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• Saturday, July 4, 2009 04:51 AM

  U.S. Government Broadcaster Calls It "Torture"; Maybe the New York Times & NPR Could Hire U.S. Government To Teach Them About Journalism

  The official U.S. broadcaster of news and information to foreign audiences is the Voice Of America, part of the U.S. government's International Broadcasting Bureau. It is prohibited by law from broadcasting its signal to domestic U.S. listeners as this would be considered government-sponsored propaganda operations.*

  The VOA Charter, which became the basis for all BBG broadcasters, requires that broadcasts:

  * Be accurate, objective, and comprehensive.

  * Represent all segments of American society and present a balanced and comprehensive view of significant American thought and institutions.

  * Clearly present the policies of the United States.

  http://www.ibb.gov/broadcasters/voa.html

  When the VOA broadcasts news stories regarding allegations of U.S. torture, the VOA uses the term "torture".

  Example 1:

  Battle Lines in Torture Debate Harden

  By Jim Malone | Washington | 12 May 2009

  Former Vice President Dick Cheney and several religious leaders are the latest to add their voices to the national debate over harsh interrogation techniques used on some terrorism suspects during the Bush administration.

  The political battle lines in the torture debate seem to be hardening.

  http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-12-voa48.cfm

  Example 2:

  Spain to Consider Prosecuting Bush Officials Over Torture Allegations

  By VOA News | 29 March 2009

  A Spanish court has agreed to consider charging six former U.S. officials with providing legal justification for alleged torture at Guantanamo Bay.

  Human rights lawyers brought the case before leading anti-terror judge Baltasar Garzon, who agreed to send it on to prosecutors to decide whether it had merit.

  Under Spanish law, courts can prosecute offenses such as torture or war crimes even if they occurred in other countries.

  The former officials, who include ex-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and former defense official Douglas Feith, could face arrest if Spain charges them.

  http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2009-03/2009-03-29-voa3.cfm

  Now, they are careful to use the term "allegations" or "alleged" since they may be talking about criminal and legal issues. Nevertheless, they apparently aren't frightened away from using the most relevant and direct term for torture, i.e., "torture".

  One would hope that presumably independent and private / non-profit institutions such as the New York Times and NPR might have the sort of journalistic integrity shown toward the fair application of the term "torture" to both foreign government-alleged and U.S.-alleged torture as the U.S. government's own broadcaster itself.

  If the New York Times and NPR cannot manage to be as gutsy and independent as the official U.S.-government broadcaster, perhaps they could hire the U.S. government broadcasting agency, the IBB, to teach them about the basics of journalism again.

  (*Yes, many jokes could be made here about how it's illegal when it's overt and direct and pretty thoroughly encouraged when it's covert and/or indirect.)

  —El Cid Read El Cid's other letters
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