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WRITING WORTH READING l ISSUE 31 l NOVEMBER 2008 ColdType TheREADER e x tra/2 KEEPING THE MEDIa SAFe FOR BIg BUSINESS EssaYS bY DAVID CROMWELL & DAVID Edwards Jonathan CooK The AUTHORS David Cromwell & David Edwards are co-editors of the London media watchdog, Media Lens. Their book, Guardians of Power, was released in 2006, Their web site is http://www.medialens.org Jonathan Cook is a British journalist living in Nazareth, Israel. His new book, published this month, is Disappearing Palestine: Israel’s Experiments in Human Despair (Zed Books). His website is http://www.jkcook.net ColdType WRITING WORTH READING FROM AROUND THE WORLD www.coldtype.net 2 TheREADER | EXTRA | November 2008 INTELLECTUal cleansing / 1 KEEPING THE MEDIa safe for big BUSINESS artin Tierney is one of a tiny In 1996, Noam Chomsky attempted to number of mainstream jour- ❝ explain to an equally bemused Andrew nalists willing to review our Practitioners Marr (then of the Independent): book, Guardians of Power. In of alternative Marr: “This is what I don’t get, because MJune 2006, he published an accurate out- journalism also it suggests – I mean, I’m a journalist – peo- line of our argument in the Scottish daily, seek to redress ple like me are ‘self-censoring’...” the Herald, commenting: “It stands up to what they consider Chomsky: “No – not self-censoring. scrutiny.” an imbalance of There’s a filtering system that starts in kin- He added that we “do not see conscious media power in dergarten and goes all the way through and conspiracy but a ‘filter system maintained mainstream media, – it doesn’t work a hundred percent, but by free market forces.’ After all it wouldn’t which results in it’s pretty effective – it selects for obedience be appropriate to show the limbs of third the marginalization and subordination, and especially...” world children during Thanksgiving as it (at worst, the Marr: “So, stroppy people won’t make it would only remind consumers who was re- demonization) of to positions of influence...” ally being stuffed.” certain social and Chomsky: “There’ll be ‘behaviour prob- Exactly so. But if no conspiracy is in- cultural groups lems’ or... if you read applications to a volved, how on earth does the market and movements graduate school, you see that people will manage to filter dissident views with such tell you ‘he doesn’t get along too well with consistency? As baffled Channel 4 news his colleagues’ – you know how to inter- reader, Jon Snow, told us: pret those things.” “Well, I’m sorry to say, it either happens Chomsky’s key point: “I’m sure you be- or it doesn’t happen. If it does happen, it’s lieve everything you’re saying. But what a conspiracy; if it doesn’t happen, it’s not I’m saying is, if you believed something dif- a conspiracy.” (Interview with David Ed- ferent you wouldn’t be sitting where you’re wards, January 9, 2001; http://www.me- sitting.” dialens.org/articles/interviews/jon_snow. So what happens when a professional php) journalist does express “something differ- November 2008 | TheREADER | EXTRA | 3 David Cromwell & David Edwards ent”? Is their office seat just yanked away tual property whom employers can trust to from them and rolled under a more reliable ❝ experiment, theorise, innovate and create rear end? The unwritten safely within the confines of an assigned Consider the case of our reviewer, Mar- corporate media ideology. The political and intellectual ti- tin Tierney, who wrote for the Saturday rule is that you midity of today’s most highly educated Herald for seven years. In August, Tierney can say what you employees is no accident.” (Schmidt, Dis- reviewed Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Go- like about the ciplined Minds, Rowman & Littlefield Pub- ing To Extremes (Granta, 2008). With his powerless – they lishers, 2000, p.16) usual uncompromising vim, he wrote: “It can be treated The question of trust is crucial – em- is essentially a tirade against every meth- with contempt, ployers must be able to rely on their human od used against US citizens to ensure that smeared and property to play by the rules. This is why their wealth is systematically transferred to slandered without Tierney was fired. government and corporate elites. limit. But when the The employer’s reference to Tierney’s “This is done, she claims, via abuse of powerless attempt extreme comment was ironic indeed given the tax system, scapegoating immigrants; to challenge the extreme nature of the horrors exposed denial of unions and Gestapo tactics used the powerful, in Ehrenreich’s book – titled, after all, Go- by the likes of... [a large US supermarket] to a different rule ing To Extremes – and outlined in Tierney’s ensure this and a perennial ‘Warfare State’ applies review. where taxpayers’ money merely is used Tierney tells us the review was published to enrich arms dealers while bludgeoning – with the unamusing mention of the US them into a unnecessary paranoia.” supermarket, and all references to it, re- Notice that Tierney merely reported moved – on August 16. (Email from Tierney claims made by Ehrenreich in her book to Media Lens September 30, 2008) regarding the use of “Gestapo tactics”. It If you’ve ever wondered why the press seems the Herald’s initial response to the finds it so hard to find ‘space’ for the mul- review was positive – the piece was excel- titude of excellent, radical analyses, this lent, he was told. (Email to Media Lens, incident gives an idea of the true reasons. September 25, 2008) The unwritten corporate media rule is that But someone else on the Herald’s edito- you can say what you like about the pow- rial staff informed Tierney that the refer- erless – they can be treated with contempt, ence to the supermarket’s “Gestapo tac- smeared and slandered without limit. But tics” had caused great upset and anger in when the powerless attempt to challenge the office. One senior editor in particular the powerful, a different rule applies. was deeply unamused. This last reaction By contrast, in May, the mighty Eamonn appears to have been decisive. Indeed, as Butler, Director of the Adam Smith Insti- a result, Tierney was told, he was being tute, had no problems attacking the BBC in asked to relinquish his column. The rea- a Times article titled, ‘Watch out, the Ge- soning? His editor felt she could not feel stapo are about.’ confident that he would not make similarly Butler was not merely reporting an ac- extreme comments in future – comments cusation of “Gestapo tactics”, as Tierney that might slip undetected into the paper. did; he was himself protesting a BBC ad- (Email from Tierney to Media Lens, Octo- vert that sought to scare viewers into pay- ber 1, 2008) ing their licence fees. Butler commented: The reference to a lack of confidence “Nor are these Gestapo tactics new. immediately recalls the work of journalist Years ago, similar advertisements showed and physicist Jeff Schmidt who has stud- a family laughing at some comedy pro- ied the filtering of career professionals in gramme on TV. Comes the voice-over: ‘If some depth. The professional, Schmidt ex- you have a TV licence, you’re laughing.’ In plains, “is an obedient thinker, an intellec- the dimly-lit street, a van draws up. Black 4 TheREADER | EXTRA | November 2008 Keeping The Media Safe For Big Business leather boots crunch up the path, the fam- Views, to the Guardian‘s Comment is Free ily still oblivious. The voice continues: ‘If ❝ (CiF) website. Philo wrote: not...’ A gloved hand presses the bell. Sud- All around us, “News is a procession of the powerful. denly, the family stops laughing, their faces unseen, our Watch it on TV, listen to the Today pro- gripped by sheer dread.” media are being gramme and marvel at the orthodoxy of You can bet there was no great upset in continuously views and the lack of critical voices. When the Times’ offices. cleansed, pore- the credit crunch hit, we were given a suc- In July 2007, Ned Temko and Nicholas deep, of important cession of bankers, stockbrokers and even Watt of the Observer reported that the wife rational comments hedge-fund managers to explain and say of Downing Street’s former chief of staff, for the simple, what should be done. But these were the Jonathan Powell, had “lifted the lid on the crude reason that people who had caused the problem, think- private fury felt by Tony Blair’s inner circle they threaten ing nothing of taking £20 billion a year in over the cash-for-peerages inquiry, accus- profits city bonuses. The solution these free mar- ing the police of ‘Gestapo tactics’.” Imag- ket wizards agreed to, was that tax payers ine the shock if Temko and Watt had been should stump up £50 billion (and rising) to sacked for reporting the accusation. fill up the black holes in the banking sys- In September 2006, Dominic Lawson tem. Where were the critical voices to say it wrote an article titled, ‘Gestapo tactics in would be a better idea to take the bonuses freedom’s name.’ Protesting the US-UK back? use of torture in fighting “the war on ter- “Mainstream news has sometimes a ror”, Lawson wrote: “America is inevitably social-democratic edge. There are com- tainted – and Britain by association – with plaints aired about fuel poverty and the the unanswerable charge that it has used state of inner cities. But there are precious the tactics of the Gestapo in the name of few voices making the point that the rea- freedom.” son why there are so many poor people is because the rich have taken the bulk of Samantha’s Christmas Cards – And the disposable wealth.

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