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absorbing and regurgitating official government
propaganda that they never stop to think.
A Google News search of the terms "Muqtada
al-Sadr" and "radical cleric* brought up 616 news
and opinion stories, the latter derived from the
former. Despite the prime minister's obvious
status as an American-appointed puppet "Iyad
Allawi" and "collaborationist" yielded zero results.
The message is clean al-Sadr, and by extension
Iraqis who oppose the U.S. occupation, are mar
ginal wackos. Those who support it are referred to
by questionable legitimating honorifics—prime
minister, in AUawi's case—because the U S. gov
ernment called a press conference to announce
him as such.
Repetition is key to successful advertising.
The American media uses repeated arbitrary
labeling in its supposedly impartial coverage in a
deliberate campaign to alter public perception.
Americans were meant to feel less sympathy for a
kidnapped Italian woman shot by U.S. soldiers
manning a checkpoint in Iraq after the talking
heads repeatedly referred to her as a "communist
journalist." A Fox News reporter in the same
story would never have been dubbed a "neofas
cist journalist"
John McCain (R-AZ) might become president
someday but "maverick senator John McCain"
probably won't. Ralph Nader's name rarely appears
in print without the unappealing word "gadfly" or
a form of "crusading." Why not describe figures in
the news using terms that aim for neutrality, like
"Italian reporter" or "former Green Party candidate
Ralph Nader"?
Labeling bias works to marginalize political
outsiders while powerful elites receive their full
honorifics. Howard Dean was antiwar firebrand
Howard Dean but George W. Bush was never
referred to as pro-war crusader George W. Bush.
The press calls the founder of the Moral Majority
"the Reverend Jerry Falwell' not "radical cleric
JerTy FalwelL" Even the word "cleric" implies for
eignness to a xenophobic public; American reli
gious leaders are the more familiar "ministers"
rather than clerics. Instead of telling readers and
viewers what to think with cheesy labels, why not
let public figures' quotes and actions speak for
themselves? Besides, well-known players like al-
Sadr and Falwell don't require an introduction.
Under Ronald Reagan, the Afghan mujahedeen,
who received CIA funding and weapons that they
used to fight Soviet occupation forces, were called
"freedom fighters." Iraqis who take up arms
against U.S. occupation troops, on the other
hand, are called "insurgents," a word that implies
rebellion for its own sake. This was the same term
used by the New York Times and other mainstream
media to refer to anti-U.S. fighters in Vietnam
during the 1960s. Only later, when the Vietnam
War became unpopular, did American newspapers
begin calling the former "insurgents" members of
an infinitely more patriotic-sounding "resistance."
Editors and producers who value balance
ought to establish a consistent policy—either
negative smears or positive accolades for both
sides. Anti-occupation forces should always be
called insurgents, guerrillas, etc, while pro-occu
pation troops are dubbed collaborators. Either
that, or call them freedom fighters and govern
ment loyalists, respectively.
Ted Rail
Ted Rail is the author of Wake Up, You're
Liberal!: How We Can Take America Back From the
Right and Generalissimo El Busho: Essays and
Cartoons on the Bush Years.
Go Mobile
Or Go Home
Big changes coming from small media will be
explored at 'Go Mobile or Go Home!" set for
Saturday, April 30, on the University of Georgia
campus.
Hosted by the Grady College of Journalism and
Mass Communication's New Media Institute and
Mobile Media Consortium (MMC), the event will be
held from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Student
Learning Center, a "technologized" teaching
facility that is the largest of its kind in the United
States. The event is free and open to the public
"Devices you carry in your pocket palm, pack
or purse are now capable of delivering text audio,
video and more," said Scott Shamp, director of the
New Media Institute and MMC. "leading mobile
media companies and experts will provide a sneak
preview of this wild technological future."
"Go Mobile" attendees will hear from industry
experts, learn new wireless research findings and
see student-developed projects. The conference
will begin with a discussion on where people are
"doing" mobile with a look into Philadelphia's
wireless initiative, the San Francisco Giant's dig
ital dugout content system being launched this
season in SBC Park, and how McDonald's is using
digital content to enhance the Golden Arches
experience.
A "gizmo show-off at 2:45 p.m. will allow
conference participants to see mobile media tech
nology in action as representatives from Apple,
Nokia and Zipit demonstrate their latest portable
devices, including iPods, cell phones and portable
devices capable of instant messaging on the go.
At 3:15 p.m., industry experts from CNN,
Cingular and the Cartoon Network will offer their
perspectives on what types of news and entertain
ment content might work best for mobile media.
The conference will conclude with a 4 p.m.
student "show off of mobile media projects cre
ated this semester. Among the innovative projects
to be featured is the AthLens, a system where
users can become part of a photo essay about
their individual communities via camera phones.
For one week, participants will receive a text mes
sage with one of these words: "Go," "Eat," "Play"
or "Work." The participant then has one hour to
capture and send a photo of something that illus
trates that particular word. The collection of
images will be compiled in an on-line album to
illustrate how camera phones enable spontaneous
and creative communication.
"We have more than 15 mobile media proto
types developed by students. Some of them are
crazy, but all of them are interesting," Shamp
said. "There is a 'demo loop' that will take you
through projects at the Student Learning Center,
historic North Campus and into downtown
Athens."
Although free, space is limited for "Go Mobile
or Go Home." Interested individuals should
R.S.V.P. at nmi.uga.edu/gomobile.
Excerpted from a University of Georgia press
release.
Animal Control
Last Week’s Scorecard
Athens-Clarke County Animal Control
responded to 52 calls:
10 complaints of animal cruelty
3 bite cases
2 complaints of barking dogs
5 citations for ordinance violations
33 animals impounded
32 dogs
1 cat
19 dogs placed
4 adopted
13 reclaimed
2 turned over to other agencies
ACC Animal Control press release for the week of
April 14 to April 20.
Bumpersticker
Of The Week
Under Republicans Man Exploits Man. Under
Democrats It’s Just The Opposite.
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