Friday, August 10, 2018
Headlines for Aug. 10, 2018 — The "lost episode"
This week's "Headlines" segment on Sputnik's Loud & Clear was pre-empted by a Russiagate segment, as Brian, John and I discuss the latest news about the Steele dossier and the role in played in launching the investigation. You'll have to content yourself with reading my notes below about the headlines we would have discussed if we had gone ahead with the normal segment.
Worst and Most Misleading Headlines (WAMMH) -- August 10, 2018
CANDIDATES FOR “WORST”/”MOST DISGUSTING”:
BY FAR THE WORST, THIS SEQUENCE OF THREE HEADLINES FROM BBC:
- Israeli airstrikes ‘kill woman and baby’
- Israeli airstrikes ‘kill woman and toddler’
- [10 minutes later, after complaints from the Israeli Foreign Ministry and the “Board of Deputies of British Jews”]: Gaza airstrikes ‘kill woman and child’ after rockets hit Israel
The complaint for the Israeli Foreign Ministry: .@BBCWorld this is a formal complaint by @IsraelMFA .This title is a deliberate misrepresentation of reality ( that’s the polite equivalent of “ this is a LIE”, if you don’t get it). Israelis were targeted by Hamas and IDF acts to protect them.Change it IMMEDIATELY!!! @IsraelMFA
So many things to say:
- The obvious, the implication that “rockets hitting Israel” (which killed no one) justifies killing the woman and her 1-year-old child
- The omission of any trigger for the rockets hitting Israel, which, as noted in the article, was the unprovoked Israeli murder of two members of Hamas the day before.
- The change from “Israeli” airstrikes, which properly identifies the perpetrator, to “Gaza” airstrikes, which obscures the perpetrator.
- The change from “baby” to “toddler” (a proper description of a 1-year-old) to “child” (which could mean anyone up to perhaps 18 years old, and evokes far less response from the reader, even if it is technically accurate, just like “cops kill unarmed man” is technically accurate even if the really accurate headline was “cops kill unarmed Black man”. By the way the woman was also nine months pregnant, so “unborn child” could have been added to the headline.
- The change of quote! If “woman and toddler” is an actual quote, you can’t just change it to “woman and child” on a whim! And if it is NOT an actual quote, it doesn’t belong in quotes.
NASA backs designs for 3D-printed homes on Mars
We can't solve the homelessness problem in the U.S., but the brightest minds in the government are busy attacking the problem of building homes on Mars. Hooray!
DNC warns candidates: Don't use ZTE or Huawei phones
Democrats completely buying into the completely unfounded “security threat” nonsense. China? Russia? We (Dems) hate them more than Republicans! Yes we do!
Details Surface About Chinese Spy Who Worked For Sen. Feinstein
And what were those details? He was her driver in the Bay Area, and allegedly reported back to the Chinese government about local politics (which you could read about in the SF Chronicle)! OMG!
Alleged attack on Maduro allows him to crack down harder on opposition, experts say
“Alleged” attack? Also, if there was an attempted assassination of Donald Trump, try to guess the repercussions on Americans in terms of increased surveillance and lots more. Also, the first “expert” cited is from the Atlantic Council (discussed on Monday’s Loud & Clear).
Related:
Venezuela Is in Crisis but Its President Might Be Stronger for It
Two of the worst examples of Venezuela reporting anywhere:
"Mr. Maduro has weathered attempted rebellions, months of mass street protests, isolation from neighboring countries, threats of military intervention from President Trump, declining oil revenues, dissent within his own party, a mass exodus of his people and an election in May, widely described as rigged, that extended his term until 2025." Not included? US sanctions, or the boycott of the election by part of the opposition, which was the real story of the election, not alleged rigging.
And even worse: "While Mr. Maduro may not exactly fit the model of a military dictator". He was a BUS DRIVER and was ELECTED (twice). So yeah, "not exactly".
White nationalists are coming to D.C. Here’s the best way to protest.
Most of what the author says is fine, e.g., "The best way to resist white supremacists is to massively outnumber them in a disciplined show of nonviolent force." and "Mobilizing a counter-rally needs to be backed by sustained organizing to seriously challenge racism and white supremacy in the United States." She also calls for "a mass gathering at a separate location", which I would disagree with. But regardless, it's the idea that the WaPo wants to tell people how to protest that just seems wrong.
CANDIDATES FOR “MOST MISLEADING”:
Trump endorses vote fraud crusader Kris Kobach in Kansas governor GOP primary
“Vote fraud crusader”? He’s a vote SUPPRESSION crusader, pioneer of the “crosscheck” program which has illegally purged hundreds of thousands of people across the country. In April: “Kris Kobach has been found in contempt of court by a federal judge in Kansas. Trump’s Vote Thief-in-Chief has violated the rights of 36,000 Kansas citizens, taking away their right to vote on suspicion of being aliens. Every one is a U.S. citizen — and, not uncoincidentally, overwhelmingly Democratic leaning.” [https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article209268109.html ]
WaPo headline: North Korea has not taken steps to denuclearize, John Bolton says
SJ Mercury headline: North Korea has not taken steps to denuclearize, Bolton admits
The story is bad enough, not one word about the ACTUAL steps that DPRK has taken to denuclearize, not any mention of the fact that the agreement also calls for the *US* to take steps (toward normalizing relations). But the one word change in the SJ Mercury is significant. "Says" (WaPo) means thats what Bolton thinks, maybe its true, maybe not. "Admits" (SJMercury) says it is true, and that Bolton finally had to "admit" it.
And the reality, which comes in the form of a Bolton quote: “We’re going to continue to apply maximum pressure to North Korea until they denuclearize, just as we are to Iran.” No summit and no “agreement” was necessary if that’s the U.S. position, were they? “We squeeze you until you cry ‘uncle’” is not a “negotiation”!
CANDIDATES FOR “FUNNIEST”:
The USMC would like you to know that being in armed combat is exactly like playing Super Smash Bros.
USMC tweet: “Meet the characters in the smash hit military that has been defeating our foes since 1775. #SmashBrosUltimate”
You mean like Vietnam? Or Afghanistan?
