CounterSpin

Every year around this time, we put together a mix of some of what we felt were the most important and compelling looks behind the headlines of the mainstream news. From NSA surveillance to Iran to the ongoing economic crisis, CounterSpin heard from an array of activists, commentators and journalists, all of whom had something to say about how corporate media covered these issues.

This week on CounterSpin: People watch how media cover an array of political issues, of course, but there is probably not a single issue that attracts as much scrutiny as coverage of Israel-Palestine. There are enormous sensitivities to how media cover Israel, and serious pressure campaigns have been directed at outlets that are deemed too negative about, or too critical of, Israel. So it might not be a surprise that a book that is highly critical of the country is being more or less shunned by US media outlets. Today CounterSpin talks to Max Blumenthal, author of the new book Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater Israel. He'll tell us about the larger story he is trying to tell in the book-- a story that he thinks goes mostly unreported in US media. And he'll explain what the reactions to the book tell us about our own political culture.

Ukraine signed a deal with Russia on Tuesday, defying the advice of the US press and Western elites. But would Ukraine have been better off making a deal with Europe? And is the US media portrayal of Russia as the regional troublemaker accurate? We'll talk with Russia expert Stephen Cohen, professor emeritus from NYU and Princeton. Also on the show: the National Security Agency's mass surveillance programs are taking a beating-- a court rules the collection of phone metadata unconstitutional, and major tech companies are pushing for some limits on the agency's reach. But what should we know about how those companies themselves are snooping on Americans? Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy will join us to explain.

This week on CounterSpin: Since his death, Nelson Mandela has been portrayed in the media largely as a beloved, almost saintly figure. But Mandela was once feared and despised by some US elites, and the press mirrored that. What changed? We’ll speak with UCLA professor Robin D.G. Kelley about Mandela. Also on the show: Detroit asked for bankruptcy, because it's $18 billion in debt, due largely to bloated public sector pensions. That might be the basic shape of the story you've heard; listeners won't be surprised to hear that every part of it is wrong. We'll talk with economist Dean Baker about the causes of Detroit's problems and the problems with the solutions.

fter a 2009 coup removed left wing president Manuel Zelaya, many were watching the elections in Honduras to get a sense of where the country—and US policy—might be heading. The early results said the elections were relatively clean, and the leading conservative candidate won the vote. But is that the whole story? Azadeh Shahshahani from the National Lawyers Guild will fill us in. Also on CounterSpin today, Marissa Alexander is free on bond. But the Florida woman sentenced to 20 years for firing a warning shot in an altercation with her abusive husband still faces a retrial next year. How far has our legal system, and our society, really advanced in understanding domestic violence cases and are media helping? We'll talk with journalist Esther Armah about that.

This week on CounterSpin: The COP 19 climate talks in Warsaw were filled with intrigue, secret memos and walkouts by green groups and delegations from developing nations. What was accomplished at the summit? We'll talk with Michael K. Dorsey, the director of the Joint Center’s Energy & Environment Program. Also on CounterSpin: Is big business breaking up with the Tea Party? Some political observers and pundits seem to think so, seeing a growing divide between the Republican Party and its corporate backers. But historian and journalist Rick Perlstein suggests this storyline isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

Download MP3 (right click) This week on CounterSpin: Polls show Americans overwhelmingly opposed to the government's mass surveillance programs; they find the unconstitutional spying "alarming" and don't think it's making them safer. There's legislative movement to "reform" surveillance procedures--but is it real reform or windowdressing? We'll hear from Trevor Timm of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Also on CounterSpin today: Nuclear talks between Iran and six world powers resumed on November 20, after falling apart nearly two weeks earlier. But the US press seems a little confused about why those earlier talks failed. We’ll talk with Nima Shirazi of Wide Asleep in America about that--and about what to watch out for as talks go forward.  LINKS -- "Sen. Dianne Feinstein's New NSA Bill Will Codify and Extend Mass Surveillance of Americans," by Trevor Timm (Electronic Frontier Foundation, 10/31/13) --"Iran's Nuclear Rights vs. the West's 'Bombastic Diplomacy,'" by Nima Shirazi (Wide Asleep in America, 11/11/13)  

This week on CounterSpin: Wikileaks has leaked a draft chapter of the secretive Trans Pacific Partnership 'free trade' agreement. The chapter, addressing intellectual property rights, favors corporations over the public, say critics. What do the corporate lobbyists and government negotiators have in mind for us? We'll talk with Peter Maybarduk of Public Citizen. Also on CounterSpin today: The monster storm that struck the Philippines has killed thousands and left hundreds of thousands homeless. This happened right before international climate change talks were getting underway. But are media making the connection between climate change and this catastrophe? We'll talk to Anne Petermann of the Global Justice Ecology Project.

Download MP3 This week on CounterSpin: The good news from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is that the bloody, Rwandan-backed militia M23 has laid down its arms, mostly due to pressure from the US. But what is US coverage of the story skewing, and what is it leaving out? We’ll talk with Maurice Carney of Friends of the Congo. Also on the show: The average food stamp benefit in this country is about $4.50 per person per day, but Congress has decided they can get by with less; some $5 billion worth of cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program went into effect on November 1. Our guest says those hoping to counter such Dickensian measures would do well to understand their source--and in this case, it isn't John Boehner. George Zornick of The Nation will join us to talk about food stamp cuts. LINKS: --Friends of the Congo --"Food Stamp Cuts: A Bipartisan Scandal," by George Zornick (The Nation, 11/1/13

This week on CounterSpin: Media are full of reports on problems with the rollout with the Affordable Care Act, turns out insurance can be complicated. But, what don't we talk about when we talk about health care? We'll talk to Andrew Coates of Physicians for A National Health Program about what's missing from the conversation. Also on CounterSpin today, the international press went wild over stories about Roma families allegedly abducting white, blonde haired children. That's not what happened, but the media frenzy played into some very familiar stereotypes about the Roma community. We'll speak to Roma activist Margareta Matache.

This week on CounterSpin: The Justice Department looks like it might pin a $13 billion fine on JP Morgan Chase for its role in the financial collapse and ensuing recession. But are they getting off easy? Wall Street media cheerleaders are saying Chase is being punished for things they didn't even do. But is that right? We'll talk to economics blogger Yves Smith of the website Naked Capitalism. Also on CounterSpin today: CNN will air a pro-nuclear documentary on November 7. “Pandora’s Promise,” described by the New York Times as ‘as stacked as advocate movies get…a parade of like-minded nuclear-power advocates who assure us that everything will be all right.’ Why would a news channel air propaganda? The group Beyond Nuclear has been fact-checking Pandora’s Promise claims, well talk to the group’s found, Linda Gunter.