This week on CounterSpin: Media didn't find much newsworthy in Donald Rumsfeld's recent trip to Latin America, but our guest says that Rumsfeld's comments at the conference of the hemisphere's defense ministers actually yielded significant signals about the Bush administration's policy toward the region. Jim Lobe has written for years on international affairs for Inter Press Service, Foreign Policy in Focus and other outlets.

Also on the show: the October 1998 murder of gay college student Matthew Shepard provoked a national conversation about hate crimes and homophobia. But on November 26, ABC's 20/20 program offered a stunning re-assessment of the case, arguing that Shepard's sexual orientation was not central to the crime. ABC presented its report as a corrective to the "legend" that Shepard was killed because he was gay. But did ABC really make the case? Chris Graham from the Advocate magazine will join us to weigh in.

LINKS:

U.S. Media Miss Rumsfeld's "Dirty Wars" Talk, by Jim Lobe (Inter Press Service, 11/24/04)
ABC's 20/20 takes another look at Matthew Shepard murder, by Chad Graham (Advocate, 11/25/04)