tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.comments2023-06-28T09:06:10.384+01:00VOA Media WatchAlex Belidahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10991548582221835446noreply@blogger.comBlogger158125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-26445562989820230572010-12-17T16:13:03.724+00:002010-12-17T16:13:03.724+00:00You guessed it. The author was writing about Fox....You guessed it. The author was writing about Fox. Here's the link:<br /><br />http://pressthink.org/2010/11/resentment-news-and-more-blondes-per-square-foot-explaining-what-fox-news-channel-is/Alex Belidahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10991548582221835446noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-82782564299631859402010-12-16T15:02:45.373+00:002010-12-16T15:02:45.373+00:00Most of the so-called "main stream media"...Most of the so-called "main stream media" is a disgrace to the founding fathers who wanted the "press" to protect the people from the government. Instead, the "press" usually winds up protecting the government from the people. <br /><br />It no longer matters to me that the leftist "press" has resigned itself to be a propaganda machine for the left. I am satisfied that a great number of real Americans have seen thru the sham of the "main stream media" and we no longer watch or read the leftist diatribe. We consider them the enemy of American freedom. <br /><br />We do not trust them and many of us have turned to Fox News and other talk radio shows to find the truth.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-56493742461711451772010-11-03T07:34:53.475+00:002010-11-03T07:34:53.475+00:00I allow myself to disagree with Mr Belida and Dire...I allow myself to disagree with Mr Belida and Director Austin. The real question is not whether VoA is believed or trusted. The problem is to how to do interesting programming. <br /><br />The success in the US of Fox News perhaps proves my point. The Iranians and Russians are rapidly learning how to do such TV. <br /><br />The international media landscape changed when state-run TV from countries like Russia and Iran began to produce programming in the US. <br /><br />And now its looks like USA is allowing itself to be outcommunicated (see The Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors Walter Isaacson via RT http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtyemTT8fXY&feature=related ).<br /><br />And this is done with the help of American production companies. The American comedian/economist Max Keiser is thus aired on both Russian RT and Iranian PressTV. <br /><br />It must be noted that the Iranians and their American allies made a good job following the American mid-term election. See American Dream http://www.presstv.ir/program/149296.html . Did VoA do anything as good?Sten Dellbyhttp://www.hb.se/wps/portal/contact/sdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-33031173473832041892010-11-02T11:25:52.986+00:002010-11-02T11:25:52.986+00:00Alex -- Thank you again for addressing us! Your th...Alex -- Thank you again for addressing us! Your thought-provoking presentation was a highlight of our class. Best, JohnJohn Brownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11408381085180641019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-73246419929449764222010-10-23T06:47:22.084+01:002010-10-23T06:47:22.084+01:00Check out this article on the BBC -- I think you m...Check out this article on the BBC -- I think you may find broader themes for intl. broadcasting as a whole.<br /><br />http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/21/bbc-world-service<br /><br />Would be great if you would post your lecture notes!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-62559977714235412112010-10-11T18:55:22.624+01:002010-10-11T18:55:22.624+01:00Being a professional journalist is one thing and e...Being a professional journalist is one thing and expressing opinion or reporting some news is another. But one cannot say for sure that citizens or one can say amateurs can't deliver the best.<br /><br />Like physicists or engineers are really specialized people but one cannot limit human intellect of a doctor to discover something remarkable in physics or a hair dresser becoming a great actor.<br /><br />Yes, ethics and professional standards do matter but if we see today's journalism many professional journalist don't put much efforts to follow these standards.faisalhttp://infocrats.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-6483263649395794272010-10-10T05:17:42.072+01:002010-10-10T05:17:42.072+01:00I think it was very logical for Mr Obama to use BB...I think it was very logical for Mr Obama to use BBC Persian to speak to Iranians rather than using a state owned TV by the US government. That was a clever decision by the US president. <br /><br />Sometimes people write articles without referring to facts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-69519338231243495482010-10-08T14:11:26.947+01:002010-10-08T14:11:26.947+01:00Thanks to Mr. Belida, and to the BBG public affair...Thanks to Mr. Belida, and to the BBG public affairs office, for putting what they call the facts on record about PNN versus BBC audience in Iran.<br /><br />But the original topic had to do with the question of why the Obama White House granted BBC Persian an interview with President Obama instead of PNN, right?<br /><br />In an initial comment on this subject, Kim Andrew Elliott, writing in his blog on U.S. international broadcasting, cut through the smoke and mirrors when he observed:<br /><br />"In terms of public diplomacy, however, the White House might have concluded that it can have more impact if the President is interviewed by what is perceived as respected, independent, hard-hitting broadcast news organization than by what is typically (and unfortunately) described as an instrument of US public diplomacy.<br /><br />One of the BBG's "implementation strategies" is to "broaden cooperation within U.S. public diplomacy." How much weight can a VOA "news" interview have if its supervisory board has achieved its goal of broadly cooperating with US public diplomacy?"<br /><br />After expenditures of tens of millions of dollars to construct a Persian broadcast operation -- this under the previous Republican administrtation -- a Democratic president and his NSC advisers hand a high-profile interview to the main competition for PNN.<br /><br />Cite all the statistics you want -- that says a lot, and should have prompted U.S. media outlets to ask questions about why that happened.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-53453506142710906632010-10-08T13:53:03.583+01:002010-10-08T13:53:03.583+01:00BBG recently issued a "clarification" ab...BBG recently issued a "clarification" about Mr. Isaacson's remarks in which he used the word enemies, saying he meant "enemies within Afghanistan - those that advocate terrorism."<br /><br />This is the second time that a BBG chairman has spoken in an open forum of "enemies" when discussing U.S. international broadcasting. <br /><br />Former BBG chairman and later Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy, James Glassman used that description in an open meeting with VOA employees.<br /><br />He was fairly quickly put on notice that use of such a term raises serious questions about the very thing that Mr. Isaacson and so many other BBG heads, as well as VOA directors, have had to clarify and re-clarify over the decades -- that the most important thing to preserve is the journalistic mission.<br /><br />Under former President George W. Bush after the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. the journalists under the BBG structure came under intense pressure to just what Glassman, and Isaacson (at least before his "clarification") suggested was an important role for broadcasters operating under the BBG -- that is, to ensure that U.S. government-funded broadcasting is a powerful weapon so to speak against "enemies" such as al-Qaida and affiliated groups.<br /><br />Clarifications are great. But it is all too clear that where the "mission" is concerned, U.S. international broadcasting is seen by the board that controls it, and thus by the U.S. Congress who funds it, and presidents who nominate BBG heads and members, as little more than a weapon to be used to respond to "enemies" rather than FIRST -- as a global NEWS operation.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-10994945358831677512010-06-23T17:57:04.582+01:002010-06-23T17:57:04.582+01:00"3. Can any journalist in the west question t..."3. Can any journalist in the west question the holocaust and present documents to deny the holocaust?"<br /><br />Helen Thomas wasn't even allowed to question Zionism, i.e. the Colonization of Palestine by Germans, Poles, etc...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-26095148293113826742010-06-10T17:56:20.301+01:002010-06-10T17:56:20.301+01:00The analogy of RF signals to microwave cooking is ...The analogy of RF signals to microwave cooking is not very relevant. Microwave ovens cook with microwaves at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. This frequency is readily absorbed by water, which is how the food is heated. Similarly, this frequency would be readily absorbed by human tissue (the thermal effects people speak of). However, communications bands, particularly AM / FM radio or VHF TV are much, much lower in frequency (around 0.1 GHz), and are not absorbed as efficiently by human tissue.<br />This is the basis for statements that RF signals are unlikely to cause adverse health effects from thermal heating.Nickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15179068837845034379noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-71802702602449921892010-06-10T14:34:31.771+01:002010-06-10T14:34:31.771+01:00To be fair, trading with the enemies act do constr...To be fair, trading with the enemies act do constrain Iranian peoples activities in the US quite a bit, your aren't even legally allowed to buy a computer. Countries like Cuba aren't allowed to purchase US origin software. Food is mostly fine though. Fiber optics weren't allowed until recently and they where already laying fiber to/from Venezuela by then, but satellite links still prohibits ordinary Cubans due to costs and technical difficulties to access much of the net or services, they can read expat influenced Miami newspapers though, it also means there's no central censorship like in China. It's not strange that they feel threaten by their treatment. Not that it stops European or Asian tech companies, they happily don't comply with the US laws.<br /><br />More to the point though, Press TV do have correspondents in the US although only officially at the UN due the trade sanctions. They do air programs that show different sides of American society including the bad ones. Or the negative side. Those are produced by US individuals and companies though. They use studios in US for interviews too. When it comes to the other way around, foreign journalists in Iran don't need minders most of the time or any of that crap. At least not the kind you have to have to move around. Countries like Syria is worse in that regard. Iran isn't a hardline country and really has never been. Not in that regard at least, you'd probably have a much much worse time across the the persian gulf. Even in US allied countries.<br /><br />All in all US trade sanctions are a hindrance, especially in regards to relations with the US. They are circumventable though, and tech is no problem and software is just pirated as companies get fined if they sell them any. In reality though offering services such as MSN and Twitter or Facebook to Iranians are illegal under US law and Microsoft briefly blocked Iranians from using MSN ironically enough they where pressured to lift the geo block as they wanted the opposition to influence the politics. They have made it nearly impossible for ordinary Cubans to share their thoughts with the world though...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-67693740269290136602010-06-07T18:55:00.316+01:002010-06-07T18:55:00.316+01:00>>>closed governments that are unelected ...>>>closed governments that are unelected and unfair to anyone who wants a different system that is fairer to all. Let's put our heads together and come up with a better way. Democracy in its purest form seems to work all right<<< One of the problems associated with these governments, is massive corruption, wasteful spending, launching of unncessary wars, among other atrocities. Look at Iraq and Afghanistan for example.<br />What is "wishy-washy response"? Do you have a better response?<br />>>No, in many of the leading nations of the west; France, Germany, UK, etc.. denial of the holocaust is a crime punishable by fine or even imprisonment. In America, denial of of the holocaust can result in dismissal from a teaching/research post.<<<br />One of us will ultimately prove to be well lets just say stupid. Hopefully you can read your statement once again and see what conclusion you can come to. In America you are free to do and say more things than you can in Iran. Hate speech is not even banned here in the USA! In Iran, they teach that Israel does not exists. It is not even shown on there maps! You are also free to accept the result of your actions. You are free to tell your boss to ph**k himself. YOU ARE FREE TO SAY IT!!! But you may get fired! You are not free of the consequences. And please note that not all bosses will fire you for saying that! You can say and deny the Holocaust all you want. It "can result in dismissal from a teaching/research post", but probably not from the grocery store, or from operating a tractor trailor or from your practice as a Medical Doctor or Dentist. Just listen to Fox, Beck, Limbaugh, Teabaggers and tell me how much limitations there are to free speech? Of course there are some kinds of limits and possibly ceusures, and there should be; but is it as bad as you are tryig to make it out to be?<br /><br />>>>it is obvious that most American news agencies see themselves as an arm of the American Government. It is difficult to receive unbiased news<<< I will have to agree with you to a degree. You can get more opinions masked as news and lots of news tainted by opinions.<br />Nima-you dare to compare Iranian freespeech to American free speech? It would be an enormous waste to further respond to your nonsense!traffikatorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02987440855481097079noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-88921283563104308202010-05-08T05:21:15.828+01:002010-05-08T05:21:15.828+01:00Im an intl correspondent for the Iranian news chan...Im an intl correspondent for the Iranian news channel - Press TV. Your blog posts are very interesting and revealing.<br /><br />Good workAm Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07555457073736147611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-39827616158125474302010-05-05T02:08:11.711+01:002010-05-05T02:08:11.711+01:00"3. Can any journalist in the west question t..."3. Can any journalist in the west question the holocaust and present documents to deny the holocaust?"<br /><br />No, in many of the leading nations of the west; France, Germany, UK, etc.. denial of the holocaust is a crime punishable by fine or even imprisonment. In America, denial of of the holocaust can result in dismissal from a teaching/research post. The VOA editor is either unaware or purposely misleading in their response.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-89936476318266853042010-05-04T03:26:31.755+01:002010-05-04T03:26:31.755+01:00I'm an American. I'm also Jewish, although...I'm an American. I'm also Jewish, although I oppose the Israeli government's policies. I have Iranian friends. And I have friends from the VOA. <br /><br />The Iranian editors have raised the excellent question of whether VOA reports negative things about Israel. <br /><br />The American tradition of journalism is to give all sides of the controversy, preferably with quotes from people on all sides. Does VOA cover Israel like that? <br /><br />Look at the facts. Look at an example. Search the VOA web site for "Goldstone report," and read a couple of stories http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/a-13-2009-09-15-voa44-68808237.html http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/a-13-2009-09-29-voa45.html Are they afraid to criticize Israel? <br /><br />I wouldn't give VOA an "A" on this coverage. I'd give them a B or a C. They gave both sides -- but (at least in these 2 stories), they quoted people from the Israeli side. They didn't quote anybody from the Palestinian side. Then in the middle of the story they say "At least 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed in the three-week conflict." Oh yeah. A lot of Palestinians were killed. A VOA editor managed to slip in the truth. <br /><br />Here's a problem for the American government. The Goldstone report was scathing of Israel. VOA has to report this important news, but they also did the best they could to quote Israelis who would defend Israel. It's good reporting, but it's not objective reporting. They're not giving me the truth as best as they know it. <br /><br />However, the American media as a whole does give all sides (I think). The New York Times does a good job, although many other publications do a better job. http://www.commondreams.org/ Many American publications correctly criticize Israel for the brutal, illegal treatment of Palestinians, and remind us of America's suppression of democracy in Iran. <br /><br />I'm sure that you, as editors, would like to be free to publish the truth as you see it. (There are some VOA editors who feel the same way.) That day will come, and I hope it will be soon. <br /><br />I wish I could say that we in the U.S. are free to demonstrate against the government without getting arrested, but unfortunately that's not true. I demonstrated against the Bush Administration along with hundreds of thousands of others to protest the invasion of Iraq. In New York, many of us were arrested for peaceably demonstrating. The police brought false charges -- but they were dismissed when the videos showed the police were lying. <br /><br />I wish I could say that the police never kill our demonstrators, but that's not true either. We are now commemorating the 40th anniversary of the killings at Kent State. <br /><br />However, if my government ever threatens to invade Iraq, I'll demonstrate against it again. And if your government prevents you from printing what you want, I'll protest against that too.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16893454337990238493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-91974180654910129532010-05-01T20:43:21.704+01:002010-05-01T20:43:21.704+01:00goodgoodkermanihttp://www.queer.persianblog.irnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-57295637222657185282010-04-30T01:55:32.570+01:002010-04-30T01:55:32.570+01:00Sir:
I read your answers to the editor of Alef si...Sir:<br />I read your answers to the editor of Alef site. I am not an expert in the field of journalism or politics but as a layman I find your answers fairer than those of the Alef editor. I am an Iranian and consider myself quite familiar with the Iranian political scene. Thus I know what I am talking about. When that editor mentions that he is able to criticize the president, or even the supreme leader, he is right to an infinitesimal extent and that in theory not indeed. He does not mention that the laws are not written by legal experts. The laws, specially those concerning politics, freedom, and human rights are ambiguous and convey interpretable concepts. Alef editor does not mention that hundreds of people are in prison because of criticizing the leader and the president. They say that criticism is permitted but the conspiracy is prohibited. Then they mark every action of yours as an offence and conspiracy or an act of treason. Therefore, they do not have the right to question freedom and liberalism in the western world.<br />Please do me a favor and ask them in Alef on my behalf that why they translate articles in a Machiavellian way? In a way that is deviated from the true meaning? I consider this deceitful! Is it their way of being fair with their readers? I have seen instances that in translating an article they change the meaning, remove words or sentences and even add phrases of their own in a way that distorts and twists the content to their liking which is support of the current illegitimate government. I am even able to provide you with one instance of this. This is the same with other pote’rists like Kayhan staff. Thank you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-79302500662588592452010-04-29T18:51:06.066+01:002010-04-29T18:51:06.066+01:00Please don't expect them to agree or admit. I ...Please don't expect them to agree or admit. I am an Iranian and I know the only way for them to work in Iran and not go to prison is talking to you like that. This is the only way to survive!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-48840101637193725912010-04-25T06:49:05.421+01:002010-04-25T06:49:05.421+01:00"I’d like to focus in this post on questions ..."I’d like to focus in this post on questions 1, 2 and 3. And here is what I want to say: in the U.S., journalists can and do ask all sorts of questions, even when the questions are, well, absurd."<br /><br />What a wishy-washy response. You'd better forget about proceeding to question number 4 and beyond. Instead, go back to question 1, again.Lauriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07237728396537912928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-40076752215926569362010-04-23T11:47:09.096+01:002010-04-23T11:47:09.096+01:00Like it or not we cannot say for sure whether medi...Like it or not we cannot say for sure whether media in any part of the world is completely free. Even in USA there are lines drawn especially in this war against terror.Lots of material voicing the views of government were spread out of fear or patriotism even in a free country like USA.<br />Iran is no exception when it comes to freedom of media, the only difference is the degree of control.<br />Hopefully the social media after all the attempts to control it will overcome this problem of pressurizing and will be able to provide truth without boundaries in true sense.kimhttp://infocrats.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-33531254688758277902010-04-23T02:44:11.488+01:002010-04-23T02:44:11.488+01:00Regardless of how much freedom America's press...Regardless of how much freedom America's press claims, one has to admit the courage of this Iranian for at least being honest by using the phrase "with in the framework of law" regardless of wat it implies. I wonder if the American media can admit that?? Else if we wanna claim freedom of press, then we aught to be showing how the countries that we've invaded are being raped day in and day out under the guise of "war on terror" through media and military means. While on the subject i wonder why there was not a whole lot of coverage about the fate of American soldiers who gang raped an iraqi minor and set her on fire and shot dead her entire family including her baby sister??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-63455305051121083212010-04-22T20:50:06.884+01:002010-04-22T20:50:06.884+01:00The question of censorship is interesting. No sto...The question of censorship is interesting. No story about Israeli security can be released without censorship by the military. Even some US reporters teaming up with Israeli journos submit to censorship.<br /><br />Meanwhile, mainstream corporate media do a lot of self censorship. Among the taboo subjects are why the US goes along with "strategic ambiguity about Israeli nuclear weapons, the history of Israeli arms smuggling from the US, and the Israel lobby's dominance of congress through campaign contributions. <br /><br />On these topics, PressTV does a better job.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-74968740617915776612010-04-20T17:58:16.616+01:002010-04-20T17:58:16.616+01:00I am not sure how free the U.S. press is these day...I am not sure how free the U.S. press is these days - since they rely so much on the Gov't giving them access we don't see much coverage of the stories like the Black Hole of Bagram and the Camp No torture/killings in Guantanamo. Instead, we see a sanitized newsfeed from the so called "War on Terror"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8222447615552734096.post-54726971202937778642010-04-17T15:58:03.737+01:002010-04-17T15:58:03.737+01:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com