Snapped Shot - Israel/Lebanon War 2006

NEWS FLASH

nospam@example.com (captainfish) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:39:36 -0500

This is an up to the minute News Flash !!!

TERRORIST LIE !!!! TERRORIST LIE !!!! TERRORIST LIE !!!!

Elder over at EOZ found that the Times Online Sunday version had an article up that attempted to determine the whereabouts of the kidnapped Israeli soldier Galid Shalit. Galid is one of the Israeli soldiers that was kidnapped prior to the start of the Lebanon "disruption" in 2006. He is currently still being held by Hamas.

It is amazing to read this article, which I highly suggest that you do, and not keep a straight face. This person, admittedly from Britain (but still), actually believed that she could go to the hotbed of anti-Israeli terrorism and be given complete and friendly access to a possibly dead kidnapped Israeli soldier.

Continue reading "NEWS FLASH"

Making deals with terrorists

nospam@example.com (captainfish) — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 21:52:48 -0500

You know the saying: "We don't make deals with terrorists."

Even Israel in its early years utterly refused to cave in to terrorists even to the point of conducting massive military raids against terrorists holding hostages. They just would not give the terrorists the inkling of an idea that they could get away taking Israeli hostages.

But, these days are different. These days, Political Correctness runs amok. These days, liberal idealism and pocketbook diplomacy rule. Take the recent action in Israel.

From Yahoo News:

The Israeli government agreed Sunday to free a Lebanese gunman convicted in one of the grisliest attacks in the country's history in exchange for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers killed by Hezbollah guerrillas.

The German-mediated deal was a rare political victory for embattled Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and closed a chapter from Israel's inconclusive war against the Lebanese militant group two years ago.

These were the two Israeli soldiers that whose capture led to the Lebanon War (ummm, skirmish\incident) of 2006.

According to cr(AP), this is a victory for Olmert. Releasing a vile, despicable, reprehensible, violent, deadly, (any more descriptors Cletus?) Hezbollah terrorist in exchange for two dead soldiers, soldier body parts and a report on another airman killed in the crash of his plane in 1986. And, explain to me how this closes a chapter when they are releasing a known, convicted, and admitted terrorist?

Now, to give you an idea what this animal did, read this:
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Propagandist, Meet Propagandist

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 15:29:46 -0600

Far be it from the press to suggest that there's any controversy surrounding Qana, but it would seem that the Associated Press is absolutely delighted to provide us with pictures of people who hate Israel. Unquestionably, of course:

Norman Finkelstein, center, a vocal American critic of Israel who resigned last year as a political science professor at DePaul University in Chicago, walks inside the grave of Qana victims who were killed in an Israeli attack during the 2006 summer war between Israel and Hezbollah, in the southern village of Qana, Sunday Jan. 6, 2008. Finkelstein met Hezbollah's commander in south Lebanon, Nabil Kaouk, in his office in the coastal city of Tyre also toured the border village of Aita al-Shaab, the location from where Hezbollah guerrillas triggered the war after they crossed the border, killing three Israeli soldiers and capturing two others in hopes of trading them for Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails, according to the report. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Aussie Dave has more, as usual.

On the Infinite Zionist Conspiracy

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:47:42 -0500

Ugh. This is exactly the type of "propaganda victory" I said the Israeli government needed to avoid a few days ago:

Lebanese Hassan Akil, 45, who the Israeli media claim was a former Hezbollah guerrilla and Hezbollah official, displays his pictures published on front pages, as he sits in his house in the southern village of Jubbain, Lebanon Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2007. Akil insisted he was never a fighter for the militant group. On Monday, Israel returned Akil and the bodies of two Hezbollah guerrillas in exchange for the corpse of an Israeli man who drowned at sea in early 2005. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Of course, neither Mohammed Zaatari nor the Associated Press have presented any evidence on either side, to confirm or deny whether this man is telling the truth. They merely report his Hezbullah propaganda verbatim, without a moment's thought.

How's that for in-depth journalism?

To the dopes in the Israeli government that cooked up this harebrained scheme: If you're going to release a Hezbullah fighter in hopes of getting back a citizen or soldier you care about, make sure it's the meanest, baddest, absolute most terrifying-looking thug that you can find. That way, the press can't pull crap like this atrocity on you later.

(Plus, if you release a total thug, you have two advantages: Namely that he is (a) most likely not the smartest one of the bunch, and (b), he'll be downright trivial to identify should you ever run into him again.)

Paging all clue-enabled Israelis: Please report to the Government immediately. They've been going it without you for far too long now.
Continue reading "On the Infinite Zionist Conspiracy"

Honour, Decency, and Crocodile Tears

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 21:10:00 -0500

Israel has handed yet another photo-op to the enemy. While I think their intentions were honourable—Who, after all, can fault the Israeli government for recovering an Israeli citizen who died in the water, and whose body ended up in Hezbullah's possession. Or for trying once more to save Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev from their captivity?

I certainly won't, but I will point out that, as predictably as the tides in the sea, the Israelis allowed Hezbullah to win yet another battle in the propaganda front, trotting out supposed "relatives" of the dead to receive their bodies on the border—all in the convenient sights of the international photographer corps.

Mariam Saad, aunt of a Hezbollah fighter Mohammed Dimashqiyeh, who was killed during the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, mourns as she carries his portrait during the arrival of his remains, in the coastal town of Naqoura in south Lebanon on Monday, Oct. 15, 2007. Dimashqiyeh's remains and that of Ali Wizwaz, as well as a Lebanese prisoner, were returned to Lebanon in exchange for the corpse of an Israeli civilian as part of a prisoners exchange.(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

That guy on the left is a Hezbullah "handler" if I've ever seen one, and he sure seems intent on making sure that everyone sees that this woman is in an obvious state of mourning. I'll have the rest of the pictures from this event following the break, as usual.

To my handful of Israeli readers:—You've got to get it through your Government's thick head that situations like this are golden opportunities for Hezbullah to trot out their puppets in front of the cameras for a quick media victory. It is the Israeli government's job to ensure that opportunities like this are denied your enemies! They offer you no quarter, so why should you offer any to them? (Other than drawing-and-quartering, that is...)

Oh, and as a "funny" aside, it's interesting to note that there was zero international outcry over Hezbullah's desecration of a civilian corpse. Or at least, so little of an outcry that I can't even recall this unfortunate event in the least! Once again, the United Nations falls silent when atrocities are perpetrated against the Jews.
Continue reading "Honour, Decency, and Crocodile Tears"

The Slowest Reconstruction in History

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:31:00 -0500

Lo and behold, it's interesting to note that most of the area "damaged" by the IDF during last year's war with Hezbullah are still not rebuilt. Of course, those of you have been paying attention would already have known this.

A worker lays cement during reconstruction of a balcony in a building that was damaged during last year's war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah, in Beirut suburbs July 10, 2007. REUTERS/Issam Kobeisy (LEBANON)

Perish the thought that Hezbullah keeps its areas of Lebanon in disrepair permanently for the sake of easily-manipulated wire agency photographers...

Update: Ah, it's good to see that Hezbullah has their priorities in order. And that their Divine Marketing Agency is preparing for war yet again:

A Lebanese worker sets a street billboard showing a Hezbollah fighter with an anti-tank rocket and the Arabic words ;'You are the coming victory,' at Beirut airport highway, Lebanon, Tuesday July 10, 2007. Lebanon this week marks the first anniversary of last summer's devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas amid sectarian and political tensions that threaten to tear the country apart. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

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Selective Mourning

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:14:00 -0500

It would seem that the wire services are mourning the death of Hezbullah fighters in last year's war. No word on if and when any coverage will be given to the Israeli soldiers who died during the conflict.

Hassan Saad shows pictures of his brother Shadi, 19, killed in last year's 34 day war against Israel, in Aita al-Shaab village southern Lebanon, July 10, 2007. He passed all his school exams, helped out his father's sandwich bar, ran a bicycle shop and still found time to train with local Hezbollah guerillas in this village on Lebanon's border with Israel. (Ali Hashisho/Reuters)

What a nice, down-to-earth guy, huh? It should be noted that, while it's factually true that he was "killed" during the conflict, you'll note that none of our news agencies elect to identify him dying as a Hezbullah fighter. Don't you think knowing that would change the readers' perspective of this "sympathetic" propaganda push?

By the way, if you're sharp, you might notice in the third picture down in our extended series (following the break), that Reuters has annotated the caption with: "To match feature:LEBANON WAR/HEZBOLLAH." What's interesting about this? It's entirely possible that this is an acknowledgement that the scenario was orchestrated and provided to Reuters by Hezbullah's media office. How much better would this news coverage have been if this fact were acknowledged up front, rather than as a sidebar?)
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The Definition of Irony

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Wed, 16 May 2007 10:21:48 -0500

"We demand that you clean up our mess faster!"

So, here's a nice, shining, real-life example of "irony" for you:

Chutzpah: Your band of thugs comes to town, sets up shop around the local populace, and antagonizes the large military presence in the next country over.

Inevitable: When said next country over finally gets annoyed enough, they come and bomb you into the stone age.

Irony: After the country which your band of thugs has infested has been bombed to smithereens, you complain that it isn't paying you fast enough to rebuild it.

Hezbullah really is a funny bunch.

God's Little Propagandists

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Tue, 01 May 2007 11:16:28 -0500

Whenever they're in a pinch, the Party of God never fails to ratchet up God's Propaganda. The ~~United~~ ... make that Useless Nations does nothing to stop it. How else will they live up to their name and reputation, after all?

Lebanese Hezbollah militants fix a huge billboard bearing a portrait of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Kfar Kila, 01 May 2007. Israelis clamoured for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to resign as his ruling coalition began to fray on Tuesday after a government probe blasted his leadership for serious failure in the Lebanon war.(AFP/Ramzi Haidar)

I will say, what's really disgusting is the obviously-photoshopped scowl on Ehud Olmert's face. I mean, it's not like there are any pictures showing him in full scowl in real life or anything, right?
Continue reading "God's Little Propagandists"

Hezbullah's Allies in the Press

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:16:52 -0500

Chris Anderson isn't going to like this report from Harvard (PDF, h/t LGF):

An open society becomes the victim of its own openness. During the war, no Hezbollah secrets were disclosed, but in Israel secrets were leaked, rumors spread like wildfire, leaders felt obliged to issue hortatory appeals often based on incomplete knowledge, and journalists were driven by the fire of competition to publish and broadcast unsubstantiated information. A closed society conveys the impression of order and discipline; an open society, buffeted by the crosswinds of reality and rumor, criticism and revelation, conveys the impression of disorder, chaos and uncertainty, but this impression can be misleading.

Hezbullah's "independent" sheep.

Charles points out, as I have on previous occasions, that the press felt no need to question Hezbullah's statements and public presentation. The very same press that accepted Nasrallah's talking points verbatim could be found questioning every statement released by Israel, and reporting every rumour about the IDF as fact.

How's that for "fair and balanced" coverage?

The press failed miserably in the Israel/Lebanon war. Instead of acting as the arbiters of debate, and trying to provide a factual pictures of events on the ground, they allowed themselves to be used as propagandists.

Chris likes to counter that the U.S. Army puts the same restrictions on reporters that Hezbullah did. If that's the case, Chris, then how do you explain this story getting out into the general public? If our Army were as censored as you like to suggest that it was, wouldn't stuff like that never hit the news?

If the press were interested in the "truth," I think we would've seen more skeptical coverage of Hezbullah in last summer's war. Like, for starters, perhaps asking them why they insist on hiding behind civilians.

See also: Hyscience, The Jawa Report, Ace of Spades HQ, EU Referendum, Michelle Malkin.

The True Art

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:36:24 -0600

True art? Sounds vaguely familiar...

Lebanese students look at a model of a Hezbollah militant and a Katyusha rocket launcher at an exhibit dubbed "The True Art" in Beirut's southern suburbs, 04 March. Israel's government watchdog is to release the first report on the state's conduct during last year's Lebanon war, as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert went on the defensive to minimise its fallout.(AFP/File/Anwar Amro)

A Surprising Reliance on Semantics

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 11:55:22 -0600

Constructing jihad, one block at a time.

To nobody's surprise, the U.S. Treasury Department has designated the Hezbullah-affiliated group Jihad al-Binaa as a terrorist-supporting organization (h/t MEMRI). Snapped Shot readers may recall that "Construction Jihad" was pegged early on as a propaganda effort at best, something which has been reinforced more recently by complaints from local residents.

Terror-supporting organizations, setting up front groups to bolster their support and launder their cash? The shock!

I'm happy to see a delightful little bout of commonsense from our Government on this occasion.

Behind the Scenes at REUTERS

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Mon, 05 Feb 2007 08:33:09 -0600

Here's an enlightening look behind the curtain over at Reuters' Middle-East department.

When he was called from holiday to the Lebanon war he learned that several stringers on the front line in the south did not have Reuters cameras. Two office computers had viruses and were infecting others. No FTP server was available for accessing pictures for editing, so photographers were filing to the private email of the Beirut chief photographer. He didn't have the password so he couldn't access pictures directly. Add to that the fact that no one in the Beirut photo operation could write acceptable captions, and that he found someone unqualified and unauthorised in the office accessing the pictures, and the nature of the task he faced in the middle of a war begins to emerge.
...
Outgunned, beset by equipment problems and technical difficulties, swamped by the flow of pictures—many gory to the extreme—he worked all day and into the nights to select, edit, caption and file. Was it possible to have complete oversight in such conditions? Is it surprising two tampered pictures got through? He accepts responsibility for not spotting them, but could he not have expected backup from the Singapore photo desk? And if he didn't give the right answer at first when the questions began, was he protecting himself or someone else in the bureau?

Blaming the institution for the problems isn't exactly a new thing, but there's probably quite a bit of validity to what John's saying. To me, though, the issue now becomes one of identifying where the buck stops best. Are senior Reuters managers merely incompetent with financial planning? Or are they so institutionally biased against Israel that they don't recognize obvious propaganda when they see it?

Don't miss out on the comments, though. Eyal says it best: In some places people know how to manipulate the media â€“ they know how to act and what is expected from them so that the photographer will get a good shot.

Update: Well shiver me timbers! It doesn't happen often, but I definitely celebrate when it does. Many thanks to the all-knowing AllahPundit for the generous hat tip and the kind words!

The Myth of the "Charitable" Jihadi

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 11:34:28 -0600

Chad at Freedom Zone has an excellent writeup on the myths surrounding Hezbullah's past charity drive that is well worth reading. Specifically,

The second myth this destroys is how Hezbollah intends to fight its war against both Israel/Infidels and the Lebanese government. The myth is that Hezbollah cares for the Shia in Lebanon and has the interest of all of Lebanon in their sights. The reality is far more mundane. They are camera prostitutes, selling their bodies for photos and television reports to confuse the world as to their intentions. Stick a camera in their faces in any of the rather obvious staged photo shoots, they greet you with open arms. Catch them off guard and they will forcefully tell you to cease with the photography. When all cameras are gone, they get back to what they do best, sowing seeds of hatred by mass deception.

Thank you for the very insightful article, Chad! You've masterfully put to words something I've only been thinking for a while.

Lo and behold

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 12:29:00 -0600

... when the press attention starts to fade, we learn that Hezbullah's intentions were less than pure? The shock!! (h/t LGF). Mental note to you Leftists for your future reference: Charity done for the sake of attention is never genuine! It certainly never benefits the citizens it's intended to help.

Charity for the sake of the camera.
This Hezbollah stronghold would soon rise again, the leaders of both the town and the militant group's building arm, Construction Jihad, said defiantly.

More than five months later, however, with winter here and Lebanon's government enmeshed in political crisis, the tractors are gone, the army of men has disappeared and Bint Jbail's town center still resembles Dresden after World War II.

"They told us everything was going to be rebuilt soon," Mr. Seyed said Tuesday, speaking of town leaders. "They're not doing anything now. We want to build but they won't let us. They promise to pay us, but they don't. All we want is our homes back and they won't even let us have them!"

Whose Victory?

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 07:47:42 -0600

As most of you have probably already seen, the Israeli military's Chief of Staff, Dan Halutz, resigned yesterday, amidst criticism of his "handling" of this past summer's war between Israel and Lebanon. This move is one that was quickly hailed by Yoni, who has been calling for the resignation of the entire Israeli cabinet for some time now. As NextCenturyFoundation pointed out, "The last action of his command was yet another symptom of all that had gone wrong in the relationship between the IDF high command and its political legislators." But, alas, nothing in the Middle East can be as simple as it looks, can it? For behold, according to our intrepid wire photographers, there is yet another group celebrating Mr. Halutz's resignation as an unprecedented victory. Check out the photograph below, which I found on the wires yesterday:

Fireworks explode over the tent camp erected by Hezbollah and their allies in downtown Beirut, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007, marking the resignation of the Israeli army commander Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz. Halutz, Israel's military chief, has resigned, the military announced early Wednesday, yielding to widespread demands that he pay the price for Israel's flawed summer war in Lebanon. (AP Photo/Sergey Ponomarev)

So, is this a desperate attempt by Hezbollah to continue to attach some semblance of "Divine Victory" to their recent soirée? Jeha weighs in with his usual gutso, suggesting that both sides of the conflict are too busy preparing for "the last conflict" to learn the appropriate lessons for "the next one." I'm sure Jeha's on target, as usual, but I still think that things ended up the way they did (i.e., "stagmire") due to the general myopia of the Israeli government.

How does that old Chinese curse go? "May you live in interesting times."

Interesting times, indeed.

Qana: Fraud of the year?

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 09:14:00 -0600

Looks like one of the disputed Qana photographs has been recognized as one of the REUTERS Photos of the Year (2006) (yeesh, how did I miss that story?).

Mentions of the controversy surrounding the photograph? Not so much.

Is this the new accountability that Reuters is aiming for?

PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2006 A Lebanese volunteer carries a child killed in an Israeli air raid in Qana, 6 km (4 miles) from the port-city of Tyre (Soure) in south Lebanon, July 30, 2006. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra (LEBANON)

Question for the readers: What do you think Richard's first reaction was to this?

Rusty has some excellent commentary on this story as well.

IDF Report Released

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 15:04:38 -0600

Doug Ross points out that the IDF has released its report on the recent war with Hezbullah, and needless to say, there is still no question in my mind that Hezbullah is entirely responsible for all of the carnage in that conflict.

More on the report at the AJC's website.

Israel should always be so forthcoming with information like this, as it helps disspel the rumours and innuendo sent out by the Arab world, and repeated without a second's thought by an entirely sympathetic press. I'm glad to see information like this, though it definitely would've been better if it had been released earlier.

Thanks for the tip, Doug!

Hezbullah's Blatant Manipulation of the Press

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 10:55:00 -0600

Okay, so for weeks we've heard that Hezbullah will be out in the streets en force today, to protest the "pro-Western" Lebanese government and otherwise make life miserable for those opposed to Syria's puppet reign.

Now that photographs are pouring in, we get to see shots like this:

A Lebanese Hezbollah supporter sits on a street light as he waves a Lebanese flag during a demonstration to force the resignation of Western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday Dec. 1, 2006. Hundreds of thousands of protesters from Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian opposition allies descended on downtown Beirut on Friday in a peaceful but noisy protest to force the resignation of Western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who was holed up in his office along with several ministers ringed by hundreds of police and combat troops. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Compare this to previous Hezbullah rallies, and see if you can make out the difference:

Flags, in order: Hezbullah, Amal movement (aligned with Hezbullah), Lebanon, Iran.

As has been noted fairly extensively, Hezbullah is very adept at manipulating the media. The fact that these protesters are so blatantly identifying themselves as "Lebanese"--rather than identifying themselves with the usual Hezbullah, Iranian, and Syrian flags--it is apparent to me that Hezbullah has sent out a little internal memo to its rally organizers, instructing them that it would be most prudent to wrap themselves in the Lebanese flag, to couch the argument in terms that they're somehow "reclaiming" the Lebanese government for themselves.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Hezbullah remains a group whose strings are pulled by the Opthamologist and Dr. Spongebob Nuclearpants. To consider them even remotely pro-Lebanese is farsical at best.

One other possibility here, just as an aside: According to the pro-Lebanese website From Beirut to the Beltway, the March 14th (thanks, Austin) group is planning massive demonstrations in Beirut today as well, to counter the Hezbullah invaders (and really, what better word is there for a group of the population that intends to turn control of one's nation over to a neighboring nation?). It's possible, but not likely, that we're actually looking at a group of March 14th'ers here. The reason I would suggest that this is Hezbullah-in-drag, though, is that most of the signs in the crowd are in Arabic, not generally the language employed by March 14.

As always, events in Lebanon are complex. Hopefully, my Lebanese compatriots can continue to update us with their side of what's going on over there. Stay safe, y'all!

For extensive Lebanon coverage: Jeha's Nail, From Beirut to the Beltway, Free Cedar.

I know I've been silent on the latest AP scandal--and I have a good reason for being so! Everyone else has covered it extensively already, and I don't really have anything insightful to add to their brilliant observations! What can I say? Kurt at Flopping Aces has done a spectacular job of tossing some egg at the AP's face -- or rather, pointing out the egg that the AP put there itself!

To make up for it, here's a "Flatima" wannabe sighting, following the break, from today's Hezbullah rally. Enjoy! (If you read Arabic, I'd be delighted to hear a translation for the sign behind our dear Flatima impersonator!)

UPDATE: I'm not the only person who noticed the conspicuous absence of that disgusting yellow flag. Howdy, GatewayPundit! It's good to be in esteemed company such as yours!

Update: Extensive coverage from Abu Kais at From Beirut to the Beltway, cross-posted at Michael Totten's website.
Continue reading "Hezbullah's Blatant Manipulation of the Press"

Tale of a Supposed Tire Fire

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 08:00:55 -0600

This photo, made famous by its incorrect caption, has finally been explained!

Early on in the Lebanon war, there was a photograph published by both U.S. News and World Report and Time Magazine, which according to captions published with the picture was of a burning Israeli jet, shot down by Hezbullah missiles. The blogosphere was quick to call B.S. on the photo, and the widely-circulated story was that the photograph was actually that of a tire dump.

Well, it seems that the photographer responsible for taking the photograph, Bruno Stevens, has finally sounded off on Lightstalkers, explaining the photograph and telling the true story of how things ended up the way they did. He also notes that the site was not a tire dump, but was rather an old Lebanese Army base that had either been hit by an Israeli jet, or by a misfired Hezbullah rocket (both possibilites he appears to have recounted in his original captions). The key point that Bruno makes is that, while he sent in a fairly balanced caption to accompany the photograph, the wire services rewrote the caption completely, changing the pertinent facts surrounding the story. Where have we heard that before?

Bruno's story is available in full at Lightstalkers, and I recommend checking it out, even though it is mostly written as a response to someone who has been alleging that he was somehow covering up a civilian massacre. My favorite part, and the one that's the most damning of Photo Editors everywhere, is this:

This caption clearly says that there is no proof that an Israeli jet had been shot down and that the objective was indeed to destroy a legitimate military target.
...A week later TIME published this image shot at the same time as the first:
They choose to caption it this way (I had NO control in this matter), they HAD my original caption: âThe wreckage of a downed Israeli jet that was targeting Hizballah trucks billows smoke behind a Hizballah gunman in Kfar Chima, near Beirut. Jet fuel set the surrounding area ablaze.â

I'm beginning to think that a major shakeup needs to happen in the editorial desks of just about every wire service. For this to continually happen means that somebody sitting in the Editor's chair is either (a) deliberately trying to shape the news, a gross violation of the public trust placed in them, or they are (b) too completely incompetent to distinguish facts and circumstances from the photographic and captional evidence presented to them.

Bruno, my hat's off to you for sharing your story so openly.
Continue reading "Tale of a Supposed Tire Fire"

Divine marketing agency?

nospam@example.com (Brian C. Ledbetter) — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 14:34:38 -0500

Divine marketing agency?

It seems that, far from being media neophytes, Hezbullah contracted with a marketing firm to the tune of $140,000 to come up with their "DIVINE VICTORY" ~~propaganda push~~ marketing campaign.

Anyone know which advertising agency was responsible for this? It'd be interesting to find out, at the very least. If it was an international firm, my bet's on it based out of Londonistan. We can almost certainly rule out a US-based firm, as Hezbullah is still considered a terrorist organization.

Of course, there's nothing new about marketing agencies taking sides in international conflict. The United States Army just updated its ads with the help of such an advertising firm. What's intriguing is that this is possibly one of the first times that an un-affiliated insurgent group went through the trouble of brining a firm in. (I suspect the PLO did this as well, but don't have anything concrete to back that up other than hints dropped in reports of Arafat's billions...)

Update: Found out that this isn't exactly new news. According to Adam Ash, the agency responsible for this mess is Idea Creation, a Beirut-based firm.

Curses, foiled again!
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