Category Archives: Asia

Loose Lips Sink Drones

Posted on 01/31/2012 by Peter Hart

Barack Obama did something yesterday that government leaders tend not to do: He talked about the CIA drone war in Pakistan. This admission–which, it should be pointed out, happened in a Google-sponsored Q & A with the public, not a … Continue reading →

Posted in Barack Obama, New York Times, Pakistan, Wall Street Journal, War/Military | Tagged | 13 Comments

The Japanese Nuclear Establishment vs. the Two-Thirds 'Minority'

Posted on 01/26/2012 by Jim Naureckas

There's a news article in the Washington Post today (1/26/12) that really captures that paper's view of the way the world works, and how it ought to work. Headlined "After Earthquake, Japan Can't Agree on the Future of Nuclear Power," … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Nuclear power, Washington Post | 12 Comments

NYT's Apple Debate Factcheck, Without Facts

Posted on 01/20/2012 by Peter Hart

If Arthur Brisbane wants the Times to consider becoming factchecking 'truth vigilantes," this is hopefully not what he had in mind. At last night's Republican debate (1/19/12), CNN host John King asked the candidates how they would convince a corporation … Continue reading →

Posted in China, CNN, New York Times | Tagged , , , , , | 18 Comments

Time Cheers the Drone War

Posted on 01/03/2012 by Peter Hart

The new issue of Time magazine promises on its cover "Essential Info for the Year Ahead." One apparently essential report: U.S. drones are awesome. The report–written by Mark Thompson, available to subscribers only explains that a "hot military trend" this … Continue reading →

Posted in Pakistan, Time | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Zakaria and Democracy 'Tension'

Posted on 12/02/2011 by Peter Hart

In the new issue of Time (12/12/11), Fareed Zakaria writes in the first sentence of his column: It is difficult to find a country on the planet that is more anti-American than Pakistan. In a Pew survey this year, only … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti, Pakistan, Time | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Mitt Romney's Murderous Dictator Gaffe

Posted on 11/30/2011 by Peter Hart

If you've paid attention to the presidential campaign season, you've no doubt been entertained by the string of embarrassments and gaffes: Rick Perry blows the voting age! Herman Cain can't remember what to say about Libya! Mitt Romney talks about … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Election | Tagged , , , , , | 20 Comments

Anonymously Explaining Pakistan Deaths

Posted on 11/29/2011 by Peter Hart

A New York Times piece today (11/29/11) about the U.S. airstrikes that apparently killed 24 Pakistani soldiers opens with Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani speaking publicly about the incident, as does Pakistani military spokesperson Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas. Readers … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, anonymity, New York Times | 5 Comments

Dead Afghan Kids Still Not Newsworthy

Posted on 11/28/2011 by Peter Hart

Back in March, we wondered when U.S. corporate news outlets would find U.S./NATO killing of Afghan kids newsworthy. Back then, it was nine children killed in a March 1 airstrike. This resulted in two network news stories on the evening … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Media Activism, War/Military | Tagged | 10 Comments

Bait-and-Switch Boosterism on Trade Pacts

Posted on 10/13/2011 by Janine Jackson

Corporate media's incredibly uncritical boosterism of so-called "free trade" deals has been remarked on many times, and continues to be remarkable. What else but blind faith would allow a story to carry a line like one in the October 12 … Continue reading →

Posted in Asia, Labor, Latin America, New York Times, Trade | Tagged , , | 12 Comments

Afghan War: NBC Lets the Generals Do the Talking

Posted on 10/11/2011 by Peter Hart

NBC Nightly News (10/7/11) marked the 10th anniversary of the Afghan War on October 7 with a segment that linked the war to the Occupy Wall Street protests. As anchor Brian Williams put it in the introduction: Tonight protesters remain … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, NBC, War/Military | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Bill O'Reilly Polices the 9/11 Boundaries

Posted on 09/14/2011 by Peter Hart

Fox host Bill O'Reilly knows a thing or two about boundaries. As he told his TV audience Monday night, some "far-left" radicals crossed the line on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Fox News, Iraq, Libya, Media Criticism, New York Times | Tagged , , , | 31 Comments

Richard Cohen Is Sorry You and He Got It Wrong

Posted on 09/06/2011 by Peter Hart

Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen (9/5/11) takes the eve of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 to say that he's sorry: I went home on September 11 with my shoes dusted with the detritus of the World Trade Center. I felt … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Iraq, Media Criticism, Washington Post | Tagged , | 28 Comments

'Deadliest Day' in Afghanistan? Not by a Long Shot

Posted on 08/09/2011 by Jim Naureckas

August 6, 2011, when 38 soldiers, including 30 U.S. troops, were killed when their helicopter was shot down, was the "deadliest day" of the Afghan War, several media outlets told us: David Muir (ABC World News Saturday, 8/6/11): "It was … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, War/Military | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Puffing Petraeus

Posted on 07/18/2011 by Jim Naureckas

Newsweek (7/17/11) begins a piece on David Petraeus becoming CIA director with an account of how he got the "short-term job done" after he was named commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan: Now, after 13 months, the 58-year-old Petraeus is … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Newsweek | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The Strangeness of Afghan Culture

Posted on 07/14/2011 by Peter Hart

The end of a Wall Street Journal article (7/14/11) on a new report on Afghan deaths highlights the peculiarity of their culture: Of civilian casualties, 2 percent were caused by night raids, slightly down from last year, with 30 fatalities, … Continue reading →

Posted in Afghanistan, Wall Street Journal | 27 Comments