U.S. Accused of Violating Press Freedom (in Iraq)

[Barrett808]

U.S. Accused of Violating Press Freedom
By VANESSA GERA, Associated Press Writer

WARSAW, Poland - An international media watchdog accused the United States on Tuesday of violating press freedom in Iraq, saying Washington is setting a poor example for a future Iraqi government.

The International Press Institute, a network of reporters, editors and media executives, also called on the United States to protect reporters in Iraq.

"The state of press freedom in Iraq gives rise to grave concerns," said a resolution passed by the group's annual meeting in Warsaw. It cited alleged infringements of media freedom both by the Coalition Provisional Authority and by officials in Washington.

Dick Custin, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, said he could not comment on the institute's accusations but stressed that the United States remains committed to press freedom.

"We certainly encourage freedom of expression and we encourage the journalists to let us know how they feel and express to the world how they feel," Custin said. "One of the things we are working toward in Iraq is freedom of speech."

(more)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040518/ap_on_re_eu/media_us_iraq&cid=518&ncid=1480

[bemildred]

1. "committed to press freedom"

as long as there is nothing that embarasses those in power.
Someone needs to explain that the Bill of Rights does not
have a little codicil that says "except in times of war or
when the government doesn't like what is being said".

[UpInArms]

2. here's a link to a list of all the journalists

who have died in the Iraq invasion:

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/nation/8469090.htm?1c

Posted on Mon, Apr. 19, 2004



List of Journalists Who Died in Iraq


Associated Press


A list of news organization employees killed in Iraq since the start of war March 20, 2003:

_ Correspondent Asaad Kadhim and driver Hussein Saleh of the U.S.-funded television station Al-
Iraqiya shot by U.S. troops, April 19.

_ Burhan Mohamed Mazhour, Iraqi cameraman freelancing for ABC, killed in Fallujah, reportedly by U.S. troop fire in his direction, March 26.

_ Ali Abdel Aziz and Ali al-Khatib, of the United Arab Emirates-based news channel Al-Arabiyya, shot by U.S. military near checkpoint in Baghdad, March 18.

...more...

[Twist]

5. Freedom of the Press

The journalist death number is even higher when you consider those that perished Afghanistan:

http://www.rediff.com/us/2001/nov/22ny1.htm

(Wasn't the Al Jazeera station one of the first places to be bombed?)


Worldwide, the number of journalists killed or jailed is staggering....

http://www.worldrevolution.org/article/1083

Jim Lobe, OneWorld US
January 6, 2004


WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan 5 (OneWorld) - More journalists were killed in the line of duty in 2003 than in any other year in almost a decade, according to two major international press watchdogs, Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres (Reporters Without Borders) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in New York.

[newyawker99]

10. Hi Twist!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[PaDUer]

6. You have to register

to read the article..

[UpInArms]

7. try

this:

www.bugmenot.com

[PaDUer]

8. Thanks! n/t

[PolJugglr]

3. "We certainly encourage freedom of expression"

HEHE only an idiot would believe that, they shut down any media outlet that isn't under their influence, set up puppet radio and television stations to pump their message, and deliberately try to squash and ABUSE any reporter that reports anything that seriously contradicts their lies.

And I have grown extremely tired of hearing anyone from the administration use the F word.. Freedom is far far away from what they promote. Just ask Michael Moore, who must struggle to deal with an administration that is going out of its way to ensure that his freedom to voice his opinion and my freedom to hear it are taken away.

[UpInArms]

4. Welcome to DU PolJugglr!

:hi:

[PolJugglr]

11. Thanx

thanx, lurked for too long, hard not to jump in and voice a bit of outrage.

[Barrett808]

9. A nice account from Dahr Jamail

Yesterday at 5:30pm I tried to approach U.S. soldiers who had sealed off the Abu Hanifa Mosque in Al-Adhamiya, Baghdad. Holding my press badge up in the air, in loud, clear English from about 50 feet away I yelled to a soldier sitting behind a machine gun on a Bradley, “I am press! May I please get a comment from one of you about what the goal of your operation is here?”

Before I finished that sentence a soldier standing near the armored vehicle pulled his M-16 to his shoulder and held me in his sights. With a wave of adrenaline I yelled, “I am press! I just want to get a comment from someone!”

Two soldiers gestured their heads “no” with their heads while another waved me away, all the while the soldier kept his gun trained on me.

Freedom of the press in the ‘New Iraq.’

I slowly walked back to a crowd of Iraqis nodding their heads in disbelief, pondering why people wonder for one second why there is so much anger in Iraq towards the occupiers.

(more)

http://blog.newstandardnews.net/iraqdispatches/archives/000397.html#more

[Judi Lynn]

13. You have to hope the reporter, Dahr Jamail, won't end up on the list

We really need articles like this, as many as possible to counter the Republican whine, "b-b-b-b-but the pressss isn't shooowwwwing alllll the goooood we are doing in Eye-rack."

[0007]

12. Check out of this site and video and you'll find out how

rotten this fucking administration is..

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3267.htm

Why have US television stations refused to broadcast this documentary?

In Afghanistan, filmmaker Jamie Doran has uncovered evidence of a massacre: Taliban prisoners of war suffocated in containers, shot in the desert under the watch of American troops.

The film has been broadcast on national television in countries all over the world and has been screened by the European parliament. Human rights lawyers are calling for investigation into whether U.S. forces are guilty of war crimes. But no U.S. media outlet has broadcast the film.

Pass it on to your friends. This must get out!

[struggle4progress]

14. Kick

:kick: