Conv-Journalists-Vs-Propagandists

From: Jim White

Date: September 4, 2014

Subject: Why Western Journalists are Killed

My graduate studies were on the use of radio/TV in education. This, of course, also included a great deal about the mass media. Ken's description of Socialist Journalism brought the term "Gatekeeper" to mind. Gatekeepers are found whenever information is being disseminated. The editor of the small town newspaper is a gatekeeper because he decides what will be printed. He obviously can't print all the news of the day--he has to decide what he will "let through the gate" and publish and what he will not publish (not let through the gate). DJ's are gatekeepers because they decide what music you will hear (and oftentimes there is another gatekeeper above them who says that "you won't play certain songs" or "you can't publish this news"). Does this sound familiar to any of you?

I'm a gatekeeper because I decide what will be or will not be on AFVNVets.net.

Sometimes time or space constraints make for automatic gatekeeping. Time-constrained gatekeeping is very true in my case because I am having trouble catching/keeping up with everything i want to put on the site. I have lots of past group discussions I want to add but new topics are coming in almost faster than I can keep up with them. While in the age of the newspaper, space constraints were a real problem--today, with the web, the space for news and various points of view appears to have become infinite.

Ideally in the democratic countries there are many gatekeepers and some of them stress this news/music and others stress that news/music Thereby, lots of different viewpoints are available. A simple example is that 30-40 years ago one of the joys of a cross-country drive was that you could listen to one local station a while. Then when you you got of range of that station there was another one nearby which perhaps played a different kind of music or whatever. Today, however, nearly all of the "local" (?) stations are owned by a huge conglomerate. They figure that there is no reason to hire local announcers/DJs at each station when you can hire just one and pipe him to all the stations. So today, when driving across the country, as one station recedes out of range and you switch to another one you hear the same voice and the same music without missing a beat. No variety and no salt and pepper to life!

In the other countries, the gatekeeper concept is carried to an extreme. Gatekeeping becomes serious business and is used to be sure that only the regime's official viewpoint is available to the public. This is where journalists turns into propagandists.

Enough rambling for now,

Jim W

From: Steve Sevits

Date: September 3, 2014

Subject: Why Western Journalists are Killed

At the risk of repeating myself [I don’t remember many things], most totalitarian societies believe “journalism” is propaganda because that’s what it is in their societies.

Most westerners, journalists and politicians do not understand that western inquiry-oriented journalists are often viewed as propagandists.

Nobody in their right mind would wear apparel designating themselves as an “enemy propagandist.” Yet this is how they are viewed in North Korea, some of the muslim world and other places. How would we treat a foreigner who identified himself as an “enemy propagandist?”

With this background is it any wonder that western journalists are sometimes beheaded when captured by muslim extremists? Why are we surprised?

Lacking in journalism school is the explanation of foreign concepts of how western journalists are viewed within the context of some societies.

Steve

From: Ken Kalish

Date: September 4, 2014

Subject: Why Western Journalists are Killed

Steve:

During my graduate studies I took a course in Socialist Journalism from an instructor who had earned the nickname “Ted the Red.” Here is the core of the course:

The truth will set you free.

There is a lot of news being reported every day.

You are a busy person.

You do not have the time to read all of the reportage.

You do not have the skill to sort truth from propaganda.

I am a journalist.

I have the time to sort through all of the daily reportage.

It is my job to know the difference between truth and propaganda.

I will tell you only truth, because

The truth will set you free.

Ken

From: Steve Sevits

Date: September 4, 2014

Subject: Why Western Journalists are Killed

Thanks Ken,

For the insight. My undergraduate work (late 1950s) was Russian History, journalism was briefly mentioned as an arm of propaganda. The facts spoke for themselves. “Journalists” as compared to propagandists was so obvious it was beneath being worthy of serious further examination.

The attitude of totalitarian regimes is always hostile towards western inquiry based journalism -- it seems universal, not only in socialist but other anti-western gangs as well.

Steve

From: Dick Ellis

Date: September 3, 2014

Subject: Why Western Journalists are Killed

The news agencies have reported that a second American reporter has been be-headed.... Steven Sotloff disappeared while reporting from Syria in August 2013. Sotloff, 31, grew up in South Florida with his mother, father and younger sister. He majored in journalism at the University of Central Florida.

He graduated from another college, began taking Arabic classes and subsequently picked up freelance writing work for a number of publications, including Time, Foreign Policy, World Affairs and the Christian Science Monitor. His travels took him to Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey -- among other countries -- and eventually Syria.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour said that Sotloff's killing will step up pressure on Obama to devise a strategy to combat ISIS.

On Friday, Obama said it's too soon to discuss what steps the U.S. would take against the militant group inside Syria. On how to deal with the group in Syria -- where it was born and has a safe haven, mostly in the city of Raqqa -- the president said: "We don't have a strategy yet." Obama said on Friday that he has asked America's top defense officials to prepare "a range of options."

From: Arnaldo Rodriquez

Date: August 23, 2014

Subject: Why Western Journalists are Killed

Thank you for this information. I understand the beheading from a military standpoint as a way to punish westerners, but I didn’t understand it from a journalistic viewpoint.

Thanks again.

From: Jim White

Date: August 23, 2014

Subject: Why Western Journalists are Killed

Arnaldo,

To understand the journalistic viewpoint, you have to realize that to the totaltiarion countries, "journalists" don't exist. There are only "propagandists"--your own and theirs (who are therefore enemies and spies).

Jim W

From: Steve Sevits

Date: August 20, 2014

Subject: Islamic State Claims it Killed U.S. Journalist

Joe,

If the Japanese news crew weren’t overtly 100% ideologically aligned with the VC, then they were the “enemy.”

If there was any chance the Japanese could have had any degree of impartiality or willing to let the facts speak for themselves, then they were the “enemy.” The enemy needed to be exterminated.

My conclusions come from the study of Russian history during the 50s and 60s. Totalitarian ideologies seem to strongly follow the thoughts of Vince Lombardi: “winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”

There is a great deal to be said for the single mindedness of how the Soviets, North Koreans, communist North Vietnamese and red Chinese prevail with their ideological motivation. Only Generalissimo Franco defeated communists on the field of battle. Almost all other times a stalemate has taken place [Korea].

Victory over ideological motivation takes the brute force of the British counter terror in post WW II Malaya. “Whatever the communists do to you, we will do worse.” But this was the British Empire where it was socially acceptable to inflict unspeakable horrors on “little brown people.”

We are now confronted with the ideological motivation of the Muslim world. The unanswered question is to what to do and how to respond.

Steve

From: Steve Sevits

Date: August 23, 2014

Subject: Why Western Journalists are Killed

Almost everyone commenting on the recent beheading of the journalist is missing a crucial point. Totalitarian regimes: Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Note: I ran this past Doc Bob before posting this.

The following is based on my lifelong study of the operation of totalitarian governments.

North Korea, Cuba, Communist China and now the Muslim world view "journalists" as propagandists, because that's the role of "journalist" in those societies.

They have no concept of a journalist as an impartial chronicler of events, but see all journalists as propagandists which is what they are in those societies.

Therefore it is natural that totalitarian societies impose their own view on all who call themselves journalists. Journalists from countries not supportive of their ideology are seen as enemy propagandists. In this light their reaction to western journalists is understandable and even predictable.

No self respecting western journalist venturing into a Muslim society would wear a shirt emblazoned "ENEMY PROPAGANDIST" although this is how they are viewed and treated by indigenous radical Muslims.

The problem is that most of western society and the journalists themselves do not understand this view of Muslim society or the peril in which it places practitioners of western journalism whose role is honest inquiry instead of propagation of state sponsored ideology.

From: Joe Ciokon

Date: August 20, 2014

Subject: Islamic State Claims it Killed U.S. Journalist

Steve,

Thanks for the clarification. So, why did the VC ambush and kill a Japanese news crew during TET?

Joe

From: Steve Sevits

Date: August 20, 2014

Subject: Islamic State Claims it Killed U.S. Journalist

Joe,

One thing most of the world does not understand is the western concept of journalism. To most of the totalitarian world: Soviet Russia, North Korea, Nazi Germany [but apparently not post WW II Germany] and much of the Muslim world--journalism is a function of "official" propaganda.

This great difference in the understanding of the role of journalism leads "them" to see journalists as official representatives of "the enemy" and treat them as propagandists rather than impartial chroniclers of events.

In much of the world "journalists" are actually agi-prop agents promoting the official party line.

Having worked both sides of the street News vs: Psy War, there is a great divide between journalists and propagandists which large segments of the world do not understand. Even many legitimate western journalists do not understand how they are viewed by much of the world and the degree of danger this mis-understanding creates for them.

Many see no difference between "journalist" and "propagandist." It is a natural reaction for them to act adversely to "the enemy" propagandists.

Steve

Apologies to Doc Bob if the above seems to cross the line into the political, it is intended to be purely historical in nature.

From: Joe Ciokon

Date: August 20, 2014

Subject: Islamic State Claims it Killed U.S. Journalist

We need to send in a special team to "send a message" to them.

Joe

From: Robert Vail

Date: August 20, 2014

Subject: Former Stars & Stripes Reporter Foley behaeded by...

Not good!

Former Stars & Stripes Reporter Foley Beheaded by Miliants

Journalists vs. Propagandists

August & September 2014

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