“What point of view would you expect to come out of this? I mean without any further assumptions, what you'd predict is that what comes out is a picture of the world, a perception of the world, that satisfies the needs and the interests and the perceptions of the sellers, the buyers and the product.”

-- Noam Chomsky.

In a 1992 interview on his seminal work Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media – a treatise on how U.S. establishments function with active aid from corporate media – Prof. Noam Chomsky said:

“It's basically an institutional analysis of the major media, what we call a propaganda model. We're talking primarily about the national media, those media that sort of set a general agenda that others more or less adhere to, to the extent that they even pay much attention to national or international affairs.

Now the elite media are sort of the agenda-setting media. That means The New York Times, The Washington Post, the major television channels, and so on. They set the general framework. Local media more or less adapt to their structure.

And they do this in all sorts of ways: by selection of topics, by distribution of concerns, by emphasis and framing of issues, by filtering of information, by bounding of debate within certain limits. They determine, they select, they shape, they control, they restrict -- in order to serve the interests of dominant, elite groups in the society.”

Today, in June 2009, since the Iran turmoil broke out as an aftermath of the election results, Prof. Chomsky’s analysis seems more prophetic than ever before. In the post-9/11 days, when the U.S. govt. was preparing for a brutal and immoral war on Iraq, we saw similar mass manipulation on the now-trashed excuse of Weapons of Mass Destruction. It’s eerie to realize how quickly many people forget about the not-so-distant past!

In 2000, when I was a student at the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, a few friends and I had organized a lecture of Noam Chomsky at the journalism school; at our insistence, Prof. Chomsky came to speak at the department for the first time. The lecture hall was packed, but with not too many students from the journalism department. Nonetheless, I remember how he brought up New York Times’ then-journalist Judith Miller whose series of WMD stories de facto validated the war Bush, Cheney, Rove and Rumsfeld had already orchestrated to wage on Iraq.

There were many corroborations of Chomsky on the above. In March of 2004, when the Iraq war was full-blown, Antony Loewenstein wrote in Sydney Morning Herald:

“In the run-up to the Iraq War, [Judith] Miller became a key reporter on that country’s supposedly documented WMDs. She wrote many articles relayed around the globe on the Bush administration’s doomsday reading of Saddam’s regime. She painted a terrifying picture of his arsenal with apparently sound intelligence sources to back her claims.

However, it emerged that the vast majority of her WMD claims came through Ahmed Chalabi, an indicted fraudster and one of the leading figures in the Iraqi National Congress (INC), the group keen to militarily overthrow Saddam. Miller relied on untested defectors’ testimonies (usually provided by Chalabi) to write several front-page stories on this information. Michael Massing from Columbia Journalism Review suggests her stories were “far too reliant on sources sympathetic to the (Bush) administration".

"Those with dissenting views – and there were more than a few – were shut out.”

In the 1992 interview, Prof. Chomsky said:

“The New York Times is certainly the most important newspaper in the United States, and one could argue the most important newspaper in the world. The New York Times plays an enormous role in shaping the perception of the current world on the part of the politically active, educated classes.”

In today’s globalized communication when the politically active, educated classes all the over world check out the name-brand media outlets such as the Times, BBC, CNBC or CNN before they form their opinions on important issues, it’s all the more relevant to understand the nature of the propaganda, or for those that would rather opt for a less harsh phraseology, “advocacy journalism.” In fact, some Columbia Journalism professors always complained that I was practicing too much of advocacy journalism at the school: at that time I was telling people that the stock market craze was a made-up bubble, destined to crash. I was no economist, but my little prediction that came true soon after, was never liked by the neoliberal academics.

With the above thoughts in mind and lessons I learned from my own experience at the elite Columbia Graduate School of Journalism – a select incubator for would-be-journalists working for U.S. and global media organizations alike – I came up with the following thoughts on the current Iran fallout, and shared them with a few friends. I wrote (quoting in verbatim):

1. Western media including the Times, CNN and BBC are portraying Iran vote as fraud, even though the first election story that came out in the Times had a line that Ahmedinejad enjoyed wide popularity in the villages where the majority of Iranians live. So, why so much raucous?

2. Notwithstanding the fact that the Ahmedinejad regime is neither democratic nor transparent, it conducted an open election where at least four major candidates ran with wide press coverage (unlike the U.S., where we basically don't hear about candidates outside of the two big parties).

3. Iran govt. has not banned massive opposition rallies, like the ones we just saw in Tehran. How many media reporting have we seen of such opposition rallies in Saudi Arabia? Or, for that matter, in other U.S.-blessed autocratic regimes such as Burma?

4. Media is not showing us the real political interests we have in Iran: such as Israel.

5. Media is not showing us the real economic interests we have in Iran: such as oil.

In that email communiqué, I also said that I have no special love for the secretive and heavyhanded Iran regime. However, I said, the media propaganda is pathetic. And this is happening at a time when the entire economy in the U.S. is collapsing, with people losing jobs, houses and health care (and the govt. is bailing out failed corporations). It's often the case that under these circumstances, the people in power, including corporate media, need serious diversion. Iran and North Korea could be some of those diversions.

Some young Iranian men and women were angry at my insistence that the media propaganda could be deemed as politically motivated diversions. These friends were of course fiercely anti-Ahmedinejad and mostly West-educated. However, I think we have an obligation to explain to them our points of view. The street protest is real: Iranian people have lost their lives.

In the context of the WMD propaganda Judith Miller style, the other question I later asked was, is Ahmedinejad our new bogeyman just the way Saddam Hussain was before he was destroyed along with his country and entire family? And just to remember one more time, during the decade-long Iran-Iraq war in the 1980’s, wasn't it the fact that the U.S. govt. had supported Saddam with tons of money and weapons? Just to reminisce, wasn't it true that Saddam was invited to the U.S., and was presented with an honorary citizenship with a ceremonial key to the city of Detroit?

Well, to be fair, Ahmedinejad was never given a similar hero’s welcome in the U.S. even though not very long ago, he was invited by Columbia University to speak to the faculty and students, much to the opposition of certain groups. To make up for his “error,” the president of the university gave a “welcoming speech” for the invited guest using a language that was anything but welcoming. In fact, it broke all the known decorums.

Now, in the light of what I wrote, let’s come back to some more observations Prof. Chomsky made in his 1992 interview.

“The major agenda-setting media -- after all, what are they? As institutions in the society, what are they? Well, in the first place they are major corporations, in fact huge corporations. Furthermore, they are integrated with and sometimes owned by even larger corporations, conglomerates -- so, for example, by Westinghouse and G.E. and so on.

So what we have in the first place is major corporations which are parts of even bigger conglomerates. Now, like any other corporation, they have a product which they sell to a market. The market is advertisers -- that is, other businesses. What keeps the media functioning is not the audience. They make money from their advertisers. And remember, we're talking about the elite media. So they're trying to sell a good product, a product which raises advertising rates. And ask your friends in the advertising industry. That means that they want to adjust their audience to the more elite and affluent audience. That raises advertising rates. So what you have is institutions, corporations, big corporations, that are selling relatively privileged audiences to other businesses.

Well, what point of view would you expect to come out of this? I mean without any further assumptions, what you'd predict is that what comes out is a picture of the world, a perception of the world, that satisfies the needs and the interests and the perceptions of the sellers, the buyers and the product.”

In fact, in several articles during the 2008 election campaign when I was actively working for Barack Obama, I observed that corporate media were keeping the so-called election tension alive and making up a false neck-to-neck competition between Obama and McCain even when people -- Democrats and Republicans alike working on the ground -- already knew that McCain’s chances, even with Sarah Palin and the far-right-wing coming together, were remote. I wrote that big media, for the sake of making big profit out of the elections selling the campaign "news" and "predictions," kept the high-tension wire alive.

Keeping the above in mind, I now ask some follow-up questions:

1. Is it possible to accept the relentless media blasting of the Ahmedinejad govt. and the so-called election fraud without a discussion of political history? Are we told what his U.S.-supported rival Moussavi really stands for? Or, is it that our knowledge and perception don't matter?

2. Considering how the U.S. govt. always used such turmoil in other countries (many say, fomented major problems with the use of CIA and other instigating and funding agencies), how credible is the current reporting on Iran?

3. Who really benefit if the Ahmedinejad regime is more discredited, and perhaps eventually falls? Who despise Ahmedinejad the most: is it the right-wing Israeli groups and their U.S. counterparts, and/or is it the so-called free-market enterprises (including oil and arms industries) that are greatly upset at the non-compliance of the “closed-door” Iran regime?

4. For powerful media such as CNN, BBC, New York Times and Washington Post with their 24/7 time and space, is it objective reporting when they measure Iran and its theocracy narrowly by one standard and those in Saudi Arabia with another? After all, in Saudi Arabia, there’s not even an iota of market-driven Western democracy that U.S. is so desperate to impose!

5. For that matter, is it fair and balanced reporting (and I’m not even talking about right-wing Fox TV or GE-owned NBC) when media puts one type of spin on “rogue” countries such as North Korea, yet excludes from that discussion U.S.-blessed authoritarian, repressive regimes such as Burma, Pakistan, Turkey or Colombia?

Therefore, in the current context of Iran, it’s important to know the similarities of the various media spins and propaganda we’ve seen over the history. It’s important to find parallels between super-rich, corrupt and mass-abhorred puppet personalities such Chalabi of Iraq, Karzai of Afghanistan and Rafsanjani of Iran. It’s important to know what they've done before, and what connections they have had with groups both in the U.S. and elsewhere.

It’s not just enough to be content that Barack Obama has so far kept his balanced and measured stance against all the pressures and provocations from the anti-Iran forces. It’s important for us – the politically active and educated class that Prof. Chomsky talks about – to understand in-depth what’s going on, and expose the hidden political agenda of the people in power.

And it’s not enough to find resemblances between the alleged fraud in Iran 2009 and now-known fraud in Florida 2000. Or, the fact that big media in U.S. never even told us the whole story about the Florida voting fraud, which many say was one of the greatest scandals in U.S. history.

Most importantly, we don’t need to support a secretive Iran regime with history of human rights violations to criticize the barrage of lies, half-truths, exclusions and double standards that pass by the name of elite journalism in the West.

In fact, challenging them on the above is the essence of a true democracy.

End-note: Paraphrasing Noam Chomsky, “it's extremely important if history is going to be shaped in an appropriate way, that certain things appear, certain things not appear, certain questions be asked, other questions be ignored, and that issues be framed in a particular fashion.”

It’s upon us – small people state establishments and corporate media neglect, undermine and exclude from the conversation – to shape the history. We’ll do it our way.

Dr. Partha Banerjee is a New York City-based writer, human rights and peace activist. He can be reached at banerjee2000@hotmail.com.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these columns are solely those of the writers and do not necessarily represent those of the editor/publisher.

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A lot has been happening in Iran recently pre and post elections. I have not really blogged on that issue, because it has been talked of and commented upon everywhere else. But today I thought I will touch upon it, to at least share my thoughts on it.

Digital Revolution

Citizen Journalism started some years back. In the aftermath of tsunami, bloggers from many places came together to combine their influence and information to help in the relief efforts and keep us updated. That, in my view was the first truly Global effort at citizen participation. Such efforts then happened more and more. Mumbai Attacks last year, were another example of this. Blogging from Iraq had been a potent way to leak information out to help people know what was happening as US invaded Iraq to flush out Saddam Hussein.

However, in earlier examples, there wasn't an element of prohibition, specifically at the level at which it is in Iran right now. Yes, the guys in Iraq feared for their lives... but no one was switching off blogger.com. Here is a strange situation. The regular media has either been shut off or severly restricted. What happens then? Every citizen is a potential journalist then. Every citizen can take a Mobile picture and send it to his/her friend elsewhere and have it twittered for 2 billion people around the world to see! It is not about WHO YOU KNOW to make a news.. BUT that you have a recording device. The modern technologies have provided an "Eco-System" that has outstripped the power of legitimacy of the regular media. So, even a regular person can take a picture that redefines history.. you needn't be a kick-ass AP or Reuter photojournalist anymore.

Also, the citizen journalism is more powerful in developing world than the developed world. For some reason, a calamity or a tough situation has repeatedly brought out coming together of connected people to help. That is significant. The bias and prejudice that the popular and regular media could interject on WHAT they wanted to show and deliver to the world, has suddenly been taken away. If BBC doesn't show something..then it doens't mean it wouldn't be shown.. just that, a blog will show it.. and BBC will look like a loser! So, the tenor of the debate has changed.. and the power of manipulation has been taken away from the media barrons.

Iranian Society

Iran - or Persia - is a very old society and very proud one. It has an Islamic character but under that character is a very modern outlook. The current fight is actually between the Old Guard (Rafsanjani/Khatami - the Islamic group) and the New Guard (Ahmednijad/etc - the Military Group). Interestingly, although the world (and liberal idealists) think that this revolution.. like many others is a pathway to a more liberal and secular direction; in fact the opposite may be true... at least in terms of the protagonists leading the two camps right now.

However, the people fighting seem to have an idealistic mindset... or they would not fight. Now, having discussed Iranian society with some Iranians, I do realize that they do not necessarily identify with the Mullah. Neither do they with the military elite. So, strangely, although Mousavi is the rallying point, a person backed by Khatami/Rafsanjani (the Islamic Old Guard camp).. the actual person on the ground may want to take this fight to a TOTALLY different dimension and directiion. In the end, we may see BOTH the camps - Ahmednijad AND Moussavi - left behind.

That is one reason why this fight may not succeed right away. There is confusion in its current character AND its overt and covert goals. The Heart is fighting for something else and Mind is explaining something else. There may come a time in this fight when BOTH Moussavi and Ahmednijad realize this and will come together. For, they want an upperhand against the other.. but not to lose it to a secular and liberal character which is where it is going.

In that sense, it is going to be a long fight... .and not spectacularly successful at first. That is why, I believe that Obama is dead on in his response. He is becoming a champion for the Iranian guy on the ground who would look at him and the US for support... not direct.. but morally.

Arab Response

The Arab response on this is also important. While Arabs like the Iranian society (Shia) in turmoil, and would support that.. they would hate the prospect of the common man picking up the gauntlet. That may portend tough things for them going forward. While they may cheer-lead Ahmednijad when he threatens Israel with Nukes.. but there is no love lost between Arabs and Iranians.

In this whole game therefore, Arabs will play a make-or-break role in many ways.

I do this as a major event. Our generation's version of overthrow of the Shah. It may have as much of instant result as that had.... but in the long term it will be as potent.

Desh Kapoor is a consultant and loves writing on different things. You can read his blog at http://www.drishtikone.com

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Assistive Technology Solutions for Students

By Usha Balakrishnan

Assistive technology (AT) is a general term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities. AT allows for greater independence by enabling its users to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty performing, by adapting or changing the methods of interacting with the equipment and materials needed to accomplish such tasks. In addition, Alternative Media is the term applied for traditional texts converted to more suitable alternative formats.

The Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-407) states that it is "technology designed to be utilized in an assistive technology device or assistive technology service."

Such technologies have made higher education far more accessible to individuals with learning differences, opening for them new avenues to education and a hence a productive future in the field of their choosing. With the advances of technology and students’ increasing comfort and facility with such developments, colleges and universities are likely to expand their technology services.  Based on their specific needs and learning style, special-needs student could use assistive technology and alternative media solutions, to access their learning in one or many of the following ways: electronic texts heard via an iPod or other hardware, Braille, talking Dictionary, PDF Magic, talk-to-audio, word-prediction programs, speech synthesizers, Optical Character Recognition, Voice Recognition, Web CT, and podcasts.  A leading source for audio-books is “Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic” (www.rfbd.org ). The University System of Georgia, through its State-wide program, Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC), provides alternative media and assistive technology to post-secondary students in the State of Georgia. The Alternative Media Access Center is committed to removing barriers and providing access to knowledge for individuals with physical, sensory, and learning print-related disabilities.  They can be accessed at (www.amac.uga.edu) .

So, how does a student with learning differences get the AT and Alternative Media he needs for success at college? According to Patricia Ready Mullen, Educational Program Specialist at University of Georgia’s Alternative Access Media Center, (AMAC), “…the process begins long before college catalogues fill the mail box.”  In her writings she highlights the 2004 re-authorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997, (IDEA) (http://idea.ed.gov/ ), which mandates that educational professionals consider using assistive technology for students with disabilities in the K-12 classroom. A student with diagnosed learning differences should have an AT evaluation.  The evaluation can help determine which technologies are best suited to the student’s learning needs and style to achieve the desired learning goals.  The 2004 re-authorization of ‘IDEA’ also has a provision which requires publishers to provide course textbooks in a standard format for conversion into specialized formats like audio and electronic texts.  This really helps the textbooks to be accessible to individuals with print-related disabilities.

With the knowledge of (the student’s) preferred learning style, their learning differences and the information from the AT evaluation, parents and students can search for colleges which have the technologies and support systems the student will need in order to succeed.  There are guides that can aid the search, like “College Guide to Learning Disability Programs” by Aliza Sokolow (http://www.amazon.com/College-Guide-Learning-Disability-Programs/dp/0974302716 ),

 or  “Peterson’s Guide to College for Students with LD or ADD” by Peterson’s (http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED417533&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=ED417533 ). 

There is also a listserv for Disabled Student Service in Higher Education, sponsored by the University of Buffalo (http://listserv.buffalo.edu/archives/dsshe-l.html)  where one can ask pertinent questions, interact with disability service providers across the nation, follow the trends and search the archives.  It would also be very important to plan out the process of visiting colleges of interest, making sure to plan a meeting with the office that serves special-needs students, and have a well-thought-out list of questions that pertain to your student.  A copy of the student’s AT evaluation should be taken along to the meeting.

Some enquiries about the available technology are:  *the types of assistive technology and alternate media available, *the location of the technology- in classroom, computer lab, library..etc., * can the technology be ported on and off campus, * turn–around  time for early ordering and procuring alternative media say prior to class, * the type of support and training available , * the rules for the use and return of alternative media,* the availability and support for any specific pieces of technology the student is already used to. 

Advocacy for college bound special-needs students is available from The Advocacy Institute (www.advocacyinstitute.org/projects ).  The Advocacy Institute is currently involved in a number of projects - all designed to improve the lives of those with disabilities.

Once you get started, there is a wealth of resources at your fingertips. The various organizations provide information on special-needs-student advocacy, alternative media, and assistive technology for students, parents and teachers. There are also many vendors for the variety of solutions.

In conclusion, the words of AMAC Director, Christopher Lee are very relevant. According to him, the key to using technology successfully through the different stages, from school to college to the work-place, etc. is to begin using the assistive technology as early as possible in a student’s career. “Linking the alternative media and assistive technology opens students to a world of knowledge and prepares them with the tools for a lifetime of success.” Initiating early use of technology makes the student what Lee calls a “Digital Native” who can utilize technology effortlessly and seamlessly through his environment.

Usha Joshi Balakrishnan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Bombay, as well as a Masters in Public Health Education from the University of Minnesota. She has worked as an occupational therapist in a variety of settings, including Long-Term Care, Psychiatric Rehab, Drug & Alcohol Rehab, Outpatient Rehab for Physical Disabilities, and Spinal Cord Injuries. Her work as a Public Health Educator was in the field of STD prevention and health promotion. Usha lives with her husband and children in Atlanta.