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Sunday, March 16

2008 Yellow Journalism Award goes to ABC News for smearing Angelina Jolie because she advised the US not to abandon Iraq

There have been many smear campaigns since the news media first got wind that the Bush administration was contemplating an invasion of Iraq. But I never thought I would see an American news organization stoop this low to go after an American who had gained worldwide respect for humanitarian work.

The ABC News smear is so cowardly and creepy it's as if they turned to their network's soap opera, Desperate Housewives, for tactical guidance on mounting this hit job:
"Is Angelina Driven to Be a Compulsive Mother? Need for Babies Can Signal Depression or Even Manipulation, Experts Say"
ABC was not content to insinuate that Jolie was mentally unstable; they also tossed in mention of every lurid detail from her past they could think of.

The report did mention in passing that Jolie "has been universally hailed for her humanitarian work" -- although it studiously avoided noting that she is a Goodwill Ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

ABC also neglected to mention that they knew Jolie had written an editorial for The Washington Post in which she advised against the US abandoning Iraq -- and that given her standing at the United Nations, her opinion would be seriously considered at the UN, and in Washington and other world capitals.

The ABC report also neglected to mention something else: They'd known since at least as early as the CNN February 7 interview with Jolie that her latest fact-finding trip to Iraq included talking with US officials about the need to provide enough security to help Iraq's 2.2 million internally displaced persons resettle in their homeland.

In other words, ABC had plenty of time to cook up a hit. Then they waited to see how far Jolie could take her plea; when they learned it was taken to one of the most influential newspapers in the world they threw shit at her, and without explaining to their audience why they did it.

I don't want to hear that ABC was only doing a tabloid piece, on the argument that the report came out the day before the Post published Jolie's editorial. ABC would have known from their contacts at the Post about the editorial.

And yes, I'm aware of Jake Tapper's blog at ABC News. It's virtually certain that Tapper, ABC News Senior National Correspondent, had nothing to do with the hit job. His February 29 comments about Jolie's editorial clearly indicate that he thought her op-ed deserved more attention from the news media than it had gotten. And he pointedly stated that he found the media silence about such an important story to be "weird."

The irony is that Tapper's own news organization had given the op-ed great attention but not in the way he intended.

That's my limit to mucking around in a sewer. Here's the complete transcript of the CNN interview with Jolie in Baghdad. (See above link for the CNN broadcast on the interview.) And here is Jolie's op-ed (see the WaPo page for linked references):
Staying to Help in Iraq
By Angelina Jolie
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Washington Post

We have finally reached a point where humanitarian assistance, from us and others, can have an impact.

The request is familiar to American ears: "Bring them home."

But in Iraq, where I've just met with American and Iraqi leaders, the phrase carries a different meaning. It does not refer to the departure of U.S. troops, but to the return of the millions of innocent Iraqis who have been driven out of their homes and, in many cases, out of the country.

In the six months since my previous visit to Iraq with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, this humanitarian crisis has not improved. However, during the last week, the United States, UNHCR and the Iraqi government have begun to work together in new and important ways.

We still don't know exactly how many Iraqis have fled their homes, where they've all gone, or how they're managing to survive. Here is what we do know: More than 2 million people are refugees inside their own country -- without homes, jobs and, to a terrible degree, without medicine, food or clean water. Ethnic cleansing and other acts of unspeakable violence have driven them into a vast and very dangerous no-man's land. Many of the survivors huddle in mosques, in abandoned buildings with no electricity, in tents or in one-room huts made of straw and mud. Fifty-eight percent of these internally displaced people are younger than 12 years old.

An additional 2.5 million Iraqis have sought refuge outside Iraq, mainly in Syria and Jordan. But those host countries have reached their limits. Overwhelmed by the refugees they already have, these countries have essentially closed their borders until the international community provides support.

I'm not a security expert, but it doesn't take one to see that Syria and Jordan are carrying an unsustainable burden. They have been excellent hosts, but we can't expect them to care for millions of poor Iraqis indefinitely and without assistance from the U.S. or others. One-sixth of Jordan's population today is Iraqi refugees. The large burden is already causing tension internally.

The Iraqi families I've met on my trips to the region are proud and resilient. They don't want anything from us other than the chance to return to their homes -- or, where those homes have been bombed to the ground or occupied by squatters, to build new ones and get back to their lives. One thing is certain: It will be quite a while before Iraq is ready to absorb more than 4 million refugees and displaced people. But it is not too early to start working on solutions. And last week, there were signs of progress.

In Baghdad, I spoke with Army Gen. David Petraeus about UNHCR's need for security information and protection for its staff as they re-enter Iraq, and I am pleased that he has offered that support. General Petraeus also told me he would support new efforts to address the humanitarian crisis "to the maximum extent possible" -- which leaves me hopeful that more progress can be made.

UNHCR is certainly committed to that. Last week while in Iraq, High Commissioner António Guterres pledged to increase UNHCR's presence there and to work closely with the Iraqi government, both in assessing the conditions required for return and in providing humanitarian relief.

During my trip I also met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who has announced the creation of a new committee to oversee issues related to internally displaced people, and a pledge of $40 million to support the effort.

My visit left me even more deeply convinced that we not only have a moral obligation to help displaced Iraqi families, but also a serious, long-term, national security interest in ending this crisis.

Today's humanitarian crisis in Iraq -- and the potential consequences for our national security -- are great. Can the United States afford to gamble that 4 million or more poor and displaced people, in the heart of Middle East, won't explode in violent desperation, sending the whole region into further disorder?

What we cannot afford, in my view, is to squander the progress that has been made. In fact, we should step up our financial and material assistance. UNHCR has appealed for $261 million this year to provide for refugees and internally displaced persons. That is not a small amount of money -- but it is less than the U.S. spends each day to fight the war in Iraq. I would like to call on each of the presidential candidates and congressional leaders to announce a comprehensive refugee plan with a specific timeline and budget as part of their Iraq strategy.

As for the question of whether the surge is working, I can only state what I witnessed: U.N. staff and those of non-governmental organizations seem to feel they have the right set of circumstances to attempt to scale up their programs. And when I asked the troops if they wanted to go home as soon as possible, they said that they miss home but feel invested in Iraq. They have lost many friends and want to be a part of the humanitarian progress they now feel is possible.

It seems to me that now is the moment to address the humanitarian side of this situation. Without the right support, we could miss an opportunity to do some of the good we always stated we intended to do.

Angelina Jolie, an actor, is a UNHCR goodwill ambassador.

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