FAIR: Iran, Nukes and the Failure of Skepticism

[swag]

http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4430

Much of the corporate media coverage of a new UN report on Iran strongly asserts that Iran is close to building nuclear weapons. But the International Atomic Energy Agency report does not actually arrive at that conclusion, and many critics contend that the speculations that are in the report are misguided.

. . .

"A dreaded headline on Iran," declared ABC This Week host Christiane Amanpour (11/13/11). "UN weapons inspectors reveal new evidence the country is working on a nuclear weapons device. Can the United States do anything to stop it now?"

An Associated Press piece (11/9/11) referred matter-of-factly to Iran being "on the brink of developing a nuclear warhead," and a Washington Post piece (11/14/11) about a Republican presidential debate mentioned ways to "deal with Iran’s apparent nuclear weapons program." A USA Today story (11/14/11) referred to a "United Nations report confirming Iran's nuclear ambitions" and "the strongest finding yet that Iran is going ahead with a bombmaking program." In Time magazine, Joe Klein (11/21/11) wrote, "Even the UN's extremely cautious International Atomic Energy Agency now believes Iran is working on a nuclear weapon."

This rhetoric wildly overstates the actual findings of the IAEA report.

The first part of the agency's November 8 report declares--once again--that Iran is not transferring uranium for use in a military project.

. . . more at link above

[slipslidingaway]

1. Thanks ...

"...Anyone wondering about the lessons learned from Iraq could find two newspaper editorials, both published November 10, instructive. The New York Times, under the headline "The Truth About Iran," called the IAEA report "chillingly comprehensive" and cheered the agency for standing firm: "The agency did not back down, and neither should anyone else." The Washington Post editorial began:

The International Atomic Energy Agency has now spelled out in detail what governments around the world have known for a long time: Iran's nuclear program has an explicit military dimension.

The paper declared that the IAEA report "ought to end serious debate about whether Tehran's program is for peaceful purposes."

The idea that a journalistic outlet would declare this debate over is profoundly troubling--and suggests that in the corporate media, few lessons have been learned from the Iraq debacle."

[slipslidingaway]

2. kick n/t

[slipslidingaway]

3. nt

[EFerrari]

4. Kick

[slipslidingaway]

5. Thanks, news about the inflated Iran report just sinks now :( n/t

[EFerrari]

6. There's a whole action alert from ACLU I didn't even post

because there's too much under the warming lamps already today. :(

[slipslidingaway]

7. Such as freedom of the press here in the US ...

lots going on now.

Still trying to keep an eye on the war drums.

:hi:

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. In other news water is wet

[slipslidingaway]

9. Well yes, but the corp media and the administration is pushing for greater ...

sanctions based partially on this report.

:shrug: