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REVIEWS <@ THE WAR ON FREEDOM: draconian Patriot Act, the future for freedom The 9/11 Conspiracies doesn't look promising. It's happened by Jim Marrs before, and it's happening all over again as ARES Publishing, USA, 2003 the powerful forces that stand to benefit ISBN 0-9727131-1-5 (394pp tpb) from fear and war make their next frighten- Availability: Author's website ing moves on the Grand Chessboard. In his http://www.dim Marrs.com , info-packed book that covers events in the lead-up to the War on Iraq, Marrs urges us lhe people of the United States have been to wake up to what's really going on. living under a State of Emergency since President George W. Bush made the official declaration three days after 9-11. With this OUR MEDIA, NOT THEIRS: . declaration, says Jim Marrs, Bush made The Democratic Struggle Against public the "shadow government" of unelect- / Corporate Media ed officials and appointees who can deter- by Robert W. McChesney and mine the future of this "former republic". John Nichols He warns that the US government's new Seven Stories Press, USA, 2002 War on Terrorism is more a War on ISBN 1-58322-549-8 (140pp pb) Availability: Seven Stories Press website, http:/Awww.sevenstories.com THE WAR ON FREEDOM lhe time is ripe for structural reform of i ere inc the corporate media if democracy is to THE 1) CONSPIRACTES have a future in the United States, argue Robert McChesney and John Nichols in Our Media, Not Theirs. And while the authors acknowledge that there is already a growing movement against an increasingly undemoc- ratic mass media—as seen in a strengthening alternative media and the power of the Internet—they say it is imperative that citi- zens get involved in debate about media pol- icy and force decision-makers in Congress and the FCC to replace the corporate 1M M ARRS media—their media—with media that serve ANA DIETDA Nn Sn the people—our media. McChesney is a research professor in the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois and the author of Rich Media, Poor Democracy, and Nichols is Washingt spondent for The Nati reporter/author (The Plot that Killed JFK; and author of Jews for Buc ha ane This onl Rule by Secrecy » See 8/01) and is not one to tion is a fully revised and updated version of use the "conspiracy" word lightly—but with their 2000 book, It's the Media, Stupid, and the 9-11 attacks, smell a conspiracy he does. includes a broad-picture new foreword by In examining how it got this far, he looks at Prof, Noam Chomsky, while retaining the the creation and evolution of the US national origina forewords by feminist writer security state and how its apparatus could Barbara Ehrenreich and consumer activist have covered up a secret agenda aimed at Ralph Nader. The updates include brief changing the geopolitical landscape to : analyses of the 9-11 attacks, the Enron col- ensure access to oil, gas and drug supplies. lapse and the passing of t e Patriot Act, and The mainstream press has failed in its duty the corporate media's lamentable failure to to follow up the loose ends surrounding the ide a free fl inf . d events of 9-11, so Marrs takes up the cause Provide a tree flow of information and com- - ° ° , mentary on these watershed events. by highlighting the unresolved issues and The authors summarise what's happening eee Srecounte, ine oie tome the stateside and worldwide in view of today's i ew! h the accounts of pom) ce implosio media globalisation trend, and give some through the towers prior to their implosion, media awareness hope with recent examples the anomalies concerning the lax airport : . . from East Timor and Venezuela. To rescue security that would allow so-called terrorists : . media freedom, the authors have a multi- to board aircraft, and the inconsistencies point plan that includes applying existing over passenger lists as published by the FBI. anti-monopoly laws, establishing hearings to Marrs takes a long, hard look at what is d ine fair medi hi lati happening in the USA today. With several lL ot mecia TP tecom iP recali ‘ations cern across all sectors, and decommercialising thousand people of Arab extraction in prison local TV news. It's an uphill battle, but a on.no grounds, and with the passing of the truly free press is essential for democracy. Freedom—a state of siege in which individ- ual freedom supposedly needs to be given away in the hope of being protected. Jim Marrs is a seasoned investigative draconian Patriot Act, the future for freedom doesn't look promising. It's happened before, and it's happening all over again as the powerful forces that stand to benefit from fear and war make their next frighten- ing moves on the Grand Chessboard. In his info-packed book that covers events in the lead-up to the War on Iraq, Marrs urges us to wake up to what's really going on. OUR MEDIA, NOT THEIRS: The Democratic Struggle Against Corporate Media by Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols Seven Stories Press, USA, 2002 ISBN 1-58322-549-8 (140pp pb) Availability: Seven Stories Press website, http://www.sevenstories.com lhe time is ripe for structural reform of the corporate media if democracy is to have a future in the United States, argue Robert McChesney and John Nichols in Our Media, Not Theirs. And while the authors acknowledge that there is already a growing movement against an increasingly undemoc- ratic mass media—as seen in a strengthening alternative media and the power of the Internet—they say it is imperative that citi- zens get involved in debate about media pol- icy and force decision-makers in Congress and the FCC to replace the corporate media—their media—with media that serve the people—our media. McChesney is a research professor in the Institute of Communications Research at the University of Illinois and the author of Rich Media, Poor Democracy, and Nichols is Washington correspondent for The Nation and author of Jews for Buchanan. This edi- tion is a fully revised and updated version of their 2000 book, It's the Media, Stupid, and includes a broad-picture new foreword by Prof. Noam Chomsky, while retaining the original forewords by feminist writer Barbara Ehrenreich and consumer activist Ralph Nader. The updates include brief analyses of the 9-11 attacks, the Enron col- lapse and the passing of the Patriot Act, and the corporate media's lamentable failure to provide a free flow of information and com- mentary on these watershed events. The authors summarise what's happening stateside and worldwide in view of today's media globalisation trend, and give some media awareness hope with recent examples from East Timor and Venezuela. To rescue media freedom, the authors have a multi- point plan that includes applying existing anti-monopoly laws, establishing hearings to determine fair media ownership regulations across all sectors, and decommercialising local TV news. It's an uphill battle, but a truly free press is essential for democracy. 70 * NEXUS www.nexusmagazine.com OCTOBER — NOVEMBER 2003