Glenn Greenwald: Brian Williams' "response" to the military analyst story

[babylonsister]

Glenn Greenwald
Wednesday April 30, 2008 07:00 EDT
Brian Williams' "response" to the military analyst story


It has now been more than ten days since the New York Times exposed the Pentagon's domestic propaganda program involving retired generals and, still, not a single major news network has even mentioned the story to their viewers, let alone responded to the numerous questions surrounding their own behavior. This steadfast blackout occurs despite the fact that the Pentagon propaganda program almost certainly violates numerous federal laws; both Democratic presidential candidates sternly denounced the Pentagon's conduct; and Congressional inquiries are already underway, all of which forced the Pentagon to announce that it suspended its program.

Still, there has not been a peep from the major news networks at the center of the storm, the integrity of whose reporting on the Iraq war is directly implicated by this story. Even establishment media defender Howard Kurtz called their ongoing failure to cover this story "pathetic."

Like Fox and CBS, NBC News outright refused to answer any questions about the allegations when asked by the NYT's David Bartsow, and its prime time anchor, Brian Williams, has delivered seven broadcasts since the story was published and has not uttered a word to NBC's viewers about any of it. Yesterday, I wrote about an entry on Williams' blog -- which he calls "The Daily Nightly" -- in which Williams found the time to mock one frivolous cultural puff piece after the next in the Sunday edition of the NYT, even as he still had refused even to acknowledge the expose in last Sunday's NYT that calls into serious question the truthfulness and reliability of his "journalism."

After I wrote about Williams' blog item yesterday, his blog was deluged with commenters angrily demanding to know why he has failed to address the NYT expose. In response, Williams wrote a new blog item last night in which he purports -- finally -- to respond to the story, and I can't recommend highly enough that it be read by anyone wanting to understand how our establishment journalist class thinks and acts.

The essence of Williams' response: he did absolutely nothing wrong. Nor did any of the military analysts used by NBC News. Nor did his network. These are all honest, patriotic men whose integrity is beyond reproach. Here's but a sampling of Williams' defense:

more...

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/04/30/williams/

[wtmusic]

1. Write him

[e-mail]

Mr. Williams,

It is beyond pathetic that you have not responded to the NYTimes' exposé of NBC hosting the propaganda wing of the US government, representing it as independent viewpoints of retired generals.

McCaffrey and Downing are both on the advisory board of the "Committee for the Liberation of Iraq" and that is supposed to represent neutrality?

The debacle that is the war in Iraq is one that you helped sell, Brian. Look -- there's blood on your hands.

wtmusic

[Disturbed]

3. Willl any Pentagon personnel ever be held accountable?

Rumsfailed?

[babylonsister]

4. Not if people don't speak up about it. Glenn is, Arianna is:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x356393

[sandnsea]

2. That's what they're all going to say

I've had a few email exchanges with Francona, one specifically about military propaganda. No response this time, just a reference to this interview where he says, oh not him, he'd never be a mouthpiece. Remember that one time in the last 5 years he criticized something. Can't imagine what this is all about.

That's what they're all going to say.

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/steve_duin/index.ssf?/base/news/1208825723128850.xml&coll=7

[tishaLA]

5. Greenwald does amazing work

That article is 100x more damning than the Times article, and it makes Williams look even more shameful than he did before.

[leftchick]

6. this is absolutely vomit inducing....

<snip>

Here is the dialogue those two shared on Mission Accomplished Day -- May 1, 2003:

WILLIAMS: With us tonight to look back at the military operation and perhaps what today means as a media event and a significant event in the lives of the soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen is retired four-star General Barry McCaffrey who, of course, commanded the 24th Mechanized during the first Gulf War. He is an NBC News analyst on military affairs.

General, let's start with today. The pictures were beautiful. It was quite something to see the first-ever American president on a -- on a carrier landing. This must be very meaningful to the United States military.

General BARRY McCAFFREY (US Army): Oh, yeah, I think it's a huge shot in the arm to the morale of--of the entire armed forces, never mind to remind Americans why we pay for these 10-carrier battle groups. I mean, this is a -- just an enormous source of military power and the ability to influence events sometimes without fighting.



:puke:

what a fuckwad. :grr: