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In reply to the discussion: Mass Media ignoring 'RFK Believed in Conspiracy' shows corrupt nature of America's Press [View all]Octafish
(55,745 posts)125. The entire article is about the hostile media reaction to Stone.
Contrast the treatment of Oliver Stone with that given to lone gunman theorist Gerald Posner:
Michael Parenti on Oliver Stone's "JFK" and Gerald Posner's "Case Closed"
From: Louis Proyect
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2001 17:36:05 -0800
Michael Parenti, "History as Mystery":
Celebrities aside, who are the other writers whose books win special
EXCERPT...
An end run around the media blackout was achieved by Oliver Stone's film
JFK. Released in late 1991, the movie exposed millions of viewers to the
many disturbing aspects of the assassination. JFK was repeatedly attacked
seven months before it was released, in just about every major print and
broadcast outlet, usually in the most caustic and general terms. The
media's ideological gatekeepers poured invective upon Stone, while avoiding
the more difficult task of rebutting the substantive points made in his
film, and without ever coming to grips with the critical historical
literature upon which the movie drew. A full exposure of the assassination
conspiracy, that might unearth CIA or military intelligence involvement,
would cast serious discredit upon the nation?s major institutions.
Oliver Stone's JFK continued to be attacked years after its initial run.
Stone was pilloried as a "ranting maniac" and a "dangerous fellow," guilty
of "near-pathological monkeying with history." The idea of a conspiracy in
high places was ridiculed as a fanciful scenario that sprang from the
imagination of a filmmaker. Like the Warren Commission, the press assumed a
priori that Oswald was the lone killer. In 1978, when a House Select
Committee concluded that there was more than one assassin involved in the
Kennedy shooting, the Washington Post editorialized that there still
probably was no conspiracy, but possibly "three or four societal outcasts"
who acted independently of each other spontaneously and simultaneously to
shoot the president. Instead of a conspiracy theory the Post created a
coincidence theory that might be the most fanciful explanation of all.
Meanwhile, in answer to the question, Did Oswald act alone? most
independent investigators concluded that he did not act at all. He was not
one of the people who shot Kennedy, although he was involved in another
way, in his own words as "a patsy," concluded the critics.
In the wake of the public's renewed interest in the Kennedy assassination,
the media bestowed fulsome publicity on one Gerald Posner, a little-known
NewYork lawyer and writer, helping to catapult his book, Case Closed, onto
the national bestseller list. Posner's book ignored the abundant evidence
of conspiracy and cover-up and used outright untruths to conclude that Lee
Harvey Oswald was a disturbed lone leftist who killed Kennedy. Neither
before nor since has a writer about the Kennedy assassination been accorded
such lavish fanfare. Posner's book was featured in prime display spaces at
major bookstores around the nation. It was quickly adopted for book-club
distribution. Posner himself enjoyed ubiquitous major media exposure, being
treated as the premier authority on the case. He was granted guest columns
and lead letters, lead articles, and adulatory reviews in just about every
major publication in the United States. A review of his book in the Journal
of American History reads more like a promotional piece than an evaluation
of a historical investigation. Case Closed was hailed as "brilliantly
illuminating" and "lucid and compelling" by New York Times reviewers who
knew all along that conspiracies to murder the president do not happen in a
nice country like the United States.
The gaping deficiencies in Case Closed went unnoticed in the major media.
None of the pundits or reviewers remarked on Posner?s bad habit of
referring to sources as supporting his position, when in fact they did not.
Thus, he very selectively cited as new scientific "proof" the
computer-enhanced studies by Failure Analysis Associates, without
mentioning that the company had produced evidence for both sides in an
American Bar Association mock trial of Lee Harvey Oswald. In a sworn
affidavit, the CEO of Failure Analysis, Roger L. McCarthy, pointed out that
"one Gerald Posner" consulted only the prosecution materials without
acknowledging "that there was additional material prepared by FaAA for the
defense. Incredibly, Mr. Posner makes no mention of the fact that the mock
jury that heard and saw the technical material that he believes is so
persuasive and 'closed' the case . . . also saw the FaAA material prepared
for the defense, (and) could not reach a verdict."
Posner has another bad habit. He cites interviews with people whom he never
actually interviewed and who repudiate the representations he made about
their views. Thus, before the House Committee on Government Operations in
November 1993, he claimed to have interviewed two of Kennedy's
pathologists, James Humes, M.D., and I. Thornton Boswell, M.D., who
supposedly admitted to him that they had erred in their original judgment
about the location of Kennedy's skull wound, opting for a higher entrance
wound that would better fit the theory that the shot came from the book
depository where Oswald was supposedly perched. But Gary Aguilar, M.D., an
expert on the medical evidence relating to the assassination, telephoned
Humes and Boswell: "Both physicians told me that they had not changed their
minds about Kennedy's wounds at all. They stood by their statements in JAMA
(Journal of the American Medical Association), which contradict Posner.
Startlingly, Dr. Boswell told me that he has never spoken to Posner."
CONTINUED...
http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/marxism/2001w13/msg00181.html
When it comes to discerning the truth about the assassination of President Kennedy, no one's opinion should be immune from criticism.
Why do you write that I implied otherwise?
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Mass Media ignoring 'RFK Believed in Conspiracy' shows corrupt nature of America's Press [View all]
Octafish
Feb 2013
OP
Mass media has been ignoring lots of inconvenient truths. For a long time. nt
kelliekat44
Mar 2013
#289
Yet run-away-brides and other such "news" must be investigated and theorized at every angle.
shcrane71
Feb 2013
#59
Who reported JFK ordered CIA, Joint Chiefs to shelve first-strike nuclear war plans for 1963?
Octafish
Feb 2013
#213
Until I looked out the window on the actual floor I thought the shot was impossible. Now I know.....
Logical
Feb 2013
#5
Ever read Craig Roberts' book, "Kill Zone: A Sniper Looks at Dealey Plaza"?....
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#21
Many people have recreated this shot with no trouble at all. Here is some descriptions....
Logical
Feb 2013
#42
I'll stick with the statements made by guys who were actual snipers and had performed under less....
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#45
People love thinking a lone gunman could not do this. It scares them. But it is the truth. n-t
Logical
Feb 2013
#46
Funny, I thought we were discussing the JFK assassination. If you want to discuss....
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#69
So the single bullet theory is what your whole argument is based on? Really? Because I can....
Logical
Feb 2013
#103
How sad for you that you actually believe Specter's Folly. Good luck and so long! nt.
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#136
Oswald had a Top Secret Crypto clearance at the time he was stationed in Japan as....
OldDem2012
Mar 2013
#286
JFK wore a back brace....that kept him upright in the limo. Additionally, I don't see JFK waving
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#70
I'm sorry, I guess JFK didn't get the memo as to what he should do with his arm. nt.
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#83
Yeah....that would ruin that whole Warren Commission thing, wouldn't it? nt.
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#138
Ah, yes, the same HSCA report that ultimately concluded that there were at least two shooters,
MadHound
Feb 2013
#97
The same HSCA report which concluded that Oswald fired all the shots which struck JFK
nyquil_man
Feb 2013
#107
You are incorrect. The HSCA later changed their opinion after seeing new evidence
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#171
LOL, did you read the links to the source? Or does the source thing confuse you? And.....
Logical
Feb 2013
#102
You were quoting Wikipedia, not the sources that may or may not have been used
MadHound
Feb 2013
#104
I'd rather be open-minded about political assassinations than whatever it is you claim to be. nt.
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#140
What cracks me up are the Conspiracy Theorists who believe in the Magic Bullet
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#161
None of the conspiracy theories deny Oswald was at that location & shot at JFK.
Honeycombe8
Feb 2013
#81
OK, LOL, maybe 5 feet to the right of it. VISUALIZE. Here is a photo for you. Your issue..
Logical
Mar 2013
#324
RFK, Jr. is no ''moron.'' Why would you call a liberal Democrat that and the other things, Archae?
Octafish
Feb 2013
#36
+1. Thanks for taking up for a fine, intelligent man. A bit of an activist, but other than that,
Honeycombe8
Feb 2013
#84
That picture of Porter Goss and the company he keeps is quite telling and frightening.
Octafish
Mar 2013
#293
Lets face it, people LOVE conspiracy's. A lone gunman is boring. A huge government......
Logical
Feb 2013
#4
Oliver Stone is a nutcase, IMO. Still, Oswald had a friend involved with the mob.
Honeycombe8
Feb 2013
#87
You don't know? Have you ever watched any of the numerous documentaries on the assassination or
Honeycombe8
Feb 2013
#90
Gee, I wonder if this will turn into yet another "Who shot JFK" conspiracy theory post?...
SidDithers
Feb 2013
#6
Why was it pulled from vaccines? Because of the sort of irrational fear RFK Jr was stoking.
Spider Jerusalem
Feb 2013
#89
And uses, again, the flimisiest of pretexts to talk about a fifty year old crime that was solved
apocalypsehow
Feb 2013
#139
A can of tuna contains 2 1/2 times as much mercury as a vaccine with thimerosal...
SidDithers
Feb 2013
#182
I couldn't find where the FDA said there's a link between thimerosal and autism...
SidDithers
Feb 2013
#186
The FDA is concerned about the link between mercury levels and neuropathology...
AntiFascist
Feb 2013
#191
I'd love to see this, but there's no way that staunch corporatist Charlie Rose
amandabeech
Feb 2013
#7
But most of the population believes that JFK's assassination was a conspiracy, regardless.
HiPointDem
Feb 2013
#10
In 1964 Britain, Lord Bertrand Russell asked about the failure of the press...
Octafish
Feb 2013
#33
Bertrand Russell, one of the century's greatest philosophers & mathematicians?
JackRiddler
Feb 2013
#71
"Respectable people" like those who have much to hide? The same folks who are enmeshed....
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#40
Bill Moyers: '... it is quite revealing that it's Oliver Stone that's forcing Congress to open up...
Octafish
Feb 2013
#34
American mass media are tools of propaganda for the State (read: Ownership Class)
Octafish
Feb 2013
#58
Betsy lewis: so ignorant she doesn't know it's "Hear, hear" not "Here, here".
HiPointDem
Feb 2013
#25
How long do you really think the hit team lived after completing their task in Dealey Plaza? nt.
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#51
I don't care if even one person didn't agree with me, lynne. I'll continue to post on JFK, RFK, MLK.
Octafish
Feb 2013
#199
Thank you. Your posts are important and significant to many thinking people.
AnotherMcIntosh
Feb 2013
#201
you can write that with a straight face? anderson fucking vanderbilt cooper did hours on
HiPointDem
Mar 2013
#285
The fact that it was that film that began to cause many people to begin doubting
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#172
Yes, conspirators are annoying. They let others tell them stories about what happened in
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#210
Your entire comment is based on a personal opinion that anyone who dares to ask
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#221
It is most troubling, seeing the way history has unfolded since that terrible day.
Octafish
Feb 2013
#134
If the geometry works, why did WC member and FBI spy Gerald Ford have to alter the report?
Octafish
Feb 2013
#216
Was that the photo Regis BLAHUT was looking at? The guy CIA had at HSCA before George Joannides?
Octafish
Mar 2013
#237
Nothing to laugh at, William Seger. Ford was FBI stooge who obstructed justice.
Octafish
Mar 2013
#243
And using computers, Peter Jackson can make cave trolls act like real live creatures,
MadHound
Feb 2013
#95
The computer-generated view from the TSBD if the Secret Service had stayed on the car...
Octafish
Feb 2013
#119
You're using an article written for the LA Times as a rebuttal? Really?? nt.
OldDem2012
Feb 2013
#143
Excerpts from the book "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters"
Ghost Dog
Mar 2013
#302
My observation is that the more people are silenced, the more curious they become
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#99
Right wingers, like the Bush gang eg. See Octafish's links in his response to me.
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#159
Well, put it this way. I would believe the Democratic Kennedy kids over the lying,
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#170
Yes, if it doesn't matter, why does it matter? The most obvious explanation is that it involves CIA.
patrice
Feb 2013
#127
OR...this was fifty years ago, and the Public (and media) are focused on more topical matters...
brooklynite
Feb 2013
#155
Such as: L.A. County coroner changes Natalie Wood's cause of death (31 years)
johnnyreb
Feb 2013
#156
You mean like what the Kardashians are doing lately? Yes, you are certainly correct
sabrina 1
Feb 2013
#160
'The web keeps the story alive.' Thank you for the heads-up. Here's a bit more from Bill Kelly...
Octafish
Feb 2013
#198
“A smart researcher might come in and see some connections that the government doesn’t,”
doublethink
Feb 2013
#205
Immediately after the assassination, government agencies were specifically directed...
AntiFascist
Feb 2013
#208
Thanks for pointing out the abuses within the criminal justice system doublethink...
AntiFascist
Mar 2013
#251
Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade was poised to profit off JFK files
Octafish
Mar 2013
#254
Not help U.S. citizens make vital public choices? Like choosing Democrats over Republicans?
AntiFascist
Feb 2013
#178
It is possible to 'regiment the public mind every bit as much as an army regiments their bodies.'
Octafish
Feb 2013
#209
Chomsky credits Alex Carey. For some reason, re Dallas, he agrees with Alexander Coburn.
Octafish
Mar 2013
#229
Groden told the truth to the HSCA. What you post is from the OJ trial. That's disingenuous.
Octafish
Mar 2013
#269
Here's someone to know: Secret Service Agent Abraham Bolden, the first African American on WH Detail
Octafish
Mar 2013
#271
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on..."
MinM
Mar 2013
#320
@johnsimkin: Cartha (Deke) DeLoach, the man who helped LBJ cover-up the assassination of JFK...
MinM
Mar 2013
#327
Maybe I should of ended the above post with "Oh wait" ... or something like that.
doublethink
Mar 2013
#258
Your list of names and the pdf file found with the link is very interesting.
AnotherMcIntosh
Mar 2013
#303
"out there" is apparently some kind of word code for politicians & staff, msm, because "it can't
bobthedrummer
Mar 2013
#246
What theory? RFK's kids expressed their father's thoughts that the assassins are at large.
Octafish
Mar 2013
#312