Barbara Amiel Kicks Some Media Ass

The inimitable Barbara Amiel, one of my heroes, has written yet another sharp-focused and insightful (or perhaps, to the British LLL's "inciteful") Op-Ed piece on the manipulation of public opinion and scandal-mongering inre: Abu Gharaib ...

The Telegraph: "War is a minefield for any democratic government"

This week's Economist cover screams, "Resign, Rumsfeld". With the tide of condemnation over American mistreatment of prisoners in Iraq and the charge that it will be a "permanent stain on America for years to come" (sic), the events at Abu Ghraib jail in Baghdad seem a story judged.

The admonition of the Economist leader that "the pictures of abuse, especially the one… of the hooded man wired as if for electrocution, stand an awful chance of becoming iconic images that could haunt America for years…" shows how news organisations are doing their damnedest to make sure just that happens. The iconic photo takes up the entire cover of the Economist.