The above video advertisement, published by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, can be seen this morning on Daily Kos. The ad has a short history but came into the limelight after its rejection by DirectTV. Reportedly, it is now being seen on left wing blogs, although only Daily Kos to date has been apparently recruited to run the ad. We look forward to a wider distribution on other blogs.
Muzzlewatch posted this article about the censorship:
DirecTV Censors US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation’s Gaza TV ad.
February 17 2009
The US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation received an emergency grant from Cultures of Resistance and produced this commercial on Gaza. After extensive discussion with DirecTV the company declined the ad. This is not an atypical action for corporate US media, but it does demand a response. (The Campaign is now running the ad on various progressive blogs.)
The Campaign wrote:
We thought, “What better way to bring this important information to the attention of people in the United States than to advertise nationally on DIRECTV?” the largest satellite television subscription service in the country.
After detailed discussions with DIRECTV, including agreement on rates, times, and network placements of the ad, when we gave them the final product, they abruptly decided not to do business with us.
This blatant act of censorship is preventing millions of U.S. households from learning the truth about our government’s crucial role in enabling Israel’s war on and siege of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Watch the extended edit of the video above. And let DirecTV know what you think by clicking here.
In the meantime, the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs is reporting that food insecurity in Gaza increased after the war, while thousands of Gazans remain homeless.
It is not clear to any observer of what occurred in Gaza how this massacre or turkey shoot could be called a war, given the enormous toll on civilians, especially children. One effect has been to increase the prestige of Hamas, which is now distributing food and aid to suffering Gazans, although it is apparently insufficient.
UPDATE
List of left wing blogs showing the ad:
The Smirking Chimp:
Sadly, No!:
Informed Comment:
The Young Turks:
Lawyers, Guns and Money:
Jack and Jill Politics:
BAGnewsNotes:
Jesus’ General:
DailyKos:
The Agonist:
Pandagon.net:
Oliver Willis:
The Mahablog:
The Washington Monthly:
TalkLeft: The Politics of Crime:
Wonkette:
Political Wire:
I asked the US Campaign to consider widening its ad spectrum to include Booman Tribune.
