The previous posting referred to difficulties at least one Italian journalist has had getting a balanced perspective on Somalia published in Italy. The New York Times ran a piece on December 26 reporting on our own government's efforts to slant news about Ethiopia's offensive in Somalia against Somali Islamists and in favor of the invaders. "The Department's internal guidance to staff members," said the Times, "instructed officials to play down the invasion in public statements." Some quotes from the Department's guidance:
"The press must not be allowed to make this about Ethiopia, or Ethiopia violating the territorial integrity of Somalia. . . .Be sure to read this enlightening article in its entirety (click here or on the title of the posting, above).
"Emphasize that this is a distraction from the issue of dialogue between the [transitional federal government] and the Islamic courts and shift the focus back to the need for dialogue."
1 comment:
How many times through the years has the US been utterly dead wrong in its dealings with not just Somalia but the Horn of Africa in general? And today's massacre adds to the list: how many innocent Somalis have died in this AC-130 attack of "suspected" Al Qaeda members? Let's see: we KILL suspects? Please clarify, someone.
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