Friday, October 04, 2019
Headlines for Oct. 4, 2019
Worst, Most Misleading & Funniest Headlines for Oct. 4, 2019
*Joseph C. Wilson, diplomat caught in dispute over Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, dies at 69
President Bush's 2003 State of the Union Address included these 16 words: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." In response, in the July 6, 2003, issue of The New York Times, Wilson contributed an op-ed entitled "What I Didn't Find in Africa".
“Caught in dispute over Iraqi weapons of mass destruction” — well, that’s one way of framing it. “Exposed the lies of the Bush Administration” would be another.
Compare to CNN headline: “American diplomat Joseph Wilson, who challenged reasoning for Iraq war, dies at age 69”
*Hong Kong Police Shoot Protester, as National Day Demonstrations Turn Violent
Actual details from the article:
In the video, the protester who was shot is first seen joining a black-clad mob of people who chase a riot officer and tackle him to the ground. They kick him and beat him with what appear to be metal pipes.
At one point, the protester approaches a second police officer who is standing nearby with a handgun drawn. Just after the protester hits the officer with the pipe, the officer fires at the man at point-blank range.
Now see how the media treats the protester:
*Hong Kong Student Shot by Police Is ‘The Bravest Type,’ Cousin Says
A guy who attacks a cop with a metal bar is being portrayed in the WSJ as a brave hero!
Another one from FOX:
*Hong Kong teen shot by police during pro-democracy protests now risks 10-year jail sentence
Compare to how the NYT treated protests in Iraq, where 42 people have now been shot dead:
*‘Just Give Us a Country’: Thousands in Iraq Protest Corruption
That was two days ago. Here’s today:
*At Least 42 Dead After Days Of Violent Protests In Iraq
Note how they carefully avoid saying that Iraqi security forces killed the protesters: “Iraqi security forces fired live rounds to disperse crowds of protesters in Baghdad on Friday, as the death toll from days of anti-government unrest has reached at least 42, according to officials.”
Also worth comparing to coverage of yellow vest protests:
✔ 45 weeks of protests
✔ 11 dead
✔ 76 seriously injured
✔ 2500 injured
✔ 23 lost an eye
✔ 5 lost a hand
✔ thousands arrested
✔ no mainstream media coverage
This week’s #FakeNewsByOmission story:
*Havana syndrome: Exposure to neurotoxin may have been cause, study suggests
CBC reports on a new study showing that pesticide spraying, not non-existent "acoustic weapons", caused the problems of US diplomats in Havana. BBC and Reuters eventually covered the story, but so far neither the NYT, WaPo, nor CNN (nor any other US outlet) have done so.
Trump called impeachment a ‘coup.’ Here’s why past U.S. officials have avoided the word.
Of course it’s not just “past US officials” who have refused to call the ouster of Morsi in Egypt, or Zelaya in Honduras, a “coup”, or the brief military uprising against Maduro an “attempted coup”, it’s also the WaPo, the NYT, & the rest of US media.
*Xi Extols China’s ‘Red’ Heritage in a Land Haunted by Famine Under Mao
Front page. All about the millions who died during the great famine following the Great Leap Forward. No word on the immense gains under Mao. Life expectancy from 1949 to 1979 increased from 35 to 66, meaning that billions of lives were significantly lengthened.
Why Trump Just Made Your Dinner More Expensive
Speaks to who the Times sees as its audience. Spanish olives, French wine, and Scotch whiskey are not elements of most people’s dinners, or even their dinner parties, which are more likely to involve California olives, California wine, and Tennessee bourbon (or American beer). The one common food they mention, Parmesan cheese, may come from Italy in its “fancy” form (Parmigiano), but the Parmesan cheese in my refrigerator, the Safeway house brand, comes from Canadian cows.
Fact check: Trump attacks Washington Post over book by New York Times journalists
To quote Rick Perry, Oops! [The book is about immigration policy]
In Clashing Accounts, Trump and Rouhani Explain Why U.N. Meeting Fell Through
Why would you give equal credence in a headline to someone with more than 12,000 *documented* lies?
