Most of the papers headline the release of the online video of the decapitation of an American in Iraq. And there are apparently more reports of more incidents coming from Iraq prisons and now apparently some from Afghanistan as well.
Slate details that there is a growing debate about whether these pictures should have been shown.
Tally of Americans abroad hits snag [IHT, 5.12.2004]
A test census to count private American citizens living in France, Kuwait and Mexico has hit a snag because of the low number of people participating, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
“The response so far has been disappointing,” said Kathleen Styles, project manager for the 2004 Overseas Enumeration Test, which began in February and is due to end by July.
Nations Vow Passport Aid [WP, 5.12.2004]
The G-8 leading industrial nations agreed yesterday to share information about lost and stolen passports and vowed to work together to secure borders, ports and skies to help thwart terrorism.
From the WSJ front page…
At the Pentagon, Quirky PowerPoint Carries Big Punch [WSJ, 5.12.2004]
In a World of 'Gap' States, Mr. Barnett Urges Generals To Split Forces in Two Austin Powers on Soundtrack
In 1998, Thomas Barnett, an obscure Defense Department analyst, teamed up with senior executives at the Wall Street firm Cantor Fitzgerald LP to study how globalization was changing national security.
One scenario they studied was a meltdown caused by the Y2K computer bug followed by terrorist attacks designed to exploit the chaos. Mr. Barnett posited that Wall Street would shut down for a week. Gun violence, racially motivated attacks and sales of antidepressants would surge. The U.S. military would find itself embroiled in brushfire conflicts across the developing world.
His theories were met with skepticism. "People began referring to me as the Nostradamus of Y2K," Mr. Barnett says.
Then came the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Suddenly Mr. Barnett didn't look so crazy.
Media notes...
For NBC, Good if Not Best 'Friends' [WP, 5.12.2004]
NBC handily won the ratings race last week with a lot of help from its "Friends." (You saw that one coming a mile away, didn't you.)
Frasier' Finale: Amid Nostalgia, A Product Plug [WSJ, 5.12.2004]
In the series finale of "Fraiser," a product placement of Milano cookies symbolizes the lengths to which marketers and media are going these days to capture consumers' attention.
Hit French reality TV takes viewers back to 'the farm' [CSM, 5.12.2004]
Farmers' union objects to derisive portrayal of peasants.
In the other news…
Where the US goes after Abu Ghraib [CSM, 5.12.2004]
Testimony on abuse continues, war support drops, and talk of justice grows.
How the images of prison abuse shape perceptions of the war [CSM, 5.12.2004]
In an age of 24 hour news, the graphic pictures harden views on both sides about US involvement in Iraq.
From the editorial pages…
The undersecretary of defense insisted that the abuses may be nothing more than a few misguided guards. "I still don't know that there is a significant issue here," he said. A WP editorial retorts:
The Bush administration still seeks to mislead Congress and the public about the policies that contributed to the criminal abuse of prisoners in Iraq. Yesterday's smoke screen was provided by Stephen A. Cambone, undersecretary of defense for intelligence. Mr. Cambone assured the Senate Armed Services Committee that the administration's policy had always been to strictly observe the Geneva Conventions in Iraq; that all procedures for interrogations in Iraq were sanctioned under the conventions; and that the abuses of detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison were consequently the isolated acts of individuals. These assertions are contradicted by International Red Cross and Army investigators, by U.S. generals overseeing the prisoners, and by Mr. Cambone himself
[...]
If President Bush and his senior officials would acknowledge their complicity in playing fast and loose with international law and would pledge to change course, they might begin to find a way out of the mess. Instead, they hope to escape from this scandal without altering or even admitting the improper and illegal policies that lie at its core. It is a vain hope.
And the NYT…
The Abu Ghraib Spin
The administration's cynical approach to damage control was on display at the second Senate hearing on the prison abuse scandal.
And a different take from the WSJ…
Winning in Iraq
The public puts Abu Ghraib in perspective.
Politics...
Candidates Face Sprawling and Complex Electoral Map [NYT, 5.12, 2004]
President Bush and Senator John Kerry are pouring resources into more than 20 states in a struggle to master one of the most complex electoral playing fields in nearly 20 years.
Executive Calls Vote-Machine Letter an Error [NYT, 5.12.2004]
The top executive at Diebold Inc., which makes voting machines, said that it had been a "huge mistake" for him to express support for President Bush's re-election in a fund-raising letter.
CAPITAL JOURNAL, By John Harwood [WSJ, 5.12.2004]
Polls have pointed toward another exceedingly close contest for president. Yet the deeper America gets into this political year, the more campaign operatives are bracing for something different: a race that breaks decisively one way or the other.
Why the Polls Don't Add Up [NYT, 5.12.2004]
Voters are too focused on evaluating the president right now to compare him to John Kerry.
Lie, and the Voters Will Believe [NYT, 5.12.2004]
The presidential campaign ads running in 18 states are proof that you shouldn't believe everything you see on TV.
Revolution Under the Hood [WSJ, 5.12.2004]
The global auto industry is racing to come up with the next big thing under the hood. Everything from gasoline-electric hybrids to internal-combustion engines powered by vegetable-oil derivatives is on the table.
A Hall With Jazz on Its Mind [NYT, 5.12.2004]
Jazz at Lincoln Center's first season in its new home in the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle will be a dialogue between the music and where it will be played.
For the Coolest Vibes: Accentuate Acoustics, Eliminate City Noise [NYT, 5.12.2004]
As the world's first performance center built for jazz, the new Jazz at Lincoln Center represents a milestone for the genre as an American art form.
Global Warming Ignites Tempers, Even in a Movie [NYT, 5.12.2004]
Twentieth Century Fox does not seem to have fully anticipated the political firestorm being whipped up by "The Day After Tomorrow," a $125 million movie about global warming.
THE MOSSBERG SOLUTION, By Walter S. Mossberg [WSJ, 5.12.2004]
Thanks to technology, you soon will be able to not only hear your favorite music and the sound effects of videogames, but to actually feel these sounds.
What's hot in backyard grills? [CSM, 5.12.2004]
Grills keep getting more high-tech. Think sear plates, auto ignitors, and infrared heat.
Under your media notes, you don't discuss the debate going on about how the media "shields" us from horrible images that might enrage or inflame Americans or instill anti-islamic sentiments(such as a guy getting his head cut off), but still chooses to show "horrifying" images of Abu Graibh prisoners. (That inflame the enemy and install anti-American sentiments around the world.)
I think if I were a prisoner, I would much rather be made to wear underwear on my head than have my head sawed off. And here's another politically incorrect statement to get your comments section going: Now the torture at Abu Graibh doesn't look all that bad. Some men actually pay big bucks to be paraded around naked on a leash by a woman. There. Discuss.
(I'm sure I'll AT LEAST hear from Geoffrey on THAT one...)
Posted by: Xdm | 2004.05.12 at 14:18
That is a very Western opinion. Given that seemingly countless people are more than willing to be suicide bombers, I'm not sure that they wouldn't rather be a martar for the cause.
The fact that people seem to be explaining away Abu Graibh as, "Yeah, it's bad, but..." is just insulting. We're supposed to take great pride in the fact that we are not as bad as Saddam?
Posted by: cjd | 2004.05.13 at 11:32