"Propaganda, the Press, Censorship..." PART 2/5

http://www.democracynow.org
August 07, 2007
Freedom Next Time: Filmmaker & Journalist John Pilger on Propaganda, the Press, Censorship and Resisting the American Empire

"Liberal Democracy is moving toward a form of corporate dictatorship. This is an historic shift, and the media must not be allowed to be its façade, but itself made into a popular, burning issue, and subjected to direct action," said John Pilger. "That great whistleblower Tom Paine warned that if the majority of the people were denied the truth and the ideas of truth, it was time to storm what he called the Bastille of words. That time is now." We spend the hour airing a recent lecture by the acclaimed Australian filmmaker and muckraker.


When Rupert Murdoch won his bid to take over Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal last week, the Australian media baron brought one of America's oldest, most respected and widely circulated newspapers into his vast media empire. Murdoch's News Corp media conglomerate owns more than 175 other newspapers as well as the Fox Television network, 21st Century Fox film studios, several satellite networks, MySpace.com, HarperCollins, and much more.

Besides amassing a media empire, Murdoch has repeatedly been accused of using his media holdings to advance his political agenda. In 2003, all of Murdoch's 175 newspapers supported the Iraq invasion. He spoke to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the lead-up to the invasion, some in Blair's inner circle even called him "the 24th member of the [Blair] Cabinet."

After the announcement of the five billion dollar sale, Murdoch told the New York Times that in order for the Wall Street Journal to remain editorially independent it needed to make healthy profits. Murdoch said, "The first road to freedom, is viability."

Well, one of Rupert Murdoch's fellow countrymen, an Australian who also resides in Britain, strongly disagrees. John Pilger--the eminent investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker--is a harsh critic of the corporate media. Pilger began his career in journalism close to half a century ago. He has made over 50 documentaries and is the author of numerous books, his most recent is titled "Freedom Next Time: Resisting the Empire."

Today, we spend the hour with John Pilger talking about journalism, war, propaganda, and silence.

http://www.democracynow.org

Category:

Education

Tags:

• communications
• social
• science
• humanities
• America
• News
• Journalism
• Propaganda
• Press
• Censorship
• Pilger
• Film
• Documentary

[KlaatuAustral]

I think the movie Rambo II or III is about the vietnan war...

[1gainsayer]

Yea, and Fox News is the biggest propagandist station to ever hit the air waves.

[82Pumpkinfarms]

"never believe anything until it's officially denied" I like that.

[navtel]

.they can't possibly see the horrors of war let alone choose not to support their government...>>>>

well stated.

[alfredunhill]

the citizens are too busy satisfying subconscious desires via consuming thanks to the genius Edward Bernays, not to mention they are being medicated from birth for life, dumbed down in schools, contaminated with flouride and aspartame in everything they drink, their food is engineered and cloned, and they have a media that tells them everything is up when it's down....they can't possibly see the horrors of war let alone choose not to support their government...

[stone1home]

Read a book called "Nam" (I disremember the author). It is an extensive collection of interviews with newly returned Vietnam vets.

Listening to this presentation again, after so long, I find very little to disagree with. But "Jacob's Ladder" stands as a powerful exception to mass media complicity, though, sadly, a rare one.

[asdffdas1234]

Why would he? It's a film. Neither documentary nor propaganda. Not based on any truth or at the very least not meant to tell it, rather just a entertainment story with conspiracy elements like so many films both before and after it.

[asdffdas1234]

Russia in war with Georgia? Have we learnt nothing? Even the media had the wits to call it conflict even though it was not.

[navtel]

vietnam taught the USA or its citizens nothing.. now they are going to learn a hard lesson.. if russia cranks up its war on georgia and defends iran against US and israel the war just may come to the US afterall.. perhaps then they will see the true horrors of war and choose not to support their government when it parades around the planet as if there were on the side of truth and justice.. nothing is further from the truth..

[stone1home]

He may or may not address it, but the movie "Jacob's Ladder" stands as an exception.