Narrative Management = Reality Management  by Caitlin Johnstone

17 June 2019 — Caitlin Johnson

The Grayzone‘s Max Blumenthal has published the first part of an investigative series on how so-called non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are being used to manipulate the narrative about what’s going on in Syria by posing as impartial investigative bodies and circulating pro-imperialist disinformation to the western political/media class as objective fact. Part one is titled “Behind the Syrian Network for Human Rights: How an opposition front group became Western media’s go-to monitor“, and it documents a mountain of evidence that one of these “NGOs” is in fact very much state-funded and highly biased in favor of anti-Assad forces, yet still gets cited as an independent source by western mass media outlets in a way that just so happens to help make the case for western interventionism in Syria.

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Iran Newslinks 17 June 2019

17 June 2019 • 19:49 — The New Dark Age

There may be some duplication due to cross-posting and may be updated throughout the day

Officials Worldwide Ridicule Claim that Iran Attacked Tankers In Gulf of Oman

US secretary of state declares “military response” to Iran “being considered”

Tanker attacks in Gulf of Oman: oil market proves its geopolitical vulnerability
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Gulf of Oman recalls Gulf of Tonkin lies

17 June 2019 — InfoRos

Attacks, lies, and videotape

Steven Sahiounie, Middle East observer

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million.  Online videos uploaded to the internet and shown around the world via news media, as well as social media, are telling a visual story, but missing the context and explanations which could only come in the form of words.

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China Newslinks 17 June 2019

17 June 2019 • 18:30 — The New Dark Age

There may be some duplication due to cross-posting and may be updated throughout the day

China to launch four projects linked with Russia’s Ion Collider
https://tass.com/science/1064185

“Step down, Carrie Lam!” Two Million Rise Up Once More Against The Hong Kong Extradition Bill
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ActivistPost/~3/fa4De1zAvHI/step-down-carrie-lam-two-million-rise-up-once-more-against-the-hong-kong-extradition-bill.html

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US govt narrative blaming Iran for oil tanker attacks falls apart in hours By Ben Norton

17 June 2019 — Greyzone

The Trump administration’s claims Iran attacked oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman were quickly debunked, with the ship’s crew saying it “was hit by a flying object.” But the US disrupted important Iranian diplomatic efforts at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

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Behind the cover-up of the 2008 Universal Music Group vault fire By Kevin Reed

17 June 2019 — WSWS

The New York Times Magazine feature “The Day the Music Burned” by Jody Rosen published June 11 has brought to light important details about the inferno that destroyed an invaluable popular music archive in 2008 at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Of equal significance are Rosen’s revelations about the cover-up of the disaster by Universal Music Group (UMG).

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US Govt Based Conclusions that Russia Hacked DNC Servers on Redacted Draft of Unfinished Report

17 June 2019 — South Front

The US’ conclusion that Russia hacked the Democratic National Committee (DNC) appears to be based on a redacted draft of the Crowdstrike report.

The Grizzly Steppe joint report by the FBI and US Department of Homeland Security concluded that Russia hacked the DNC servers back in 2018, and it was predominantly based on a claim by cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike, which was highly scrutinized, according to an article by Breitbart’s former reporter Lee Stranahan.

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For Israel, annexation of the West Bank is a long-established goal By Jonathan Cook

16 June 2019 — Jonathan Cook

With Benjamin Netanyahu under pressure and the US signalling its support, the time to realise this catastrophic ambition may be fast approaching

The National – 16 June 2019

When Israeli prime ministers are in trouble, facing difficult elections or a corruption scandal, the temptation has typically been for them to unleash a military operation to bolster their standing. In recent years, Gaza has served as a favourite punching bag.

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Trump enjoys bipartisan support for his plan to eradicate the Palestinian cause

15 June 2019 — Jonathan Cook

The US seeks to engineer a suitable regional environment before it begins implementing the ‘deal of the century’

Middle East Eye – 14 June 2019

The White House’s prolonged financial bullying of the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Palestinians’ government-in-waiting, has reached the point where there are now credible warnings that it is close to collapse. The crisis has offered critics further proof of the administration’s seemingly chaotic, often self-sabotaging approach to foreign policy matters.

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Disinformation and False Accusations of Anti-Semitism by Heather Stroud

16 June 2019 — Dissident Voice

Permitting Israel’s Slow Motion Genocide of Palestinians

The smearing of George Galloway and widely reported disinformation that there was no evidence to support the claim that Viva Palestina delivered aid, raises serious concerns, not just in this case, but far beyond.

It is seriously disturbing how disinformation and lazy ‘cut and paste’ journalism has become common place within the monopoly media of the UK. One wonders where the professional and serious investigative reporting of old has gone.

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