2) John Pilger aside, no mainstream journalist has sought to draw attention to this deep complicity of the media in suppressing the most important facts contradicting the U.S./U.K. case for war. Even radical journalists like Robert Fisk, Greg Palast and George Monbiot have failed to discuss the role of the liberal media - The Guardian, The Observer, The Independent, the Independent on Sunday, and the BBC and ITN news - in burying these facts and in thereby making war possible.
Although the performance of the media has been appalling throughout this crisis, as we have documented, there remains a “gentleman's agreement” among
journalists whereby it is understood that media hosting a journalist's work should not be criticised (just as all corporate employees understand they are not to criticise their company's product in front of customers). This means that radical journalists - who all work for liberal media companies - are silent on the complicity of the media publishing them, such that these media are protected from all honest public criticism. This has long been unacceptable in a “free press”, but it is a genuine disaster for democracy now when these same liberal media are playing a key role in denying the public access to the most important facts that completely undermine the case for an unnecessary and grossly immoral war. As the ancient sage, Nagarjuna,warns:
"Not doing harm to others,
Not bowing down to the ignoble,
Not abandoning the path of virtue -
These are small points, but of great
Importance."
Now is the time for honesty, truth, dissent, protest and resignations - we must NOT subordinate the welfare of others to our own self-interest. We must not bow down to the ignoble.
Although the performance of the media has been appalling throughout this crisis, as we have documented, there remains a “gentleman's agreement” among
journalists whereby it is understood that media hosting a journalist's work should not be criticised (just as all corporate employees understand they are not to criticise their company's product in front of customers). This means that radical journalists - who all work for liberal media companies - are silent on the complicity of the media publishing them, such that these media are protected from all honest public criticism. This has long been unacceptable in a “free press”, but it is a genuine disaster for democracy now when these same liberal media are playing a key role in denying the public access to the most important facts that completely undermine the case for an unnecessary and grossly immoral war. As the ancient sage, Nagarjuna,warns:
"Not doing harm to others,
Not bowing down to the ignoble,
Not abandoning the path of virtue -
These are small points, but of great
Importance."
Now is the time for honesty, truth, dissent, protest and resignations - we must NOT subordinate the welfare of others to our own self-interest. We must not bow down to the ignoble.