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Paper Publisher Pussyfoots Around Arabs
In a half hour panel discussion â âThe Media and Entertainment Agendaâ â organized by the Arab News ...International Herald Tribune publisher Michael Golden described the US news media as a relatively small community in a huge industry that is the biggest export earner in the US economy.Heâs right about that. I bet some networks would drop their "news" departments like a hot potato if they didnât feel they had to keep up appearances. He expressed what some saw as the insouciant opinion that they were ânot trying to convince people of a particular point of view,â a comment that brought a guffaw of disbelief from some sections of the audience. One member of the press corps was heard to suggest loudly that Golden should actually read some of the publications in his group more closely and mentioned a notorious web journalist. Wish I knew what journalist they mean. Arab News pointed to the panel that the American people are led to believe that the Arab media is controlled and censored and that satellite channels such as Al-Jazeera are hostile because they show images, in Iraq and Palestine, that are unfavorable to the Americans rather that presenting Americaâs take on events. Arab News asked if the panel thought there was much misrepresentation, distortion and manipulation in the American media of the Arab world. Golden gave what several people in the audience thought was a non-answer. He said that in the US there is a clear choice of media outlets. âThere are people whose goal is to convince others of their point of view... even if itâs misguided,â in direct contradiction to his previous assertion that the press was not trying to convince people of a particular point of view. No contradiction there. He said that some news outlets have that goal, not all. Itâs called a free press, something Saudi Arabia doesnât understand. But wait, thereâs more. Guess who else was on the panel: Former Saturday Night Live star Chevy Chase and cult Hollywood actor John Cusack. Both actors greeted the auditorium with the Islamic greeting of âAssalam Alaikumâ to the evident pleasure of the crowd. Sycophants. âIâve never had so much fun being recognized by so many of younger....er, actually not so young generation here,â said Chase of an evening spent meeting Saudis. Chevy Chase is no longer funny. Maybe thatâs why heâs sucking up to the Arabs. I mean, he did get work slinging Turkish cola. Cusack was also surprised by his being recognized. âI had no idea my movies played hereâ mistakenly thinking movie theaters existed in the Kingdom. âHow little we know about your culture, poetry, your art,â he added. âWe tend to see only caricatures of each other.â I used to respect Cusack. But now heâs sucking up to the Arabs too. And doesnât even know one of the most basic things about Saudi Arabia: No movie theaters. Because thereâs no freedom there. :::sigh::: Posted by: growler 2004-01-21 |
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