Sunday, September 02, 2007

Great Post from Israpundit

NYT: The Media’s “New IAEA Report Says Iran Is Not A Problem” Spin Is Basically A Lie

by Omri Ceren

Wrap your mind around this: the NYT is actually not burying the lede on the IAEA’s report of massive Iranian advancement in the development of weapons-grade nuclear material. Of course, just about everybody else has found an anti-American, pro-Iranian spin in the report: “yeah, but they’re slowing down the new ways that they’re violating UN resolutions”. But for some reason, not the NYT. Wonders never cease:


Iran is expanding its nuclear program in defiance of United Nations’
resolutions, even as it has promised to answer questions about an array of
suspicious nuclear activities in the past, the International Atomic Energy
Agency said Thursday. The assessment by the nuclear agency states that Iran is
now simultaneously operating nearly 2,000 centrifuges, the machines that produce
enriched uranium, at its vast underground facility at Natanz, an increase of
several hundred machines from three months ago. More than 650 additional
centrifuges are being tested or are under construction, the agency said.


Then they go on to say that the rate of increase is slowing, which they understand is not particularly comforting. If Iran keeps slowing down in how fast they’re violating UN sanctions, they might almost not be building any more centrifuges after they reach 25,000 or so! Super! But compare the NYT’s take - which does nothing except point out that Iran is continuing to engage in activities that violate UN sanctions, but is violating them in new ways more slowly - with the reports from other MSM sources:

AP: UN agency hails Iran’s nuclear progress
PRNewswire: Latest Report From IAEA on Iran: a Reason to Ratchet Down Threatening Rhetoric
IHT: U.S. and ElBaradei at odds over Iran’s nuclear program
Fars: IAEA Report Dismisses US Charges against Iran

The Fars report is expected of course. But it’s still kind of eerie on how the spin from most Western media sources exactly matches the spin of the Iranian state-controlled press. And by “eerie” we mean “predictable.” Then again, does the AP really count as “Western” any more?

Posted by Omri Ceren @ 4:51 pm ET


No comments:

Post a Comment