IRAQ WAR MEDIA TRACKING — Thanks For Your Help

MEDIA TRACKING TO BRING END TO WAR IN IRAQ

Dear Everyone,

I have been receiving loads of replies on my media tracking project, and some surprising breaks in the US media reporting of the illegal war in Iraq.

I have started four blogs for media trackers who want to help in this project.

PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT

To break through media blackout.  To bring the news to the US, (via the UK, if necessary)  To counterattack falsehood with fact, to expose the illegal war as it was developing and reported in the US.  Ultimately the goal of this project is to bring a speedy end to the war in Iraq through the public becoming more aware of the insidious origins of the illegal war of aggression against Iraq.

Pick a target area, and dates to work within (Google lets you search between certain dates) when you get your list, find US sources for stories, then a list of UK stories.

THERE ARE FOUR BLOGS YOU CAN POST TO. (e mail me if you want itsgrimm at hotmail dot com)

I need your help with US media tracking on some very important issues:

1.  RAF Bombing to Goad Saddam Into War.  

This was first reported to dKos by Welshman on the 29th of May.  That was Michael Smith. RAF BOMBING TO GOAD SADDAM INTO WAR. Michael Smith of TimesOnLine, and formerly of the Telgraph is the best journalist on the subject of ILLEGAL WAR IRAQ that I have found.  
Sunday we had another article on the same subject by Norton Taylor RAF bombing raids on Iraq no-fly zone defied Foreign Office legal advice, say Lib Dems .  

It has been 32 days and this story has, as far as I can find, only been reported once in the US Main Stream Media.  (I do mean mainstream, and not blogs, and not alternative news like Alternet, Common Dreams, or Iraq Occupation Watch.

ATTENTION: Media Trackers on this subject should pay special attention to the phrase “SPIKES OF ACTIVITY

“The details follow the leak to The Sunday Times of minutes of a key meeting in July 2002 at which Blair and his war cabinet discussed how to make “regime change” in Iraq legal.

“Geoff Hoon, then defence secretary, told the meeting that “the US had already begun `spikes of activity’ to put pressure on the regime”.

“The new information, obtained by the Liberal Democrats, shows that the allies dropped twice as many bombs on Iraq in the second half of 2002 as they did during the whole of 2001, and that the RAF increased their attacks even more quickly than the Americans did.” Michael Smith, “RAF bombing raids tried to goad Saddam into war”; TimesOnLine, May 29, 2005.

2. “ILLEGAL””WAR””IRAQ”

The first time these terms hit the US Media big time was September, 2004 when Koffi Annan said, “The war in Iraq is illegal.”  Since that it is rare that you will find US news reports that include these three terms together.  Why is this?  The war in Iraq IS illegal, but apparently part of the Bush agenda is not to say this simple truth.

The operative term to articles to track US media is “illegal””war””Iraq” in that order.  Google your little hearts out and try to find US media coverage on this most important story of our day.  If you get tired of looking, try contrasting UK articles on the same terms.  You could try, if you’re really ambitious from May 1, 2005, when the Downing Street Minutes were first published in the UK Sunday Times.

3.  OP EDS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

I need articles, especially op-eds from US mainstream media in three categories:

  •  Top Notch — This would be Bob Herbert’s Truth & Deceit”
  •  Middle of the Road — These would be articles that say, “We knew the war was illegal, so what?”  “Is there any substance to the allegations contained in the Downing Street Minutes?”  along those lines.
  •  Outrageous Bushthink.  This would be Dana Milbank’s June 17, Democrats Play House to Rally Against War.”

    An idea of how this media blackout has been working is given in the following diary:

    DEARLOVE’S BRIEFING By Booman23.

    “The reason the New York Times and the Washington Post don’t want to investigate the DSM leaks is because they were fully complicit in ‘fixing’ the intelligence.”
    Dearlove’s Briefing, Booman23; June 18, 2005.

    Thanks to everyone who has been helping on this project:  Alex, Greg, Ben, David, Jonathan, Timbuk 3, Tom and the gang at ADS.

    BLOG LIST:

    1. RAF BOMBING TO GOAD SADDAM INTO WAR

    US MAIN STREAM MEDIA COVERAGE

    BLOG ONE: ILLEGAL WAR IRAQ RAF

    Articles including the terms “SPIKES OF ACTIVITY” should be included here.

    2. OP EDS AND LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ILLEGAL WAR IRAQ

    There are three categories:

    1.  The Best of the Lot:

    *  Bob Herbert
    *  Greg Mitchell of Editor & Publisher

    2.  The Middle of the Road:*  “Stay the Course”
    *  “Yeah we knew the war was illegal, so what?”
    *  “Don’t see the significance in Downing Street Documents”

    3.  The Worst of the Worst:

    *  Dana Milbank “Democrats Play House to Rally Against War”

    BLOG TWO: OP EDS LTE’s WAR IN IRAQ

    3. SEARCH TERMS “ILLEGAL””WAR””IRAQ’

    1.    MAIN STREAM MEDIA UNITED STATES
    2.    MAIN STREAM MEDIA UNITED KINGDOM

    BLOG THREE: ILLEGAL WAR IRAQ

    THE HUB OF THE WHEEL:

    AFTER DOWNING STREET DOT ORG

    ATTENTION: SEE THIS SITE !!

    What We Knew, What We Were Told

    There is one year’s worth of research needs filling in. 2004 – 2005. If you can help here, please visit this blog and post your entries:

    BLOG FOUR: What We Knew, What We Were Told Blogspot

    TimBuk 3 has done an amazing job.

    THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO IS HELPING !!

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