WAR & THE MEDIA :

International Herald Tribune, 12 May 08, by Katrin Bennhold
A feud over press freedom boils over in France
'Press freedom has long been an uneasy subject in France, a country where many newspapers rely on government subsidies and where defense contractors control large swaths of the print and broadcast media.'

Washington Post, 15 May 08, by Anthony Shadid
Field Notes: Improvised Sea Passage to Beirut, for a Price
'Colleagues like to say that logistics are no less important in journalism than actual reporting and writing. That's undoubtedly true. But more often than not, there's a jazzlike quality in getting from one place to another. Some people are lucky. I'm usually not.'

New York Times, 20 Apr 08, by David Barstow
Message Machine : Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand
'... The effort, which began with the buildup to the Iraq war and continues to this day, has sought to exploit ideological and military allegiances, and also a powerful financial dynamic: Most of the analysts have ties to military contractors vested in the very war policies they are asked to assess on air.

Editor and Publisher, 20 Apr 08, by Greg Mitchell
A Guide to 'NYT' Scoop on Pentagon's Media Propaganda
'Even if it confirms what many have already sensed the details are truly damning and shocking -- more Orwell than oh, well. And it continues up to the present day, with the revelation that Gen. Petraeus met with members of this propaganda group just two weeks ago (he had met with them previously, as well).'

International Herald Tribune, 06 Apr 08, by Neil MacFarquhar
Bloggers in Iran push limits of government tolerance
'... The researchers' general conclusion was that, "despite periodic persecution," many Iranians are able to use blogs to express "viewpoints challenging the ruling ideology of the Islamic Republic." The study found, for instance, that fewer than a quarter of blogs pushing for change, including those written by expatriates, were blocked. In addition, conservatives of all stripes maintain a lively debate about Ahmadinejad.'

Washington Post, 06 Mar 08, by Thomas E. Ricks
Commander Rejects Article of Praise
'The top U.S. commander in the Middle East is the subject of a glowing magazine article describing him as the only person who might stop the Bush administration from going to war against Iran.'

PRI's 'The World', 31 Jan 08
Kenya's press coverage
'The World's Carol Hills reports on the challenges facing Kenya's journalists as they try to cover the crisis spreading throughout their country.'

International Herald Tribune, 06 Jan 08, by Thom Shanker
As troops do better on Iraq battlefield, relations with the media improve
'The anguished relationship between the military and U.S. news organizations appears to be on the mend as battlefield successes from the troop increase in Iraq are reflected in more upbeat news coverage.'

New York Times Magazine, 05 Jan 08, by Robert F. Worth
Drawing a New Map for Journalism in the Mideast
'The director of Al Arabiya network is proud that he forced balance on Al Jazeera.'

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