The PR war: Have your say

My inbox this morning had an email from Adbusters. I <3 Adbusters. This is why:

 

Jammers, creatives, meme warriors,

As the bombs continue to rain down on Gaza, frustration with the Western media’s coverage of the war is mounting. Referring to the same event, for example, the International Herald Tribunecarried the straightforward headline “Israeli Mortars Kill 40 Palestinian Refugees,” while CNN ran the headline “Israel: Hamas Mortars Prompted Attack Near UN School.” A public relations war is taking place alongside the bloody conflict and, for the moment, the Palestinians are losing it – badly.

Don’t sit on the sidelines. Our 80,000-strong network can throw its weight behind Gaza in this propaganda war. Here are two things you can do right now:

1. Forward the following article and video link to as many people as possible. Make sure your friends and family hear from you on this issue.
   Link to Article:
   Who Is Winning the PR War? 
   http://www.adbusters.org/
   Link to Video:
   Israeli strikes hit UN schools – 06 Jan 09
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rGOWkWYqJ4
2. Make a donation to UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency). The money will be used to provide much needed help to the Palestinians once the fighting is over.
    
3. Send us any links, stories, memes or images that you think might help us continue the fight. Email: campaigns@adbusters.org 
   Twitter: http://twitter.com/adbusters

Where does defense stop and aggression begin? Where is the line between proportionate retaliation and collective punishment? Is the media telling you what you need to know?

I strongly suggest reading the article and watching the video. And if you have any pictures you’d like to send, the email is listed above. As most of us know, CNN and the Washington Post, for example, provide very biased coverage. Flip between Al Jazeera International and CNN, for example. This isn’t new. And that is exactly why we shouldn’t stay silent over it.

In the one post I wrote about Hamas I tried very hard to provide the other side of the story. Their side of the story, to be specific. How well I fared is questionable, but I found commentator summed it up beautifully and concisely:

Hamas is one of the last castles of the free world who dare to say NO to the hegemony of the tyrants, and who dare to defend their country and fellow citizens with the minimum they possess, their sole power is their strong belief in their cause.
I believe that Hamas really deserves the respect of all the free people of the world in a time when free and brave people are a scarce currency.
                                                                -Anonymous 

That is why I support Hamas. Because how can I blame the those who stay silent (including the Arab world) in one breath and on the next condemn the only people actually taking action? 

Two more great articles are by Robert Fisk: Why do they hate the West so much, we will ask and The rotten state of Egypt is too powerless and corrupt to act. You gotta respect Fisk.