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1. i would think it routine by now in this forum that links to sources be provided.
2. in the context of the zombietime blog, and restricting myself to that source (which is linked in the op and which provides a more extensive version of the op), the particular case seems fairly clear-cut. if the ambulance in the photos is supposed to be the same ambulance described in the sequence of press releases, then yes, the claims are obviously false.
but as usual, the inferences made on the basis of this case are wholly worthless: it proves nothing at all about any systematic bias of any kind because it presents no evidence concerning such bias---and you'd think claims like "the mainstream media is anti-israel"---which is preposterous in the american context---would require some type of argument, wouldn't you? and that argument would have to refer to evidence, and that evidence would have to symmetrical with the claims made about it....there is nothing of the sort in either the op or the blog linked in the op.
this is pretty basic stuff, folks, dont you think? i would find it astonishing that the conservative set here swallows this kind of argument and evidence free assertions concerning systematic bias compelling--this in the subjunctive because, well, ustwo is involved with the thread, and i dont ever see much consideration of either quality of evidence or argument in any of his posts. but hey, maybe i just pay too much attention to such trivialities as evidence and argument.
2. like will said above, in a war context there are fake stories floated all the time. by all sides.
duh.
3. there is however a problem that this piece does point to, but it has to do with the reliance on wire service stories by a vast range of news outlets that apparently do not check the fact in these wire stories independently.
most war marketing systems rely on this sorry state of affairs to get their "messages" across--the us government relies on it, the israel defense ministry relies on it, other groups/governments rely on it, etc etc etc.
this has much to do with the logic of vertical integration of media outlets, if you think about it: cuts in staff sizes, the elimination of independent news gathering capabilities in the interest of generating greater profits for the large corporations that dominate newspaper and television--and on the pressure this type of profit-oriented organization places on independent news outlets. it's capitalism in action, kids--the lowest quality that you can get away with that appeals to the greatest number--that driven not by a desire for accuracy, not by any belief that a functional democracy requires good information, but instead by the usual logic of increased shareholder value uber alles. so news is a commodity like any other, and lowering costs is necessarily a good thing for all concerned. this is a fine example of the way capitalism in its present form "floats all boats" aint it---so in the interest of maximizing shareholder profits, we get "news" that is drawn from the hall of mirrors of wire services, repeated without necessarily fact checking--why?--because it's cheaper than having staffs that do the work themselves.
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a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle
spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear
it make you sick.
-kamau brathwaite
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