This blog will be dedicated to the search for what Stephen Colbert likes to call "Truthiness" within American media. Too often these days American journalism is riddled with bias, half-truths and out of context reporting. My intent is to dig for the Truthiness within american mass media and post those sweet nuggets of delicious truth to my blog.
Afternoon Americans, Following the events that unfolded over the past few months in Ferguson there has been a drastic increase in media attention, especially online via social networking sites, to violent crimes; usually ones resulting in death. These incidents often involve police officers or have race based implications, many of which it would seem are creating a sort of 'wake' of coverage in the aftermath of the tragedy in Missouri.
More often than not these stories comparing violent crime to the shooting of Michael Brown ask questions involving the level of public response to these relatively unnoticed events as compared with the riots and nation wide protesting that occurred as a result of Darren Wilson's use of lethal force. This story made Fox News' front page today. This one made CNN's and USA Today's. This story published by CBS and NBC makes no mention of the events in Ferguson but dwells on police violence with racial undertones. This story published by the Washington Times outlines a
discrepancy in a race-reversed situation almost identical to Michael Brown's. The list goes on. In any case it seems as though the attention being paid by the media to stories of a racial nature, especially ones involving a clash between whites and blacks, has increased dramatically since the violent events following the Grand Jury decision not to indict Darren Wilson.
The saturation of coverage of racially charged events and crimes by the mainstream media is nothing new. News outlets love to publish stories that grab people's attentions and the racial divide in America has always been an easy go-to for a "juicy" story. Nothing could be further from helping the apparently deepening racial tension between blacks and whites in America. If we are to heal the festering wound that Dr. Martin King Jr. once called a "starless midnight of racism and war..." then we have to stop placing race and the controversial events that result from what essentially amount to cultural differences under a microscope. Kevin Hart may have put it best in a Tweet from November 25th stating, "Not all cops are bad. Not all black people are criminals. And not all white people are racist. Stop labeling. It’s 2014 let’s get equal."
I really liked this video of Ben Carson discussing the "media circus" involved in coverage of racial events like this, pointing the finger at sources that he says may be considered "politically incorrect."
This is another informative video that I found interesting involving the methods of stereotyping and race-baiting in modern news media. The video is semi-lengthy but I found it intriguing.
Evening Americans, President Obama's recent immigration proposal has been making its fair share of waves recently, with many claiming that the President is trying to force unlawful legislation on the American public, all in the name of keeping immigrant families together.... Obama's "Amnesty" Proposal is far from what many, at a glance, take to be a "get out of jail free
card" for illegal immigrants living in the US. The bill would allow immigrants who have been in the US for five years or longer to remain in country and gain access to work permits and in state tuition in some cases without fear of deportation. Effectively this bill would allow millions of immigrants to expedite their path to citizenship depending on their criminal history, time spent in the US, etc.
This latest round of immigration reform coming from the Obama administration is nothing new. In 2012 President Obama enacted a pro immigrant batch of legislation aimed at younger illegal immigrants who were brought into the country by their parents at a young age. Pre-Midterm Election talk regarding an amnesty bill with radical potential for illegal immigrants was not unheard of, and it would seem the administration is making good on its promises.
Recently some states have been fighting back against immigration reform, disallowing the issuance of driver's licenses for those under the immigration protection laws, and in some cases not allowing students who cannot prove that they are US citizens to benefit from student tuition prices. Some point to flaws in policy making specifics regarding loopholes for employers hiring immigrants through Obamacare with the added exceptions that need to be made for the newly status-given illegals.
Incoming Senate Majority leader Mitch Mcconnell delivers a rather foreboding address leveled at the President and his new immigration policy ending with some comments about the Congressional majority's intentions at the beginning of the new session.
President Obama defends his immigration proposal, attempting to assuage fears that he is simply allowing illegal immigrants a free pass to stay indefinitely.
Afternoon Americans, With so much unrest occurring within the US these days it seems as though the situation in the middle east has sort of been swept out of the public eye. Much of this region still remains under the threat of ISIS militants and air strikes continue to make slow but sure progress against the Islamic State.
As many of us sit down to appreciate a lavish meal surrounded by those we love and care for, there are those across the world who live under the constant threat of death or worse at the hands of extremists professing a warped ideology that allows for the brutal slaughter and rape of countless innocents. ISIS control has been spreading rapidly throughout the Levant since early last summer with Iraqi forces being summarily pushed to the edge of control for their own sovereign territory. Recently however it would seem that ISIS progress across the middle east has slowed, despite the continued sale of oil to local buyers across the region which has made the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria the wealthiest terror group in history.
These photos illustrate some of the destruction caused by ISIS militants from September through mid October resulting from the battle for the city of Kobani. Though air strikes from multinational coalition groups have helped stem the tide of radical militants' progress throughout the region, their heavy-handed control of oil fields and major refineries in Iraq has not changed.
Several weeks ago ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was reported to have made statements to the effect that the US-led coalition to thwart the radicalists' advance is failing and that inevitably ground troops will have to be deployed to be sent to their "death and destruction."
This map illustrates the areas of ISIS control within Iraq and Syria, pointing out the areas in which air strikes have been most common since early August.
This video contains the most recent footage I could find regarding ISIS presence in the Middle East, and frankly it doesn't appear as if their influence is gaining any less than it has been in the recent past. So why is it not on the news anymore? Stories covering the atrocities and insanity occurring in Iraq and Syria have become less and less prevalent as other events closer to home have caught the mainstream media's attention. I would ask that you keep the people of this region in your thoughts and prayers, despite the lack of media coverage. Their fight for freedom is still raging on against a fanatical enemy that knows no compassion, mercy or kindness. Hell on Earth would seem to be apt comparison which leaves me puzzled as to why almost every headline story on the news in the past few weeks has something to do with American police brutality. If you're going to sensationalize news, at least keep it in perspective.
The last 24 hours have seen a roller coaster ride of media coverage out of Ferguson, with riots and looting turning the city upside down overnight following the decision of a Grand Jury not to indict Darren Wilson on any charges related to the shooting death of Michael Brown.
Rioting, Structure Fires, Destruction, Looting, you name it and if it has to do with chaos it was probably happening in Ferguson last night. Upon release of a Grand Jury decision yesterday to not bring charges against officer Wilson in the shooting death of Michael Brown, the town of Ferguson lit up like a candle with protests that quickly turned violent. Across the country people are voicing their opinion one way or another however nowhere else is there widespread chaos and unrest like in Ferguson.
All this violence seems to beg the question: Are these people actually accomplishing anything? As upset as they are about there being no trial for Darren Wilson, is the rioting going to get them any closer to making a difference? If anything the behavior demonstrated by some of the citizens of Ferguson goes to support police habits of excessive violence in self-defense. What kind of example does this set for future generations who may have some grievance with police or government in general? Though I am not trying to condemn the disappointment felt by the citizens of Ferguson I am trying to condemn the actions of a select handful who have apparently set fire to the tinderbox that is this situation. I too feel that there should have at least been a trial in order to shed light on certain facts regarding the shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer, however the resulting burning and destruction of property by the citizens of Ferguson is, in my estimation, unconscionable. What better way to reinforce negative racial stereotypes than by creating scenes like the one pictured above? Progress is not made by destruction.
Much and more has been said recently about American police brutality, with high profile cases like the one in Ferguson resulting in rioting and extreme civil unrest. Has police brutality gotten so out of hand? Is this a nation-wide epidemic or simply a string of isolated incidents?
On August 9th of this year Michael Brown, a black teen living in Ferguson, Missouri was shot and killed by local police officer Darren Wilson. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months you have undoubtedly heard at length about the riots and protests occurring in Ferguson over the shooting death of Mike Brown. Widespread looting and civil unrest have been met with a strong-handed police response in the aftermath of the shooting, with local police rolling down streets in armored vehicles with military grade assault weapons and crowd control implements.
Since the shooting incidents of police brutality have been more widely publicized than ever. Websites like CopBlock make it their daily mission to expose episodes of police brutality across the country, encouraging citizens to film police whenever possible in hopes that this tactic may dissuade officers from acting rashly. The racial divide on this issue has also been brought to no small amount of media attention, with many black citizens claiming that this has been an ongoing problem for as long as some people can even remember. The fatal shooting of Mike Brown however would seem to be the straw that broke the camel's back. Across the country there have been police brutality protests since Brown's death, effectively making him a martyr for those who have ever been treated unfairly by the police.
With the startling amount of news coverage this story and stories like it seem to be receiving, many might be left wondering if all of these alleged cases of excessive police force aren't being overblown or over-publicized.
Honestly it is incredibly difficult to find the exact numbers of people killed by police in the last decade, let alone the last year. This article published in august by USA Today details some of the figures involving police shootings over the past few years, claiming that an average of two black men per week are killed by police "year in and year out." Almost every source I could find, reputable or otherwise, allows that even the scant data available on police killings in the US is incomplete due to the process of individual police departments self-reporting their own numbers, with some departments not reporting anything at all. These facts outline a disturbing trend in the shady nature of reported police killings within our borders, and at least for me justify the protests and civil disobedience surrounding the overwhelmingly racial component of the implementation of our justice system.
As far back as I can remember police in general have been accused of prejudice against minorities, especially black people. This was more or less just one of those racial stereotypes that has been ingrained in my mind since I was old enough to recognize it. Evidence of police brutality towards blacks goes back to the civil rights era, and is apparently being kept alive, though just a shadow of what it once was. The time has come for people to take a stand against this kind of discriminatory behavior, and solidarity among anti-brutality groups has never been stronger. It is my sincere hope that within my lifetime we will see a tangible change in the level of police authority over the average citizen as well as in the nature of police attitudes toward people of all races. We need to get back to "protect and serve" rather than our current trend of "incarcerate and inconvenience."
Afternoon Americans, Today I'll be discussing something that's been all over the news recently and whether or not it deserves so much attention. Deadly as it may be, is Ebola a real problem for America and/or the world?
Ebola has been circulating, and not just in West Africa. News coverage of the Ebola incidents in the US have reached "wardrobe malfunction at the superbowl" type proportions, with everyone talking about it at least a couple times a day. My question for all of you is: Is all of this attention and media awareness in regards to the Ebola virus' threat to world health really warranted?
The World Health Organization released a statement today officially declaring the end of Ebola transmissions in Nigeria, exactly three months after the first Liberian man to spread the disease in Lagos arrived via airplane. The same can now also be said for Senegal. Liberia, the epicenter of this most recent outbreak, has been hard-hit in recent months with school closures and government withdrawals from certain areas, however it would appear that there is some hope of ending the outbreak relatively soon. This story published today by CBS news details what author Debora Patta describes as "Pockets of hope amid Corridors of Misery." Patta goes on to explain that there is a culture in Liberia that involves touching and caring for the dead in order to prepare them for burial, not unlike the western tradition of memorializing the recently deceased. The standards for sanitation, however, in the sweltering mostly tropical climate of Liberia are far from what they are in most developed countries. This has lead to a high number of transmissions going unreported by those infected who only wanted to care for their deceased loved ones, as well as violence against healthcare workers who would advise strongly against this type of ceremonious burial.
This article from The Guardian claims that Ebola is still running rampant in Liberia due to poor healthcare standards, and even more frightening, that the reported numbers of deaths from the virus are far lower than what is accurate.
When it comes to Ebola in the Western world, specifically the United States, up until recently there has been more than enough news coverage to get people more than a little bit freaked out. People like this guy, Dr. Gil Mobley, claim that the CDC is not doing enough to prevent the spread of Ebola, and tout the risk of such inaction for the future.
Many people claim this type of reporting results in fear mongering and hysterical public reaction. CNN published a story today calling this an "Epic, epidemic overreaction". The truth is that aside from the handful of healthcare workers in the US who happened to contract Ebola from "US patient zero" Thomas Duncan, there is practically zero chance that anyone you know or even anyone they know is likely to contract Ebola. Even Mr. Duncan's fiancee who shared a bed with the man post-infection, has been cleared from quarantine after the standard 21 day incubation period had elapsed.
As far as preparedness goes, the CDC has released a checklist detailing the types of precautions necessary when dealing with a suspected case of Ebola for healthcare organizations and workers. The pentagon has a strike team prepared who's sole job is dealing with reported cases of Ebola anywhere in the US. Clearly there are measures in place to deal with reported cases within our borders, despite the shortfall of a select few healthcare workers in recent weeks. The New York Times published an interesting article last week about the partisan divide between people who believe in the government's ability to handle Ebola cases in the US vs those who don't, finding that fewer republicans than democrats have faith in the federal government's capacity to protect us from the virus.
Whatever your opinion on our government's level of preparedness, the facts are what they are. The low number of Ebola infections in the US should speak for themselves. Fear is the correct response to an outbreak of this magnitude anywhere in the world, however the sensationalizing of this tragic event into the hot button news story of the month is extremely unproductive. To summarize my point, I will leave you all with this video of Shepard Smith in which he addresses the rumors and hysteria surrounding Ebola. Enjoy!
*UPDATED 10/29/14
Kaci Hickox, a nurse in Maine who was recently quarantined for possibly being infected with the ebola virus has made claims that she will go to court to defend her right to refuse normal quarantine procedures, claiming that they violate her constitutional rights. The state of Maine claims that they are willing to enforce the quarantine legally. I wonder what kind of precedent this will set for future cases of this nature? This case will be interesting to follow....
Evening Americans, Tonight I'll take a look into a widely-known yet often under-reported facet of American involvement in the Middle Eastern conflict over the past decade - Drone Strikes.
When the average American hears the word Predator Drone, a few key ideas are brought to mind. First and foremost comes the belief that unmanned drones are a relatively cheap, effective means of doing a risky job once undertaken by manned aircraft or foot soldiers. Second may be the idea that American drone strikes are performing a valuable service for the global community by ridding the world of terrorists from several thousand feet in the air. What Predator Drones and Drone strikes do not usually bring to mind however is this phrase: Civilian Casualties.
According to The Bureau of Investigative Journalism's 'Naming the Dead Project', over 400 CIA drone strikes have taken place over the past decade, killing an estimated 2400 to around 3800 people in the tribal regions of northern Pakistan. The Bureau claims that 704 of those killed have been identified by name and either listed as a potential enemy combatant or a civilian. About one-fifth of those 704 names have been identified as civilians, with a significant portion of that number including women and children. To ask a rather disturbing question, if only 704 names out of almost 4000 have been identified, who were the other 3300?
Keep in mind that this number is only representative of drone strikes in Pakistan. These numbers are completely separate from more recent strikes against ISIS militants in Syria and Iraq.
On his new show on HBO, Last Week Tonight, John Oliver talks a little bit about the suspicion and secrecy surrounding policy regarding drone strikes.
While Oliver brings up several disturbingly subversive aspects of the US government's policy towards Drone Strikes, there is still more that he does not discuss. Not only have rules been set forth to stem the flow of civilian deaths from these air strikes, but the Obama administration has declared that these rules will not matter in the government's fight against ISIS. In essence the US military has taken off its own leash in relation to aerial drone strikes; a leash which, for the most part, has been ineffective in the first place.
So why aren't we hearing more about this? Drone strikes under the Obama administration have reached an all time high, as has their approval rating, but honestly, much like Mr. Oliver's research team, I found it fairly difficult to get a real grasp on the total number of drone strike deaths in the middle east over the past decade. Furthermore, the criteria for conducting drone strikes seems to be getting more and more convoluted as time goes on.
What do you guys think? Are the nature of these attacks warranted? Is reform necessary or even possible at this point? It would seem to me that this is just another extension of the military authority of the United States in its never-ending quest for the power to police the entire world, even if it means the lives and peace of mind of (literally) countless civilians.
