be wrong. They could not be wrong."

I think your story link is appropriate -- but your assumption that Samir would support bad journalism elsewhere is a long-shot. The story posted for this thread outlines CNN's unprofessional journalism. Your story outlines unprofessional journalism in Pakistan.

Is the only alternative to bad journalism that appears to manipulate the public to one false truth bad journalism that appears to manipulate the public to another false perception of truth? Perhaps good journalism is an option?

Samir did not offer an opinion on the story he posted. I see no posted evidence that he agrees with all or some or none of what is stated in the article. Yet posters here attack him. I suppose I will be called a Nazi for pointing that out? Discrediting the source of an allegation was lifted to an art form by the Clinton Administration. Now such argument/accusation has become legitimized?

Is it reasonable to assume that when a poster posts, he or she is in full agreement with the article/author? Is there any merit in this article’s criticism of CNN’s journalistic methods?

No. I'm sorry. This was not distortion of the news. This was reporting of an extraordinary reaction within the Palestinian community.

As angry as European nations get with the U. S. there were not celebrations in the streets of Europe after this attack. But there were such celebrations all over Palestine. This was an amazing event, and very worthy of coverage.

This article tries to downplay the significance of the event, but fails miserably. These were not isolated cases of a few confused children. These were massive celebrations involving people from all walks of life - and they celebrated the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians from a nation which continually sends them aid and argues their case against their own ally (Isreal). The reporters were likely as stunned as the rest of America in trying to cover this macabre festival.

The dream of a Palestinian state is dead. And the Palestinians themselves are the ones who killed it. Quit blaming the messenger.

"Only in the United States, a country which sentences minor criminals to death, would such journalism even be thinkable."

Pure BS. Charlie Manson is still alive. There are inmates on death row that been there for years because of never ending appeals. Go to Afganistan and see how minor crimes are treated there. No appeal, no mercy.

And his point is?

That CNN should not have covered the story because the truce was inconvenient?

There were celebrations all over Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon for two-three days following the attack. They were reported by numerous print journalist. Two to three whole days. Other CNN photojournalists had cameras seized when they filmed those later celebrations.

30 Seconds? Maybe the Palestinians -- and others addicted to terrorism -- better watch "30 Second Over Tokyo." Or better, read A Torch to the Enemy by Martin Cadin. After they think about that, and that we do not plan to go in for mass retaliation they might be grateful that all they lost was their chance at a nation.

I doubt it, though. Jackels are not known for gratitude.

Is it reasonable to assume that when a poster posts, he or she is in full agreement with the article/author?

Unless there's a nice big sarcasm tag alongside the original poster's comments one should assume so.

Is there any merit in this article’s criticism of CNN’s journalistic methods?

Not really. And even if there were it would be a moot point as a rather large number of other media outlets verified the story.

The author does make a perfectly valid point. Television pictures are far more powerful than print journalism, because most of the world is too lazy or stupid to read. They also allow the viewer to see things that could never be adequately described in words.

The CNN footage of the celebrations was the worst thing that could ever happen to Yassir Arafat. Instantly, Americans saw that at least some Palestinians thought that this horrific terrorist attack was great news.

It's been two weeks since the attack and there has been almost no Islamic leaders coming forward to denounce what happened. Arafat has made some gestures, but it hasn't been enough.

The bottom line is that there is a significant minority of arabs who hate America. After all, that's what their leaders have taught them for years.

CNN captured a few of them celebrating. I don't believe for a second that there weren't thousands of others who celebrated, too. They are the same ones burning our flag in Pakistan today, or marching in Iran.

This writer is complaining about something that is the truth, and lamenting that Americans discovered it.

"Thanks - an essay from an admitted crook who thought the video was fake because he didn't like the content.

Bump!

This is straight out of the Palestinian Authority's handbook. When the truth is dangerous to "our" cause, suppress the truth.

This writer confirms that the Palestinian "celebration" of the murder of 7,000 Americans took place. Does this "condemn all Paledstinians to death>? Of course not. It does, however, mean that a fair number of Palestinians and their "guests" like Hamas and Hezbollah, will shortly die for their involvement in and support of terrorism. It also means that the PA as it now exists will be destroyed. Perhaps sometime a rational Palestinian leader will arise, one who chooses live instead of death.

This writer is not concerned about the effects of this accurate video on all Palestinians, but only on the murderous cause of some Palestians.

The (More er Less) Honorable Billybob,
cyberCongressman from Western Carolina

Click here for Billybob's latest, "Bush is DEAD Wrong.

Click here and go to "ALCU Watch" for "The Law of War," a detailed legal discussion of how the US declares war, both historically and in this instance.

...Pull me up a chair, Samir.

Listen up fool (not you Samir, the author of this piece). TV news has been sh!t for at least a decade. NBC blew up trucks and blamed the manufacturer. ABC put spoiled food in the Food Lion and then blamed the grocery chain. CBS interviewed a Palestinian man and then deliberately mistranslated what he said. Why complain about it now?

The USA does not sentence minor criminals to death. Only murderers get the death sentence, and murder is not a minor crime.

America is not supporting the occupation of "Palestine". Israel has, since 1993, tried to negotiate with Arafat, and considerably arm twisting by successive American administrations on the Israelis, including the deliberate meddling in Israeli elections, only serve to refute this argument. Not once has Arafat tried to negotiate. The most recent offer came at Taba in January of 2001 (see map below). Arafat rejected it summarily and has not even made a counter proposal. If Arafat and the PA is not willing to negotiate the end of the occupation, there will be no end to the occupation. If Arafat is unwilling to draw a line on a map and make peace with Israel, how is Israel supposed to make peace with Palestine? If they withdraw in the face of violence, without knowing where Arafat is going to draw his lines, it will only encourage Arafat to escalate the violence and demand more and more. Israel will never withdraw until Arafat sits down and negotiates that line on the map.

</img src>

Hmmmmmmmm.

Don't ever show events that might anger the other side into a response.

An excellent (NOT!) approach to journalistic honesty and ethics.

Almost as good as not calling them "terrorists" because the Mass Murderers might get upset and not allow your journalists access to future events.

Tell it to the family of Mahmoud Jumayl, a 26 year old man who died in a Nablus prison. His only crime was knocking on the door of Colonel Jibril Rajoub and inquiring about the status of his missing brother.

The Palestinians are very savvy about photo ops, and distortions of facts. they seem to have been cought on their own petard. They go as far as sacrificing their own children in carefully prepared tragic dramas with the assistance of Jew hating European journalists.

The 30 seconds that destroyed the Palestinian PR efforts were the 30 seconds it took for 19 Moslem Arabs to strike the WTC.

The Palestinians will forever suffer for that evil act.

American and world public opinions do not care to hear of "reasons" or excuses for these dastardly, and INEXCUSABLE acts.

The radical-Moslem Arab's, and Palestinian's facade fell down with the WTC.

NOW THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS WHAT EVIL, EVIL, EVIL, THESE BASTARDS ARE!!!!!

A vague rambling screed that fails to make any kind of coherent point.

Oh he made a very clear coherent point...

"Don't document and disseminate scenes of animals celebrating Mass Murder".

But Palestinians have a very simple reason to hate Americans. Americans are supporting the occupation of their country by Israel. Israeli armed forces, the same people who are bulldozing neighborhoods and shooting into crowds, use American weapons— even American missiles. The United States is basically a colonial aggressor to most Palestinians, some 360,000 of which are living as refugees in Lebanon.

Excuse me, but when was there EVER a Palestinian state???? It is my understanding that the U.N. provided for a Palestinian state at the same time it provided for an Israeli state, and when the other nations in the area realized that Israel would become a nation, they went to war, which resulted in the Palestinian territory becoming non-existent in the effort by Israel to protect itself. Tell me WHY every time there is an effort to make peace with the Palestinians,( which might eventually lead to the Palestinians having the right to rule themselves in territory they could call their own)some suicide bomber or other "brave" Muslim who mistakenly believes he'll go straight to Paradise instead of straight to hell, takes it upon himself to destroy the peace, thereby provoking the Israelis to defend themselves? It is obvious that the Palestinians do not want peace, they want to drive the Israelis into the sea.

FR'S BIN LADIN'S CONTIGENT POSTER GIRL

MY KIND OF WOMAN: BARBARA OLSON, A GREAT AMERICAN PATRIOT MURDERED BY THE THE TERRORISTS SOME ON THIS THREAD ARE MAKING EXCUSES FOR!

It is my understanding that the U.N. provided for a Palestinian state at the same time it provided for an Israeli state...

Yes, and it was called East Palestine/Transjordan/Jordan

when the other nations in the area realized that Israel would become a nation, they went to war, which resulted in the Palestinian territory becoming non-existent in the effort by Israel to protect itself.

Not exactly. What resulted was that most of this Palestinian area was annexed by Jordan and Egypt after they invaded in 1948, and they held it until 1967. Between 1948-1967, they never once negotiated with the Palestinians for their freedom.

Since 1967, Israel has always had a policy of land for peace regarding the occupied territories. Make peace, you will get the land. So far, the Palestinians have not been willing to make peace. They thought that if they played the victim they would eventually get the land without having to make peace. It came close to succeeding. But Since 9-11, everything has changed.

If you want to know what I think will happen, Israel will probably rush some kind of peace agreement with the knowlege that Arafat is incapable of honoring it. Internal strife between Hamas/Islamic Jihad vs Arafat/Fatah will consume the territories. Arafat will lose, or side with the fundamentalist terrorists in order to unify his people and save his skin. They will resume their war against Israel, and Israel will then be fully justifed to stomp these monsters (monsters=Arafat, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and their supporters) for good.

It's really too bad that the Gulf states don't step in and force Arafat to be more reasonable. I don't know why they still refuse to just accept the right of Israel to live in peace.

OK, I am extremely impressed. How did you do that?

"Since 1967, Israel has always had a policy of land for peace regarding the occupied territories.

Make peace, you will get the land."

Glad that you agree. Time is long since reasonably passed.

-----------------------------

When a coin comes up "heads" 134,000 times, bet that it is a two-sided coin, and bet on "heads".

These real scenes portray the result of DECADES of propaganda and hatred by the Arafat & his allies towards America.

It would be supremely ironic if these scenes woould lead to such adverse consequences for Palestinians as the author proposes.

I think it more likely that his analysis is a trifle exaggerated, if not a bit hysterically overdrawn, as to the likely long-term adverse cosequences of showing these authentic scenes.

Clearly, however, the Palestinians, metaphorically, "hired Saddam's own suicidally inept "PR agent" "

(metaphorically speaking) for this little extravaganza of catastrophic & orgiastic exhibitionism.

Blaming America as the (primary) victim of these vicious, murderous, unconscionable, subhuman attacks

--- or blaming the messenger/reporter (CNN),

will not cut any ice whatsoever

--- with tens of millions of Americans.

These real scenes portray the result of DECADES of propaganda and hatred by the Arafat & his allies towards America.

It would be supremely ironic if these scenes woould lead to such adverse consequences for Palestinians as the author proposes.

I think it more likely that his analysis is a trifle exaggerated, if not a bit hysterically overdrawn, as to the likely long-term adverse cosequences of showing these authentic scenes.

Clearly, however, the Palestinians, metaphorically, "hired Saddam's own suicidally inept "PR agent" "

(metaphorically speaking) for this little extravaganza of catastrophic & orgiastic exhibitionism.

Blaming America as the (primary) victim of these vicious, murderous, unconscionable, subhuman attacks

--- or blaming the messenger/reporter (CNN),

will not cut any ice whatsoever

--- with tens of millions of Americans.

This Taibbi is a complete fool. As far as the poor Palestinians children throwing rocks at Isreali soldiers, what about the snipers on rooftops and in windows behind the innocent children, the media never speaks of? So Arafat and the rest of his terrorist organization were denouncing the acts, this buys him a pass on his character? Hey Taibbi, why did it take almost a week for Arafat to close down his terrorist training facilities, complete with Sbarrow pizzeria? As for the blood given, find out why the blood given by Palestinians was never sent to America, so many broken hearted Palestinians and only Arafat gives blood-----PLEASE. How dare the Isrealis occupy land they took in a war, six days does'nt justify ownership, so I guess they should let the Palestinians have it back. Check on the treatment of Palestinians by thier Arab-brothers, they have less rights and are abused more in the surrounding nations than by the Isrealis. Your right on one thing though, the world has'nt been getting the truth about the conflict, just the Politically correct view.

There was a whole lot more than just thirty seconds, Buster. Be thankful it was only that amount of airtime. How about the film and reports that were confiscated by Arrafat's police force shortly after the WTC bombing? Or the death threats that were given to Western journalists if they spoke or released any more news reports about the many celebrations of Palestinians and Egyptians gloating over the WTC and Pentagon bombings. Palestinians want us dead and Israel destroyed, period. Fanatic Muslims hate us. So do many of the so-called "moderate" Muslims. They adore their hero Osama Bin Laden and wish jihad on ALL Americans--men, women and children.

I used to feel some sympathy for the Palestinians, but no more. I think Israel has been more than restrained against these "death to the infidels" creeps. Palestinians admired that "holy man" Saddam Hussein because he tried to destroy Israel with scud missles. Don't think that most Americans forgot those pictures of Saddam-praising, picture-holding Palestinian morons. Today, they worship suicide bombers who take out a pizzeria full of families, the WTC hi-jacker/murderers and Osama Bin Laden who years ago issued a "fatwa" against ALL Americans.

The Palestinians have a deathwish. Their gun-shooting, cries of "Allah is great" and other ghoulish displays after the WTC autrocity was just dancing on their graves, IMHO. Well, I won't care if they meet whatever fate has in store for them at the end of an American or Israeli gun or bomb. It's what they want to do to us. It's what they raise their young sons to want. The last one standing wins--suicide martyrs can only last so long against angry Americans and Israelies. Most ignorant Palestinians don't want peace. They want revenge and the genocide of Jews and Christians. It's in the Koran and their self-appointed Mahdi hero Osama Bin Laden says so.

This article, the admiration of barbaric, murderous Islamic martyrdom, a photo of a sullen group of candle-lighting Palestinian boys wearing "I Love NY" t-shirts and Yassir Araffat giving blood ain't gonna change American minds anytime soon. Can you say Potemkin village?

Mega-Bump for our dear great & courageous American patriot Barbara Olsen

& the rest of 6,700 or so the 9/11/01 innocent martyrs ----

and for thier friends, family ,co-workers, associates, and for the permanent loss of & to loved ones, of talent, & many tens of thousands of permanently lost affectionate & productive decades

and of VAST intellectual & cultural resources ---

and of future historical potential to --- America and to the FREE WORLD!

I, for one am, & will remain forever, pissed off!

How did you do that?

A program called Gifcon.

Yes. The Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordon.

A monarchy/dictatorship...seemingly the only kind of government Muslims seem capable of coming up with...and the type of government there is every reason to believe they would impose everywhere, given the opportunity.

How DID you do that???????/

I use this.

79 Posted on 09/29/2001 18:22:30 PDT by monkeyshine
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80 Posted on 09/30/2001 05:51:22 PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets
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