George W. Bush's appallingly hypocritcal celebration of World Press Freedom Day
US detains journalists without charges
George W. Bush's appallingly hypocritcal celebration of World Press Freedom Day
There was a lot of discussion yesterday of the 5th anniversary of President Bush's galling "Mission Accomplished" statement on Iraq, and rightfully so. But that doesn't mean the Bush White House's tradition of doublespeak and verbal hypocrisy ended in 2003 -- far from it. Turns out tomorrow, May 3, is World Press Freedom Day -- and this administration would have been better off keeping its mouth shut.
But of course they didn't. Here's part of an official statement from Bush:
May 3 marks World Press Freedom Day. Just and open societies protect and rely on the freedom of the press. That freedom is enshrined in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, because freedom of speech is integral to a free society.
Brutal regimes and others who seek to stifle liberty often do so by closing down private newspapers and radio and television stations. They kidnap, arbitrarily jail, and beat journalists. Some journalists have been taken from their families for years, and others have been killed for speaking out. Many were killed by terrorists, extremists, and insurgents who seek to deny people even basic access to information as well as the right to free speech.
Journalists should be able to report without fear of persecution.
It may be a coincidence, or it may not be, but Bush's statement comes on the very day that this news also comes out:
A former cameraman for Al Jazeera who was believed to be the only journalist held at Guantánamo Bay was released on Thursday, after more than six years of detention that made him one of the best known Guantánamo detainees in the Arab world, his lawyers said.
It would be one thing if the cameraman, Sami al-Hajj, were an isolated case.
He is not:
The case did not draw the attention among American journalists that some of them said it deserved, in part because Mr. Hajj’s full life story was not known. As with most Guantánamo detainees, the Pentagon’s evidence against him was largely secret.
“I would have rather seen more of an outcry,” said Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, which tried to call attention Mr. Hajj’s detention.
Mr. Simon said the case was part of what he called a disturbing trend of the American military to hold journalists for long periods without charges before eventually releasing them. He said his group had documented 11 such cases since 2001.
11 cases? But, but...didn't the president say that "journalists should be able to report without fear of persecution." But then Bush also noted that "some journalists have been taken from their families for years."
You mean, like Bilal Hussein?
Husssin (as regular readers well know) is an Associated Press photojournalist from Fallujah who shared a Pulitzer Prize and then was detained by the U.S. miliary and kept from his family for more than two years, as was the case with Hajj:
Mr. Katznelson said Mr. Hajj had been “almost overwhelmed” at the prospect of seeing his 7-year-old son, who was an infant when he left home. But he said the former detainee’s health was so fragile that he would immediately go to a hospital after his military plane touched down in Khartoum.
Beyond that, Bush expresses outrage at the usual suspects like Iran and North Korea, and rightfully so. But the White House is highly selective in that outrage. Bush notes that "[t]he United States condemns the harassment, physical intimidation, persecution, and other abuse that journalists, including bloggers and Internet reporters, have faced in China, Cuba, Egypt, Tunisia, Venezuela, and Vietnam"...but apparently not in our close friend Saudi Arabia, where a blogger critical of the government was jailed for four months with no charges.
Where does America fit in the big picture? There's plenty of room for improvement. The 2007 Worldwide Press Freedom Index released by Reporters Without Borders ranked the United States 22nd, but that was only because press freedom in U.S.-occupied Iraq, which ranks in the bottom half, was separated out. Their report notes:
Violations of the privacy of sources, persistent problems in granting press visas and the arrest of several journalists during anti-Bush demonstrations kept the United States (22nd) away from the top of the list.
The truth is that America's 232-year tradition of a free press, though ever-imperfect, is a powerful one -- powerful enough that I can write blog posts like this one that criticize the government, and for that I am most grateful. But we shouldn't allow that to mask the fact that America's commitment to a free press has been moving steadily in the wrong direction for more than seven years. Every day that a journalist is jailed by American authorities without charges somewhere in the world is a day that diminishes me, as a journalist, and diminishes all of us as citizens of a nation that used to be better than this.
For George W. Bush to issue these hollow words while continuing to deprive any journalists of their freedom to report is the height of hypocrisy. He might as well have simply said, "Mission accomplished," and left it at that.
Freedom of the press is not a sort of diplomatic immunity that exempts journalists from the consequences of actively aiding America's enemies apart fom their written words, pictures, or video. There is no evidence that any journalist has ever been denied the freedom to report based on their reporting itself. Get off the persecution fantasy. Will, you have written a lot harsh stuff directed at the President, including this column. If the adminstration is persecuting journalists, how do you account for your continued ability to publish this blog, or the New York Times to publish national security secrets as they have done in the past?— jmc
Comment removed.
Hmm.. my comment had to be approved, that hasn't happened before.. and of course it never showed up.— Politburo
There's an interesting continuum in these cases: true journalists on one end, and terrorists on the other end. If you take a guy like Bilal Hussein, who is probably at about 70% along the continuum, does he get considered a full 100% journalist?-------------------------- Also, the study failed to normalize their data by the "a-hole coefficient". Countries that have fewer a-hole journalists are much less likely to punish those journalists for legal infractions. Countries like the U.S. where citizens are more and more rewarded for making spectacles of themselves, and making themselves into the news, are more likely to run afoul of the law.-------------- just more news about the newsmen......— Mr. Smith- Just more evidence that George W Bush is a diplomat at best and a lying hypocrite at worst. As a diplomat, he has to issue statements like this. This doesn't mean, of course that he actually cares about these people (yes people, not annimals) imprisoned without charges. He loses no sleep over them I can assure you. They should be tried and their sentences implimented. Keeping people in jail without charges is against our Constitution. It diminishes us all as a nation and a people. I won't hold my breath until that lying hypocritical diplomat in the WH stops it.— James TL
- Looks like my comment was thrown away as well. It didn't contain and offensive words or threats against anyone. It was critical of George Bush but is that a crime? I find it almost impossible to talk about Bush without being critical because I can't think of one thing he has ever done right. Whatever.....— James TL
- Oops! It's back! There were only 4 comments....now there are 6....er 7...IT's GEORGE BUSH'S FAULT!— James TL
- Hey genius, the guy who married Obama, etc, isn't the POTUS. Nothing he says means anything. However, a liar like bush can lead to innocent people being imprisoned without trials just so he can sound like a tough guy. Press Freedom Day remarks from a president who would be most happy if only Fox News existed.— mike l
If you this the president on the subject of a free press is hypocritical, consider his declaration from yesterday: Law Day, U.S.A., 2008 A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America White House News The right of ordinary men and women to determine their own future, protected by the rule of law, lies at the heart of America's founding principles. As our country celebrates the 50th anniversary of Law Day, we renew our commitment to the ideals on which this great Nation was established and to a robust system of ordered liberty. The American legal system is central to protecting the rights and freedoms our Nation holds dear. The theme of this year's Law Day, "The Rule of Law: Foundation for Communities of Opportunity and Equity," recognizes the fundamental role that the rule of law plays in preserving liberty in our Nation and in all free societies. We pay tribute to the men and women in America's legal community. Through hard work and dedication to the rule of law, members of the judiciary and the legal profession help secure the rights of individuals, bring justice to our communities, and reinforce the proud traditions that make America a beacon of light for the world. Nearly 800 years ago, the Magna Carta placed the authority of government under the rule of law; centuries later, the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution marked tremendous advances in the march of liberty. " This from a man who believes that he can ignore the Constitution whenever he wants.- One loves the tendency of the desperate marginalized minority to justify their abuses of human rights by the use of terms like "probably." Never mind the evidence. Never mind the rulings of judges. No, you heard something from a wingnut blogger who was "sure" about something they knew nothing about and that's good enough for you. What's more, you'd willingly and happily consent to the torture of those people - people who are later released... What a pathetic, anti-American way to think.— E.Plebnista
- I'm glad to see you reporting this, Will. It's too bad our mainstream press won't cover with stories like this. Instead we get endless loops of stories that don't affect anybody's lives - for example that of Reverend Wright and similar meaningless drivel from the Corporate Mainstream Radio and Television stations. Everyone in my circle of friends wants this country out of Iraq. The Corporate Media does not. It refuses to point out the social costs of this war, and it marginalizes the people who want it to end. Most Americans, at least those of us who have to pay for our own health care, including most small business owners, want national health care. The Corporate Media doesn't. Therefore, we won't get it. Most Americans are totally opposed to the extreme salaries of those at the top of, and the power held by large corporations. Obviously, the Corporate Media isn't. I could go on and on with example after example. The mainstream of American opinion strongly questions whether our elections are being manipulated and stolen. The CM treats with disdain those who dare report on the issues. The Corporate Media takes partisan stands (quite often in favor of the Republican Party, but always in defense of corporate interests) by sabotaging political candidacies, especially those candidates who dare to stand up to corporate power. Even Keith Olbermann, the guy who is loved by so many liberals, never dares touch money or pocketbook issues. The Corporate Media marginalizes those who seek to see justice prevail and totally marginalized Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul, Mike Gravel, and Mike Huckabee, all of whom had important things to add to the national discussion. We do have a problem with George Bush, but we will still have a problem with the corporate media long after he is gone.— Buckbatard
- In all my 59 years, I have never seen such abuses by the media on behalf of a president or political party, as I have seen in the past 8 years. As it has recently been admitted, the Pentagon was feeding "pro-war" information to be disseminated to the American public. Scientists have been stifled by this administration ... stations like Fox News are used to spread the Republican propaganda and slam and defame anyone who disagrees with the George Bush agenda. Additionally, agencies are stifled in telling the public the true costs and the true death counts from this Iraq war. Several years ago, information was available on the V.A. website regarding the death count ... when journalists compared the counts with the Pentagon's records, and it was revealed the V.A.'s count was TWICE as high as the Pentagon, it was apparent that heads rolled and the VA count was adjusted downward to HALF the original count, as reports have told. About that time, I believe, the methods of determining what could be "allowed" to be considered a death in the Iraq war changed. The CRITERIA became very strict. Certain conditions needed to be met in order for the fatality to be considered as a result of fighting or doing your duty in that war. Similarly, we can only wonder what the TRUE count of the maimed soldiers must be. Bush is a hypocrite of the highest order. The only "free press" out there are sources like Mother Jones and various websites who aren't beholden to the Republican party. The truth is out there, if you seek it. Watching American television won't give you the truth in our times, since they are vastly owned and operated by the big corporations to further their own agenda, NOT to provide fair and unbiased reporting to Americans.— Cheryl915
- Cheryl, the old Knight Ritter (now McClatchy) newspapers are still attempting to do some honest reporting. They did better than most on the Iraq war. Of course, they're facing the same cutbacks that everywhere else is.— maxcat06
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