Al Jazeera Asked a Culturally Penetrating Question — which the US Media Is too Gutless to Ask Itself — regarding Army Private Bradley Manning and WikiLeaks

© 2013 Peter Free

 

09 March 2013

 

 

Citation — to Al Jazeera’s deflating question

 

Listening Post, The case of the US vs Bradley Manning — Why have the US media shied away from covering the source of the WikiLeaks material yet gouged on his information? Al Jazeera (09 March 2013)

 

 

For the most part, the American media have become affiliated Government connivers

 

The press has abandoned its historical role as the Fourth Estate.

 

Perennially insightful Al Jazeera (English) noticed this in regard to the American media’s refusal to give the Bradley Manning (WikiLeaks) case the coverage that it is unquestionably due — at least in a purportedly constitutional society like ours:

 

 

In a pre-trial hearing for the first time, Manning admitted that he broke the law when he released around 700,000 government documents to WikiLeaks but these lesser charges did not satisfy the United States government.

 

Calling more than 100 witnesses - some anonymously and in closed hearings - prosecutors will argue that Manning’s leak put national security and lives at risk by ‘aiding the enemy’.

 

If convicted, Manning - the traitor, could face life without parole but what of Manning - the whistleblower?

 

During his hour-long plea, Manning told the court that he first turned to the national press. Before approaching WikiLeaks, Manning says he contacted the New York Times, the Washington Post and Politico - neither of which returned his calls.

 

His testimony raises the question of whether the mainstream press was prepared to host the debate on US interventions and foreign policy that Manning had in mind.

 

Media outlets went on to draw on WikiLeaks for some of the biggest news stories of the decade.

 

Manning’s leak meant millions of papers sold and pages viewed yet the story of the man himself has been pushed to the margins.

 

Is this just ingratitude or something more sinister?

 

Are important parts of the fourth estate signing up for a system of government-media relations that sees whistleblowers as enemies of the state?

 

© 2013 Listening Post, The case of the US vs Bradley Manning — Why have the US media shied away from covering the source of the WikiLeaks material yet gouged on his information? Al Jazeera (09 March 2013) (paragraphs split)

 

The answer is yes.

 

 

The moral? — Hypocritical cowardice characterizes most of the American establishment — including the press, which was originally intended to keep a watchful eye on those who rule us

 

America’s personal advancement paradigm today is to make big bucks and wield powerful influence at no risk to oneself.  Self-aggrandizers manipulate the honorable One Percent into doing the dying and risk-taking for them.

 

God help the ethically thoughtful person caught up in the maelstrom of this culturally accepted parasitism.