Around the country the deception is repeated again and again - here is only
one more example, from The Scotsman:
"The dream result, Mr Blair is understood to believe, is for the UN to set a
deadline for Saddam to re-admit the expelled weapons inspectors." ('Blair
stands tough and readies for war,' The Scotsman, September 4, 2002. Darren
Smith to Media Lens, September 4, 2002)
There are barely detectable exceptions but the overwhelming trend, as in the
US, has been to move from an understanding that inspectors were withdrawn in
1998, to the claim, in 2002, that they were expelled.
The fact that inspectors had been fundamentally successful in disarming
Iraq, and were withdrawn after the spying scandal erupted, and after
deliberate attempts to provoke the Iraqis, adds unwanted colour to the black
and white picture of events that the US/UK governments are seeking to impose
on the public. Only a stark 'good versus evil' clash has the power to
generate the required public support for military action - nuance is a
liability.
It goes without saying that the medium for communicating this lethally
distorted picture of the world is the corporate mass media - without them,
it simply could not be done. This is the awesome extent of their
responsibility for mass violence leading to mass death.
MEDIA LENS: Correcting for the distorted vision of the corporate media
Please visit the Media Lens website: http://www.medialens.org
Please also contact Media Lens for suggested action.
one more example, from The Scotsman:
"The dream result, Mr Blair is understood to believe, is for the UN to set a
deadline for Saddam to re-admit the expelled weapons inspectors." ('Blair
stands tough and readies for war,' The Scotsman, September 4, 2002. Darren
Smith to Media Lens, September 4, 2002)
There are barely detectable exceptions but the overwhelming trend, as in the
US, has been to move from an understanding that inspectors were withdrawn in
1998, to the claim, in 2002, that they were expelled.
The fact that inspectors had been fundamentally successful in disarming
Iraq, and were withdrawn after the spying scandal erupted, and after
deliberate attempts to provoke the Iraqis, adds unwanted colour to the black
and white picture of events that the US/UK governments are seeking to impose
on the public. Only a stark 'good versus evil' clash has the power to
generate the required public support for military action - nuance is a
liability.
It goes without saying that the medium for communicating this lethally
distorted picture of the world is the corporate mass media - without them,
it simply could not be done. This is the awesome extent of their
responsibility for mass violence leading to mass death.
MEDIA LENS: Correcting for the distorted vision of the corporate media
Please visit the Media Lens website: http://www.medialens.org
Please also contact Media Lens for suggested action.