I'm so sick of the MSM I can't even begin to tell you...read this whining...
Newspaper Union Boss Charges U.S. Military
Targets Journalists
The President of the Newspaper Guild, the union representing reporters at newspapers, last week declared her "outrage" at how "there's not more outrage about the number, and the brutality, and the cavalier nature of the U.S. military toward the killing of journalists in Iraq." She charged that the U.S. military "target and kill journalists from other countries, particularly Arab countries" and, in the case of Al-Jazeera, "they actually target them and blow up their studios with impunity." Linda Foley spewed her venom on May 14 at the far-left National Conference for Media Reform held in St. Louis. Mark Hyman of Sinclair Broadcasting on Wednesday first publicized her remarks, devoting a "The Point" commentary to them.
While Foley's remarks recall those of CNN executive Eason Jordan who made a similar charge earlier this year, and eventually resigned from CNN, he had editorial control over CNN content. Foley is a union chief without any direction over what a newspaper reports, but her remarks are probably indicative of the views of many newspaper reporters who have elected her as their union leader.
On Wednesday night, the MRC's CNSNews.com posted a story by Randy Hall, "Journalists Being Targeted in Iraq, Newspaper Union Boss Charges." To read it: www.cnsnews.com
Hyman appeared Thursday night on FNC's O'Reilly Factor where he explained that he came across the comments by reviewing the online video posted on the Web site for the conference.
O'Reilly played a very dark video, from the online posting, of Foley charging: "What outrages me as a representative of journalists is that there's not more outrage about the number, and the brutality, and the cavalier nature of the U.S. military toward the killing of journalists in Iraq. [applause followed by edit jump] They target and kill journalists from other countries, particularly Arab countries like Al-, at news services like Al-Jazeera, for example. They actually target them and blow up their studios with impunity."
Hyman's March 18 commentary aired on the largely small market TV stations owned by Sinclair:
Words That Cause Grave Harm
Newsweek's unsubstantiated story last week that U.S. troops desecrated the Koran in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, led to deadly results. Dozens were killed and injured in Arab country protests. U.S. prestige suffered a tremendous blow in the Muslim world. Newsweek has retracted the story.
Top CNN executive Eason Jordan resigned earlier this year over remarks he reportedly made that the U.S. military targeted journalists in Iraq. No proof. Nothing to back up his claim. He just said it.
Now comes Linda Foley, International President of the Newspaper Guild, who made a similar claim in St. Louis last Friday.
"Journalists, by the way, are not just being targeted verbally or ...ah, or... ah, politically. They are also being targeted for real, um...in places like Iraq. What outrages me as a representative of journalists is that there's not more outrage about the number, and the brutality, and the cavalier nature of the U.S. military toward the killing of journalists in Iraq."
"They target and kill journalists...uh, from other countries, particularly Arab countries like Al-, like Arab news services like Al-Jazeera, for example. They actually target them and blow up their studios with impunity..."
These completely irresponsible remarks speak for themselves. Foley should immediately deliver evidence that supports her horrible allegations or she should immediately resign as Newspaper Guild president.
Unfortunately, the damage may have already been done. Her remarks could lead to further bloodshed, including against Americans.
The question is whether Newspaper Guild members will hold Foley accountable or will they give her a free pass in endangering American lives with inflammatory remarks without any proof?
And that's the Point.
I'm Mark Hyman.
END of Reprint
To watch it, via either RealPlayer or Windows Media Player: www.newscentral.tv
That video includes video clips of Foley.
Joe Strupp of Editor&Publisher, who wrote a story on the controversy, appeared on FNC with Hyman. Strupp's story presented Foley's defense of her comments. An excerpt from his May 19 article:
Guild Chief Under Fire for Comments About Attacks on Journalists in Iraq
Linda Foley, national president of The Newspaper Guild, drew strong criticism today from some conservative groups for comments she made last Friday about the killing of journalists in Iraq. Foley said, among other things, that she was angry that there was "not more outrage about the number and the brutality, and the cavalier nature of the U.S. military toward the killing of journalists in Iraq. I think it's just a scandal."
The backlash became so severe Thursday that staffers at Guild headquarters in Washington, D.C., stopped answering the phone because of abusive phone calls and "people screaming at us," Foley said. Instead, callers were required to leave messages on voice mail and await a return call....
The calls were apparently in reaction to comments Foley made during a panel discussion at the National Conference for Media Reform in St. Louis on May 13. There she offered a lengthy commentary on corporate ownership of media, and she refuted certain criticism of journalists. During that session, she also briefly discussed deaths of journalists covering the war.
Foley's comments, which he says have been distorted, have already drawn the ire of several conservative news organizations, including NewsMax.com, The Washington Times, and Sinclair Broadcasting, charging that she accused the U.S. forces of deliberately targeting journalists....
Several critics immediately compared her criticism to the case of Eason Jordan, the former CNN executive who resigned after suggesting that U.S. military personnel may have targeted journalists in Iraq.
Last month, Foley sent a letter to President Bush criticizing the U.S. investigation into the deaths of journalists in Iraq.
Foley told E&P Thursday that her words were taken out of context by critics and said her original intent was to discuss how journalists are often scapegoated for their coverage. "This was almost an aside," she said. "But it is true that hundreds of journalists are killed around the world, and many have been killed in Iraq."
When asked if she believed U.S. troops had targeted journalists in Iraq, she said, "I was careful of not saying troops, I said U.S. military. Could I have said it differently? There are 100 different ways of saying this, but I'm not sure they would have appeased the right."
She did point out that those who bombed the Al Jazeera studios in Baghdad in 2003 had the coordinates of the television station, "because Al Jazeera had given it to them and they bombed the hell out of the station. They bombed it knowing it was the Al Jazeera station. Absent any independent inquiry that tells the world otherwise, that is what I believe."
Her comments at the conference followed the letter she sent last month to President Bush criticizing the U.S. investigation into the deaths of journalists in Iraq, including several during an attack on the Palestine Hotel in 2003.
In that attack, two journalists -- one form Spain and the other from Ukraine -- were killed. She also noted the bombing of the Al Jazeera office the same day, in which a reporter died. "Neither of these attacks has been independently investigated nor have the deaths been properly explained to the satisfaction of the victims' families, their friends and their colleagues," the letter said, in part.
END of Excerpt
For the article in full: www.editorandpublisher.com
At the National Conference for Media Reform, Foley took part in a session titled, "Media Workers and Media Reform" with "Linda Foley, The Newspaper Guild/CWA; John Connolly, AFTRA; Tariq Jalil, NABET-CWA Local 53 L.A.; Shannon Kirkland, CWA; Luis Enrique Romero, APAGA; Nestor Soto, UPAGRA."
To listen to the 90 minute mp3 of the session, scroll down to "2pm Saturday" at: www.freepress.net
Home page for the Newspaper Guild, which is part of the larger Communications Workers of America union: www.newsguild.org |
