Sick of corporate journalists simply repeating government talking points? Are we “winning” the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? The embedded mindset is alive and well.
Dahr Jamail is a notable exception, independent reporter for years. Some choice comments from his recent interview with Truthout:
A3N: How do they [mainstream media] address the argument that exposing war crimes is not a crime?
DJ: Usually they don’t, because the corporate media – and the government, for that matter – avoid the words “war crime” as though they are a plague. Thus, they avoid the issue at all cost.
A3N: In your opinion, how do the corporate media present the US occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan to the US public?
DJ: With Iraq, the occupation is presented as though it was a mistake, as though the great benevolent US empire was mistakenly mislead into the war, but since “we” are there, it is good that at least Saddam Hussein has been removed – and now, of course, the US has only done the best it can in a tough situation.
With Afghanistan, the occupation is presented to the public as the ongoing frontline battle against “terrorism,” while in reality, they should call Afghanistan “pipeline-istan” because it’s all about securing the access corridors for natural gas and oil pipelines from the Black Sea through Afghanistan – the four main US bases there are located along the exact pipeline route – to the coast of Pakistan.