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Massive Iraqi Death Toll Ignored by Tabloid Culture
NEW YORK - The year is 1994. Pictures of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley cover the pages of prominent U.S. newspapers and magazines. Yet hidden from national view is the attempted elimination of the Tutsi ethnic group in Rwanda.
Residents carry a flag-draped coffin containing the remains of a person found buried in a mass grave, during a funeral in Kerbala, 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Baghdad October 23, 2008. REUTERS/Mushtaq Muhammed (IRAQ) When news of pop stars and their marriages and divorces takes precedence over stories about the Iraq War or privacy concerns in an age of increasing security measures, U.S. citizens are faced, as described by the director of Project Censored, 'with a truth emergency'.
To address this emergency, Project Censored, a non-profit media project within the Sonoma State University Foundation, each year compiles 25 stories which they say have been neglected by the mainstream media. Since 1976, when Carl Jensen founded the research facility, these stories have comprised a yearbook of controversial stories that have gone largely unread and underreported.
The organisation, now headed by Peter Phillips, a professor of sociology at Sonoma State University, works with students and faculty of SSU to review and select which of the 700-1,000 annually submitted stories make the final cut. A panel of judges that includes noted writers Noam Chomsky and Susan Faludi then ranks the 25 stories in order of importance.
How do they determine what constitutes 'censorship'? An explanation on ProjectCensored.org states, 'We define Modern Censorship as the subtle yet constant and sophisticated manipulation of reality in our mass media outlets.'
The organisation outlines a set of criteria by which individuals can determine if a story is suitable for the 'censored' list. The first of these criteria reads, 'A Censored news story is one which contains information that the general United States population has a right and need to know, but to which it has had limited access.'
Indeed, none of the selected stories have appeared in the mainstream press, a category encompassing widely read publications such as The New York Times and the network news channels. Rather, the stories have been covered by a select number of independent media that are free from the constraints of corporate ownership.
The number one story this year gave a staggering answer to a question that has been glossed over in the mainstream press -- just how many Iraqi lives have been lost because of the U.S. occupation? The answer is one million, and it exceeds the death toll of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, points out the Censored entry.
But that figure, calculated by British the polling group Opinion Research Business (ORB), was reported in just three independent media outlets -- AlterNet, Inter Press Service (IPS), and After Downing Street.
Michael Schwartz, of the nonpartisan coalition After Downing Street, also refuted in Censored the idea that most violence occurs only between Iraqis, placing the percentage of U.S.-inflicted Iraqi deaths at about 80 percent.
Censored also points to what may be the most ominous consequence of media censorship -- a public lack of awareness.
Schwartz, in Censored, refers to a February 2007 Associated Press poll in which U.S. citizens were asked how many Iraqis died because of the U.S. occupation. The most common answers placed casualties at below 10,000.
'This remarkable mass ignorance, like so many other elements of the Iraq War story, received no coverage in the mass media, not even by the Associated Press, which commissioned the study,' he writes.
Many of the stories included in this year's compilation dealt with the aftermath of the Iraq War as well as privacy concerns in an age of increasing security measures.
At number three on the list, 'InfraGard: The FBI Deputizes Business' reveals that members of the business community may be part of an anti-terrorism line of defence, but are also the first ones reaping the benefits of it. This programme is called InfraGard, and goes as far back as 1996, when it started in Cleveland with 350 members from the Fortune 500.
By transmitting information about private individuals to the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, 23,000 members of private industry guarantee that they will receive warnings of a terrorist attack before private individuals -- even before certain elected officials, reported The Progressive in an article by Matt Rothschild.
Rothschild's article also asserts that an InfraGard member can even shoot to kill in the case of martial law 'without fear of prosecution'.
Although in February, the FBI released a statement denouncing the piece, Rothschild is sticking by his story.
The Winter Soldier hearings, which took place in Silver Springs, Maryland in March of 2008 organised by Veterans against War, also found a place on the list at number nine. The testimonies of more than 300 Iraq and Afghanistan veterans revealed atrocities they not only saw, but also participated in, such as desecrating corpses and targeting civilians.
These revelatory hearings were covered in just three print media outlets -- The Nation, One World, and Inter Press Service -- as well as one radio station, Pacifica Radio.
If the U.S. government deems that a person, directly or indirectly, poses the risk of threatening U.S. operations in the Middle East, the U.S. treasury department can seize their property and freeze their assets -- a story on this is number five on the list.
Two executive orders were established giving the treasury department this power, one in July of 2007 and more recently in August of 2007. The first executive order is limited to Iraq, and threatens seizure of property in the event someone committing, or posing a risk of committing violent acts in opposition to U.S. operations there.
The second order, targeted to operations in Lebanon, goes a little further, broadening the scope to actions, non-violent or otherwise, that undermine U.S. involvement in Lebanon. Under this order, dependents of the individuals (spouse, children) would also have their assets frozen, and would not be allowed to receive humanitarian aid, Censored states.
The two executive orders were covered in The Progressive, and Global Research.
While mass media closely followed such stories as Angelina Jolie's pregnancy and Alec Baldwin's marital problems, reports regarding the aftermath of the Iraq War and privacy concerns were hidden.
News of abuse and death in juvenile detention centres, unprecedented rates of arrests for marijuana possession in the U.S., corporate profiteering from No Child Left Behind, and the American Psychiatric Association's sanctioning and aiding in torture methods lay buried underneath images of Paris Hilton's new escapades. And those are just the top 25.
21 Comments so far
Show AllThe extent of censorship in our media also extends into the political affairs of our nation. The main stream media informs us that there are two choices for any elected office in our nation. There are Democrats and there are Republicans---end of story.
People are very concerned about the ongoing wars and the threat of them spreading into Pakistan, Syria and Iran. People are angry about the bailout of the bankers (which is the largest movement of money from the working class to the extremely wealthy ever in our history). People are concerned that we are losing our civil rights as stated in our Constitution and that all life on earth is threatened by careless 'development' by large corporations. People are losing their jobs, their pensions, their health care -- but these are not issues in the media or in the campaigns of the major parties. Even a main stream candidate is chastised for even suggesting we should spread the wealth around.
We need a return of the fairness doctrine where both sides of an issue must be discussed. Now we just get paid political spin stuff--so much so that studies show that the more you watch TV 'news', the less you know.
I just got off the phone with a rep. from Senator Charles Schumer's office.
Senator Schumer was talking yesterday about restoring the Fairness Doctrine.
Reagan put an end to the Doctrine, which guaranteed that all points of view must be heard.
Remember, the airwaves belong to the public (you and me), not the corporations.
We ALLOW the corporations to use OUR airwaves.
Yet the corporations are using our airwaves to make us believe Iraq is an immediate threat to our country and the urgent need for a $700 billion bailout to bankers to stop an immediate Depression.
Lies Lies and more Lies.
Whoever controls the media controls the agenda.
There's literally NOTHING the elite can't make the masses believe with a slick, coordinated media blitz on our public airwaves.
I urge you to call Senator Schumer's office too and tell him you support his attempt to restore the Fairness Doctrine.
1-800-828-0498 (free call to Washington DC, ask the operator to connect you to ANY congressperson)
"1,000,000 Iraqi lives have been lost [so far] because of the [fraudulent] U.S. occupation". Where does that put Bush on the list of mass killers in history? Does the figure include Iraqi's killed during the invasion (shock and awe)?
It is impossible to know for certain what the real death toll is for the citizens of Iraq (and for the Congo for that matter). What we do know with absolute certainty is that the invasion of Iraq was completely unprovoked and the excuses offered to justify the mass murder of these Arab-Muslim people were "faulty intelligence" at best and downright untrue. To continue to occupy this country, to continue to perpetrate naked aggression and genocide of it's citizens is a crime against humanity. As an American, I do consent to these acts and I call upon US to resolve this situation immediately. Furthermore, I do not condone the media's complicity - whether they are dressing up like soldiers and telling us the warriors point of view rather than the realities of war, or discussing Britney Spears lack of panties. I care about real issues and real people whose untold stories need to be scrutinized.
Nice post.
"...Britney Spears lack of panties..."
^ Funniest thing I've read all day :P You make alot of good points.
"While mass media closely followed such stories as Angelina Jolie's pregnancy and Alec Baldwin's marital problems, reports regarding the aftermath of the Iraq War and privacy concerns were hidden."
And while CD readers are busy clucking over Obama, they'll probably miss this too.
yeah, what a hype............there is still an occupation in iraq and the people don't have clean water.
that won't change overnight just because an election took place.............
We're not missing it. Its time to move forward. Let Obama and company turn the military in Iraq into a peace keeping force and then leave. Let Obama and company reintroduce the fairness doctrine, kick out the neocons, restore an appropriate progressive income tax and Keynsian economics... a thousand corrections, and prove to the Fox Channel know nothings there is a better way.
Start trying to trample these people and their wrongheaded dreams, and they're gonna fight back. And they have lots of guns.
INFRAGAURD.
This group of patriots with good intentions are being used,mislead, and improperly trained.
Its difficult for me to explain, but I am a victim of Infragard Cointel Pro gang stalking torture. 18 months and counting.
The reason the media wont touch this issue is because all the major media stations belong to Infragard an participate in the ground surveillance.
Verizon is a huge player, and thats why they were given immunity.
All our elected officials are involved , if immunity was not given the cat would be out of the bag.
I have been followed 24/7 for 18 months , by all kinds of company's and community watch church folks.
I don't know what lies have been told about me, but I do know the my internet emails and phone calls are wire tapped, they know every thing I write,say and every move I make.
If immunity had not been granted I would have had the ACLU launch a freedom of information request of Verizon. And then I could follow the trail and find out why these evil sadistic people tried to torture me into a delusional state.
Assuming they don't shred their orders.
Its OK , I have license plates and dates and times. We can track their activity other ways.
I would love to talk to General Colon Powell. And get his help. Because these infragrd units operate in their own world, right now they are untouchable , but if the supreme court would do their jobs and protect the Constitution of America,I have a story that I can corroborate with some good old fashioned subpoenas and real warrants for information.
I want my day in court. I want to tell the world how fucked America has become because of a handful of evil tyrants in charge of home land security.
BornFreeMen
I've never understood why even the best American journalists use the phrase
"hundreds of thousands" when estimating dead Iraqis because of our American
presence. The evidence for over a million is much, much stronger-- just talk to
The Lancet, ORB, Columbia School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins. These groups readily present their hard evidence and methodology. Everyone else lives
in a world of euphemism and cop-out.
I had forgotten about Projectcensored.org since they reported on Israeli bio-terror research
to target Palestinean genes. Here are a few more zingers un-reported by Rupert's J-Post:
http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/5-seizing-war-protesters-assets/
"I have issued an Executive Order blocking property of persons determined 1) to have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, an act or acts of violence that have the purpose or effect of threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq or undermining efforts to promote economic reconstruction and political reform in Iraq . . . or 2) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technical support for, or goods or services in support of, such an act or acts of violence or any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order . . . "
I wonder if this would apply to Cheney or Prince. It's something for #44 to think about.
but these are brown skinned Muslins with Iraqi citizenship.
Like most others, I'll be tracking the Obama administration closely and continue to bring up issues necessary to be resolved.
But regarding the subject of this article...As I've mentioned before, I don't watch television as a rule, so when I do seek out television coverage, as I did during the election yesterday, I'm seeing it with relatively fresh eyes. To me it is obvious distraction like so much else in our culture. Compulsive white noise, verbal diarrhea, lights and gadgets and noise to break up any possibility of consistent and logical thought or even of personal perception. This is a sophisticated method of fragmenting the mind to ineffectiveness and blindness to crimes being committed. Some of it is conscious design and some of it naturally developed as corporate culture defending itself and its core of hypocrisy. (In many ways, corporate culture does act as an organic entity.)
But the ghosts of the millions of innocent people needlessly killed in the rampages of the military-industrial-complex will haunt us forever or until justice is served. No number of "We are the greatest nation on earth" chants will ever put them to rest.
The USA media is controlled. They propably are members of Infragard, 23000 companys strong.
The more suspects they have the more people they can employ as American super security spys.
There are lots of people out of work right now. Thank you Geroge,Dick and Wall street.
Didn't Germany have the same set of economic circumstances that led to the rise of Hitler and the Natzi party. They had civilian spys all over the country when they took control.
I don't give a crap what Infragard says they are, they are an unpatriotic unconstitutional organization that practise warrant less surveillance using harsh Cointel pro gang stalking torture tactics.
And that my fellow Americans gives us plenty of reasons to hold onto our guns.
Because this bunch has been told that in the event of marshall law , they can shoot to kill. Its on the internet, don't take my word for it.
BornFreeMen
If I dont receive justice for the torture I have been put through , please God, invoke the same pain on those who hurt me.
What would we do without online publications such as Common Dreams who offer information which most popular news organizations fail to print. Those who rely on the conventional and controlled chain newspapers are totally unaware of the fraudulent news which they consume and ingest and the insidious consequence of their consumption. Unless an effort is made to make truthful news accessible to the masses who do not have access to the WEB - and there are millions - and a demand that access to real news in elementary schools be introduced as a vital, stimulating and exciting subject, the disinterest and ignorance of enormous numbers of the U.S. population will continue ad infinitum. TV news programs must be denounced as pure entertainment and dismissed as an unreliable source of real news. If we start early enough to instill in kids the idea that they need to know and distill the truth and use their intelligence to understand the meaning of it's essence, what a country we could be!
This is a good article. I talk with educated people who read NYT and news magazines and possibly listen to NPR. Unless they get on the internet, look at three or four TV shows or read some alternate press like CounterPunch, they live in a lukewarm sanitized world.
The fairness doctrine is good - but how would it work? Who would fund fair news sources? It is a real problem since lack of funding forces PBS, NPR etc, into the arms of oil companies, chemical companies etc.
Joe
Since 1976, when Carl Jensen founded the research facility, these stories have comprised a yearbook of controversial stories that have gone largely unread and underreported.
Mr. Jensen and his successors obviously live in the "reality based world" which was executed for treason by George Wanker Bush and Company, VHLLC. Now that Bush's tabloid, The New Jerk Times, is at least temporarily going out of business next January 20th, perhaps the cowardly and imperial stewards of the MSM will do a slightly better job of covering the rest of the world previously thought unworthy of their attention.
As you have seen in the past months, President Elect Obama moved from the Progressive Side to the Right Side:
He was against the Iraq Invasion, but now wants to maintain a presence in Iraq.
He demanded four points before supporting the "Bail Out" He got none and still supported the bill and has said nothing about a bank receiving 7.7 billion dollars and turning around and buying another bank with 5.8 billion of those dollars.
The National Media did not question anything about the suicide of Bruce Ivins. Here was a man being pressured to be the "FBI Patsy"for the Anthrax Scandal of 2001. There was no proof,no suicide letter, and he allegedly died from an overdose of codeine and tylenol.
I no more trust the FBI with an investigation than I do InfraGard or In-Q-Tel.
Thank you for the wonderful article and it is a scary notice to us all.
We all know Imperialist America's ugly, racist war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan will go unpunished.
www.iraqbodycount.org