Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

TALIBAN HOPES FOR WESTERN PROPAGANDA [Taliban NEEDS traitorous media - my title]
Pravda ^ | 11/10/01 | Dmitri Litvinovich

Posted on 11/10/2001 1:50:05 PM PST by Diogenesis

TALIBAN HOPES FOR WESTERN PROPAGANDA

The Qatarian television network Al-Jazeera’s monopoly for the air seems to be coming to an end. The Taliban has allowed
two BBC workers to arrive in Kabul. This has taken place for the first time since the expulsion by the Taliban all foreign
correspondents from the country. Such a move on the part of the Taliban may have been caused the its dissatisfaction
with how the Qatarian network have been depicting the events. The network has failed, in the Taliban’s view, its
propaganda mouthpiece in its fight against “the infidels.”

Several weeks ago, the Taliban organized a show trip for a group of foreign correspondents to the Kandagar region, so
that those correspondents could see for themselves the devastation caused by US bombings.
Kathy Gannon, Associated Press’s Islamabad bureau chief, is working there. She is the only Western journalist entitled to
cover events on Taliban-controlled territory of Afghanistan.

Seizure of Mazar-i-Sharif has virtually cleared the way for the Northern Alliance’s troops directly to Kabul, and the Taliban
cannot but take in into account. The Taliban also is not happy about yesterday’s statement by one of Pashto tribes’
leaders of their support for the anti-terror campaign in Afghanistan. The Taliban is now in urgent need for support from
the international community, not only from the Arab world. Masterly shot film footages of mass casualties among civilians
after carpet bombings are design to melt people’s hearts. Mass demonstrations protesting against the bombing of
Afghanistan in many countries are also supposed to take the desired effect. Ultimately, the Taliban is interested in
convening an international conference on Afghanistan under UN aegis, where the Taliban’s stance would be advocated
by Moslem countries. It also cannot be ruled out that some in the Taliban leadership, having realized the futility of further
fighting, may be trying to show their inclination towards America.

Dmitri Litvinovich PRAVDA.Ru Read the original in Russian


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
THIS IS IMPORTANT:

Moral of the story --- Without NBC, CBS, CNN, and ABC they are gone NOW.


1 posted on 11/10/2001 1:50:05 PM PST by Diogenesis
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Diogenesis
The Taliban has allowed two BBC workers to arrive in Kabul.

No surprise. The BBC has been doing excellent work for the Taliban, just as good as al-Jazeera.

2 posted on 11/10/2001 1:53:22 PM PST by Nogbad
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diogenesis
Ultimately, the Taliban is interested in convening an international conference on Afghanistan under UN aegis,

That's going to be a little difficult, considering the UN still recognizes Rabbani as the leader of Afghanistan.

3 posted on 11/10/2001 1:59:18 PM PST by Int
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diogenesis
Too bad, all their best efforts aren't denting our beloved President's approval ratings one bit.
4 posted on 11/10/2001 2:39:19 PM PST by OldFriend
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diogenesis
Time was when I would have been perplexed as to what needed to be done about this--no more! There are things which are obviously true but which you will never hear from journalism. And there are things which are obviously true that you will never hear from broadcasting. But you can read them here.

1) The business of journalism is nonfiction entertainment. They can "buy ink by the barrel"--but that is true precisely because they make the money by attracting an audience. And the fact that they attract an audience does not make them more moral than you or me--their money is no cleaner than yours or mine.

2) Journalism entertains by following a formula: promise truth but deliver titilation. Scare the audience into not ignoring you by attacking the things, people, and institutions upon whom the public must depend. Tell the story quick so the audience hasn't heard it first from someone else and can ignore you.

3) Journalism maintains its facade of "objective truthtelling" primarily by avoiding controversy with other journalists. If one journalist says "A (nicotine, SUVs, the ozone layer, whatever) is an important threat to the public" it is bad form and counterproductive to dispute it--that would make work for everyone, and caues questions about the objectivity of both parties. In other words, "cooperate and graduate".

4) "Liberal" politicians simply join the chorus of journalists attacking the things, people, and institutions upon whom the public must depend. That places the propaganda wind at their back--and moots any claim that journalists are independent of liberal politics; liberal politics is just journalism without the deadlines.

5) Inasmuch as journalism is systematically negative and superficial it is NOT "the first draft of history" but the first draft of a Democratic party platform.

6) Newspapers are part of the press, and thus are protected by the First Amendment. But "the press" includes books and other printed matter and does not include any form of broadcasting. Not because broadcasting was invented after the First Amendment was ratified--IMHO the Internet fits the First Amendment model perfectly--but because nothing the FCC does would pass First Amendment muster if applied to printing presses.

7) Because indeed the Constitution was designed and instituted before the advent of telecommunications of any sort, broadcast journalism is not necessary. Of course, the Constitution was designed for an electorate which understood that the character of the congressmen and--and especially of the POTUS--were crucial. The idea that the people can trust journalism to provide them with a true and complete understanding politics adequate to obviate the need for honesty and integrity in the capitol is arrant nonsense put out by purveyors of "objective" journalism.

8) The conclusion is that the FCC and its licensees should be sued to require them to cease and desist from allowing/perpetrating broadcast journalism. The Florida fiasco is the most obvious tort; the Bush faction would have given a lot of money to buy off that erroneous call for Gore, if given the time and opportunity to raise it. And however much they (we) would have raised is how much was illegally contributed to Gore.

5 posted on 11/10/2001 3:03:33 PM PST by conservatism_IS_compassion
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: conservatism_IS_compassion
They can always fall back on Clinton for some anti-US propaganda. The draft dodger did a good job for the Taliban at Georgetown.
6 posted on 11/10/2001 4:29:46 PM PST by meenie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: meenie
Funny how he didn't blame America when they attacked the WTC in 1993, the Khobar Towers, our Embassies or the Cole.
7 posted on 11/10/2001 5:01:52 PM PST by GuillermoX
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: GuillermoX; meenie
Liberalism is, as noted above, simply superficial negativity toward the institutions and people upon whom we depend. One of those institutions being the reputations of the founding fathers of our country . . . and our armed forces--not excluding police--being another . . .
8 posted on 11/11/2001 12:02:50 PM PST by conservatism_IS_compassion
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson