Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Propaganda, as usual

Anybody relying on Italian state-controlled broadcaster RAI (or most other Italian media organizations) for an accurate investigative report would have to be desperate and foolhardy:
Italian state TV, Rai, has broadcast a documentary accusing the US military of using white phosphorus bombs against civilians in the Iraqi city of Falluja.
Rai says this amounts to the illegal use of chemical arms, though the bombs are considered incendiary devices.
Considering that a lot of foreign coverage in Italy is on the same level as this hatchet job I mentioned the other day, I am not surprised that these claims are being thoroughly debunked (not in Italy of course). The Daily Ablution has the goods (via Instapundit):
Predictably, the "US used chemical weapons at Fallujah" story is spreading like phosphorus fire, and the Independent reprises its coverage today.
Interestingly, a careful reading of the latest Indy article (though not in the print edition, where the crucial section has been omitted, apparently due to a production error), especially when combined with a viewing of the RAI video that was the catalyst for the story (and a bit of research), casts grave doubt on the contention that the horrible injuries pictured were in fact the result of phosphorus bombs.
Do read the whole post. The video can be seen here. I have a profound contempt for the Italian journalistic establishment (I have plenty of first-hand experience: both my parents are journalists), and the utter garbage the media spews out most of the time. This story (in Italian) clearly gives the impression that the US has indiscriminately used "chemical weapons" and partially admitted to doing so, without even the slightest attempt at presenting the actual facts. Incredibly it is much more biased than the Indy article!
What I want to know is: where is the US ambassador to Italy? How can the US expect all Italians to go hunting around the blogosphere to find out the truth about this story (and countless others)? Let us hear your voice!

Post Scriptum:
Gateway Pundit has an excellent reconstruction of events.

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