Re: [CTRL] Fwd: THE SCOOP: CNN's Kosovo Identity Crisis (what really happened)
-Caveat Lector- Well, I played soccer today with the guy I mentioned as being from Croatia and and editor for CNN. He told me what happened. He was off at the time the Serbian news broadcast about the US prisoners was received in Atlanta. No one working in Atlanta knew how to read the Cyrillic so they first got in touch with Voice of America. They then called him up (after about 2 hours) and got him to confirm what they had told them. Howard Davis "Howard R. Davis III" wrote: > > -Caveat Lector- > > Kris Millegan wrote: > > > > > > > > Subject: THE SCOOP: CNN's Kosovo Identity Crisis > > Date: 5 Apr 1999 02:55:37 - > > From: The Scoop <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: List Member <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > > The Scoop - http://www.bobharris.com/ > > > > To new subscribers: thanks for joining up. Yes, the column really is > > free, and you're encouraged to forward it to friends. That's how our > > readership grows. > > > > If you've just joined up from some exotic locale because you heard my > > rants on Armed Forces Radio (see below), please drop a line and say howdy. > > In the last week, we've heard from Bahrain and Spain. > > > > Whether they were mainly on the plain they didn't say. > > > > Thanks! > > > > bh > > > > THE SCOOP for April 5, 1999 > > ___ > > > > CNN's Kosovo Identity Crisis > > also: Bob Dole, Sex Criminal > > © 1999 Bob Harris > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > [] = italics > > > > So my big sister calls me this week. > > > > My sister is a major bonus. Great sense of humor. Heart oversized like > > movie popcorn. And really, really smart. > > > > Anybody who doesn't like my sister has no business being on this planet. > > > > Sis calls me up because she's trying to be a good citizen and has > > therefore watched hours of TV news reports about the Crisis In Kosovo. > > Big sis has endured dozens of furrowed brows, scores of scary pictures, > > and hours of flashy graphics. CNN's special Kosovo theme music churns > > like a bellicose jingle in her head. > > > > And sis calls because after days of Fox and MSNBC telling her what just > > blew up, she still doesn't quite follow how exactly the whole mess really > > started, how it might best end, or what to think about it in any case, > > other than it's obviously really bad. > > > > Just like most Americans. Including the ones in Washington. > > > > My sister's one of the smartest people I know. Her only mistake was in > > believing, as most of us have been trained to believe since birth, that TV > > is a good way to learn about a subject in depth. > > > > It is not. > > > > TV is a good way to learn about which subjects are on fire. > > > > Here's how mindless Kosovo coverage can be: > > > > You remember when the news came in last Wednesday that three U.S. > > servicemen had been captured by the Serbs. Soon, CNN showed Serbian > > videotape of the prisoners. > > > > CNN also reported that the three captured servicemen had not yet been > > identified. CNN's anchors repeated this several dozen times for over two > > hours, often as the Serbian video was playing on the air. > > > > Hello? > > > > The names of all three servicemen were [right there on the videotape] -- > > in Serbian, granted, but in HUGE OBVIOUS PRINT -- directly under the faces > > of each soldier as they were shown individually. > > > > Duh. > > > > Figuring this out was hardly a stretch. Serbian is phonetic, albeit with > > Cyrillic characters. Any speaker of Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, > > Macedonian, or several other Slavic languages could read the names > > instantly. I speak maybe thirty or forty words in all those languages > > combined, and even I could read the prisoners' names easily. > > > > Evidently, during a state of war with Serbia, there's not a single person > > at supposedly the world's leading TV news outlet who speaks Serbian. Or > > Russian. Or any Slavic language. > > > > Would CNN have covered World War II without anyone on staff who could > > translate [Mein Kampf]? > > > > Is it possible that the classy news joint that brings us Bob Novak, Al > > Hunt, and John Sununu doesn't employ a single person who at least knows > > enough to realize all that fancy writing probably means something? Or > > even owns a freaking dictionary with which to transliterate a freeze frame? > > > > OK. Maybe that's asking too much. Fine. > > > > But how about this: the soldiers' surnames were also plainly visible in > > the videotape -- and in [English] -- above the right shirt pocket of their > > uniforms. > > > > And the TV anchors, who are presumably neither blind nor stupid although > > I'm learning to keep an open mind, prattled over and over that they had no > > information as to the men's identities. > > > >I know a guy who works at CNN in Atlanta as an editor. He's from > Croatia. Yes, I am sure they could figure out the names. > > Howard
Re: [CTRL] Fwd: THE SCOOP: CNN's Kosovo Identity Crisis
-Caveat Lector- Kris Millegan wrote: > > > > Subject: THE SCOOP: CNN's Kosovo Identity Crisis > Date: 5 Apr 1999 02:55:37 - > From: The Scoop <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: List Member <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > The Scoop - http://www.bobharris.com/ > > To new subscribers: thanks for joining up. Yes, the column really is > free, and you're encouraged to forward it to friends. That's how our > readership grows. > > If you've just joined up from some exotic locale because you heard my > rants on Armed Forces Radio (see below), please drop a line and say howdy. > In the last week, we've heard from Bahrain and Spain. > > Whether they were mainly on the plain they didn't say. > > Thanks! > > bh > > THE SCOOP for April 5, 1999 > ___ > > CNN's Kosovo Identity Crisis > also: Bob Dole, Sex Criminal > © 1999 Bob Harris > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > [] = italics > > So my big sister calls me this week. > > My sister is a major bonus. Great sense of humor. Heart oversized like > movie popcorn. And really, really smart. > > Anybody who doesn't like my sister has no business being on this planet. > > Sis calls me up because she's trying to be a good citizen and has > therefore watched hours of TV news reports about the Crisis In Kosovo. > Big sis has endured dozens of furrowed brows, scores of scary pictures, > and hours of flashy graphics. CNN's special Kosovo theme music churns > like a bellicose jingle in her head. > > And sis calls because after days of Fox and MSNBC telling her what just > blew up, she still doesn't quite follow how exactly the whole mess really > started, how it might best end, or what to think about it in any case, > other than it's obviously really bad. > > Just like most Americans. Including the ones in Washington. > > My sister's one of the smartest people I know. Her only mistake was in > believing, as most of us have been trained to believe since birth, that TV > is a good way to learn about a subject in depth. > > It is not. > > TV is a good way to learn about which subjects are on fire. > > Here's how mindless Kosovo coverage can be: > > You remember when the news came in last Wednesday that three U.S. > servicemen had been captured by the Serbs. Soon, CNN showed Serbian > videotape of the prisoners. > > CNN also reported that the three captured servicemen had not yet been > identified. CNN's anchors repeated this several dozen times for over two > hours, often as the Serbian video was playing on the air. > > Hello? > > The names of all three servicemen were [right there on the videotape] -- > in Serbian, granted, but in HUGE OBVIOUS PRINT -- directly under the faces > of each soldier as they were shown individually. > > Duh. > > Figuring this out was hardly a stretch. Serbian is phonetic, albeit with > Cyrillic characters. Any speaker of Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, > Macedonian, or several other Slavic languages could read the names > instantly. I speak maybe thirty or forty words in all those languages > combined, and even I could read the prisoners' names easily. > > Evidently, during a state of war with Serbia, there's not a single person > at supposedly the world's leading TV news outlet who speaks Serbian. Or > Russian. Or any Slavic language. > > Would CNN have covered World War II without anyone on staff who could > translate [Mein Kampf]? > > Is it possible that the classy news joint that brings us Bob Novak, Al > Hunt, and John Sununu doesn't employ a single person who at least knows > enough to realize all that fancy writing probably means something? Or > even owns a freaking dictionary with which to transliterate a freeze frame? > > OK. Maybe that's asking too much. Fine. > > But how about this: the soldiers' surnames were also plainly visible in > the videotape -- and in [English] -- above the right shirt pocket of their > uniforms. > > And the TV anchors, who are presumably neither blind nor stupid although > I'm learning to keep an open mind, prattled over and over that they had no > information as to the men's identities. > I know a guy who works at CNN in Atlanta as an editor. He's from Croatia. Yes, I am sure they could figure out the names. Howard Davis DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER == CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substancenot soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ==
[CTRL] Fwd: THE SCOOP: CNN's Kosovo Identity Crisis
The Scoop - http://www.bobharris.com/ To new subscribers: thanks for joining up. Yes, the column really is free, and you're encouraged to forward it to friends. That's how our readership grows. If you've just joined up from some exotic locale because you heard my rants on Armed Forces Radio (see below), please drop a line and say howdy. In the last week, we've heard from Bahrain and Spain. Whether they were mainly on the plain they didn't say. Thanks! bh THE SCOOP for April 5, 1999 ___ CNN's Kosovo Identity Crisis also: Bob Dole, Sex Criminal © 1999 Bob Harris [EMAIL PROTECTED] [] = italics So my big sister calls me this week. My sister is a major bonus. Great sense of humor. Heart oversized like movie popcorn. And really, really smart. Anybody who doesn't like my sister has no business being on this planet. Sis calls me up because she's trying to be a good citizen and has therefore watched hours of TV news reports about the Crisis In Kosovo. Big sis has endured dozens of furrowed brows, scores of scary pictures, and hours of flashy graphics. CNN's special Kosovo theme music churns like a bellicose jingle in her head. And sis calls because after days of Fox and MSNBC telling her what just blew up, she still doesn't quite follow how exactly the whole mess really started, how it might best end, or what to think about it in any case, other than it's obviously really bad. Just like most Americans. Including the ones in Washington. My sister's one of the smartest people I know. Her only mistake was in believing, as most of us have been trained to believe since birth, that TV is a good way to learn about a subject in depth. It is not. TV is a good way to learn about which subjects are on fire. Here's how mindless Kosovo coverage can be: You remember when the news came in last Wednesday that three U.S. servicemen had been captured by the Serbs. Soon, CNN showed Serbian videotape of the prisoners. CNN also reported that the three captured servicemen had not yet been identified. CNN's anchors repeated this several dozen times for over two hours, often as the Serbian video was playing on the air. Hello? The names of all three servicemen were [right there on the videotape] -- in Serbian, granted, but in HUGE OBVIOUS PRINT -- directly under the faces of each soldier as they were shown individually. Duh. Figuring this out was hardly a stretch. Serbian is phonetic, albeit with Cyrillic characters. Any speaker of Russian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, Macedonian, or several other Slavic languages could read the names instantly. I speak maybe thirty or forty words in all those languages combined, and even I could read the prisoners' names easily. Evidently, during a state of war with Serbia, there's not a single person at supposedly the world's leading TV news outlet who speaks Serbian. Or Russian. Or any Slavic language. Would CNN have covered World War II without anyone on staff who could translate [Mein Kampf]? Is it possible that the classy news joint that brings us Bob Novak, Al Hunt, and John Sununu doesn't employ a single person who at least knows enough to realize all that fancy writing probably means something? Or even owns a freaking dictionary with which to transliterate a freeze frame? OK. Maybe that's asking too much. Fine. But how about this: the soldiers' surnames were also plainly visible in the videotape -- and in [English] -- above the right shirt pocket of their uniforms. And the TV anchors, who are presumably neither blind nor stupid although I'm learning to keep an open mind, prattled over and over that they had no information as to the men's identities. [DUH.] I don't mean to pick on CNN per se. I only have one TV -- which feels a little like saying "I only have one flesh-eating bacterial infection" -- so I didn't get the chance to see if Fox or MSNBC or maybe somebody on the Weather Channel figured out what all those funny letters meant. Probably not. We live in an era where war reporting consists largely of Pentagon-approved reporters repeating Pentagon statements and press releases over combat footage provided by the Pentagon. Which affects public opinion. Which affects national policy. And eventually, it affects even our ability to think for ourselves. If the Pentagon says that three captured servicemen have not been identified, then their identities are indeed unknown -- even when their names are right in front of our eyes. My sister now understands better what's going on in Kosovo, precisely because she's no longer waiting around for Laurie Dhue and Laura Ingraham to show her more scary pictures. She's reading up on the subject and forming her own opinion. Word is that Bill Clinton has recently started reading a book on the history of the region, too. How thoughtful, after bombing it for a week. ___ And now, something completely unrelated... All over Alabama, people are buzzing with
