Unauthorized Disclosure

Gregory Shupak, author of "The Wrong Story: Palestine, Israel, and the Media," joins the show to discuss his book that sharply critiques how establishment and left-of-center media cover the Israeli military occupation.

He organizes his criticism into three categories: how the media promotes this idea that "both sides" are equally responsible for violence, how the media pushes this idea that all would be resolved if extremists were eliminated from power, and how the media argue Israel has a right to defend itself to justify any sort of warfare against Palestinians.

Later, Shupak talks about recent examples of media coverage because this past week Israel launched more air strikes on Gaza.











 

Direct download: S5E37.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:17am EDT

It feels like it was way, way more than a month since host Rania Khalek was last heard from on "Unauthorized Disclosure." Finally, she is done making mini-documentaries and was able to do a show again.

Both Khalek and Kevin Gosztola discuss the 2018 midterm elections, including ballot initiatives that passed. They criticize the Democrats for not doing more to fight voter suppression and talk about how they lost several seats in the U.S. Senate.

Aside from the elections, they recap some of what they missed an opportunity to talk about in October. Both also have good rants in response to CNN's Jim Acosta, who had his White House press pass revoked.

Direct download: S5E36.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:28am EDT

Joanildo Burity is a lead researcher at the Social Research Institute at Fundação Joaquim Nabuco. He is near the east coast of Brazil. His work involves research projects and post-graduate teaching in the areas of Brazilian and Latin American politics and religion and politics.

During the interview, Burity provides his initial analysis for why the far-right candidate, Jair Bolsonaro, was able to win the election. He provides a brief rundown of what led up to the election, which includes mention of the police forces that were deployed to universities to investigate election materials that teachers unions were sharing.

He talks about the issue of how Brazil's democracy is young and faces a particular threat to its institutions, as well as the threats posed to the Amazon rain forest and other natural lands that Bolsonaro is intent to sell off to mining or logging corporations. He describes the threat to workers and their livelihoods.

Finally, Burity shares his views on whether or not Brazil could return to military dictatorship (whether the threat is real) and notes the role the American right, including Steve Bannon, played in Bolsonaro's rise to power.

Direct download: S5E35edit.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:59am EDT

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