John Pilger at the Ferens (4/5) By Martin J Deane

(1/5), (2/5), (3/5), (4/5), (5/5).

John Bolton and the UN? There is a famous scene in Breaking the Silence when Bolton asks John Pilger Are you a communist? Bolton is now US ambassador to the UN. How does John view Bolton now? In reply John Pilger commented first on Bolton's rather bad toupee that threatened to ruin the continuity of the filming! Bolton is an extreme individual. And extremely dangerous. He is on the extreme right wing of an extreme right wing American government under George W Bush. Are you a member of the Labour party?

Bolton asked next - as if this was some dangerous enemy group. Pilger replies: They are the Tories in our country. John went on to say Blair is the most right wing Prime Minister I have ever known. And that includes Thatcher. The Chartists in the 1800s said there is no point in voting if you have no-one to vote for. So maybe not voting is entirely justified.

On the State of Journalism. Power has changed. Now there is strong monopoly power - about 6 companies dominate, mostly American. Then there is the technology of the speed of image transmission. The Pentagon puts huge resources into the media. Maybe even more than its military component ... The Iraq war was based on a huge lie promulgated by the media. For example, the 45 minute claim. The lying was deliberate. It was lying. You can't blame it on mistakes in the intelligence. I believe in old fashioned journalism.

Its job was to tell the people when they are being conned. Charles Lewis, an American commentator said of the American media - Had it challenged the drive to war then the war would not have happened! They promoted Fardus Square, for example, and the supposed massive support for the toppling of Saddam Hussein's statue when it was all a put up job.

Then the resistance happened - as it has in all occupied countries. And it's deadly and it's horrific as are all resistances. Yet now we have 8 surveys, 4 of them academic ones. They say the overwhelming majority of deaths in Iraq have been caused by the Coalition. Four of them cite figures well over 100,000. The media plays a very important role in containing this - but should be exposing this. In the First World War it was reported as a heroic and patriotic adventure, a great war for high ideals. But all those reporters in their memoirs told a different story and they all said sorry. Today there are two main changes: 1. Broadcasting is instant now. 2. There is a greater awareness and cynicism

Continued...Next Page (5/5)

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