9 Iran pundits with undisclosed ties to the defense industry

[turbinetree]

Judd Legum

Since Trump ordered the drone attack that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, television news has been filled with commentary on the strike and its implications. An investigation by Popular Information reveals that numerous pundits appearing on cable TV to opine on Iran have undisclosed financial ties to the defense industry.

This is significant because defense contractors and other entities that do business with the Pentagon profit from war. They sell the products that make war possible. If there is more fighting, they will sell more weapons. That’s why weapons manufacturers saw their stock prices spike after Soleimani was killed.

A television pundit that’s in business with defense contractors will not necessarily advance arguments to benefit their clients. But these financial ties are the relevant context for the viewer. Instead, these pundits are generally introduced only by their former government positions and presented as dispassionate analysts. Viewers are not told of the pundits’ current role in the private sector or their defense industry ties.

Popular Information assembled this information by reviewing transcripts of segments about Iran appearing on Fox News, Fox Business, and CNN between January 3 and January 7. Transcripts of segments about Iran on MSNBC’s primetime shows over the same time period were also reviewed. (Transcripts of MSNBC’s daytime programming were not available.)

https://popular.info/p/9-iran-pundits-with-undisclosed-ties

[DanieRains]

1. War Pays Peace Doesn't

Ask Dick Cheney.

[Newest Reality]

2. It still seems that...

It still seems that the old adage, FOLLOW THE MONEY applies.

With all the superficial representations we see in media that tend to deflect that, (we care about our customers, we are green, healthy natural, etc.) the river of cash flowing underneath it seems to be the real juice and motivation behind the sign.

Considering how profit is the number one, legal requirement of the corporate charter, (and it takes precedence to all other factors as we have seen again and again) it almost seems naive to expect it not to be that way and I think that underscores the truism.