Home > Barbra Streisand: where is our Free Press?

Barbra Streisand: where is our Free Press?

by Open-Publishing - Thursday 30 September 2004
12 comments

Edito


by Barbra Streisand

If you cross this administration you get your head handed to you. If you open
your mouth and tell the truth like former White House Economic Advisor Lawrence
Lindsay did when he told the Administration that the Iraqi war was going to cost
between $100-$200 billion dollars, you get fired.

If you disagree with the President,
like Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill did one too many times regarding the President’s
policy on tax cuts, you get canned. If you claim that the Administration is misrepresenting
the facts and misleading the public, like Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson did,
your wife’s career gets ruined when she gets outed as a CIA operative in the
national media.

If you tell the administration that several thousand more servicemen
and women are needed in Iraq, like General Shinseki did, you get publicly scolded
as being incorrect. And, if you choose to air a story about George Bush’s military
service, or lack thereof, like CBS did last week, you and your award winning
news anchor, get investigated by the FCC.

So it’s no wonder that the press has taken a backseat to reporting the misdeeds of this administration. It’s not surprising that the press failed to ask the hard questions leading up to the war in Iraq, when a more informed public still had time to speak up. Never mind that CBS’s story included substantive and uncontested evidence that Bush didn’t show up for duty when he was supposed to, that he skipped a required physical that grounded him from flying, and that he mysteriously received an honorable discharge.

Yes...the documents CBS presented could not be confirmed for their authenticity, but these details of Bush’s military record have been out for public consumption for years. Why is the media not discussing the facts behind the story instead of just focusing on CBS? For example, Killian’s secretary said those memos accurately reflected the Colonel’s feelings.

Ben Barnes, former lieutenant governor of Texas, admitted that he pulled strings to get Bush into the National Air Guard. And Robert Mintz, retired National Guardsman who served in Bush’s unit in 1972, doesn’t remember seeing him there. And in contrast to Senator John Kerry, who said "send me" when given the option to go to Vietnam, according to the LA Times, when asked the same question, Bush checked the box stating "do not volunteer for overseas."

The media’s attention is diverted from the real story because we now live in a time where the fear of revenge by this administration sends a chill through the corporations that control our media and overwhelms the press’ responsibility to investigate, educate and hold our leaders accountable.

http://www.barbrastreisand.com/statements.html

Forum posts

  • Ms Streisand: you are a great singer and actress. I admire you greatly. CBS is indefensible
    because they didn’t properly verify their sources. A highschool journalist knows better than that.
    Our great American press is only a "free press" when it reports accurately with substanciated facts.
    When the press reports baseless attacks, it is no longer the press. It becomes a manufacturer of "propaganda."

    Propaganda is when the press creates the story in order to influence people’s actions and thoughts. Hitler’s regime used propaganda masterfully. If this great democracy of ours it to remain great and remain a democracy, propaganda must not be allowed to circulate as fact.

    KMJ

    • In defense of Ms. Streisand.

      After reader’s comment I went to verify what was the definition of propaganda

      "Propaganda is ... the deliberate attempt by some individual or group to form, control, or alter the attitudes of other groups by the use of instruments of communication, with the intention that in any given situation the reaction of those so influenced will be that desired by the propagandist. "

      It follows from the definition above that the argument against Ms. Streisand is flawed. The reader is correct to point out the verification of facts by CBS; however, does not disprove Ms. Streisand ‘s argument. It follows the administration twist of every stories fit the above definition perfectly. I would council to the commentator not to let partisanship cloud her judgement or logic.

    • TOO LATE.....

    • I would counsel to Ms. Streisand not let partisanship cloud her judgement or logic.

      Oops, too late.

      Waaaaaay too late.

    • Well guess what? Its TOO LATE

    • It is Too Late!!!!!

    • KMJ: Its Too Late

  • Dear Ms Streisand: Virtually all you say is true. There is, however, one point where I feel you have misjudged the media. Dan Rather was suckered by the very Machiavellian Karl Rove Machine. How better to squash a true story than to covertly make available documents that support the truth and then when they are widely reported, quickly call them out a forgeries. This I understand has also silenced 60 minutes from reporting the true source of the forged Niger documents, you remember, the ones that W referred to in the State of the Union address. The very material that was the "smoking gun" in Bush’s pitch for preemption. It is widely reported that 60 minutes now chasened by their blunder will withhold this information from the American people until after the November election. Terrific!
    But the point I wanted to make is that the corporate media has no interest in nor enthusiasm for exposing this President for the liar and fraud that he his. Why should they. He is theirs. He is there to help them consolidate and control all the means of disceminating information.

    • Isn’t it funny that in a country that has as its first ammendment "freedom of speech" that the citizens could care less about free speech or truth.... they eat up the corporate media lies like cheeseburgers...they hear it all but choose to filter out the truth because their "Christian Values" have taught them to believe in fairytales and continue to block out anything that makes them uncomfortable like Thou Shalt Not Kill. Or killing for oil is why we are in Iraq. Instead Mr. and Mrs. America just tune into Fox and listen to their media pastors tell them what to think and when to think it .... just like church.

    • It sounds like you have a problem with christianity. Are you muslim because there seems to be a lot of hatred in your voice. You must be a CNN (lies) fan since you also hate Fox News. One thing is certain, you definately are a stupid human being to be so simple minded to believe that a war was waged for oil. It’s idiots like you that are ripping this great country apart and you really think that when it crumbles that you’ll be protected because you think that you fit in with the majority but you are the minority. Keep following the hollywood pinheads moron.

    • I was wondering...how does the poster above type on a computer in a straightjacket???

    • Here’s what I think: Christians are guided by the Holy Spirit, therefore, they vote for Bush, I mean, seriously, who would Jesus have voted for? And for one thing, if we DID go to Iraq for oil—WHO’S USING THE OIL????? And has anyone ever thought that maybe, Bush had a bigger plan, to take a muslim country and try to change their beliefs from "WESTERNERS BAD, NON-MUSLIMS BAD (especially Christian)" to something more positive? The U.S. is tolerant of other religions, maybe Bush wants Iraq to be tolerant, too.