The PBS Smear Against Manning & WikiLeaks

[Hissyspit]

http://wlcentral.org/node/1811

2011-05-24 PBS Chat Raises More Questions About Production of 'WikiSecrets'
Submitted by Kevin Gosztola on Thu, 05/26/2011 - 03:22
News Analysis Opinion WikiSecrets Wikileaks Bradley Manning

Producer Marcela Gaviria and producer/correspondent Martin Smith, who both worked on the FRONTLINE "WikiSecrets" documentary that aired last night, and Brian Manning, Bradley Manning’s father, participated in an online PBS chat that offered people an opportunity to ask questions and make comments about the film.

- snip -

A clarification is necessary. Two points are raised here: one is that he lost respect for authority. That is a point that could very well incriminate Manning during his trial. The other point that he was discriminated is much more benign. It implies his frustration with the military was justified because he was being treated unequally.

- snip -

What was the team on this project doing? What did the crew that produced this find when they did the research? If there was no conclusive information to support the existence of an intermediary or an outright connection between Manning and Assange, the answer to this question should not be open-ended. It should not be that the producers trust the Grand Jury will investigate, consider all the evidence and make a conclusion. The rational conclusion is there is no link.

-snip -

Julian Assange stopped by the chat to ask the producers a question:

Why did Frontline not do basic fact checking on the false and libelous statement "Julian said 'Informants deserve to die'"? This has had substantial re-reportage based on its airing by Frontline. Its speaker, David Leigh is well known to be locked into tawdry personal vendetta against WikiLeaks (as any check of his twitter feed davidleigh3 would show). The statement has been repeatedly denied by me, is the subject of pre-litigation legal action and two Spiegel reporters who were at the table, John Goertz and Marcel Rosenbach (the only independent witnesses) deny it. Is this Frontline's standards for journalism? Similarly, Why did Frontline present Daniel Domschiet Berg's claims about WikiLeaks content sales as credible, when two thee prior accusations (in relation to Aftonposten, Aftonbladet and Al Jazeera) have been demonstrated to be wholesale inventions?

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[EFerrari]

1. Is this thing available on line? I want a screen shot of Bill Keller smirking

with Martin Smith.

[struggle4progress]

2. Here:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/wikileaks/live-chat-reporters-brian-manning/

[EFerrari]

7. Thank you.

[msanthrope]

3. Holy Crap!!! The Manning Family isn't letting David House visit Bradley!

"Brian: Brad's friend, David House, has spoken out frequently about of the conditions of Brad's detention. But he's recently said that he is no longer allowed to visit Brad in jail, and that it was the family's decision. Did you object to House's visits?

Brian Manning:
Brad only met David House once in that "geek" party. Then out of the blue he started visiting Bradley. We think another friend had Brad put House on the list. When we found out he only visiting to suck information for he own use we pulled his access.

He really bashes House--accuses him of using Bradley for his 15 minutes of fame.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/wikileaks/live-chat-reporters-brian-manning/

[Hissyspit]

4. Known:

House has many times said he has only met Manning once before. For a while, apparently, House and lawyer Coombs were the ONLY ones visiting Manning on a regular basis.

"When House and Manning talk, they cover a range of subjects and common interests - computers, philosophy and the impact of technology on society. They share a passion for the potential of the internet, for free information. At their first meeting they had "this amazing conversation about Hinduism and the way the internet distils ethics down". Manning requested that House visit again."

http://www.newstatesman.com/north-america/2011/03/manning-house-held-base-iraq

Subjective: "he was visiting to suck information"

[msanthrope]

9. Well, that's his father's opinion, and I'll take that over a guy Manning met once.

I wonder if this has to do with monies collected in Manning's name--I know that Hamsher's Manning Defense Fund doesn't go to Manning's legal fees.

And Wikileaks collected over a million last year. Manning got 15k.

[Hissyspit]

11. "Well, that's his father's opinion, and I'll take that over a guy Manning met once."

Why?

[vaberella]

14. Why not? n/t

[msanthrope]

15. Why shouldn't we believe his father? nt

[uponit7771]

22. The father is closer to Manning, logical choice

[otohara]

24. Who Kicked Him Out of The House For Being Gay?

that would be his loving father.

Then he made his 5'2", 105 lb., gay son join the army, for being aimless at 21.

[Hissyspit]

5. I SO meant to post this in GD.

LOL

[EFerrari]

6. I was wondering if I was lost.

lol

[2banon]

8. I saw this Frontline broadcast

the State Dept had obviously co-opted the producers to discredit Manning to sow the seeds of doubt among "liberals" wrt to Wikileaks, Assange et al. I saw that they got to 60 minutes early on, and the sock puppet forces were immediately unleashed on line. It was only a matter of time before Frontline would be co-opted.

Look what the State Dept manage to do with Nova!

NPR regularly cheerleads for Paul Ryan, in fact it seems to be a veritable love fest these days. And oh by the way, has anyone noticed David Koch's name proudly displayed as a PBS sponsor on certain productions?

Well, Monsanto, Exxon OIl, & ADM, in the 90's, Chevron, AT&T, and BofA are also proud sponsers of PBS.

None of this is new. But it seems to be getting worse.

[Hissyspit]

10. It is. No question.

[truebrit71]

20. That is truly a shame. Frontline was just about the last place for in-depth...

...journalism in the USA...

[snot]

12. K&R'd!

Thank you for posting this.

The infowar is about whether the oligarchs will retain control of the most important information power structures. There is no more important struggle in our time.

[vaberella]

13. I have one point of interest? When did Manning suggest he was treated unequally in the military?

I read his chat with that Lamo guy....he did not talk anything about being treated unfairly (because I notice people like claiming he's gay when he has not suggested that explicitly). Secondly the article doesn't seem to make a direct "smear" or I did not read anything that suggested "smear". Further more, the way PBS interviewed Manning's father was a bit confrontational, combative, and aggressive---I felt it was out of order.

[msanthrope]

18. He was definitely in trouble for hitting a female superior in the face--

but I don't recall him getting any flak for 'being gay' or being investigated in any way for that.

I thought Frontline was pretty aggressive with Mr. Manning, but I thought that was okay. He is defending a traitor, after all.

[otohara]

16. Manning's Father Is A Douchebag

never wrote his son while in Iraq.

[msanthrope]

17. How do you know that? And what business is it of yours?

You have no personal insight into this father/son relationship, and I can't think why it would be a concern of yours.

[otohara]

21. I Heard Him Say It

why don't you watch the Frontline episode, and if you have an opinion, post it.
That's what we do here at DU.

[otohara]

23. Furthermore

- The elder Manning says he essentially forced his son to join the military because Bradley was “aimless.”

The kid hated boot camp, he was teased, and humiliated on a daily basis. Any parent who forces their kid to join the military is worthy of the title Douchebag,

[msanthrope]

19. Interesting--this is a story about Manning, but Assange pops up to talk about himself and his

reputation?

Why am I not surprised?

[Hissyspit]

25. Oh good grief.

It's called WikiSecrets.
And the government is trying to create a connection between Manning and Assange.
What an invalid criticism.

[Luminous Animal]

26. K&R