Why, hello there, Megan McArdle!

Via Ritholtz, and Yves a review of the career of Atlantic/Newsweek/Daily Beast columnist Megan McArdle by Yasha Levine and Mark Ames of Project S.H.A.M.E. .

The part I found most interesting:

* McArdle received journalism training from the right-wing Institute for Humane Studies, headed by Charles Koch since the 1960s. According to the IHS, its journalism program “places talented writers and communicators—who support individual liberty, free markets, and peace—at media companies and non-profit newsrooms”...
* In 2011, McArdle returned to her Koch alma mater as a guest lecturer and instructor at the Institute for Humane Studies’ “Journalism & the Free Society” summer internship program. The program tackled such topics as “Is an ‘objective’ press possible — or even desirable?” Other faculty members joining McArdle that year included Radley Balko, then-editor at the Kochs’ Reason magazine
* In a sign of just how close and trusted McArdle is to the Kochs, in October 2011, she was chosen to emcee Charles Koch’s 50th Anniversary gala celebration of his flagship libertarian think-tank, the Institute for Humane Studies, featuring Charles Koch as the keynote speaker and guest of honor. McArdle and Koch were joined by hundreds of leading GOP donors and activists….The IHS attempted to hide McArdle’s involvement, scrubbing her name from the dinner announcement page. (emphases added)

There’s more on McArdle’s comic career, her dishonesty and hypocrisy, but the point is that she’s paid, trained, and placed by the true heirs of Lenin, Charles and David Koch for the purpose of inserting propaganda into public discourse. She is an apparatchik. And The Atlantic, The Economist, Newsweek, and The Daily Beast have all been used as tools of dissemination.

Project S.H.A.M.E. describes itself as follows:

The S.H.A.M.E. Media Transparency Project takes the war against corporate trolls and media shills to a new and more effective level. Its goal is to expose corrupt media figures, document journalistic fraud and make life a little harder for covert propagandists who manipulate the public, degrade our democracy and help perpetuate oligarchy power.

S.H.A.M.E. was inspired by our readers and donors, who are tired of the rampant media fraud and deception, and want some way to fight back and reclaim our democracy.

The purpose of S.H.A.M.E. is not to merely document media crimes, nor simply to humiliate or call out hypocrisy. The project is about providing useful, fun and effective tools the public can use to protect itself from being manipulated by sophisticated public relations con-artistry.

Think of S.H.A.M.E. as a kind of roach trap for media shills and corporate lackeys.

Sauce for the gander: USAID expelled from Russia

Miriam Elder, The Guardian:

The Russian government has given the US agency for international development (USAid) until 1 October to cease all operations in the country. The agency helps fund a number of pro-democracy and human rights groups that have provoked the Kremlin’s wrath amid an unprecedented opposition movement against the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.

In an uncharacteristically blunt statement, the Russian foreign ministry said that the decision to shut USAid was taken primarily because the agency’s work “does not always correspond to [its] stated goals”.

“This means attempts to exert influence, via the distribution of grants, upon political processes, including elections of various levels and institutions of civil society,” it said.

This is one of those stories that gets framed in the Western press as western democracies helping oppressed people around the world. I think we all sympathize with protestors like Pussy Riot, the band recently jailed for protesting against Putin in the cathedral, and there’s not much question that Putin is an authoritarian.

But is what US AID is doing, however benevolent, right?

US AID is involved in influencing elections all around the world, including in places that do not have dictators, just leaders that we don’t like. That puts us in the position of manipulating elections. Would we accept that from foreign governments? Certainly on this blog I’ve raised the concern that the Chinese government–or even the Chinese criminal syndicates– could be using Sheldon Adelson as a conduit for contributions to manipulate our system.

US AID is widely believed to be a CIA front. For example, La Jornada, a center-left newspaper in Mexico, published this article calling USAID a front for the CIA and saying that “from Iraq to Venezuela, USAID is one of the most active mechanisms for intelligence and destabilization in the world.”

We would regard the manipulation of our media by an outside power as a hostile act. We should be careful not to be seen as doing the same.

Kellercod

Bill Keller, editor of the NYT, was forced to deny that he had written an Op-Ed defending Wikileaks:

The fake in question was a cod Keller op-ed entitled ‘WikiLeaks, a Post Postscript’. Visually, it was immaculate – replicating perfectly the typographic style of his column down to the author’s photograph, tool kit and Times adverts. [Charles says: only the Grauniad would have missed the obvious comma sitting where a semi-colon is indicated and call it perfect. The Times is far more willing to be dead wrong about an important issue than to miss a punctuation mark.]

The fake in question said things like:

I find myself in the awkward position of having to defend WikiLeaks. During the House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on July 11th, several Republicans made it clear they also want New York Times journalists charged under the Espionage Act….
…
You don’t have to embrace Assange as a kindred spirit to believe that what he did in publishing those cables falls under the protection of the First Amendment.
…
I’ve said repeatedly, in print and in a variety of public forums, that I would regard an attempt to criminalize WikiLeaks’ publication of these documents as an attack on all of us, and I believe the mainstream media should come to his defense. Obama has clearly not lived up to his 2008 campaign promises to protect whistleblowers, rather his policy is more like China’s treatment of dissidents.
…
I wish these were my final words on the existential drama that is WikiLeaks, but don’t get your hopes up. With an ongoing grand jury, extradition ruling, and Bradley Manning’s court martial, the WikiLeaks Postscript has only just begun. I fear I am condemned to a life in Sartre’s No Exit (or is it Kafka’s The Trial?).

Personally, I think that the Keller who works at The New York Times is the fake, and the fellow writing at Opinion-NYTimes is for real.

Apparently “cod” is British for “fake”

_______
For those still searching for the comma in question, it occurs in the phrase, “promises to protect whistleblowers, rather his policy”

I give Fox Business a chance of survival

“No self-respecting man should ever be seen in a beret” –Mandy Drury, CNBC

Thing is, Mandy and especially her partner, Brian Sullivan, make brainless comments like this all the time. But since those comments have to do with finance and the economy, their audience (minus myself) doesn’t notice. Given how bad CNBC is getting, Fox Business might actually survive.

The flowers that bloomed in the Mexican spring

Mexico is on the threshold of a presidential election which portends a significant change of national direction. Of the three parties (PRI: traditional ruling party, Felipe Calderon PAN: current ruling party, and Lopez Obrador’s left-wing PRD), the PRI under Enrique Peña Nieto is leading in the polls.

But Mexican students have been reminding Mexico that Peña Nieto led the brutal repression against the people of Atenco. Marta Molina, truthout:

The story started two weeks ago, on May 11, during a meeting with Enrique Peña Nieto, the presidential candidate of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) at the Iberoamericana University (Ibero), one of the most prestigious private universities in the country. Students admonished the candidate who aspires to be Mexico’s next president, thereby returning hegemonic power back to the PRI, which lost 12 years ago. They shouted “Coward!” and “Ibero doesn’t want you!” and and “Assassin!” — reminding the candidate of the brutal repression he ordered against the farmers and florists that mobilized in San Salvador Atenco in 2006, when he was the governor of Estado de México. This repression, in which two young men were murdered, 350 people were detained — including 10 minors — and 26 women were raped, was one of the most violent episodes during his mandate.

The Mexican media are more tightly controlled than even the US media, so the major TV stations simply blotted the protests out, intending that the memory of those murders, rapes, and detentions will simply vanish. But it’s no longer quite as easy. First of all, The Guardian published a story alleging hat the media have been selling favorable coverage to the highest bidder. This went so far as buying a portrayal of Lopez Obrador as inept on a popular comedy show, turning entertainment into actual Soviet-style political propaganda. The plan is extraordinarily detailed and thorough. The Guardian also produced documents that show extraordinary expenditures, many tens of millions of dollars on behalf of Peña Nieto when he was governor of Mexico. But the documents’ authenticity has yet to be confirmed.

And now the almost completely-worthless Jo Tuckman has actually reported on how Wikileaked cables back up the Guardian’s original reporting:

One cable, written shortly after US embassy officials were taken on a tour of Mexico State when Peña Nieto was governor, says: “It is widely accepted, for example, that the television monopoly Televisa backs the governor and provides him with an extraordinary amount of airtime and other kinds of coverage.” The document, which dates from September 2009, was titled: “A look at Mexico State, Potemkin village style”.
…
The cables leaked from the US embassy in Mexico contain frequent mentions of the power that Televisa, and the other main commercial network, TV Azteca, exert over the country’s political elite. The two networks control around 90% of free channels and are widely perceived to be political kingmakers.

I suspect the Wikileaks say a lot more than the metaphorically deaf and blind Tuckman lets on. Certainly a read through the memos that have been released suggest virtually absolute control of the Mexican media by a system of political fixers taking their orders from the Mexican oligarchy, or even Washington. The level of detail and planning seems to me extraordinary, even for the normally methodical and detail-oriented Mexicans. In any event, there cannot be free elections without truly independent media.

Needless to say, according to a Google News search, American media are not covering this story. At all.

Oh, wait. AP gave the Televisa scandal one line at the end of the article. And the New York Times blogged about it, sort of (Damien Cave focuses on vague “human rights record instead of rapes and murders, and relegates the Televisa scandal to a brief mention)! And the LAT even gave the Televisa scandal one line in a real story, and a full graf to the student movement–though no mention of Atenco, of course!

Andy Coulson indicted as Murdoch machine continues to lose wheels

Severin Carrell and Patrick Wintour, The Guardian:

Andy Coulson, David Cameron’s former director of communications, has been arrested and charged over allegations of lying on oath when he gave evidence in court about phone hacking at the News of the World.

Coulson was questioned over perjury by Scottish police after he was detained early on Wednesday morning at his home in London and then driven to a high security police station in Glasgow.

The former News of the World editor is alleged to have lied to the high court in Glasgow when he gave evidence at the perjury trial of the socialist politician Tommy Sheridan in December 2010, while he was Cameron’s chief media adviser and the government’s head of communications.
…
After the longest perjury trial in Scottish criminal history, Sheridan was jailed for three years and sent first to Barlinnie prison.
…
Coulson repeatedly denied Sheridan’s allegations [of phone hacking], and told the court he had never met or heard of Mulcaire before Goodman’s trial, and had had no knowledge whatsoever that hacking had been used by the paper’s staff.

Gosh, so sorry, Mr. Sheridan. Three years out of your life. Maybe you can get them back from Andy Coulson.

Truthleak: Japanese ex-PM says nuclear industry is corrupt, dictatorial. A case history on the functioning of propaganda

The former Prime Minister of Japan, Naoto Kan, has given striking testimony to Parliament, in which he accepted blame for his own poor response during the Fukushima meltdown, but also attempted to obtain some degree of absolution because of the degree of corruption of the nuclear industry. He also urged Parliament to abandon nuclear power. To my surprise, Voice of America had some of the best coverage, reporting that Kan said:

“TEPCO and the Electric Power Companies of Japan have dominated the nuclear power industry for the last 40 years. Through this nuclear clique and the rules they created, they expelled and isolated industry experts, politicians and bureaucrats who were critical, while the rest just looked on because of self-protection and an attitude of peace-at-any-cost. I’m saying this because I feel partly responsible.”
…
“This nuclear clique, which has been created by the vested interest, is similar to the former Imperial Japanese military. We have to totally destroy and eradicate the organizational structure of the vested interests and (the) influence it has on the public. I think this should be the first step in reforming the nuclear industry.”

Comparing the nuclear industry to the Imperial Japanese military is to call that industry a fascist state.

Contrast this with Martin Fackler of The New York Times. This version excludes any reference to the Japanese Empire, substituting a milder reference to “the sickness of the system” with a comparison to Chernobyl and Soviet Communism. There are jabs and digs at Kan in the article that look like an attempt to discredit him. Mainichi Shimbun goes further and excises any reference to the corruption of the industry. The Washington Post (i.e., AP) is possibly even less useful. The Straits Times has a short but pointed piece that makes the connection between the nuclear industry and the fascists. The Guardian’s coverage is strangely muted. The Independent is missing in action. Ditto, FT. Reuters, useless. The Age, ditto. Yomiuri, ditto. Cordula Meyer of Der Spiegel has excellent background, but hasn’t commented on Kan’s testimony:

In Japan, the term “The Atomic Village” refers to an isolated elite that has formed around the country’s nuclear complex. …It’s as if Austrian writer Robert Jungk’s horrific vision of the “nuclear state” had become reality….Even many media organizations, as recipients of generous payments for the electricity industry, are part of the cartel….”Our country was literally brainwashed,” says Taro Kono, a member of the lower house of the Japanese Diet for the conservative LDP. “Atomic energy is a cult in Japan.” …Many scientists, especially at the University of Tokyo, are partial to TEPCO. The company contributes millions to the university and supports many associations, think tanks and commissions….Meanwhile, the Japanese government has begun asking Internet providers to remove “false reports” about Fukushima from the web…In Japan, the insiders who talked about the abuses at TEPCO were intimidated, as were journalists who reported on these abuses….

Of course, Germany is on a path to become nuclear free, so the nuclear industry doesn’t have much sway there. Think that the “Atomic Village” might actually be an international metropolis?

This is a major story. Japanese, at least Japanese in positions of leadership, simply do not use such direct language except in extremis. It would be as big as if George W. Bush got up in front of Congress and said that the petroleum industry, from academia to the engineering firms that build the plants to their boosters in Congress were secret Stalinists, destroying America from within.

And the biggest story is who is not covering it.

This is an excellent case history in propaganda. A propaganda system does not completely squelch stories. It is careful to tell only lies that are too big or unverifiable to be detected. Propaganda systems tell a portion of the truth, in such a way as to distort the meaning. And if one can find a portion of the information system where what they are covering up differs from what the rest of the system is covering up–like Der Spiegel’s reporting on an industry that has no political power in Germany–then occasionally the truth leaks out.

(Crossposted at Daily Kos)

Murdoch’s millstones. Brooks Charged.

Rebekah Brooks has been formally charged:

The Crown Prosecution Service received a file of evidence from the Metropolitan Police Service on 27th March 2012 in relation to seven suspects:

* Rebekah Brooks;
* [her husband] Charles Brooks;
* Cheryl Carter – Mrs Brooks’ personal assistant;
*Mark Hanna – Head of Security at News International;
* Paul Edwards – Mrs Brooks’ chauffeur who was employed by News International;
* Daryl Jorsling and a seventh suspect – both of whom provided security for Mrs Brooks supplied by News International.

“All the evidence has now carefully been considered.

“Applying the two-stage test in the Code for Crown Prosecutors I have concluded that in relation to all suspects except the seventh, there is sufficient evidence for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction.

“I then considered the second stage of the test, and I have concluded that a prosecution is required in the public interest in relation to each of the other six.

“All seven suspects have this morning been informed of my decisions.

“They are all due to answer their bail at police stations later today. When they do so, they will be charged as follows:

CHARGE 1 – CONSPIRACY TO PERVERT THE COURSE OF JUSTICE

Rebekah Brooks between 6th July and 19th July 2011 conspired with Charles Brooks, Cheryl Carter, Mark Hanna, Paul Edwards, Daryl Jorsling and persons unknown to conceal material from officers of the Metropolitan Police Service.

CHARGE 2 – CONSPIRACY TO PERVERT THE COURSE OF JUSTICE

Rebekah Brooks and Cheryl Carter between 6th July and 9th July 2011 conspired together permanently to remove seven boxes of material from the archive of News International.

CHARGE 3 – CONSPIRACY TO PERVERT THE COURSE OF JUSTICE

Rebekah Brooks, Charles Brooks, Mark Hanna, Paul Edwards and Daryl Jorsling conspired together and with persons unknown, between 15th July and 19th July 2011, to conceal documents, computers and other electronic equipment from officers of the Metropolitan Police Service.

Via Ritholtz, an article from Amy Chozick, NYT

A former News Corporation subsidiary, a Moscow-based billboard company called News Outdoor Russia, is the subject of an F.B.I. inquiry into whether the company bribed local officials to advance its business. The findings of that investigation could prove a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, according to a person briefed on the inquiry. News Corporation sold the company in July to a bank controlled by the Kremlin.
…
The hacking scandal has delivered a blow to News Corporation’s push into the potentially lucrative education sector….In November 2010, News Corporation paid $360 million for a 90 percent stake in Wireless Generation, an education technology company ….

In August, Wireless Generation lost its $27 million no-bid contract to develop educational software for New York schools….

In Turkey, News Corporation, which already operates several Turkish television stations, is one of three bidders for the country’s second-largest media group, Sabah-ATV, which is valued at $700 million to $1 billion. A deal would add to its portfolio of international pay TV stations, which includes Sky Deutschland in Germany and Sky Italia in Italy.

But the bid could face regulatory opposition in Turkey as a result of the scandal.

Best Friends Fauxrever : Murdoch phone hacking engulfs Cameron

Patrick Wintour, The Guardian:

David Cameron texted Rebekah Brooks in the week she quit as News International’s chief executive over the phone-hacking scandal to tell her to keep her head up, it has been claimed in an updated biography of the prime minister.

In a sign of his closeness to some of the most controversial News International chiefs, Cameron told Brooks that she would get through her difficulties, just days before she stood down.

It has also emerged that he agreed to meet her at a point-to-point horse race so long as they were not seen together, and that he also pressed the Metropolitan police to review the Madeleine McCann case in May last year following pressure from Brooks.

The prime minister then sent an intermediary to Brooks to explain why contacts had to be brought to an abrupt halt after she resigned. The authors say the gist of that message was: “Sorry I couldn’t have been as loyal to you as you have been to me, but Ed Miliband had me on the run.”

But will all of this mean anything at all for NewsCorp? Christian Sylt and Caroline Reid, The Guardian:

News Corp shrugged off the hacking scandal in its second-quarter results as net income increased 65%, despite it having to pay $87m during the period as a result of the ongoing investigations that led to the closure of the News of the World. Net income rose to $1.06bn for the quarter, compared with $642m a year before, driven by growth in its cable networks and movie studio divisions.

[Major shareholder and Saudi Prince] Alwaleed expects this trend to continue despite the ongoing scandal and he said: “I believe that once this page is flipped over, News Corp can withstand the heat of what is happening there.”

British Broadcasting FAIL

Accused of slanting its coverage to favor the Conservative government, according to RT the BBC has issued a statement claiming that its coverage is “impartial and balanced.”

Um. Guys. FOX News slogan?