November 8, 2005
AN EMAIL EXCHANGE WITH THE NEW YORK TIMES
The following was submitted by a reader attempting to get the New
York Times submtitting the Italian TV show about chemicals weapons used
in Fallujah.
It is very obvious that this alleged reporter viewed only a minute of
the video, then dismissed it as "about Vietnam", then when called on
his or her mistake, got defensive.
This is an object lesson as to just what sort of mentality one finds at
the corporate media these days.
Watched the video--- disgusted, appalled, ashamed. Still shaking with anger and sheer frustration.
I've gone ahead and written to the media, insisting that
they talk about this. Funnily/sadly/pathetically enough, someone
at the NY Times' Executive Editor's Desk (I wonder if it's the same one
who whizzed off an immature screed a few months ago when I wrote about
the Downing Street Memo) has chosen to respond, albeit tersely and not
particularly effectively. The following is our "dialogue" so
far. It really doesn't paint a pretty picture of the Times:
Editors:
Knowing that you are currently receiving many, many
more emails just like this one, I will keep this correspondence brief,
since any elaboration on my part would surely only repeat the same
points everyone else is making on the subject.
I am writing about that major taboo topic in American discourse, until now: What we did in Fallujah.
Certainly by now you are well aware of the Italian
documentary--- circulating on the web and being viewed by
millions here and abroad--- chronicling the American war crimes in
Fallujjah, planned well in advance of the November election but
held off until immediately after Bush was handed the Presidency.
White phosphorus--- a chemical weapon no different from napalm in
its lethality--- was massively dropped on the people of
Fallujah, killing them in the most excruciating manner I could
imagine. This was a massacre, case closed.
The independent and foreign press and the
blogging community had long ago reported that America had committed
major war crimes in Fallujah, but not until now has the world been able
to see as clearly the level of pure evil done during those days.
Still, here in this country I have yet to see any acknowledgment of
these newly-revealed facts in the mainstream media. The bloggers
and the independent press are keeping this story up front
where everybody can see it; when will the Times be joining in, I
wonder.
So far, there has been nothing.
Certainly you are well aware of the video, and
probably have already seen it. Just in case you need to see it
again to remind yourselves of how you are failing this country with
your silence, I have provided a link to the documentary.
The world already knows, whether you look the other way or not.
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
San Francisco CA
NY TIMES-
The video you attached is of Viet Nam.
- Show quoted text -
ME-
The first few minutes are of Vietnam, the
remainder is of Iraq. The makers of the
documentary wished to make the point that America is doing the
same thing over again, and thus included the Vietnam footage at the
beginning.
They also were assuming that their viewers had a long
enough attention span to be able to figure this out for
themselves. Not too much to assume, really--- everyone else,
particularly in the blogosphere and the independent press, figured it
out without my help.
Skip ahead in the video by two or three minutes to get to the beginning of the Iraq footage, if you can't wait.
Shall I assume that your response is indicative of how the Times handles research and investigative reporting?
NY TIMES-
You can assume nothing- except that I have picked up your internet message.
- Show quoted text -
ME-
Such an assumption on my part was easy to make, and beyond
that, a rather fair one, based on your initial response. You
watched, most likely, three minutes of the video and then assumed the
video was devoted entirely to Vietnam, rather than sticking it out to
see where it would go next. Otherwise, I would not have received
such a response in the first place.
I highly doubt that either you or myself exist in a
vacuum; surely by now you and your colleagues have more than passing
familiarity with the contents of this video, regardless of whether you
have actually gone ahead and watched the entire thing or not.
Thousands and thousands of folks have seen this video and are disgusted--- certainly this correspondence is not your first
introduction to a subject which is rapidly becoming huge news around
the globe.
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Mike, I really think their juvenile responses speak volumes.
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