E1282 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks June 16, 1999 fighting in Kashmir, a black mood is settling under withering fire from above. The soldiers twelfth grade students. The Fresno and Clovis over Indian army camps on the front line. dove into the icy water of a Himalayan river school districts are partnering with business Casualties are mounting. Troops are ill- to escape. and industry to create a real-world, real work equipped for high-altitude fighting. The Some forward units are living on one meal task, they say, is close to suicidal. a day, the soldiers said. Mess camps in the environment. Since early May, the army has mobilized rear cook puris—deep fried flat bread—but CART's long-term, community-based its largest fighting force in nearly 30 years by the time it is delivered to the front it is projects will engaged students in complex, real against what India says are infiltrators from frozen and can barely be chewed. The only world issues that have meaning to the stu- Pakistan who have occupied mountain peaks drinking water is melted snow. There is no dents and to the participating community part- on India’s side of the 1972 cease-fire line in chance to pitch tents on the slopes. The men ners. Through these projects, students disputed Kashmir. sleep in the open. achieve simultaneous outcomes by acquiring On Saturday, Pakistan will send its foreign Few troops have had time to adjust to alti- essential academic knowledge, practicing es- minister to New Delhi to discuss whether the tudes of 14,000 feet or more, where the air is fighting can be ended. India says that re- thin and every exertion, every upward step, sential skills, and developing essential values. gardless of the talks it will persist until the leaves strong men gasping. A major component of the CART vision is last intruder is killed or flees back to Paki- Despite the difficulties, the tremendous active partnerships with business and industry, stan. pressure to recapture the peaks continues. and higher education. Leaders from business In daily briefings in New Delhi, military f and industry are involved with CART at all lev- spokesmen report the fighters are being driv- els providing leadership and fiscal support, en back. Indian airstrikes are punishing RECOGNIZING CART consulting on instructional design, and collabo- them, peaks are being recovered, the ‘‘enemy’’ is taking casualties in the hun- rating as instructors and mentors. dreds. India’s official casualty rate on Friday HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH Mr. Speaker, the Center for Advanced Re- stood at about 70 dead and 200 wounded. The OF CALIFORNIA search and Technology represents a commit- story on the front is much different. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ment from the Fresno and Clovis School Dis- In the fading evening light in a forward ar- tricts, the business and education community, Wednesday, June 16, 1999 tillery camp, at checkpoints along a road parents and students to restructure a high under steady artillery bombardment, in Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise school to provide real world academic and bunkers where men shelter from showers of today to recognized the Center for Advanced business centered programs designed to con- shrapnel, soldiers and junior officers grimly Research and Technology (CART) for their ef- tell stories of death and defeat on the moun- tribute to the academic success and ultimately tains. No one can say how many have died, forts in developing a new model for high the success in life of all students. I urge my but no one believes the official toll. school education. CART is a joint project of colleagues to wish CART continued success Amid the gloom, however, the Indian the Fresno and Clovis Unified School Districts in their effort toward better education. troops show a gritty determination to fight in California. f and a conviction that the opposing forces CART is a collaborative effort between must be evicted at all costs. ‘‘We have a job these diverse school districts to develop a new CRISIS IN KOSOVO (ITEM NO. 10) to do and we will do the best we can,’’ said model for high school education. Fresno Uni- REMARKS BY JEFF COHEN OF one officer. ‘‘We will do our duty.’’ fied shares the challenges of urban districts, FAIRNESS & ACCURACY IN RE- India says the guerrillas in Kashmir are PORTING (FAIR) mostly Pakistani soldiers, a charge poverty, gang violence and diversity. Clovis Islamabad denies. Unified is an affluent district, serving a student On Friday, India produced what it said population that is college bound. By creating HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH were transcripts of telephone conversations the Center For Advanced Research and Tech- OF OHIO between two Pakistani generals that proved nology the Fresno and Clovis school districts IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Pakistan was involved in the fighting. In a are committed to changing the way high Wednesday, June 16, 1999 transcript from May 26, army chief Pervez school curriculum is designed and delivered. Musharraf tells another general that Prime In the wake of tragedies at Columbine High Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, on May 20, Minister Nawaz Sharif was concerned the fighting could escalate into a full-scale war. School in Denver, and Heritage High School in 1999, I joined with Representative CYNTHIA A. ‘‘We gave the suggestion that there was no Conyers, GA, our entire nation has focused MCKINNEY, Representative BARBARA LEE, Rep- such fear,’’ Musharraf said he told Sharif, ac- their energy on determining why these trage- resentative JOHN CONYERS and Representative cording to the transcript. ‘‘Whenever you dies occurred. We must look at our nation's PETER DEFAZIO in hosting the fourth in a se- want, we can regulate it.’’ high schools. High schools persist in orga- ries of Congressional Teach-In sessions on Pakistan called the transcripts false. ‘‘This nizing instruction subject by subject with little the Crisis in Kosovo. If a lasting peace is to can’t be given any credence or weight,’’ effort to integrate knowledge to fit a precise be achieved in the region, it is essential that Pakistan army spokesman Brig. Rashid Quereshi said. time frame. High school graduates must be we cultivate a consciousness of peace and ac- As officials traded charges, heavy fighting better prepared to compete for jobs, ready to tively search for creative solutions. We must continued in Kashmir. The guerrillas are en- move on to higher education and able to func- construct a foundation for peace through ne- trenched on the mountain peaks defending tion in an increasingly technological society. gotiation, mediation, and diplomacy. their positions against soldiers scaling steep High school education must be restructured to Part of the dynamic of peace is willingness slopes, constantly exposed to gunfire and meet the present and future needs of stu- to engage in meaningful dialogue, to listen to rocket-propelled grenades. ‘‘We are dying dents. Students need and require more and one another openly and to share our views in like dogs,’’ said one colonel. Recapturing the a constructive manner. I hope that these peaks, said another officer, is ‘‘almost a sui- different instruction in science, mathematics cide mission.’’ None of the officers could be and English, coupled with the emerging tools Teach-In sessions will contribute to this proc- quoted by name, and senior officers who ear- of technology. ess by providing a forum for Members of Con- lier briefed journalists on condition of ano- The Fresno and Clovis school districts are gress and the public to explore options for a nymity have been ordered not to speak. addressing the need to revamp our nation's peaceful resolution. We will hear from a vari- ‘‘This is worse than war. Even in war we high schools. These districts have resolved to ety of speakers on different sides of the don’t have such senseless casualties,’’ said commit the resources, share the decision- Kosovo situation. I will be introducing Con- M. Singh, a corporal and a veteran of India’s making, and leverage the assets of both com- gressional Record transcripts of their remarks campaign in Sri Lanka in the 1980s. Some of the casualties are from ‘‘friendly fire,’’ ei- munities to fundamentally change the way the and essays that shed light on the many di- ther from Indian artillery or aerial bombing high school curriculum is designed and deliv- mensions of the crisis. meant to provide cover to the advancing ered. The goal is to restructure the high This presentation is by Jeff Cohen, a col- troops, officers said. The risk increased after school experience in a way that will contribute umnist and commentator who is founder of the the air force began high-altitude bombing to to the academic success and ultimately the organization Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting stay out of range of shoulder-fired anti-air- success in life of all students. (FAIR). Mr. Cohen appeared at this Teach-In craft missiles. Indian troops wade through CART is moving forward as they celebrate with Seth Ackerman, a Media Analyst at FAIR. chest-high snow. The wind is so strong sol- a groundbreaking ceremony for this project in Mr. Cohen is the author of four books and ap- diers must be tied to each other with rope so they don’t get blown over a cliff. Their oppo- Fresno. The Center for Advanced Research pears regularly as a panelist on Fox News nents can pick them off with rifles or simply and Technology represents the nation's larg- Watch. He has also served as a co-host of send boulders cascading down the mountain est, most comprehensive high school reform CNN's Crossfire. Prior to launching FAIR in on top of them. One major said his unit was effort to date. CART is focused specifically on 1986, Mr. Cohen worked in Los Angeles as a returning down the mountain when it came the high school program for eleventh and journalist and a lawyer for the ACLU. CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1283 Mr. Cohen presents a superb critique of in the early years of the 1960s many main- aimed at an alleged terrorist train camp in how the media is covering the War in Yugo- stream media followed the government lie Afghanistan went four hundred miles off slavia, describing the importance of the words and did not call it a war until many Amer- course into the wrong country the country of Pakistan. If we think about it, in the last and concepts that are being deployed. He ican soldiers began dying. So words matter. Then we have the problem with this war of nine months, the United States has bombed talks about the reluctance of the media to who the enemy is. As usual in our main- four countries intentionally. It’s also impor- even use the term ``War,'' and the concerted stream media, the U.S. is not making a war tant to remember that the U.S. has bombed attempt to demonize Slobodan Milosevic. He against a country, Yugoslavia, but against an equal number of countries by mistake. decries the fact that the media has not paid one individual. His name is Slobodan Military experts know a lot about anti-air- sufficient attention to the legality of the war, Milosevic. On TV the air war is not some- craft technologies, they know a lot about the destruction of the civilian infrastructure, thing that’s terrorizing lots of people in bomb yields, but they don’t know much and the steady stream of NATO propaganda what were once modern cities. It’s basically about the politics or history of the region. a personalized soap opera. You had Catherine What’s needed more in the mainstream that the media has adopted without question. media are experts on Yugoslavia and the Bal- Following this presentation are several docu- Crier on Fox News on May 5, seemingly with a broad smile on her face, saying ‘‘The bomb- kans. mentsÐone from London's The Independent ing intensifies. Just how much can Slobodon And what we need is a real debate about Newspaper and the other from FAIRÐwhich stand?’’ the war. Because of the split among the poli- further document these points. Anchors talk to military experts about ticians here in Washington, there’s been slightly more debate over the war, for exam- PRESENTATION BY JEFF COHEN OF FAIRNESS & how badly Milosevic has been hurt, how ple, the Gulf War. That’s not really saying a ACCURACY IN REPORTING badly he has been humiliated. You’ll hear an anchor say to a military expert, ‘‘How much lot. Our organization, FAIR, has posted on It’s not a glamorous job, but someone has our website (www.fair.org) a full study of to monitor Geraldo and Christopher Mat- have we punished Milosevic?,’’ and you ex- pect that the anchor might get up from be- two prestigious TV news shows and the range thews every night, and that’s what we do at of debate or non-debate during the first two FAIR. Seth Ackerman, my colleague, and I, hind the anchor desk and show that they’re wearing a U.S. Air Force uniform, but weeks of this war. I’m talking about PBS’s and a bunch of staff members monitor the NewsHour and ABC’s Nighline. If you look at nightly news, the talk shows, the print press. they’re not. They’re using the term ‘‘we’’ as if they’re an adjunct to the military. that study, you’ll see that in the first two We were monitoring Chris Matthews on weeks of this war, opposition to the bomb May 4, and he was railing against President We heard the same thing during the Iraq war. ‘‘How much are we punishing, war was virtually inaudible and when it was Clinton for trying to dump the war and its heard it was mostly expressed by Yugoslav humiliating, hurting Saddam Hussein?’’ We failures on Secretary of State Albright. Mat- government officials with thick accents, or know now that probably one of the only peo- thews questions ‘‘is that gentlemanly con- Serbian Americans. On Nightline there was ple in all of Iraq who was assured of a safe duct, to dump this on a woman?’’ It was the only one panelist who was critical of the place to sleep and three square meals a day, same show when he was interviewing Sen- bombing, and that a Yugoslav government and a warm home, was Saddam Hussein. And ator MCCAIN and Matthews said, ‘‘Are we official. similarly, Milosevic may well be one of the going back to that old notion of the presi- It’s partly because of the marginalization most safe and secure people in Yugoslavia dent as a leader, not a consensus builder?‘ of substantive critics of the war that there today. Senator MCCAIN: ‘‘I hope so.’’ Matthews: has been not enough attention in the main- ‘‘John Wayne, rather than Jane Fonda?’’ Now the understandable goal of the White stream media focused even on the legality of MCCAIN: ‘‘That’s my only chance.’’ Mat- House and the State Department and their this war under international law. What will thews: ‘‘Cause, you mean, you’re not running propaganda is to demonize Milosevic. Propa- happen under our Constitution next Tuesday as Alan Alda here?’’ Senator MCCAIN: ‘‘No.’’ ganda simplifies issues as it tries to mobilize when the sixty day period elapses on the War Matthews: ‘‘You’re running as John Wayne, action. But journalism is supposed to be Powers Act and President Clinton has not more or less.’’ MCCAIN: ‘‘That’s the only way about covering a story in all its complexity. won Congressional authorization? That I can succeed.’’ Matthews: ‘‘Well, you’re On that score, Journalism has largely failed. should be an issue that’s a raging debate in doing well. Thank you Senator MCCAIN.’’ You’ll remember the Newsweek cover photo- the American media today. I haven’t even That’s what we call a journalistic wet kiss. graph, with the picture of Milosevic and the seen it in a footnote in today’s newspapers. It’s particularly unusual here from two guys headline: ‘‘The Face of Evil’’ Then you had Maybe I missed one. who are trying to be so macho at the time. the Time magazine writer who writes about There’s been not enough attention paid in The first problem with the war coverage is Milosevic almost as a sub-human—with ‘‘red- the mainstream media to the environmental that many mainstream media outlets, espe- dish,’’ piggy eyes set in a big, round, head.’’ damage in the region from U.S. bombs strik- cially network TV, are loathe to even call it Now, assumedly, Milosevic had the ‘‘reddish, ing petrochemical factories and fertilizer fa- a war. It reminds me of the first day of the piggy eyes set in a big, round, head’’ going cilities and oil refineries. Panama invasion before the government had back many, many years. But it’s only when There has been not enough attention in the signaled to the media that it was ok to call the American war machine goes into war mainstream media paid to NATO’s targeting it an invasion. So you had mainstream mode that this particular writer at Time of civilian infrastructure. Whether, for ex- media calling it a military action, an inter- magazine goes into war propaganda mode. ample, the bombing of the broadcast sta- vention, an operation, an expedition, a mili- The good news with the end of the tions, which is a clear violation of the Gene- tary affair. One TV anchor even referred to Lewinsky story is it ended the wall-to-wall va Convention, was really aimed at keeping it as an insertion. I think that a more accu- parade of attorneys. The bad news, with the video of NATO’s civilian victims off the tele- rate explanation might be ‘‘the most unusual beginning of this war, is we’ve begun the vision sets in the western countries. I have a and violent drug bust in human history’’— wall-to-wall parade of military analysts. On hunch that was its real motive. but no one put that heading on it. March 24th, for example, Margaret Warner Not enough mainsteam media attention So look at today. What are the logos? CNN: introduced her PBS NewsHour panel with, has been paid to the use, or possible use, by ‘Strike against Yugoslavia.’ Fox News: ‘Con- ‘‘We get four perspectives now on NATO’s the United States of radioactive depleted flict in Kosovo.’ The Consensus winner used mission and options from four retired mili- uranium rounds. at CBS, NBC, and ABC: ‘Crisis in Kosovo.’ I tary leaders.’’ Not enough attention has been paid to would argue that there had been a crisis in The problem with retired generals is that NATO’s propaganda, and a steady stream of Kosovo. It went on throughout 1998, but no they’re rarely independent experts. They claims that have turned out to be false. The one in any of these networks could find time have a tendency to become overly enthusi- Independent newspaper, based in London, on for even a one hour special on what was then astic about how smart and accurate our April 6, 1999, published an article collecting a crisis in Kosovo. That’s because that was weapons are. You remember all the false about eight of these falsehoods. I would the year of ‘‘All Monica, All The time.’’ So hype from the militar experts during the argue that from our monitoring, the main- when there was just a ‘‘crisis in Kosovo,’’ TV Guld War about the Patriot missile, a mis- stream media in Europe have been more didn’t cover it. Now that it’s a war, TV won’t sile that was an object failure during that independent in their coverage of this war, acknowledge it’s a war. The White House and war. And you might remember NBC News did more skeptical in their coverage of this war, the State Department will not use the word a blowing report about the Patriot, and Tom than the U.S. mainstream media. ‘‘war’’—and then the media adopt the euphe- Brokaw said it was ‘‘the missile that put the And there has not been enough attention misms from the government, they’re acting Iraqi Scud in its place.’’ Completely false. paid to the events immediately before the more as a fourth branch of government than Brokaw neglected to mention that his boss, war. The best estimate of how many people they are as a fourth estate, and that’s very General Electric, made parts for the Patriot had died in Kosovo in all of 1998 was 2000 peo- dangerous. missile, as if makes engines for many of the ple. That’s a serious human rights crisis. It’s We need only think back to the early years aircraft like the Apache helicopters that are also less than the number of people who died of the 1960s when U.S. government officials in the Balkans right now. in homicides in New York City in 1992. We would refer to Vietnam as a ‘‘police action.’’ Military experts don’t remember that it need to look at the events that immediately At best it was the ‘‘Vietnam conflict.’’ And was only last summer when a cruise missile led up to this war. E1284 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks June 16, 1999

[From the Independent, April 6, 1999] Instead, the tabloids gloat ‘‘Serbs you right’’ [FROM THE FAIRNESS & ACCURACY IN A WAR OF WORDS AND PICTURES as the missiles rain down. REPORTING, MAY 5, 1999] NATO CASTS DOUBT ON THE VERACITY OF YUGO- The accusations levelled against the Serbs SLANTED SOURCES IN NEWSHOUR AND SLAV WAR REPORTING, BUT IS OUR OWN MEDIA have escalated from ‘‘brutal repression’’ to NIGHTLINE KOSOVO COVERAGE ‘‘genocide’’, ‘‘atrocities’’ and ‘‘crimes ANY LESS GUILTY OF PROPAGANDA? A FAIR analysis of sources on ABC’s against humanity’’, as Nato has sought to (By Philip Hammond) Nightline and PBS’s NewsHour during the justify the bombing. Pointed parallels have It takes two sides to fight a propaganda first two weeks of the bombing of Yugoslavia been drawn with the Holocaust, yet no one found an abundance of representatives of the war, yet critical commentary on the ‘‘war of seems to notice that putting people on a words’’ has so far concentrated on the U.S. government and NATO, along with train to the border is not the same as put- many other supporters of the NATO bomb- ‘‘tightly controlled’’ Yugoslav media. We ting them on a train to Auschwitz. have been shown clips from ‘‘Serb TV’’ and ing. Opponents of the airstrikes received The media have taken their cue from poli- scant attention, however; in almost all sto- invited to scoff at their patriotic military ticians and left no cliche unturned in the montages, while British journalists cast ries, debate focused on whether or not NATO drive to demonise Milosevic. The Yugoslav should supplement bombing with ground doubt on every Yugoslav ‘‘claim’’. president has been described by the press as But whatever one thinks of the Yugoslav troops, while questions about the basic eth- a ‘‘Warlord’’, the ‘‘Butcher of Belgrade’’, ics and rationales of the bombing went large- media they pale into insignificance alongside ‘‘the most evil dictator to emerge in Europe the propaganda offensive from Washington, ly unasked. since Adolph Hitler’’, a ‘‘Serb tyrant’’ a FAIR’s survey was based on a search of the Brussels and London. ‘‘psychopathic tyrant’’ and a ‘‘former Com- ‘‘They tell lies about us, we will go on tell- Nexis database for stories on the war be- munist hard-liner’’. ing the truth about them,’’ says Defense Sec- tween March 25 and April 8, identifying both The Mirror also noted significantly that he retary George Robertson. Really? Nato told guests who were interviewed live and sources smokes the same cigars as Fidel Castro. Just us the three captured US servicemen were who spoke on taped segments. Sources were as they did with Saddam Hussein in the Gulf United Nations peacekeepers. Not true. They classified according to the institutions or war, Panorama devoted a programme to told us they would show us two captured groups they represented, and by the opinions ‘‘The Mind of Milosevic’’. Yugoslav pilots who have never appeared. they voiced on NATO’s military involvement Several commentators have voiced their Then we had the story of the ‘‘executed’’ Al- in Yugoslavia. unease about the Nato action from the be- banian leaders—including Rambouillet nego- Of 291 sources that appeared on the two ginning. But press and TV have generally tiator Fehmi Agani—whose deaths are now shows during the study period, only 24—or 8 been careful to keep the debate within pa- unconfirmed. percent—were critics of the NATO airstrikes. When the Albanian leader Ibrahim Rugova, rameters of acceptable discussion, while Critics were 10 percent of sources on the who was said to be in hiding, turned up on politicians have stepped up the demonisation NewsHour, and only 5 percent on Nightline. Yugoslav television condemning Nato bomb- of the Serbs to try to drown out dissenting Only four critics appeared live as interview ing, the BBC contrived to insinuate that the voices. The result is a confusingly schizo- guests on the shows, 6 percent of all discus- pictures were faked, while others suggested phrenic style of reporting. sion guests. Just one critic appeared as a Rugova must have been coerced, The rules appear to be that one can criti- guest on Nightline during the entire two- blackmailed, drugged, or at least misquoted. cize Nato for not intervening early enough, week time period. They told us the paramilitary leader not hitting hard enough, or not sending The largest single source group, 45 percent, Arkan was in Kosovo, when he was appearing ground troops. Pointing out that the Nato was composed of current or former U.S. gov- almost daily in Belgrade—and being inter- intervention has precipitated a far worse cri- ernment and military officials, NATO rep- viewed by John Simpson there. They told us sis than the one it was supposedly designed resentatives and NATO troops. Pristina stadium had been turned into a con- to solve or that dropping bombs kills people On Nightline, this group accounted for a centration camp for 100,000 ethnic Albanians, are borderline cases, best accompanied by majority of sources (55 percent), while pro- when it was empty. Robertson posing for stout support for ‘‘our boys’’. What one must viding a substantial 39 percent on the photographers in the cockpit of a Harrier not do is question the motives for Nato going NewsHour. It also provided the largest per- can’t have been propaganda. Only the enemy to war. Indeed, one is not even supposed to centage of live interviewees: 50 percent on goes in for that sort of thing. say that Nato is at war. Under image-con- Nightline (six of 12) and 42 percent on the Nato’s undeclared propaganda war is two- scious New Labour, actually going to war is NewsHour (24 of 57). (Numerous U.S. aviators pronged. First, Nato has shamelessly sought fine, but using the term is not politically who appeared on Nightline’s 3/29/99 edition to use the plight of Albanian refugees for its correct. were left out of the study, because their own purposes, cynically inflating the number The limits of acceptable debate were re- identities could not be distinguished. of displaced people to more than twice the vealed by the reaction to the broadcast by Overall, the most commonly cited individ- UN estimate. SNP leader Alex Salmond. Many of his criti- uals from this group were President Bill Correspondents in the region are given star cisms of Nato strategy were little different Clinton (14 cites), State Department spokes- billing on BBC news, and are required not from those already raised by others, but person James Rubin (11) and NATO spokes- just to report but to share their feelings with what provoked the Government’s outrage person David Wilby (10). Of course, these us. As Peter Sissons asked Ben Brown in was that he dared to compare the Serbs sources were uniformly supportive of NATO’s Macedonia: ‘‘Ben, what thoughts go through under Nato bombardment to the British in actions. A quote from the NewsHour’s Mar- a reporter’s mind seeing these sights in the the Blitz. Tony Blair denounced the broad- garet Warner (3/31/99) reveals the homo- dying moments of the 20th century?’’ cast as ‘‘totally unprincipled’’, while Robin geneity of a typical source pool: ‘‘We get Reports from the refugee centers are used Cook called it ‘‘appalling’’, ‘‘irresponsible’’ four perspectives now on NATO’s mission as justifications for Nato strategy. The most and ‘‘deeply offensive’’. and options from four retired military lead- striking example was the video footage The way Labour politicians have tried to ers.’’ smuggled out of Kosovo said to show ‘‘mass sideline critics such as Salmond is similar to Former government officials were seldom murder’’. The BBC presented this as the the way they have sought to bludgeon public more critical of NATO’s involvement in ‘‘first evidence of alleged atrocities,’’ unwit- opinion. The fact that Blair has felt it nec- Yugoslavia. Cited less than one-third as tingly acknowledging that the allies had essary to stage national broadcasts indicates often as current politicians, former govern- been bombing for 10 days without any evi- the underlying insecurity of a government ment officials mainly confined their skep- dence. worried about losing public support and un- ticism to NATO’s reluctance to use ground Indeed, for days, the BBC had been inviting sure of either the justification for or the con- troops. Bob Dole (Nightline, 3/31/99) voiced us to ‘‘imagine what may be happening to sequences of its actions. the prevailing attitude when he said, ‘‘I just those left in Kosovo’’. After watching the Audience figures for BBC news have report- want President Clinton . . . not to get footage, Robin Cook apparently knew who edly risen since the air war began. Yet view- wobbly.’’ had been killed, how they had died, and why. ers have been ill-served by their public serv- Albanian refugees and KLA spokespeople Above all, he knew that the video ‘‘under- ice broadcaster. The BBC’s monitoring serv- made up 18 percent of sources (17 percent on lines the need for military action’’. ice suggested that the ‘‘Serb media dances to the NewsHour, 19 percent on Nightline), The second line of attack is to demonise a patriotic tune’’. Whose tune does the BBC while relief workers and members of the U.N. Milosevic and the Serbs, in order to deflect dance to that it reproduces every new Nato Commission for Refugees accounted for an- worries that the tide of refugees has been at claim without asking for evidence? Just as other 4 percent on NewsHour and 2 percent least partly caused, by Nato’s ‘‘humani- New Labour has sought to marginalise its on Nightline. Sources from these groups also tarian’’ bombing. Parts of Pristina have been critics, so TV news has barely mentioned the provided 4 percent of live interviewees on the flattened after being bombed every day for protests across the world—not just in Mac- NewsHour and 25 percent on Nightline. more than a week. Wouldn’t you leave? And edonia, Russia, Italy and Greece—but also in These sources stressed the Kosovar refu- what about those thousands of Serbian refu- Tel Aviv, Lisbon, San Francisco, Chicago, gees’ desperation, and expressed gratitude gees from Kosovo—are they being ‘‘eth- Los Angeles, Toronto, Sydney and elsewhere. for NATO’s airstrikes. Said one KLA member nically cleansed’’, too? Sympathy does not Are we to suppose that these demonstrators (Nightline, 4/1/99), ‘‘The NATO bombing has extend to them, just as the 200,000 Serbian are all Serbs, or that they have been fooled [helped and] has been accepted by the Alba- refugees from Krajina were ignored in 1995. by the ‘‘tightly controlled’’ Yugoslav media? nian people.’’ Although one refugee CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1285 (Nightline, 4/1/99) suggested otherwise—‘‘We more likely to emerge in a free country like thority by Federal laws and rules, (3) to recog- run away because of NATO bombing, not be- ours.’’ But given the obvious under-represen- nize the partnership between the Federal Gov- cause of Serbs’’—all other sources in this tation of NATO critics on elite American ernment and State and local governments in group either defended or did not comment on news shows, independent reporting seems to the implementation of certain Federal pro- NATO’s military involvement in the con- also be a foreign concept to U.S. media. flict. grams, and (4) to establish a reporting require- Those most likely to criticize NATO— f ment to monitor the incidence of Federal stat- utory, regulatory, and judicial preemption. Yugoslavian government officials, Serbians INTRODUCTION OF THE and Serbian-Americans—accounted for only The ``Federalism Act of 1999'' establishes 6 percent of sources on the NewsHour and 9 FEDERALISM ACT OF 1999 new discipline on both the Legislative Branch percent on Nightline. Overall, only two of and the Executive Branch before either im- these sources appeared as live interviewees: HON. DAVID M. McINTOSH poses requirements that preempt State and Yugoslav Foreign Ministry spokesperson OF INDIANA local authority or have other impacts on State Nebojsa Vujovic (Nightline, 4/6/99) and Yugo- and local governments. The ``Federalism Act slav Ambassador to the United Nations IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES of 1999'' requires that the report accom- Vladislav Jovanovic (NewsHour, 4/1/99). This Wednesday, June 16, 1999 group’s comments contrasted radically with panying any bill identify each section of the bill statements made by members of other source Mr. MCINTOSH. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise that constitutes an express preemption of groups, e.g., calling NATO’s bombing ‘‘un- to introduce the ``Federalism Act of 1999,'' a State or local government authority and the justified aggression’’ (Nightline, 4/6/99), and bipartisan bill to promote and preserve the in- reasons for each such preemption, and in- charging that NATO is ‘‘killing Serbian tegrity and effectiveness of our federalist sys- clude a Federalism Impact Assessment (FIA) kids.’’ (NewsHour, 4/2/99). tem of government, and to recognize the part- including the costs on State and local govern- On Nightline, no American sources other nership between the Federal Government and ments. Likewise, the bill requires Executive than Serbian-Americans criticized NATO’s Branch agencies to include a FIA in each pro- airstrikes. On the NewsHour, there were State and local governments in the implemen- seven non-Serbian American critics (4 per- tation of certain Federal programs. As James posed, interim final, and final rule publication. cent of all sources); these included school- Madison wrote in Federalist No. 45, ``The pow- The FIA must identify any provision that is a children, teachers and college newspaper edi- ers delegated . . . to the Federal government preemption of State or local government au- tors, in addition to a few journalists. Three are defined and limited. Those which are to thority and the express statutory provision au- out of the seven American sources who criti- remain in the State governments are numer- thorizing such preemption, the regulatory alter- cized the NATO bombing appeared as live ous and indefinite.'' natives considered, and other impacts and the interviewees, while the rest spoke on taped In May 1998, President Clinton issued Exec- costs on State and local governments. segments. The bill establishes new rules of construc- Officials from non-NATO national govern- utive Order (E.O.) 13083, which revoked President Reagan's 1987 Federalism E.O. tion relating to preemption. These include that ments other than Yugoslavia, such as Rus- no new Federal statute or new Federal rule sia’s and Macedonia’s, accounted for only 2 12612 and President Clinton's own 1993 Fed- percent of total sources (3 percent on the eralism E.O. 12875. The Reagan Order pro- shall preempt any State or local government NewsHour, 0 percent on Nightline) and added vided many protections for State and local law or regulation unless the statute expressly states that such preemption is intended. Any only four more critical voices overall. Only governments and reflected great deference to ambiguity shall be construed in favor of pre- twice did a government official from these State and local governments. It also set in serving the authority of State and local gov- countries appear as a live interviewee place operating principles and a required dis- (NewsHour, 3/30/99, 4/7/99). ernments. Eleven percent of sources came from cipline for the Executive Branch agencies to Besides instituting this new discipline for the American and European journalists: 7 per- follow for all decisionmaking affecting State Legislative and Executive Branches and pro- cent on Nightline, 13 percent on the and local governments. The Reagan Order viding new rules of construction for the Judici- NewsHour. This group also claimed 17 per- was premised on a recognition of the com- ary, the bill includes other provisions to recog- cent of all live interviews on Nightline and petence of State and local governments and 40 percent on the NewsHour. In discussions nize the special competence of and partner- their readiness to assume more responsibility. ship with State and local governments. The bill with these sources, which tended to focus on In August 1998, after a hearing before the the U.S. government’s success in justifying provides deference to State management its mission to the public, independent polit- Subcommittee on National Economic Growth, practices for financial management, property, ical analysis was often replaced by sugges- Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs, and procurement involving certain Federal tions for how the U.S. government could cul- which I chair, and the outcry of the seven grant funds. The bill also requires Executive tivate more public support for the bombing. major national organizations that represent Branch agencies, for State-administered Fed- Three independent Serbian journalists also State and local elected officials, President eral grant programs, to cooperatively deter- appeared—two on the NewsHour and one on Clinton indefinitely suspended his E.O. 13083 mine program performance measures under Nightline—but they did not add any voices and agreed to work with these national organi- to the anti-bombing camp. Instead, they the Government Performance and Results Act spoke about the Serbian government’s cen- zations on any substitute Order. with State and local elected officials and the sorship of the independent media. Of a total The ``Federalism Act of 1999'' is being intro- seven major national organizations that rep- of 34 journalists used as sources on both duced in response to a request for permanent resent them. shows, only four opposed the NATO air- legislation by the leadership of these seven The McIntosh-Moran-Portman-McCarthy- strikes. Three of these four appeared as live major national organizations. It is a product of Castle-Condit-Davis bill is a product of work interviewees, and all four appeared on the several months' work by a bipartisan group of with the seven major State and local interest NewsHour. Members together with those national organi- groups: the National Governors' Association, Academic experts—mainly think tank zations and their leadership to ensure that the National Conference of State Legislatures, scholars and professors—made up only 2 per- Council of State Governments, U.S. Con- cent of sources on the NewsHour and 5 per- legislation includes provisions most needed cent on Nightline. (Experts who are former and desired by them to promote and preserve ference of Mayors, National League of Cities, government or military officials were count- Federalism. The absence of clear congres- National Association of Counties, and the ed in the former government or military cat- sional intent regarding preemption of State International City/County Management Asso- egories; these accounted for five sources.) On and local authority has resulted in too much ciation. the NewsHour, the only think tank spokes- discretion for Federal agencies and uncer- f person who appeared was from the military- tainty for State and local governments, leaving oriented Rand Corporation, while Nightline’s INTRODUCTION OF THE two were both from the centrist Brookings the presence of scope of preemption to be de- FEDERALISM ACT OF 1999 Institution. Just two experts appeared in termined by litigation in the Federal judiciary. live interviews on the NewsHour, and no ex- The ``Federalism Act of 1999'' has a com- HON. JAMES P. MORAN pert source was interviewed live on panion bipartisan bill on the Senate side, S. OF VIRGINIA Nightline. While these percentages reflect a 1214, the ``Federalism Accountability Act of dearth of scholarly opinion in both shows, 1999,'' which was introduced last week. Both IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES even the experts who were consulted didn’t bills share nearly identical purposes: (1) to Wednesday, June 16, 1999 add much diversity to the discussion; none promote and preserve the integrity and effec- Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I am spoke critically of NATO’s actions. On a Nightline episode in early April that tiveness of our federalist system of govern- pleased to join my colleagues DAVID criticized Serbian media (4/1/99), Ted Koppel ment, (2) to set forth principles governing the MCINTOSH, TOM DAVIS, KAREN MCCARTHY, MI- declared: ‘‘The truth is more easily sup- interpretation of congressional intent regarding CHAEL CASTLE and GARY CONDIT, in cospon- pressed in an authoritarian country and preemption of State and local government au- soring the Federalism Act of 1999.