Stories by Norman Solomon

Norman Solomon is founding director of the Institute for Public Accuracy and co-founder of RootsAction.org. He co-chairs the national Healthcare Not Warfare campaign organized by Progressive Democrats of America. His books include War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death. subscribe to Norman Solomon's feed

Media Spin Can Separate War From Death

Posted on: Dec 4, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Illusions about previous wars and the deaths associated make the next one seem acceptable.

If Commercial Radio Actually Trafficked in News

Posted on: Dec 1, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Radio coverage of national and global events is scant at best, while local news -- once the pride of many AM radio stations -- is now an endangered species.

Unilateral Power -- By Any Other Name

Posted on: Nov 20, 2002, Source: AlterNet

If the United Nations, serving as a conduit of American power, is now worthwhile because it offers the best way for the United States to "legitimize its overwhelming might," how different is that from unilateralism?

Media Time Capsule -- Looking Backward at 2002

Posted on: Nov 13, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Imagine that you're at the ceremonial opening of a time capsule, half a century after some forward-looking Americans sealed it during a multimedia festival just before Thanksgiving 2002.

Long Day's Journey After Election Night

Posted on: Nov 6, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Terrorism and war, and violence in general, strengthen the agendas of Bush and the hawks in Washington, and they use it to their considerable advantage.

Branding New And Improved Wars

Posted on: Oct 30, 2002, Source: AlterNet

During the past dozen years, the intersection between two avenues, Pennsylvania and Madison, has given rise to media cross-promotion that increasingly sanitizes the organized mass destruction known as warfare.

Media Sniping Frenzy Bumps Off Politics

Posted on: Oct 23, 2002, Source: AlterNet

National cable news outlets have been fixated on sniper attacks while paying little attention to key election issues.

Polls -- When Measuring Is Manipulating

Posted on: Oct 17, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Polls may seem to provide clarity in a confusing world. But all too often they amount to snapshots taken from slanted angles.

Democrats Playing Catch-up In Media War

Posted on: Oct 9, 2002, Source: AlterNet

The Democrats will never be able to equal Republicans' mind-numbing fervor for military madness. That may put the upcoming elections out of their reach.

Media Guide -- How To View The United Nations

Posted on: Oct 3, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Three basic guidelines for understanding how to think in sync with America's leading politicians and pundits on the United Nations.

Determined Journalism Can Challenge Injustice

Posted on: Sep 30, 2002, Source: AlterNet

An essay in the new anthology "Race and Resistance" notes that "the power of the media is profound" in shaping opinions about race and ethnicity.

Newspeak Obscures Real Price of War

Posted on: Sep 25, 2002, Source: AlterNet

When war appears on the horizon, a heightened affliction seizes most news outlets -- the media spectacle becomes a steady regurgitation of what's being fed from on high.

Baghdad, September 2002: City of Doom

Posted on: Sep 17, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Faced with the threat of a massive U.S. military attack, a palpable feeling of dread hangs over the Iraqi people.

Stepping Through the Media Looking Glass

Posted on: Sep 10, 2002, Source: AlterNet

The the U.S. could see itself as other nations see it, the landscape of foreign policy and international relations would look very different.

The Powell Trap -- Easing Us into War

Posted on: Sep 4, 2002, Source: AlterNet

The media sees Powell as an impediment to war, but as his record proves, he's really a smarter hawk than the rest of the administration.

What If We Didn't Need Labor Day?

Posted on: Aug 25, 2002, Source: AlterNet

What if this Labor Day we start celebrating workers who die from on-the-job injuries and occupational diseases, and stop making heroes out of billionaire investors?

"Wag The Puppy" -- New Twist in Media War

Posted on: Aug 21, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Bush has stepped up the propaganda machine for the war with Iraq, saying he appreciates a healthy debate over the decision to attack.

True Confessions of a Media CEO

Posted on: Aug 15, 2002, Source: AlterNet

If corporate executives were really committed to honest accounting and extreme candor, here's what a public statement might look like.

Fending Off the Threat of Peace

Posted on: Aug 7, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Iraq recently invited U.S. legislators and weapons inspectors to examine any site alleged to be used for weapons development. But Congress scorned the offer.

War and Forgetfulness -- A Bloody Media Game

Posted on: Jul 31, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Major news outlets demonstrate a remarkable ability to downplay or totally jettison facts that Washington policymakers don't want to talk about.

Will This Be an "Official Scandal" -- Or Something More?

Posted on: Jul 24, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Big scandals draw tons of media coverage. But often, the swarm of reports generates more hype than actual news.

The Old Spin on the "New Economy"

Posted on: Jul 17, 2002, Source: AlterNet

A look back at media coverage of the New Economy boom years shows the juggernaut was not to be denied.

Renouncing Sins Against the Corporate Faith

Posted on: Jul 10, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Bush blames corporate scandals on a few bad apples. But he should be wondering if the barrels of capitalism are rotten.

Media Sizzle for an Army of Fun

Posted on: Jul 7, 2002, Source: AlterNet

The Army is selling itself to potential recruits with free discs of a new Army computer game and glossy rock 'n roll TV ads that make no mention of killing.

"Monomedia" and the First Amendment

Posted on: Jun 26, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Inked onto parchment and chiseled into stone, the First Amendment is not really a guarantee. It's a promissory ideal that can be redeemed only by our own vitality in the present.

A Modest Proposal for Media Reform

Posted on: Jun 20, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Every commercial for food and drugs should be taxed -- with the proceeds going to pay for "truth commission" ads from independent researchers.

Big Business Rules the News

Posted on: Jun 13, 2002, Source: AlterNet

The American press lavishes attention on efforts of top execs to maximize their profits, equating their net worth with high moral character.

Three Decades Later, Watergate Is a Cautionary Tale

Posted on: Jun 12, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Instead of viewing the best Watergate reporting as a model to build on, for the most part the biggest media outlets soon regarded it as a laurel to rest on.

A Media Fog of Denial

Posted on: Jun 12, 2002, Source: AlterNet

America's nuclear policy is rarely discussed in medialand, where a red-white-and-blue nuclear warhead is not really a bomb.

Nuclear Weapons and Media Fog

Posted on: Jun 5, 2002, Source: AlterNet

When it comes to nuclear weapons, the mainstream American press has scant emotional range or professional zeal to scrutinize the progression of atomic perils.

'War on Terrorism' Winking at Nuclear Terror

Posted on: May 29, 2002, Source: AlterNet

While events are headed toward war that could bring nuclear disaster, the Bush administration contends that a brake must be applied -- because of the importance of killing Al Qaeda?

No Media Interest in a Basic Matter OF Democracy

Posted on: May 22, 2002, Source: AlterNet

As the population gaps between states continue to widen, so do the inequalities of Senate representation. Its flagrantly undemocratic structure isn't an issue today but it should be.

SOLOMON: Media Strategy Memo to George, Dick and John

Posted on: May 22, 2002, Source: AlterNet

A Media Strategy Memo, to Dubya, Dick and John, from the White House media handlers. When in doubt, scare the stuffing out of the public.

The Case of the 9-11 Photo

Posted on: May 16, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Politicians are often eager to outdo their foes with media images of greater patriotism or piety. But in recent days, Republican and Democratic leaders have also vied to appear more offended than their opponents.

No Media Interest in a Basic Matter of Democracy

Posted on: May 13, 2002, Source: AlterNet

A basic principle of democracy is that every person's vote should have equal weight. This does not hold true for the U.S. Senate.

From Barbie to Botox

Posted on: May 1, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Endless media messages convey the stubborn presumption that women can never be good enough, but should live and buy -- and ultimately die -- trying.

Media And The Hazards of Political Faith

Posted on: Apr 24, 2002, Source: AlterNet

"The press is the hired agent of a monied system, and set up for no other purpose than to tell lies where their interests are involved."

Media Lies in the Venezuelan Coup

Posted on: Apr 18, 2002, Source: AlterNet

If Alice had returned from Wonderland to today's "Medialand," she would have seen strange things indeed, like the New York Times refusing to call the Venezuelan coup a coup.

NPR and the Fallow Triumph of Public Radio

Posted on: Apr 14, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Though NPR is attracting more listeners than ever before, it has sold its soul out to the corporate and military interests that dominate its funding.

Palestinians Stay Blurry in the Editorials

Posted on: Apr 3, 2002, Source: AlterNet

Major media outlets must not continuing to wink and nod while the Israeli military slaughters Palestinian people.

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