[PAA-Discuss] [hq2600] Coy McKinney Writes About the Media and its Reportage on Libya

[HQ]

Coy's article was edited; this is the edited version that appears in
PolyMic:
http://policymic.com/articles/the-media-fog-of-war
The Media Fog of War

Coy McKinney <http://policymic.com/profile/show?id=126> in
Global<http://policymic.com/article/list?category_id=1>,
U.S. Military<http://policymic.com/article/list/category_id/1/topic/U.S.+Military>18
hours ago
 [image: PolicyMic]

An embedded reporter snaps war footage. The U.S. military-industrial complex
and media work together to propagate the agenda of government.

NATO’s decision to intervene in Libya on humanitarian grounds has become an
alarming and revealing assessment of America’s understanding of war. The way
the “established” media portrayed the Libyan conflict, and its subsequent
reception, illustrates our society’s failure to recognize how the power
dynamics of plutocratic governance shape our realities. There is significant
historical evidence that during times of war propaganda is used to justify
military action for special interests. If we are to believe the theme of
“change” will define our generation, we must pierce through both the media
and the government’s rationalization of war.

I have found the established media’s reporting on Libya to be lacking in
depth and consideration of an alternative to military intervention. This is
not unusual. History repeatedly shows that during times of war, the
established media have a tendency to mislead, deceive, and (in some
instances) fabricate to serve the interests of the rich and powerful. This
is shown through the writings of Carl
Bernstein<http://carlbernstein.com/magazine_cia_and_media.php>,
the Nayirah testimony<https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Nayirah_%28testimony%29>,
the treatment <http://www.freedocumentaries.org/int.php?filmID=155> of
former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney, and the beginning of the Iraq
and <http://www.mwaw.net/2007/12/09/ramadani/>Afgh<http://www.mwaw.net/2007/12/09/ramadani/>an
wars <http://www.mwaw.net/2007/12/09/ramadani/>. Essentially, the media has
been used to facilitate consent, not dissent.

Given the assumption that we learn from history, our passive acceptance of
such reporting is surprising. In 1758, author Samuel
Johnson<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Johnson> wrote,
“Among the calamities of war may be justly numbered the diminution of the
love of truth, by the falsehoods which interest dictates and credulity
encourages.” Later, President Dwight Eisenhower
warned<http://youtu.be/8y06NSBBRtY> us
of the emerging military-industrial complex, which we learned has a tradition
of lying <http://youtu.be/gXFAsz6_W50> in addition to tremendous
governmental influence. If the military has to go to such lengths for
approval, it is clearly not what we naturally desire. Thus, why has there
not been more widespread skepticism and objection with regard to Libya?

Led by the U.S., NATO used reports of imminent danger to civilians as
justification for humanitarian intervention. Yet, history shows that there
is a good reason to approach this explanation with skepticism. In fact, it
was recently reported that President Barack Obama
exaggerated<http://articles.boston.com/2011-04-14/bostonglobe/29418371_1_rebel-stronghold-civilians-rebel-positions>
the
humanitarian threat. Once we consider issues such as who the Libyan
rebels<http://www.japanfocus.org/-Peter_Dale-Scott/3504>are and what
role oil, banking, previous planning, and geopolitics play in
the situation, it seems that history is repeating itself.

The question for our generation becomes: At what point do we categorically
reject war and its mechanisms from the beginning rather than in retrospect?
We can do this by repudiating all war. We must reject the seemingly
righteous theory of humanitarian intervention because it is divorced from
how social conflicts actually arise and are resolved. The idea that bombing
— an indiscriminate killing method the U.S. has become notoriously
inaccurate at — can improve a situation is untenable. The most recent
example is Kosovo; it was the nonviolent
movement<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-zunes/the-us-war-on-yugoslavia_b_211172.html>that
ultimately resolved the conflict. Moreover, what right does any
country
have to determine the affairs of another country? This is the same
expression of moral superiority used to justify imperialism.

If we want to live in a world of peace, we must learn from our history and
see that war is an unnatural phenomenon; we need to reject it on a
philosophical and spiritual level. Removing war from our conscience creates
space for dialogue and diplomacy, and brings us closer to a shared utopia.

*Photo Credit*: Wikimedia
Commons<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Army.mil-2007-06-26-111327.jpg>
Coy McKinney Pundit | Washington, DC, US Was born in Kingston, Jamaica,
raised in Atlanta, Georgia, attended high school in Torino, Italy, obtained
a history degree from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver,
Canada, and is currently a Juris Doctorate candidate at the University of
the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law. Coy's primary
interests are stimulating our natural impulse to collaborate with one
another, exploring and deepening our collective consciousness, and building
small-scale, sustainable communities where appreciation of the environment,
and our role within it, is deeply embedded within the culture. For more,
check out the website: http://www.everythingology.com


-- 
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Silence is the deadliest weapon of mass destruction.
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