UK Indymedia - Sheffield Other Press Newswire Archive

How Alternative Media Provide the Crucial Critique of the Mainstream

On January 4, Tim Luckhurst, former BBC journalist and current Professor of Journalism at the University of Kent, wrote an article in the Independent with the dramatic title, ‘Demise of news barons is just a Marxist fantasy.’ Luckhurst argued that leftist critics are gleefully predicting the end of corporate journalism:

“There will be no further need for newspapers or broadcasters to host debates and represent public opinion. The internet will let every citizen speak for themselves. The masses will seize the means of media production. We will witness an era of revolutionary change.” (

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/opinion/tim-luckhurst-demise-of-news-barons-is-just-a-marxist-fantasy-1856668.html)

Obama staffer wants ‘cognitive infiltration’ of 9/11 conspiracy groups

In a 2008 academic paper, President Barack Obama's appointee to head the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs advocated "cognitive infiltration" of groups that advocate "conspiracy theories" like the ones surrounding 9/11.

For Israel, a Reckoning

The farce of the climate change summit in Copenhagen affirmed a world war waged by the rich against most of humanity. It also illuminated a resistance growing perhaps as never before: an internationalism linking justice for the planet earth with universal human rights, and criminal justice for those who invade and dispossess with impunity. And the best news comes from Palestine.

An Orwellian World for Big Brother

Around the world, a near invisible network of RFID wireless tags is being put on almost every type of consumer item. Wireless tags and sensors are being produced in their billions and are capable of being connected to the Internet in an instant. Yet this network is being built with little public knowledge or consent.

Read more | 1 comment >>

Medialens: Nuclear Deceit - The Times and Iran

On December 14, The Times announced that it had obtained documents about Iran’s nuclear programme that revealed “a four-year plan to test a neutron initiator. This is the component of a nuclear weapon that triggers the explosion”. (Leading article, ‘Explosive Deceit; The exposure of Iran's programme to test an essential component of a nuclear weapon confirms a pattern of duplicity by a bellicose regime,’ The Times, December 14, 2009)

Mediablackout: Were Afghan Children Executed by US-led Forces?

Ignoring or downplaying Western crimes is a standard feature of the corporate Western media. On rare occasions when a broadcaster or newspaper breaks ranks and reports ‘our’ crimes honestly, it is instructive to observe the response from the rest of the media. Do they follow suit, perhaps digging deeper for details, devoting space to profiles of the victims and interviews with grieving relatives, humanising all concerned? Do they put the crimes in perspective as the inevitable consequence of rapacious Western power? Or do they look away?

Read more | 1 comment >>

Can Police or BBC Count?

I thought inflation was pretty low at the moment, perhaps the Police don't realise this?

Read more | 1 comment >>

The Silence of the BBC 100 - BBC Trust Chairman Responds to ‘Newspeak’

Media Lens | 04-12-2009 12:18 | Other Press | Sheffield

One of our readers recently took us to task for a serious omission in our new book, ‘Newspeak in the 21st Century’ (Pluto Press, 2009). He asked how we could possibly have failed to include the BBC’s Newsnight presenter, Emily Maitlis.

Dancing on a Mass Grave - Oliver Kamm of The Times Smears Media Lens

One of our most relentless critics is Oliver Kamm, leader writer and blogger at The Times. Kamm joined the paper in 2008 having been an investment banker and co-founder of a hedge fund. In a 2006 blog, Kamm described us as “a shrill group of malcontents”, an “aggressively simple-minded lobby” guilty of "unprofessional and often comically inept exegesis" whose approach “demeans public life”. An impressive claim to make about one writer living off donations, one writer working in his spare time after finishing full-time work, and a virtually unpaid webmaster. David Cromwell, Kamm added, is “an ignoramus”.
(

http://oliverkamm.typepad.com/blog/2006/12/media_lens_vs_h.html)

Invitation to protest against junta’s planned sham 2010 election

“If this country is to achieve genuine democracy, the result of the elections of 1990 must be recognized. This is something we cannot abandon. It will be to the detriment of our country if after an election has been held the results are not honoured and we do not resist attempts to trivialise it.” Aung San Suu Kyi.

A Comparative Review of Flat Earth News and Newspeak

Jonathan Cook has been covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from Nazareth, Israel, as a freelance reporter for the past eight years. Before that he was a staff journalist at the Guardian and Observer newspapers. His latest books on the conflict are ‘Israel and the Clash of Civilisations’ (Pluto, 2008) and ‘Disappearing Palestine’ (Zed, 2008). His website is www.jkcook.net

In the two-part Guest Media Alert that follows, Cook attempts the truly Herculean task of dissecting and comparing the key arguments in Nick Davies’s book ‘Flat Earth News’ and our own recently published ‘Newspeak in the 21st Century.’ The results are enthralling but demanding - even hardened media analysts will require a plentiful supply of tea and biscuits throughout.

Please do not underestimate the unique nature of the analysis Cook is offering. While Davies’s book was discussed, reviewed, and applauded, far and wide in both print and broadcast media, our own book (published in September) has so far limped to just two, largely dismissive, reviews in mainstream outlets, in the Guardian and Times Higher Education (THE), totalling exactly 1,000 words. Our previous book, Guardians of Power (2006), has never been mentioned, let alone reviewed, in any mainstream national UK newspaper.

The truth is that dissident media analyses are consistently ignored in this way - it is not just us. And so Cook’s comparison of Davies’s mainstream view of the media with an analysis based on Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky’s “propaganda model of media control” is a vanishingly rare event. As ever, Cook’s experience as a professional journalist adds a fascinating additional dimension to his analysis.

Cook produced this mega-review - nearly 10,000 words of it - completely free of charge. It is an extraordinary act of generosity from a fine and thoughtful journalist. We would like to express our sincere thanks to him. If you would like to thank him or otherwise comment, you can write to him here:

mail@jkcook.net

The BBC’S Jeremy Paxman on Iraq - “We were hoodwinked”

In an interview last week, Jeremy Paxman - leading interviewer on BBC 2’s flagship Newsnight programme - claimed that he had been “hoodwinked” by US government propaganda prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Paxman commented:

"As far as I personally was concerned, there came a point with the presentation of the so-called evidence, with the moment when Colin Powell sat down at the UN General Assembly and unveiled what he said was cast-iron evidence of things like mobile, biological weapon facilities and the like...

"When I saw all of that, I thought, well, 'We know that Colin Powell is an intelligent, thoughtful man, and a sceptical man. If he believes all this to be the case, then, you know, he's seen the evidence; I haven't.’

"Now that evidence turned out to be absolutely meaningless, but we only discover that after the event. So, you know, I’m perfectly open to the accusation that we were hoodwinked. Yes, clearly we were."
(Paxman, ‘Is World Journalism in Crisis?‘, Coventry University online interview, October 28, 2009. The entire interview is available here:

http://coventryuniversity.podbean.com/2009/10/29/is-there-a-crisis-in-world-journalism-jeremy-paxman/ )

Read more | 1 comment >>

Parkwood Springs Steering Group Thursday 12th Nov 2009

There,s definitely some feeling of loss somewhere in us, the lack off free, un commercial space that people can use to congregate socially creativity & politically in this city is absolutely deadening.

David shayler sniffing around the Climate change camp

Steve la fevre | 15-09-2009 10:29 | Other Press | Sheffield

David shayler aka Delores kane eyes Climate change camp

USA: Declassified Docs Reveal Military Operative Spied on Peace Groups

Newly declassified documents reveal that an active member of Students for a Democratic Society and Port Militarization Resistance in Washington state was actually an informant for the US military. The man everyone knew as “John Jacob” was in fact John Towery, a member of the Force Protection Service at Fort Lewis. The military’s role in the spying raises questions about possibly illegal activity. The Posse Comitatus law bars the use of the armed forces for law enforcement inside the United States. The Fort Lewis military base denied our request for an interview. But in a statement to Democracy Now, the base’s Public Affairs office publicly acknowledged for the first time that Towery is a military operative. “This could be one of the key revelations of this era,” said Eileen Clancy, who has closely tracked government spying on activist organizations.

MP3:

http://media.libsyn.com/media/democracynow/dn2009-0728-1.mp3

Fargate Speaker (#9) - A Load of Old Ballots!

Anarchist Federation (Sheffield) | 10-07-2009 17:33 | Other Press | Workers' Movements | Sheffield

In This Issue: Early Mischief Makers (a look back at Sheffield’s secret radical history), new Mayor in Doncaster, bus workers strike, religious education and more ….

Read more | 1 comment >>

How The Media Keep Us Angry, Ignorant And Afraid

Cartoon Korea - Filtered to Fit

How much do you know about the increased political tensions on the Korean peninsula? The answer, even for diligent readers of the mainstream press, is likely to be 'not much'. In place of serious, penetrating analysis the public has been sold a cartoon version of events based on a well-worn propaganda template. It is a tale spun by journalists who appear to know little of the real issues and who have internalised the key rules of 'balanced' reporting: do not point the finger of blame at your own government (or its allies), and do not question your government's demonisation of official enemies (learn nothing from the past).

The Fargate Speaker (#7) - A Bridge Too Far!

Issue #7 of the Fargate Speaker, Sheffield Anarchist Federation's antidote to crappy local news rags. In This Issue: Lib Dems - What are they good for?, More Economic Crisis for Dummies, Post Office closures (cont.), Careers Fair Disruption, plus much more....

Sheffield Live World Press Freedom Day Interview

Attached is an interview about Indymedia that was broadcast on Sheffield Live

http://www.sheffieldlive.org/ on 1st May 2009 to mark World Press Freedom Day, 3rd May

http://www.worldpressfreedomday.org/ topics covered include the recent server seizure,

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/actions/2009/strummer/

DIY newspaper hits the streets of Leeds

Free copies of the Yorkshire Evening Pest are being handed out to
thousands of people across Leeds, in a format that mimics the city's
Yorkshire Evening Post – albeit with articles on the collapse of the
city centre, climate change, the role of public transport and the
financial turmoil at Elland Road.

Sheffield Other Press Newswire Archive

How Alternative Media Provide the Crucial Critique of the Mainstream

Obama staffer wants ‘cognitive infiltration’ of 9/11 conspiracy groups

For Israel, a Reckoning

An Orwellian World for Big Brother

Medialens: Nuclear Deceit - The Times and Iran

Mediablackout: Were Afghan Children Executed by US-led Forces?

Can Police or BBC Count?

The Silence of the BBC 100 - BBC Trust Chairman Responds to ‘Newspeak’

Dancing on a Mass Grave - Oliver Kamm of The Times Smears Media Lens

Invitation to protest against junta’s planned sham 2010 election

A Comparative Review of Flat Earth News and Newspeak

The BBC’S Jeremy Paxman on Iraq - “We were hoodwinked”

Parkwood Springs Steering Group Thursday 12th Nov 2009

David shayler sniffing around the Climate change camp

USA: Declassified Docs Reveal Military Operative Spied on Peace Groups

Fargate Speaker (#9) - A Load of Old Ballots!

How The Media Keep Us Angry, Ignorant And Afraid

The Fargate Speaker (#7) - A Bridge Too Far!

Sheffield Live World Press Freedom Day Interview

DIY newspaper hits the streets of Leeds

Kollektives

Sheffield Topics

Sheffield [navigation.actions2016]

Sheffield [navigation.actions2015]

Sheffield [navigation.actions2014]

Sheffield Actions 2013

Sheffield Actions 2012

Sheffield Actions 2011

Sheffield Actions 2010

Sheffield Actions 2009

Sheffield Actions 2008

Sheffield Actions 2007

Sheffield Actions 2006

Sheffield Actions 2005

Sheffield Actions 2004

Sheffield Actions 2003

Encrypted Page

IMCs

Page 3 of 10

10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

IMCs

Page 3 of 10 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

Page 3 of 10

10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1