Paul
Installments of "Controlling the News"
Wed Nov 19 13:50:47 2003
64.140.158.39

In-House Memos on Television And Print Media News Presentations
http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a717.htm

To see prior Installments of "Controlling the News" click here
http://www.tbrnews.org/Archives/controling.htm

During the middle of March, 2003, tbrnews received an email from a man who claimed to be a mid-level executive with a major American television network. He stated in this, and subsequent, emails that he was in possession of “thousands” of pages of in-house memos sent from his corporate headquarters in New York City to the head of the network’s television news department. He went on to say that these memos set forth directives about what material was, and was not, to be aired on the various outlets of the network.

This individual claimed he was developing serious doubts about the strict control of media events and decided that he would pass this material along to someone who might make use of it.

There was the question of his job security. If someone published his name, it would be certain he was not only fired but blackballed throughout his profession.

If tbrnews.org would agree to protect his identity, he would send us these alleged thousands of pages of notes, going back to 2001.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating so we accepted his caveats and he then sent to us by disk the pages he spoke of. All are on corporate stationary, signed or initialed by the senders and again, signed or initialed by the recipients in the news division.

It was always possible that this material consisted of a very involved hoax or was something designed for the news site to use and then have it revealed that it was not original. It would not be the first time that spurious disinformation had been sent to us in the hopes that it would be used.

There were not “thousands of pages” of memos but a total of 1,497 separate pages involved. Many of them consisted of short memos while others ran to a larger format.

Naturally, someone could easily have obtained correct in-house network letterheads, made copies of them and prepared false memoranda but the sheer size and depth of the collection was impressive.

If these memos were true, they showed with a terrible clarity that at least one part of the American mass media was strictly controlled and that the news was so doctored and spun that it might as well be official news releases from the White House and Pentagon.

The best way in which to ascertain whether or not these documents contained original information was to check the dates of issuance and compare the information with subsequent news stories.

This was a terrible, time-consuming chore but by selecting random memos and looking through the archives of various national newspapers, checking AP releases and so on, the results indicated that indeed, news was being managed.

However, it was also possible that someone else did this and was preparing these after the fact and making the memos conform to published material.

That having been said, we insisted on absolutely current memos so that we could then check these against future publications. If, for example, a corporate fiat was to show certain pictures or spin a story in a certain way, it would be relatively simple to simply read the press or watch television news to see if these suggestions were implemented.

It was both shocking and gratifying to note that this proved to be the case in a preponderance of cases and so we began to put these up, either in toto or, more often, in excerpt and watch as ordained news was created before our eyes.

When a corporate order states, for instance, that certain pictures should be shown with accompanying commentary and the memo predates a published story by a week or more, then it is more than likely that the memos are not inspired guesswork but genuine.

When tbrnews put up the first two pages, there were two basic forms of public response. One was to thank us for exposing something many people believed; that the American media was controlled and not free. (That much can easily be ascertained by reading the websites of various reputable foreign publications such as the Swiss NZZ, the British Guardian, the Canadian Toronto Globe and Mail, Reuters News Service, AFP and the Jerusalem Post. What any viewer can see on these sites is certainly not reflected in the American media.)

The second response consisted of irate, and literate, statements to the effect that all of these items were just stupid hoaxes and should not be believed. “I believe,” one writer who claimed to be a Professor of Journalism at an Ivy League college said, “these are just disinformation designed to discredit American journalists whose reputation for honesty and integrity is certainly beyond question. You are performing a great disservice in repeating these politically-motivated fictions…”

This is certainly a true statement because if it became generally accepted that the American media was only a mechanical parrot for various political organizations, it would no longer be either believed or watched. If viewers turned off their television sets, the networks would lose huge amounts of advertising revenue, reporters would be laid off and people would turn instead to the Internet for their news.

The file, “Controlling the News” has proven to be the most durable and viewed section of tbrnews. As the result of our earlier postings, we have been receiving a significant amount of input that extends far beyond the scope of our original informant. These sources include, but are certainly not limited to; an employee of a major American news magazine, a source inside the corporate offices of a major media conglomerate, various military sources, foreign press and intelligence individuals and persons connected with official agencies who are greatly disturbed by the machinations of the current Administration.

That these sources have requested anonymity is self-evident.

In the final analysis, it is always up to the reader to make up their own mind as to the truth, or fiction, of what they read. The media has an opposite view of this.

It is fairly obvious that the average Americans get their news either from TV, mostly, or, to a shrinking number, from the print media. If someone in East Peoria, Illinois sees something on CNN, the Voice of the White House, they have no reason to question it. And don't. The establishment does not worry about a website that, as in our case, reaches perhaps 100,000 people at a time when they have control over NBC, CBS, ABC and CNN that can, and do, reach millions a day.

What do they care about people who email messages back and forth? Even if a Pentagon plan to nuke North Korea were up on the net, all that would happen is that some would say, "See, I told you so!" while others would say "Oh shame! You are questioning our Glorious Leader (appointed to his high office by Almighty God Himself!) and putting our Brave Troops in danger!"

If the honesty of the American mass media is finally brought into serious question, perhaps the ruling Establishment cannot jam their lies down the public's throat with such ease.
Walter Storch

Part 24

(November 9, 2003) The mutual funds scandals are growing but there is a frantic attempt to put the lid on. The public is not supposed to get it into its innocent heads that corporate America is nothing but a gaggle of money-grubbing crooks. The books of most banks and major corporations have been cooked for years, the market manipulated ruthlessly and everyone, including the “regulators” on the serious take….put your cash in the mattress, lads…

(Nov 10) Bush is being told by his crew that he had best get his sorry old ass out of Iraq before long or he will never get reelected. What a bunch of losers!…Now we are taking all of our troops out of S. Korea and shipping them, along with cadre from absolutely everywhere, to Iraq. It’s even up that when we leave, the North Koreans will launch an attack. They are nuts enough to do this but Bush can’t do a damned thing about it. They are shipping permanent party out of Okinawa to the relief of the locals who are tired of rapes, fatal traffic accidents caused by drunk or stoned GIs…

(Nov 15) Now the dorks are planning to pull out of our new Vietnam by June. When they leave, Saddam and his men will come back again and scores will be settled. Or, worse, the Iranians will take over the country, set up a Shiite religious dictatorship and we will still be sol. And no oil. Joke here: Bush encountered Lincoln’s ghost in the White House, recently. The Prez asked the spirit how he could make the American people better off. Lincoln said: “Why not go to a play?” From all of our sources, Bush is the most hated President in history but you are never to comment on that.

(Nov 16) ..we were hashing over coverage of the Imperial visits to the boobery. The crew picks some place safe, the SS goes out and covers the place like a blanket, Bush is not allowed to get anywhere near the public. He is so afraid of being shot that when he goes out, he has more guards around him than Cheney or Hitler....no one is allowed near the Imperial Presence except proofmarked loyalists, many of whom are bussed in form three states away, handed pre-printed signs and told to cheer and wave on cue…disgusting theater. Doesn’t fool the camera crews but the Bible Belt laps it up…

Comment: The following article from The Observer directly addresses the issue of Bush’s intense security.

'Shoot-to-kill' demand by US

Martin Bright, home affairs editor
November 16, 2003
The Observer

Home Secretary David Blunkett has refused to grant diplomatic immunity to armed American special agents and snipers travelling to Britain as part of President Bush's entourage this week.

In the case of the accidental shooting of a protester, the Americans in Bush's protection squad will face justice in a British court as would any other visitor, the Home Office has confirmed.

The issue of immunity is one of a series of extraordinary US demands turned down by Ministers and Downing Street during preparations for the Bush visit.

These included the closure of the Tube network, the use of US air force planes and helicopters and the shipping in of battlefield weaponry to use against rioters.

In return, the British authorities agreed to numerous concessions, including the creation of a 'sterile zone' around the President with a series of road closures in central London and a security cordon keeping the public away from his cavalcade.

The White House initially demanded the closure of all Tube lines under parts of London to be visited during the trip. But British officials dismissed the idea that a suicide bomber could kill the President by blowing up a Tube train. Ministers are also believed to have dismissed suggestions that a 'sterile zone' around the President should be policed entirely by American special agents and military.

Demands for the US air force to patrol above London with fighter aircraft and Black Hawk helicopters have also been turned down.

The President's protection force will be armed - as Tony Blair's is when he travels abroad - and around 250 Secret Service agents will fly in with Bush, but operational control will remain with the Metropolitan Police.

The Americans had also wanted to travel with a piece of military hardware called a 'mini-gun', which usually forms part of the mobile armoury in the presidential cavalcade. It is fired from a tank and can kill dozens of people. One manufacturer's description reads: 'Due to the small calibre of the round, the mini-gun can be used practically anywhere. This is especially helpful during peacekeeping deployments.'

Ministers have made clear to Washington that the firepower of the mini-gun will not be available during the state visit to Britain. In return, the Government has agreed to close off much of Whitehall during the visit - the usual practice in Britain is to use police outriders to close roads as the cavalcade passes to cause minimal disruption to traffic.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: 'Negotiations between here and the US have been perfectly amicable. If there have been requests, they have not posed any problems.'

An internal memo sent to Cabinet Office staff and leaked to the press this weekend urged staff to work from home if at possible during the presidential visit. Serious disruption would be caused by 'the President Bush vehicle entourage requesting cleared secured vehicle routes around London and the security cordons creating a sterile zone around him'.

Meanwhile, negotiations are continuing between police and demonstrators about the route of the march. Representatives of the Stop the War Coalition will meet police at Scotland Yard tomorrow to discuss whether protesters will be able to march through Parliament Square and Whitehall. Spokesman Andrew Burgin said he hoped for 'a good old-fashioned British compromise'.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1086397,00.html

(Nov 17) the Supreme Court is busting Bush’s balls now. They are going to take cases about the Gitmo gulag and the White House is shrieking with rage. I guess the Court doesn’t realize that Bush thinks he is the one to decide what is constitutional and not the Court. He has a rude surprise coming very soon as I understand…

(Nov 18) poor old Diebold and their rigged voting machines! They practically guaranateed to the RNC that Bush would be reelected if they had anything to do with it…and their system of computerized voting is so corrupt that the Russians ought to buy it! Or they could sell it to Chicago, Florida or Mexico all of whom are known for total election frauds. Vote early and vote often as the Daley people say…
========================

Leaked News Memos: Bush Fears Assassination; North Korea to Attack After Iraq Pullout?

TBR News.org

To read the explanation behind the leaked news memos, please click here.

(November 9, 2003) The mutual funds scandals are growing but there is a frantic attempt to put the lid on. The public is not supposed to get it into its innocent heads that corporate America is nothing but a gaggle of money-grubbing crooks. The books of most banks and major corporations have been cooked for years, the market manipulated ruthlessly and everyone, including the “regulators” on the serious take….put your cash in the mattress, lads…

(Nov 10) Bush is being told by his crew that he had best get his sorry old ass out of Iraq before long or he will never get reelected. What a bunch of losers!…Now we are taking all of our troops out of S. Korea and shipping them, along with cadre from absolutely everywhere, to Iraq. It’s even up that when we leave, the North Koreans will launch an attack. They are nuts enough to do this but Bush can’t do a damned thing about it. They are shipping permanent party out of Okinawa to the relief of the locals who are tired of rapes, fatal traffic accidents caused by drunk or stoned GIs…

(Nov 15) Now the dorks are planning to pull out of our new Vietnam by June. When they leave, Saddam and his men will come back again and scores will be settled. Or, worse, the Iranians will take over the country, set up a Shiite religious dictatorship and we will still be sol. And no oil. Joke here: Bush encountered Lincoln’s ghost in the White House, recently. The Prez asked the spirit how he could make the American people better off. Lincoln said: “Why not go to a play?” From all of our sources, Bush is the most hated President in history but you are never to comment on that.

(Nov 16) ..we were hashing over coverage of the Imperial visits to the boobery. The crew picks some place safe, the SS goes out and covers the place like a blanket, Bush is not allowed to get anywhere near the public. He is so afraid of being shot that when he goes out, he has more guards around him

• Blood, Money & Power: How LBJ Killed JFK — Barr McClellan, Wed Nov 19 14:20
• LBJ DID JFK - ALEX JONES INVERVIEWS BARR McCLELLAN — spiker, Wed Nov 19 19:48
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• President Kennedy, E.O. 11110 — APFN, Thu Nov 20 13:37
• Re: LBJ DID JFK - ALEX JONES INVERVIEWS BARR McCLELLAN — Bob Scheidt, Wed Nov 19 21:03
• but will it be too late... — David Howard, Wed Nov 19 22:06
• Final Judgement : Must Read — M.C. Piper, Wed Nov 19 14:30
• Final Judgement : Review — Francine Peckinpah, Wed Nov 19 14:42