Afghanistan: What Obama and the US Media Aren’t Telling Us

If you pay attention only to the commercial and so-called “public” media in the United States, you’d get the impression that the response around the world to President Obama’s proposed escalation of the decades old U.S. war on Afghanistan has ranged from tepid to positive.

Inside Afghanistan – well; when do we ever hear from anyone actually in Afghanistan? I mean the Afghans themselves? Obama claims, as the Bush administration did, that The U.S. will be heading an international peacekeeping force representing more than 40 nations in an all-out effort to, in the words of both Obama and Bush “get the job done”. What job? That’s a question the media, by and large seems reticent to ask.

In the few days immediately following 9-11 ( September 11th, 2001, that is) I had occasion to be in New York City. The Pacifica Radio network was in a state of crisis as self-appointed rogue national board of directors had assumed control of the 5-station network and was busy scuttling its best programs and dismantling Pacifica station by station.

Pacifica’s flagship program, Democracy Now, was being produced in exile and had been banned at all 5 Pacifica stations by the national program director. Long-time dedicated Pacifica employees and volunteers, with precious few resources were trying to provide coverage of the tragic events while reporting at each of the 5 stations suffered, beginning, even, to resemble the sensationalist yet shallow treatment being offered on the commercial networks.

Full Story The Free Press — Independent News Media – International Issues.