Amerikan television news publicly renounces 
independence

Pardon our rhetoric, but the major Amerikan 
television news companies are a bunch of toadying, 
bootlicking, cringing curs.

What else can we say when ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and 
Fox agree to the Bush administration's request to 
abridge future videotaped statements by Osama bin 
Laden and remove "inflammatory" language.(1) 
Clearly these journalists -- we use the term 
loosely -- are not playing the role of a watchdog 
on the government.

When the stakes were low, these hounds chased 
after Gary Condit. Now, when the stakes are so 
much higher, they willingly muzzle themselves. 
They withhold information Amerikans need to 
evaluate the recent events for themselves, just as 
the Amerikan government withholds its alleged 
proof that bin Laden is responsible for the 11 
September attack.

As of 27 September, neither CBS Evening News or 
NBC Nightly News had run a single report on the 
proposed Anti-Terrorism Act.(2) MIM Notes, with a 
tiny volunteer staff, had run two related stories 
by 19 September, and another four since 27 
September.

So why do these so-called journalists kiss so much 
government ass? A radio commentator on media 
issues (4) summed it up well: These "news 
organizations" are themselves large monopoly 
businesses. As such they have close ties to the 
government, need to suck up to get government 
approval for future business deals, etc.

This underscores the importance of independent 
media such as MIM Notes. Stay politically sane! 
Read MIM Notes! Check our website opposing the war 
in Afghanistan regularly!(5)

Notes: 
1. The New York Times, 11 Oct 2001. 
2. FAIR, 27 Sep 2001, www.fair.org/activism/wtc-
liberties.html. 
3. See e.g. "Legislators jump on 
'anti-terror' bandwagon," MIM Notes 245. 
4. "Air Talk," KPCC, 16 Oct 2001. 
5. www.prisoncensorship.info/archive/etext