The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
[Main archive index/search] [List information] [Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq Homepage]
Dear all I received this interesting e-mail which I thought I should forward to you. Scroll down and take a look! Ahmed Al-Ani Britain Against Sanctions on Iraq ================================================ Tel: 0113 2824810 Mob: 07713 742021 E-mail: info@basinet.org Web page: www.basinet.org Address: 6 Main Street, Carlton, Wakefield, WF3 3RW, UK ================================================ ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nick Cater" <reportingtheworldiraq@yahoo.co.uk> To: <info@basinet.org> Sent: Tuesday, June 05, 2001 1:42 AM Subject: Alert: Reporting the World/Iraq > Dear Britain against sanctions on Iraq > > As someone concerned about Iraq, we though you might > well find this alert about Iraq and the media of > interest - please share, forward, and repost the > message below, to encourage a full debate about how > journalists cover Iraq and other conflicts. > > We would also welcome web links to > http://www.reportingtheworld.org > > Apologies any duplicates. Don't want this email? - hit > reply with subject REMOVE > > Regards > > The Reporting the World team > ReporttheWorld@aol.com > > ----------------------------------------- > > Reporting the World > > Iraq - thinking for ourselves > > We're gathering a group of senior journalists to take > a long hard look at the reporting of Iraq in the > media, to examine some of the assumptions we often > make and to offer new and challenging perspectives. > > Who are we? > > This is part of Reporting the World, a series of > seminars and publications and interactive website - > http://www.ReportingtheWorld.org - aimed at building > an effective ethical framework for covering > international news. At stake is our idea of the world > and our place within it. > > So we've made a start - but WE NEED YOUR HELP to > sharpen the critique of what we already get and to > generate ideas about the way things could be. Email us > on reporttheworld@aol.com and we'll post the most > challenging and creative contributions in the > discussion section of our website, > www.ReportingtheWorld.org > > We'll also build them in to the agenda for our meeting > on June 20. Afterwards you can go to the site to see > the discussion for yourself, in transcript, audio and > video form. > > At the end we'll produce a "toolkit" for journalists > who want to offer more honest and responsible coverage > of this and other important stories. So this is your > chance to influence the news of tomorrow. > > Our agenda (so far) for June 20 > > Current reporting > > Often criticised for: > > * Distracting us from the real issues by demonising > Iraqi President Saddam Hussein as, in the words of one > report, 'almost uniquely dangerous'. > > * Routinely echoing 'official sources' in treating > Iraq as a 'rogue state', a threat to its neighbours > and the world, an 'outlaw nation'. > > * Largely ignoring the suffering of Iraqi people under > sanctions. Remaining silent on the bombing of Iraq > except at times when the UK or US military chooses to > make it a story. > > Framing > > To whom does Iraq really pose a threat, and how > authentic is it? > > Is an attack by Iraqi ballistic missiles really the > most colourable security threat to her neighbours, the > UK or the US? > > Who remembers, now, that paragraph 14 of UN Resolution > 687 , which brought an end to the Gulf War, called for > the elimination of all 'weapons of mass destruction' > from the entire region - including, implicitly, > Israel's nuclear arsenal? > > How are the sanctions really connected to any real > programme of action aimed at denying Iraq the means to > make chemical, biological or nuclear weapons? > > New perspectives > > How much do we (should we) know about the perspectives > of other players, the French, Russians and Chinese, > the rest of the world community, on Iraq? > > Are they 'foot-draggers' or 'self-interested', as > routinely presented these many years, or would our > reporting benefit from approaching this as a question > with many sides? > > New sources > > How far would reporting of this important story be > strengthened by access to more independent assessments > of the real security issues in this strategic region? > > We will hear about a challenging civil society > initiative, 'Triple Track diplomacy' in the Persian > Gulf. > > An International Commission for Security and > Cooperation in West Asia is now up and running, with > representatives from Iraq, Iran, the Gulf Cooperation > Council States and the five permanent members of the > UN Security Council. > > A project to study the security structures within > which the prospects for peace in the region will be > mediated. > > Join the discussions at: > http://www.ReportingtheWorld.org > Or email your contribution to: reporttheworld@aol.com > > [end] > > > > > ____________________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Get your free @yahoo.co.uk address at http://mail.yahoo.co.uk > or your free @yahoo.ie address at http://mail.yahoo.ie > -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq For removal from list, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk Full details of CASI's various lists can be found on the CASI website: http://www.casi.org.uk