[JoeC]

Who to believe?

I'm sure things used to be simpler.

The bad guys had skulls on their uniforms or filmed themselves being awful. The good guys would happily take in child refugees and would then gather all the good guys and biff the baddies into submission before restoring their war-ravaged countries to better places.

Now we have a policy of not taking child refugees from countries that WE have bombed – a policy of our Primeminister who is also authorising the bombing attacks. We have a US president that is morally corrupt and will only engage with the world through threats. I can’t fathom Macron’s motivations.

Our foreign policy appears to be to simply lob a few cruise missiles every now and again into these war torn countries as a symbol of us taking the moral high ground.

Look at the state of Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria. We have blood on our hands.

I genuinely don’t trust any of the factions, not even the UK government - first time I have ever felt this.

[OCB]

Indeed, as I said, Fisk does often grate.

He seems to make a living - or least not being killed - by being deliberately contrary.

Its maybe just me - I see actual beauty in what he writes. Not admiration or noddy-head appreciation cos I think like he does (I don't), but like all decent journalism his writing adds a remarkable flavour to the mix. He writes from places that nobody else dares, and with an underlying panache - or arrogance depending how you see it.

As a Catholic of Scots/Irish upbringing - I read and listened to many things that the Right Reverend Ian Paisley said. An incredibly intelligent man, and someone I would have without doubt had one hell of a time debating with.

Just cos you have figured out someone's weaknesses - doesn't mean you have to ignore what they say.
The subtleties of old fashioned *press* journalism in the modern world, are quite honestly lost on the vast majority. How many people today read an article - then think *what about the stuff the author didn't say*.

[Paultheparaglider]

For forumites not well versed in the writings of philosophers, here is a quick round up:

[kanga]

Some of the sources of alternative accounts are adumbrated here. Forumites may, of course, judge for themselves their credibility compared to that of mainstream media

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-trending-43745629

[Pete L]

..

Fisk on site.. been in the ME for a very long time and seems, to me at least, to have the best “feel” for the place out of any Western mainstream journalist I know of.

he has decades of 'form' for seeming to be automatically, instinctively and swiftly ready to oppose or blame (in order) Israel, USA and UK for any development in the ME; and consequently appearing to defend any regime or group who are opposing any of these at any moment. This, to me (with many long-standing personal ME connexions in several countries and cultural/historical/language knowledge) gives him longevity but not necessarily credibility. Others, of course, may disagree.

Given that the coverage of the ME we get from the mainstream media has been unrealistically uniform (with the brief and honourable exception of The Independent in its early days) , I'm prepared to forgive Fisk a bit. McIntyre I reckon is the better journalist.

Just the simplest example: when should we refer to a national government as a regime or not?

[OCB]

McIntyre?
Presume you mean Donald Macintyre, Indy journo?

[Pete L]

Affirm. Blame age and gin.

[OCB]

Concat to age-gin???!!



since there is so much talk about the Commonwealth these days. and having worked in India, you gotta heap praise on those who realised that quinine’s anti-malarial properties sank well with a bit of sloe juice+ fizzy water