Mediachannel.org

DOHA, QATAR February 5: World be warned: the modern centurions in the Pentagon have finally surfaced their plans for “long war,” a “defense” posture designed to put the United States on a permanent global war without end footing. The announcement was greeted in the Arab World-where I have just spent a week– with a “ho-hum” response as if to say ‘so what’s new?”

O manatuaga i lenei vaega o le lalolagi e umi ma toe foʻi i le sauā o faʻalavelave faʻafuaseʻi ma le faʻatupuina o le pulega a Sisifo talu ai nei. O se tetee a le au Musalimi i Peretania e tetee atu ai i ata tifaga na ulagia ai le Perofeta o Mohammad na toe faaigoa le BBC, The "British Broadcasting Crusaders." O nisi o vaega i totonu o tolauapiga a tagata sulufai Palesitina na valaau atu ia Osama bin Laden mo le tauimasui e pei lava ona fautuaina e le tele o taʻitaʻi mafaufau, e aofia ai ma i latou mai Hamas, le taofiofi.

O le toʻatele o tagata Arapi e talitonu o loʻo latou i ai i se taua umi ma le itu i sisifo, ua faʻaleagaina faʻaleaganuʻu i la tatou lomitusi, i lalo o osofaʻiga faaletino i Iraq, ma faʻamataʻu fou i Iran. E manatu le toʻatele o loʻo faia e le itu i sisifo o ni tamaiti e tatau ona aʻoaʻoina pe sasa i taimi uma. Ua patipati i latou i le o atu i le palota ae o lea ua toso mai fesoasoani mai fafo ona o le sese o le palota.

A Danish media exercise in free speech last September that many in the West dismiss as no big thing, has been followed by pro-forma calls on Arabs who protest to become more thick-skinned and “get over it.” After all, it is argued, it’s only an illustration by one man

Sa i ai i nisi itu se fa'amamafa fa'apa'iaina e fa'apea o le sa'olotoga e le fa'asalaina o le au fa'asalalau e fa'amaoni e aunoa ma le iloa tele o tu ma aga o lo'o vevesi e le o ni sosaiete e iai tu ma aga fa'apalepale. (Faamata e ese le tali atu pe ana fai o katuni e fa'ailoga lanu po'o le fa'a-Semitic?)

O se felafolafoaiga mataʻutia o loʻo vevesi nei ona o loʻo osofaʻia e le au Amepasa Tenimaka e tagata o loʻo faʻaogaina le mataupu e togi ai 'ai e faia ai ni nai faʻailoga e uiga i tagata i Sisifo e pei ona faia e le tusiata e uiga i le Perofeta o Mohammad. O le tele o tagata Arapi o loʻo luʻitauina a latou lava aganuu. Na faia e Sheik Hamza Yusuf se lauga i Doha fai mai e tasi le tagata na faia se ata faavalevalea, e tuuaia ai se malo atoa e le tutusa ma le le faa-Islam. E tusa ai ma se blogger sa i ai iina, na ia faapea mai foi, "E tatau ia i tatou o Mosalemi ona fesili ifo ia i tatou lava po o le a se mea na tatou faia e uunaia ai tagata e tusi se ata o le Perofeta faapena, ma sili atu i se tulaga faapena."

I se faʻasalalauga, na faia ai e England's Guardian ni faʻaaliga manino: "E talitonu le Guardian ma le le faʻafefeteina i le saʻolotoga e faʻaalia ae e le o soʻo se tiute e faatiga fua. O se mea e faaosoosoina ai le toe faia o se seti o ata e leai se aoga e mafua ai le sili ona leaga o le faailoga tagata e uiga i Mosalemi.” (I le avea ai ma faʻasalalauga faʻasalalauga, na toe lolomi e le Mediachannel ia ata e faʻaalia ai se talanoaga loloto, o se filifiliga ou te le fiafia i ai.)

O ata tifaga lava latou na pa'i atu i se neura ua leva ona mata ma o se faailoga o se va tele i manatu ua faasolosolo ina lautele.

Perhaps that’s why the Al Jazeera Media forum I attended here in Qatar began with a debate about what role the media should play. Should we in the media try to bridge the divides that lead to hate and conflict or should we just report them? Should media outlets intentionally or unintentionally incite confrontations? Can media irresponsibility be defended in the name of press freedom?

E i ai se isi auala?

I tua atu o veli o tamaitai ma tua atu o le ita o alii i le lalolagi Arapi o loo i ai se vaaiga i le lalolagi o loo atagia mai ia latou ala o faasalalauga ae o loo misi ia tatou. O se taunuuga, o latou faʻavaa i luga o talafou e ese lava ma o latou lagona e uiga i mea o loʻo i tua o le le talitonuina uma. Ia manatua foi o sosaiete Arapi e sili atu ona faapolokiki nai lo tatou lava.

I le tusiaina o lenei vaiaso i le Beirut's Daily Star, na taʻua ai e le tusitala faaaloalogia o Rami C. Khouri se suʻesuʻega a le Iunivesite o Maryland e uiga i uiga i le lalolagi Arapi e faʻaalia ai o loʻo faʻateleina le ita i faiga faʻavae a Amerika e oʻo lava i atunuu o loʻo faʻatasi ma le US.

"O se tasi o mea taua na maua," o lana tusi lea. 'O tagatanuu Arapi ea e tusa ma le 75% e le'i talitonu o le faatemokalasi o le sini moni lea o taumafaiga a Amerika e faʻalauiloa le toe fuataʻiga ma suiga i le lalolagi Arapi. O le toatele o tagata Arapi na talitonu o mafuaaga autu o faiga faavae a Amerika i Sasaʻe Tutotonu 'o le suauu, puipuia o Isaraelu, puleaina le itulagi, ma le faʻavaivaia o le lalolagi Muslim.

For many, the litmus test of Washington’s professions is how it deals with Hamas which swept a Parliamentary election in Palestine. Already the US is, in effect, collectively punishing a whole people who voted for a party that ran on a “change and reform” program. One Al Jazeera reporter quipped to me, “I thought Bush supported faith-based politics.”

In an essay titled “Yes to a Just Peace” in Dubai’s Khaleej Times, Khaled Mishaal, head of the political bureau of Hamas, lashes out at governments which “failed the test of democracy” by their refusal to accept the will of Palestinian voters by cutting off aid. He says Hamas is willing to seek peace “based on justice.” He insists they do not hate Jews as Jews but rather oppose Israeli policies and practices. “Our conflict with you is not religious,” he says, “but political.” This approach has many adherents in the region even among those that do not support terrorism of any kind by any party to the conflict.”

O lea ua tatou toe o atu, a o toe faatupu vevesi, ma ua toe avea Palesitina i le ogatotonu. O le sasaaina o le suauu i luga o le afi o ni ata faʻaosooso ma le faʻafefe o loʻo tuʻufaʻatasia ai Mosalemi o loʻo fevaevaeaʻi i le tele o mataupu faʻapolokiki ae latou te lagona o se tiute e puipuia a latou tapuaiga mai le le faʻaaloalo. E le o le taimi ea mo le paleni moni ma le eseesega o vaaiga i a tatou ala o faasalalauga? Nai lo le tali atu i le taufaifai ma le tele o le taufaaleaga, e tatau ona tatou manaʻomia le tele o faʻamatalaga faʻamatalaga loloto ma faʻaitiitia le faʻataʻitaʻiga.

Na taia aʻu e le tele o leo Arapi i le Al Jazeera Forum oe na maitauina e itiiti le saolotoga o le aufaasālalau ma le avanoa mo le faʻaalia o manatu uma i le US i le tele oa tatou faʻasalalauga nai lo latou i totonu o latou sosaiete. Latou te vaʻavaʻai i la matou aufaasālalau o loʻo taofia tagata Amerika e leʻi iloa e toetoe lava o le mamanu.

O le ta'usalaina e Amy Goodman o le Democracy Now e uiga i lipoti o taua na faʻapipiʻiina e pei o faʻamatalaga a Allister Sparks o Aferika i Saute e faʻapea o le aufaasālalau a Amerika ua oʻo i se tulaga maualalo pe a oʻo i le taimi e faʻasalalau ai le lalolagi.

As fresh revelations emerge about President Bush’s deliberate deceptions in collusion with Tony Blair in warring on Iraq, key information never reported at the time, the reality of our “failed press” is becoming more and more evident.

Ole tele o "tala fou" e tatau ona toe faʻaigoaina "le tuai"

“News Dissector” Danny Schechter edits Mediachannel.org. His latest books are “When News Lies” and “The Death of the Media.” See newsdissector.org/store.htm. Comments to dissector@medichannel.org