This week on CounterSpin: Listeners have likely seen some horrific and affecting images from Gaza, where the death toll has exceeded an estimated 1,000 overwhelmingly Palestinian people as, as the New York Times had it, "the Israeli military operation continued apace." We'll hear from author and journalist Phyllis Bennis about part of the story that should be central but in the U.S. press is often ignored or gotten wrong, namely international law.

Also on the show: Should we be taking a hard look at Bush era crimes like torture? No, say many journalists. Look forward, not back. Indeed a January 19th Newsweek cover story--"What Would Dick Do?"--actually suggests that President Obama should look to Dick Cheney’s vision of power as a positive example. We’ll be speaking with journalist Charles Kaiser, who has been closely watching coverage of the torture issue on his blog on the Columbia Journalism Review website.

Links:

— Gaza Crisis: Israeli Violations & U.S. Complicity, by Phyllis Bennis (Institute for Policy Studies, 12/28/08)

— Above the Fold: What Would Dick Do?, by Charles Kaiser (CJR.org, 1/12/09)