Vol. 1, Issue 3 , 29 January 2003

Top Ten Examples of Unfiltered Truth

Something Barry Crimmins posted the other day struck me. At the bottom of his Crim Quips for 1/16, he writes,

"We must untangle this sophisticated web of disinformation by getting up off our couches to witness, report and make history. The internet provides us with one great way to convey our news and opinions and there are others: low power radio, newsletters, rallies and most importantly, the patience, charm and resolve to spend the time it takes to beg others to sit still and consider another view. Along the way we must learn to act as our own editors, rather than permit the complex world to be reduced to the sound-bite pabulum which always favors the oversimplification that's so necessary to reactionaries. When we show we are ready to record, distribute and digest information that hasn't been tainted by corporate censors, then we'll not only have liberals on the air but we'll have progressives controlling their fair share of the airwaves. That's the real job we need to get done and that's no joke."

The problem with internet reporting, like the examples you see to the right, is the public perception of its unreliability. Also, the mainstream media, in large part, refuses to acknowledge internet reporting and internet activism until it simply can't be ignored any longer. They and their corporate masters feel threatened by the unfiltered truth (see Norah Vincent).

Therefore, I believe that the community of web sites that have largely driven this movement should make a great effort to publicly and prominently recognize those whose work has had some real and lasting effect on the reporting of the truth.

Therefore, my Top Ten Examples of Unfiltered Truth. I present these in no particular order, and naturally there are some things of great importance that aren't recognized here, but I have tried to limit the list to those stories, editorials and moments that have had a real impact.

  1. Greg Palast's exposure of the Florida Vote Fraud and poll scrubbing. Our suspicions were confirmed.
  2. Bartcop's "The Myth of the Liberal Media" - quite possibly the document that started it all. If it didn't start it, it sure stoked the fires.
  3. The 9/11 Timeline - whoever it was who first put together a concise timeline of the events of that day, revealing the government's failure to respond. Included in this is the work of ewing2001 and countless other independent researchers and conspiracy theorists who dared to post their questions at Democratic Underground and other sites. Scoffed at, berated, and hated, their combined efforts led directly to the formation of the 9/11 commission when no major media outlet even dared to question the official government story.
  4. Paul Krugman - what more needs to be said?
  5. The BBC - where Americans go to find out what's really happening in their own country.
  6. Bob Somerby's exposure of the "Gore's Lies" lies created by the RNC and offered as news by the media whores on their payroll.
  7. Buzzflash's exposure of the "White House Trashing" web of lies, when a recurring pattern of Bush White House policy was first identified. (correct me if I'm wrong, but it was Buzzflash, wasn't it?)
  8. Narconews' reliable coverage of the situation in Venezuela and US government complicity in the failed coup against that country's legally elected president, as opposed to the American media's efforts to assist in the overthrow of the Venezuelan government.
  9. The New Crossfire and its early references to Media Whores Online.
  10. Josh Marshall's relentless hammering of Bush's fumbling of the North Korea situation.

 

What a Wonderful World It Could Be

During his State of the Union speech, President Bush outlined his plan to feed children born into poverty and provide the elderly with a prescription drug benefit under Medicare.

 

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