Prevailing Doubt

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FTLComm - Tisdale - Tuesday, November 6, 2001

Monday evening the sun was about to be history for another day and the car radio was delivering the CBC's "World At Six" evening news. With each story from the lead on, I found myself saying, "And, I'm suppose to believe this?" Perhaps I have reached the belief threshold, or some intellectual plateau where so many things nudge credibility over the edge. Let's take a look at some news stories and push them to some plausible tests. For over a month now the United States has been delivering by air, ordinance to the impoverished and underdeveloped wasteland known as Afghanistan, a place that has been at war in one way or another for more than twenty years straight. The American intention is to bomb out of power the ridiculous Taliban fanatics who came to power with the help of American aid during the cold war. Russia's had been attempting to subdue the confusing political situation in this horrible place on its Southern border. Among the targets have been Taliban military installations and possible hiding places of the terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and members of his murderous bunch of international terrorists. At first we were treated to some infared bomb sighting images of smart bombs totaling buildings or whatever, while the Taliban and others moan over the large numbers of "innocent" civilians are being slaughtered. You need to be reminded that the first casualty of war is "truth". The American explanation for their operation doesn't hold water, the claims of victims is even more unbelievable and the idea that anyone anywhere is "innocent" is preposterous. Human beings are responsible for their action and inaction and the fact that the Taliban was allowed to take power, and allowed to remain in power suggests that a whole lot of "innocent" people did nothing. The newest lot of complete fabrication has been video footage of the "Northern Alliance" who are suppose to be moving South against Taliban strongholds. Some reporters have told us that the only ammunition being used by the Northern Alliance forces has been to make the video footage. The images we have been shown on television of B-52 strikes, so-called "carpet bombing" of Taliban positions is blatantly fake. We ran a story some days ago in which Mario deSantis expressed his concern about the move by the Americans to use this method of bombing and the picture we used was borrowed from CNN showing bomb blasts across the stark terrain of Afghanistan. I spruced up the picture a bit by adding a B-52 dropping a stick of bombs. We ran this story on November 1 and last night CNN showed that same scene reporting it to be new evidence of "intense" American bombardment.

Let us just for the record sort this issue out. The American air campaign against Afghanistan is to appease the American people and show them that something is being done. The Northern Alliance is a ragtag outfit and the only place journalists can get a story, so with almost as many journalists as fighters in their positions, they are doing their best to keep some momentum in their empty story. People, there is no story. The next and perhaps the most outrageous misinformation on the air is the investigation into the nineteen desperadoes who killed themselves and uncounted others on September 11. The FBI has put all of its energy into solving the crime and the facts are slim. The culprits are dead. Their support and assistants have evaporated and though they have piled up the information no one, not one person has been arrested for participating in this horrendous crime in the United States. Hundreds have been detained and most released. Now we must turn our attention to the Anthrax issue and here the government of the United States has been responsible for both complete incompetence and absolutely no progress in solving the problem. Thirty or more individuals have been infected, four have died. Those are facts, all of the rest of this story is speculation and worse. Three letters, maybe more, does anyone believe that? To even make this more confusing reems of useless information about smallpox abound yet there is nothing whatever to indicate that smallpox poses a threat or danger. Here in Saskatchewan the credibility gap is mirroring the United States and its troubles as Saskatoon police say they are amazed that the coroner's jury on Saturday made eight recommendations about the Saskatoon police when there was nothing in evidence to link them with the death of the victim. The two police officers who were convicted of dumping off a surviving victim said "we never met the guy." If I sound a little upset, I guess that would be accurate. I think that journalism is an honourable profession and everyone who accepts the responsibility of telling stories to other people needs to be aware of their important role. We know they will not always be truthful, but even when they lie, we should demand that their lies have some level of believability.