Media Mindfulness

Watch it online.
FRONTLINE: news war: introduction | PBS:
Bergman traces the recent history of American journalism, from the Nixon administration’s attacks on the media and the post-Watergate popularity of the press to new obstacles presented by the war on terror and changing economics in the media business and the Internet. The topic has special resonance for [...]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5832390545689805144

Do media start wars? Many critics believe that if the MSM (AKA US corporate mainstream media) had been critical of Bush and Co.’s arguments for war leading up to the invasion of Iraq, the campaign would never have been supported by the public. I’m a little dubious of this argument, only because people’s opinions are [...]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8935382857862902744

So many movies, so little time. Staying informed is serious work. Still, looks like there’s another excellent documentary on the war, Iraq in Fragments. Judging from the trailer it appears beautifully shot, which makes me a little nervous. I’m coming to believe that images that spectacularize war tend to make it more palpable, as if [...]