Phil Taylor's papers
|
BACK TO : PROPAGANDA AND THE GWOT Year 3 - 2004 (mainly Iraq)
On Arab TV, Gaza Strife Dims Trial by Ian Fisher 
COURT-MARTIAL On Arab TV, Gaza Strife Dims Trial By IAN FISHER New York Times, Published: May 20, 2004 AGHDAD, Iraq, May 19 - The court-martial of Specialist Jeremy C. Sivits, like most such proceedings, was open to the press, and at least 9 of the 25 seats for the news media at the trial room here on Wednesday were taken by Arab journalists. American officials made no secret that they hoped the public court-martial would show American justice in action and help blunt anger at the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison. Advertisement But by Wednesday evening, the images out of Gaza, where Israeli soldiers had fired on a demonstration of Palestinians, were so violent that the guilty plea of Specialist Sivits, who admitted to taking part in abuse at Abu Ghraib prison, received only secondary coverage on the main Arab satellite channels. He was sentenced to one year in prison and discharged from the military. By the 8 p.m. newscast on Al Arabiya, a satellite network based in the United Arab Emirates, a report no longer than 30 seconds was presented 11 minutes into the main news broadcast, which was dominated by scenes from Gaza. The network's rival, Al Jazeera, based in Qatar, ran a longer report, of about 3 minutes, but not until 10 minutes into the broadcast. No cameras or audio recorders were allowed in the courtroom, and an artist's drawings of the judge and the defendant made for less-than-immediate coverage. The coverage that it did receive on the two networks, widely seen around the Middle East, was presented largely factually. Al Jazeera, however, emphasized prominently that Human Rights Watch and other human rights groups were not permitted to attend the trial. Both channels also showed, in earlier broadcasts, interviews with analysts skeptical about whether justice was served. The one-year sentence, both analysts said, was unlikely to be considered enough for the crimes, even though it was reported that Specialist Sivits had struck a plea deal and would likely testify against other defendants charged with more serious abuse. "Today's trial will build a mountain of fire between Iraqis and Americans between the truth and lies," said Walid Zubaidi, the analyst on Al Jazeera. Al Hurra, the satellite channel financed by the United States government, carried its own related exclusive, apparently aimed at comparing the abuses at Abu Ghraib at the hands of Americans with far worse abuses under Saddam Hussein. The channel broadcast explicit video, which it said had been found in Iraqi intelligence files, of hands being chopped off, of beatings and lashings, of a man being burned in the face and hands with a hot wire. "We have even worse tapes but we can't show them on television because they are so graphic," the announcer said over the video. |