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CONTENTS
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1. Introduction: A Critical Look at the "Patriotic" Press
2. Post 9-11 Media
3. The Stories You Haven't Heard
4. Spinning the War
5. Ask an Expert
6. Featured Actions
7. Special Feature: About Us
8. Get Involved
9. About the Bulletin

INTRODUCTION: A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE "PATRIOTIC" PRESS
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In the West, we tend to believe that we have freedom of speech, and a press that reflects this freedom. In fact, it could be argued that the freedom to express a dissenting opinion is the cornerstone of a democratic society. Sadly, since the events of September 11, freedom of speech seems to have been largely abandoned in favour of a "patriotic" stifling of any criticism of America's actions as they undertake this "new war" against terrorism. Nowhere is this more evident than in the mainstream media, where aggressive investigative journalism seems to have been replaced with, at best, tacit agreement with U.S. government policies, and at worst, outright propaganda. Perhaps the scariest aspect of this is that journalists are not just lining up behind the status quo in the face of government pressure; they are also engaging in self-censorship, which is based largely on a nationalistic desire to support their country. Meanwhile, much of the Western press in other countries such as Canada and the U.K. seems to be following suit.

In this week's bulletin, we take a look at the state of journalism since the events of 9-11, with a special focus on how the war in Afghanistan has been portrayed in the American media. We challenge the assumption that the American press is delivering the whole story, and examine how and why information may be filtered. After all, in this time of war, it is more important than ever to analyze and evaluate the kind of information that we're being given, because it is this information that will shape our opinions, and ultimately, our view of the world and our place in it.

We also have a special feature this week, called "About Us". In this feature we will give you a brief introduction to the people behind 9-11Peace.org, including the website's founder, the new editor of the bulletin, and 9-11Peace.org's new partner, MoveOn.org.

Next week: The C.I.A. and Afghanistan.

THE POST 9-11 MEDIA
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First, a general look at the actions of the media since September 11th.

Follow the link below for a detailed summary of the state of journalism since 9-11, written by the First Amendment Ombudsman at the First Amendment Center. If you read only one link in this bulletin, make it this one.
http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=15211

Read the transcript of this interview with Janine Jackson, Program Coordinator for FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting), for information about what FAIR is and what it does, as well as her evaluation of the media and how it has performed since 9-11. This includes Janine's suggestions on what kind of criteria the average person can use to evaluate the news.
http://www.guerrillanews.com/counter_intel/fair_assessment/jackson_trans.html

CNN agrees to seek government guidance on what to include in their news, after meeting with National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice.
http://www.fair.org/press-releases/network-pressure.html

THE STORIES YOU HAVEN'T HEARD
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So what, exactly, is the mainstream media leaving out? Here are a few of the most important issues that have been under-reported or left out completely by the mainstream press, and examples of articles that discuss them.

There are over 1000 people who have been taken into custody as part of the ongoing investigation into the terrorism. However, no one seems to know where they are, nor even what they are being charged with. So much for civil liberties.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=102762

Is the hidden agenda behind the war the U.S. desire for oil?
http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?itemid=12172

Is the U.S. really doing everything it can to avoid killing civilians?
http://www.fair.org/media-beat/010925.html

Is the U.S. on the brink of an attack on Iraq? A group of high-ranking officials, including U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, is pushing for an attack on Iraq - and the recent outbreaks of anthrax may be used as the pretext for this action.
http://www.guerrillanews.com/newswire/186.html

We would also like to mention Al Jazeera in this section. Al Jazeera has been called the CNN of the Arab world. However, unlike CNN, who along with other major networks has agreed to censor its news, the popular middle East satellite news channel has resisted U.S. pressure to alter their content. Despite Colin Powell's entreaty to Al Jazeera to stop doing so, Al Jazeera continues to broadcast bin Laden's taped addresses to the world, as well as images of the civilians who are being killed in the current U.S. military action. The following article argues that Al Jazeera deserves respect for this stance, rather than the vilification it has suffered at the hands of much of the mainstream American press.
http://electronicintifada.net/features/articles/20011022alihussein.html

If you can speak or read Arabic, you can visit Al Jazeera's website and see for yourself the images that CNN refuses to show you.
http://www.aljazeera.net/

SPINNING THE WAR
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Journalism is only one aspect of the public relations battle that the American government is currently fighting.

This article explains that the U.S. government is enlisting the help of advertising to gain support for the war on Afghanistan.
http://media.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4288135,00.html

According to this article, the Rendon Group, a public relations firm, has landed a $397,000 contract. Their job? To make sure that the Pentagon's actions in Afghanistan are viewed positively by the general public.
http://www.zmag.org/solpr.htm

Ever heard of the U.S.I.A. (The U.S. Information Agency)? If you haven't, don't be surprised. You're not supposed to have heard of it. The U.S.I.A. is America's propaganda agency. In this fairly brief two-part GuerrillaNews.com interview, Dr. Nancy Snow, former propagandist for the U.S.I.A. and author of a book on her experience there, traces the history of propaganda in the United States, and discusses the part that the media plays in manufacturing consent for the U.S. government's actions, including this war specifically.
http://www.guerrillanews.com/counter_intel/propaganda_inc/snow_trans.html
http://www.guerrillanews.com/counter_intel/propaganda_inc/snow_trans2.html

ASK THE EXPERT
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We are introducing a new feature this week, in which readers can submit questions about our bulletin topics to be answered by an expert. The top five questions submitted by readers on this week's topic will be answered by Steve Rendall, the Senior Analyst at FAIR. ( www.fair.org )

You can submit your questions by going to:
http://peace.moveon.org/questions.php3

We will publish the top five questions and Steve's answers in next week's issue of the bulletin.

FEATURED ACTIONS
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This week's first featured action comes from FAIR. Click on the link below to read an article discussing CNN's decision to report civilian casualties in Afghanistan only in the context of why they're justified. Following the article, you will find contact information for Walter Isaacson, Chairman and C.E.O. of CNN. We join FAIR in urging you to contact Mr. Isaacson and "tell CNN to factually report the consequences of the U.S. war in Afghanistan without editorializing", because "[i]ncluding a justification for the bombing with every mention of civilian casualties risks turning CNN from a news outlet into a propaganda service".
http://www.fair.org/activism/cnn-casualties.html

We also encourage you to take the time to seek out some alternative news sources and see what you may have been missing. Many of these websites are facing financial crisis due to the recent backlash against dissent, and the economic trouble that America and other countries are currently facing. For this reason, we encourage you to offer financial support to these websites if you can. Please help alternative news sources survive.

Some alternative news sources:
http://www.alternet.org
http://www.antiwar.com
http://www.counterpunch.org
http://www.guardian.co.uk (U.K.)
http://www.guerrillanews.com
http://www.harpers.org
http://www.motherjones.com
http://www.rabble.ca (Canadian)
http://www.transnational.org/new/TNN.html
http://www.utne.com
http://www.workingforchange.com
http://www.zmag.org

SPECIAL FEATURE: ABOUT US
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Eli Pariser is the founder of 9-11Peace.org. Eli has been a lifelong political activist and rabble-rouser. He has worked with California Peace Action and the Student Environmental Action Coalition, and co-founded the American Story Project, a web-based documentary about the political beliefs of ordinary Americans. He studied political science at Simon's Rock College and now lives, works, and agitates near Boston, MA.

Susan V. Thompson is taking over as principal writer/editor of the bulletin as of this week. Susan has a B.A. in English with First Class Honours from the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. She has been involved with various non-profit organizations in Canada, and works as a freelance writer as well as a full-time mom.

We are also very excited to announce that MoveOn.org has offered to sponsor 9-11Peace.org. MoveOn is a leading online American activist organization, which uses the Internet to organize focused grassroots advocacy campaigns on important issues. MoveOn currently maintains a nationwide network of more than 300,000 online activists.

By working in partnership with this groundbreaking online activism organization, we can expand the reach of the 9-11Peace.org website and action network, while also ensuring that they remain sustainable for some time to come.

GET INVOLVED
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If you would like us to include an action, giving idea, news article, or source in the bulletin, please write to [email protected] and describe your item in the subject line.

The 9-11Peace.org bulletin is also looking for volunteers to do research, proofreading and link-checking, and translation into Spanish and French. If you think you've got the time, know-how, and energy to do this well, please write to Susan at [email protected]. Put "Volunteer" in the subject line, and add a brief paragraph summarizing your experience and interest.

ABOUT THE BULLETIN
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The 9-11Peace.org bulletin is a weekly newsletter providing resources, news, and action ideas to over 17,000 people around the world. The full text of the bulletin is online at http://peace.moveon.org/bulletin.php3; users can subscribe to the bulletin at that address also. The bulletin is a project of 9-11Peace.org. Contact [email protected] for more information.