25 Jul Episode 04: The Root of All Evil
Iran, Iraq, and the New York Times’ Master Class in Reality Inversion.
Welcome to Episode 4 of our new media criticism podcast, Citations Needed.
The show is hosted by Adam Johnson and Nima Shirazi, media analysts working to call bullshit on (usually corporate) media’s ubiquitous reliance on and regurgitation of false and destructive narratives, tropes and stereotypes.
On Episode 4, we talk about a recent New York Times article — and the broader media habit of painting the United States as benevolent democracy-seeker, while Iran and other Official Enemies™ are presented only ever as cynical imperialists.
In this episode, we dissect the true history of what caused chaos in Iraq, who’s to blame and what the real motives were behind the Bush, Obama and Trump administrations’ designs for the country. All this in the context of a battle for control over remaining ISIS territory in Syria; and Washington’s, Riyadh’s, and Tel Aviv’s desire to stop the dreaded “Shia crescent.”
Show Notes
Here’s some stuff mentioned or referenced during the show, or related to the topic in general. You know, in case you wanted to dig deeper.
Iran Dominates in Iraq After U.S. ‘Handed the Country Over’
Tim Arango| July 17, 2017 | New York Times
NY Times Rewrites History of Iraq War, Painting U.S. as Noble Democracy-Lover, Iran as Sinister Imperialist
Adam Johnson | July 22, 2017 | AlterNet
How Media Spread CIA’s Sectarian, Anti-Iran ‘Mideast Cold War’ Narrative
Ben Norton| July 25, 2017 | FAIR
Corporate Media Largely Silent on Trump’s Civilian Death Toll in Iraq
Adam Johnson | July 19, 2017 | FAIR
Amnesty Says U.S.-Led Coalition May Have Committed War Crimes In Mosul
Merrit Kennedy| July 12, 2017 | NPR
Syria the Latest Case of US ‘Stumbling’ Into War
Adam Johnson| June 22, 2017 | FAIR
Treaty Obligations, War Crimes and Accountability:
A Study in American Hypocrisy
Nima Shirazi | August 30, 2013 | Wide Asleep in America
Who’s Talking?
These are the hosts of Citations Needed
Adam H. Johnson is a media analyst for Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. His writing has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, The Nation, Alternet and elsewhere.
Nima Shirazi is an editor for Muftah, a digital foreign affairs magazine. His political analysis has appeared in Salon, Truthout, Mic, Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting and Al Jazeera English, among other outlets.