Toya Webb, Ka Leo O Hawaii via U-Wire, Oct 27, 2004
Ibrahim G. Aoude, a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, said Americans should not limit themselves to using U.S. media alone to get informed on issues.
In a recent interview with Ka Leo, he said that U.S. news organizations such as Fox News promises fair and balanced reports but it fails to deliver.
Aoude recommends several Web sites that will allow readers to make up their own minds about issues that affect them and the world.
One site that Aoude frequently visits is Tikkun.org. Although he is a Palestinian-born Christian, Aoude uses this Jewish site that addresses many controversial issues.
"It's not like the mainstream media, it (offers) another point of view," he said. "Tikkun.org has a lot of readers and it offers a lot of information about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict."
Auode urges Americans to take advantage of a variety of media sources because "there is no such thing as unbiased media."
AlterNet.org is another site Auode recommends. While many media outlets in the United States portray American troops as being gung ho for war, AlterNet tells a different story. It currently features an article that details a soldier's painful, life-altering experience in Iraq.
According to AlterNet.org., Cpl. Tyson Johnson, 22, joined the military so that he could get off the dangerous streets of Prichard, Ala. But little did he know that he would wind up fighting a war in the streets of Baghdad.
Johnson was nearly killed in the war. He suffered multiple injuries from shrapnel including punctured lungs and a riddled kidney.
Aoude also recommends Electroniciraq.net, which features articles that are usually not found on many U.S. mainstream Web sites. Electroniciraq.net is published by Middle East news publishers and includes stories from reporters who oppose the war.
Currently, electroniciraq.net has an article that tells about an Iraqi's brutal experience with American forces. According to the article, the 24- year-old was mistreated by U.S. soldiers when they broke into his family's home and cracked his nose with a gun barrel.
Aoude, co-editor of Arab Studies Quarterly, encourages people to read books, articles and other documents when trying to understand the war in Iraq.
Aoude said relying primarily on the news media is not very illuminating. Among his suggested readings are: "Oil, Power and Empire" by Larry Everest; "Full Spectrum Dominance" by Rahul Mahajan, and John Feffer's "Power Trip."
Aoude said that in Iraq "troops are getting killed because of a lie." He believes that accessing a variety of sources will allow people to discover different viewpoints on the war.
In contrast to Aoude's view, the Bush administration argues that the U.S. attack on Iraq was justified despite no weapons of mass destruction have yet been found.
Although the Bush administration and United States mainstream media portray the Afghanistan elections on Oct. 9 as a step toward democracy, Aoude disagrees with that view.
He said that "Afghanistan is not better." In last Wednesday's presidential debate, Bush said that, "As a result of securing ourselves and ridding the Taliban out of Afghanistan, the Afghan people had elections this weekend." Even though the ballots are still being counted, President Hamid Karzai has been projected as the winner.
Aoude said that he's not surprised that Karzai is the all-but-certain winner. He suggested that Karzai was strategically placed in Afghanistan and that the C.I.A. installed its own men to control Kabul for that very reason.
He said that Afghanistan's election is not a step toward democracy because "Karzai only controls certain parts of Kabul while (Afghan) warlords control everywhere else."
Another site that Aoude recommends is DemocracyNow.org. The award-winning American site describes itself as offering different viewpoints on a variety of topics in a broader way than mainstream media.
When the American mainstream media fails to offer balanced reports, Aoude exhorts Americans to take advantage of a variety of media sources.
He said that the role of the media should be to educate. Because they have power and responsibility, Aoude said, they "should be a watchdog."
