Creative News Reporting

Last night a Georgian news channel reported a hoax on Russia's military invasion of the country under the disguise of news. Only at the end of a 30-min program was it announced that it had been actually a "possible scenario of the events." I suppose, due to his old age, Senator McCain was asleep and did not manage to make a timely announcement that we are "all Georgians now," which - of course - prevented him from looking like an idiot yet again. One time more, one time less would not make that big of a difference, though.

Our newscasts which have been feeding us tales of the economic recovery - lacking the disclosure of a prank at the end - are not that far from such a hoax, yet have not stooped this low so far. (Maybe not all of us are Georgians? Just a thought.) This is an interesting idea for creative journalism, though. Just imagine if at the end of a segment on how great the latest improvements in hiring and manufacturing are our anchors would honestly say, "Just kidding!"

Seriously, I so much liked this postmodernist approach to news reporting, I am placing here the complete text of the event from msnbc.com named "Georgia invaded? Hoax report causes panic
Residents mad at TV station over broadcast of advancing Russian tanks":

"TBILISI - Panic gripped Georgia on Saturday when a pro-government television station broadcast a fake report that Russian tanks had entered the capital and President Mikhail Saakashvili had been killed.


Imedi TV introduced the report as an "imitation of possible events," but the warning was lost on many viewers as mobile phone networks crashed and residents of Tbilisi rushed into the streets.
The report thrust the ex-Soviet neighbors back to August 2008, when Russia crushed an assault by U.S. ally Georgia on the rebel region of South Ossetia in a five-day war and sent tanks to within 28 miles of Tbilisi.


The Georgian Interior Ministry said the report, which did not carry a banner saying it was a hoax, caused "great panic." A cinema in Tbilisi emptied as parents called their children home, a frantic filmgoer said.

Russian Interfax news agency flashed the report on the "alleged" but unconfirmed entry of Russian tanks and death of Saakashvili, and Moscow's Echo Moskvy radio station interrupted its regular programming with the "news."

'Worst day in Georgian history'
Using archive pictures from the 2008 war, Imedi showed advancing Russian tanks.

Switching to a live talk show, the anchor apologized for any panic the report had caused, saying: "We just wanted to show what the worst day in Georgian history might look like."

The report was a barely disguised swipe at opponents of Saakashvili who recently met Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow and called for the countries to restore ties.

Georgy Arveladze, head of Georgia Media Production Holding which owns Imedi, told Reuters the aim was to show the "real threat" of how events might unfold.

Dozens of angry Georgians converged on Imedi, where opposition politician Nino Burjanadze told reporters the stunt was "disgusting."

Freedom of Propaganda in the US

Our Constitution needs to be amended to reflect the realities of the day. Instead of freedom of speech it should read "freedom of propaganda." Here is a fresh example which I heard just a few minutes ago on the Diane Rehm show on NPR. The topic is the "war on terror." A caller asked a question as to why questions raised by Architects and Engineers for Truth on 9/11 aren't being addressed by the officials in a persuasive scientific manner which may put worries of some kind of a government conspiracy at bay.

Two "experts" answered. One said that it is not worth his time to discuss some far-fetched conspiracy theories which try to cast doubt on the FACT that Al-Qaeda had attacked us. The other one reiterated that even though the caller does SOUND like an intelligent person, his question clearly does not deserve to be answered. Both sounded annoyed (surely you would sound annoyed when the only answer you can give is "this can't be so, because it can never be so" and you have to appear such a complete idiot on the air).

The moderator was only too happy to let them get away with the "answers" which were exactly the subject of the question: why are the only answers we are getting in return to scientific EVIDENCE that the twin towers could not have collapsed the way they did from an impact to the top floors of the type - of the type "uh-h-h, go away, you are stupid and unpatriotic." They have nothing to say, but a lot to preach.

A little reminder: please check out INFORMATION on Operation Northwoods which is a documented (and available for public perusal) PLAN by the CIA to commit acts of terror against Americans in order to use it as a pretext to start a war with Cuba pretending that terrorism was the work of the Cuban government.

These government "experts" don't understand that by trying to shun intelligent questions they turn suspicion of their government's wrongdoing into a conviction. Keep preaching, reverend propagandists!