Media Lens - History and Methodology

History and Methodology

By the late 1990s, David Edwards had gradually come to the conclusion that a "media suppression of the truth about the effect of the sanctions against Iraq existed, and media indifference to climate change: "the media were still celebrating the idea that Britain might soon be blessed with a Mediterranean climate." Meanwhile, Cromwell had found the coverage of certain issues "paltry" and had received a negligible response from the newspapers he had written to.

The two men first met in 1999, and Edwards suggested beginning a collaborative website. The website is maintained by webmaster Oliver Maw, and is financed through voluntary subscription and donations from grant-funding bodies. Jonathan Cook, a sympathetic journalist who covers the Middle East, has also contributed articles. Their media alerts are distributed without charge by email to a reported international readership of around 14,000 people.

The editors of Media Lens assert that "the corporate media is the source of some of the greatest, most lethal illusions of our age". Central to Media Lens analyses is the 'Propaganda model' identified with Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky, developed in their book Manufacturing Consent (1988). This attempts to demonstrate systemic bias in the media in terms of structural economic causes proposing that news passes through five conceptual filters before publication. Chomsky himself has commended Media Lens, who have "performed a major public service by carrying out this task with energy, insight and care". Edwards has also cited Erich Fromm, who thought "a society that subordinates people and planet to profit is inherently insane and toxic", and his practice of Buddhism as influences.

In Cromwell and Edwards' opinion, western government actions have followed ""a historical pattern of deception that dates back" for several centuries. According to them, journalists articulate an "'official' version of events ... as Truth. The testimony of critical observers and participants" and "especially those on the receiving end of Western firepower - are routinely marginalised, ignored and even ridiculed." The editors though explicitly reject accusations that their arguments take the form of conspiracy theories. According to Cromwell: “there is, of course, no conspiracy. It is more subtle, powerful and pervasive than that”. A former supporter though, the philosopher Rupert Read, has criticised their reliance on source material written by academics such as Michel Chossudovsky, who Read argues is a conspiracy theorist, an opinion shared by Times journalist Oliver Kamm.

In the opinion of the Media Lens editors, mainstream journalists gradually absorb an unquestioning corporate mindset as their careers progress, becoming unwilling to question their own occupations or governments claims, rather than consciously lying. In a statement 'About Us' they observe: "We all have a tendency to believe what best suits our purpose; highly paid, highly privileged editors and journalists are no exception." Media Lens believes liberals are susceptible to "liberal propaganda persuading them of the 'basic reasonableness and respectability of the US-UK government position'". In their view, the liberal wing of the mainstream media are gatekeepers "of acceptable debate from a left or Green perspective, 'thus far and no further.'" They assert that in a corporate system dissidenting views have difficulty gaining attention. In a twitter exchange, Times journalist David Aaronovitch commented that Glenn Greenwald's support for the group would be the equivalent of "Your funeral" in the impact it would have on his career.

Peter Beaumont, foreign affairs editor of The Observer, on the other hand considers them "controlling Politburo lefties who insist that the only acceptable version of the truth is theirs alone and that everybody else should march to the same step and sing the same (old party) song". In Beaumont's opinion Media Lens does not engage in dialogue with their targets, rather they exploit the media to create a virtual soap box for their opinions.

In regular Media Alerts, the editors (and other contributors) highlight what they see as incidents of bias, encouraging email campaigns from their supporters. The editors frequently engage in email exchanges with British journalists. Media Lens hosts a message board and a discussion forum, used for political and media issues. According to Peter Beaumont though, their email campaigns amount to contact from "a train spotters' club run by Uncle Joe Stalin". Guardian journalist Michael White at the end of an article in January 2012 addressed Media Lens directly: "Times are tough for all media, including the liberal media. Bear it in mind, comrades: who would you have to attack if we weren't there?"