Sunday, February 26, 2012

A rose by any other name

On a number of occasions, we've noted Reuters use of the propagandistic lede "Analysis" to tag its op-eds with a pseudo-scientific-sounding term and enable the agency to peddle spin as dispassionate investigation for subsequent syndication to hundreds of other media outlets.

Reuters has adopted a new propaganda mantra to disguise these type of agenda-driven stories: Insight.  So, when you come across this banner attached to a Reuters story in the future, you'll know immediately you are about to read a piece of one-sided claptrap masquerading as cool, trenchant reporting.

The Insight format is a perfect vehicle for Reuters kingpin propagandist Tom Perry.

When we last visited Perry, he was busy lying about the Muslim Brotherhood, asserting that the group had only announced it was going to reconsider Egypt's peace treaty with Israel in response to suggestions that U.S. financial and military aid to the country might be reviewed (if Americans currently detained in Egypt are not released).  In fact, the Brotherhood has been issuing threats to reconsider the treaty since it first became clear the group was going to accede to power in Egypt.

Here's what the Brotherhood said in early January, weeks before U.S. aid became a contention:
According to Essam al-Erian, deputy head of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice party, the accords "are under the responsibility of the people and state institutions, and it would not be right for anyone to speak on behalf of the Egyptian people."
Speaking to the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat, al-Erian said, "We are not in a position to give assurances."
Rashad al-Bayoumi, the Brotherhood's second in command, told Al-Hayat las week that "the Muslim Brotherhood will not recognize Israel under any circumstances and might put the peace treaty with the Jewish state up to a referendum."
The Brotherhood, he added, "did not sign the peace accords… We are allowed to ask the people or the elected parliament to express their opinion on the treaty, and (to find out) whether it compromised the people's freedom and sovereignty. We will take the proper legal steps in dealing with the peace deal. To me, it isn't binding at all. The people will express their opinion on the matter."
And here's Perry serving as mouthpiece for the Brotherhood, conveying the false message (again) that the group's threats to renege on the treaty have only arisen as a result of the U.S. aid issue:  
While saying it will respect Egypt's international obligations, including the peace deal with Israel, the group has said Cairo could review the treaty if Washington were to hold back the aid that came with the agreement.
"We don't owe anyone any favors," said Hishmat, the lawmaker on the foreign relations committee. "Even with the threat to the U.S. aid, we are not intimidated in the way the previous regime used to be," he said.
Whether packaged as "news", "analysis", or "insight", a lie remains a lie.

And whether Reuters gives Tom Perry a beat in Ramallah, Cairo, or Timbuktu, a liar remains a liar.

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