By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, September 9 -- On Syria on Sunday morning, CBS breathlessly announced that Charlie Rose had interviewed Bashar al Assad. But they wouldn't show any of it until Monday morning.
At 7 am Monday, there is was: Assad asking Rose to tell Obama and Kerry to show their evidence to the public.
Rose replied, as in elementary school, You don't show your evidence.
But who's the one who said he'd make a public case? CBS flashed to a current opinion poll for bombing Syria. Can the number by brought up, Sweeps Weeks style, for a vote in the House of Representatives next week?
(Nor does Charlie show his interview: Monday morning was only an excerpt, the rest withheld until Monday night on PBS and, it seems, Bloomberg Television.)
Predictably, Assad brought up Colin Powell's evidence-show to the Security Council before the US went into Iraq. Powell has written that he regrets that, but can't do anything now. Who in today's Sweeps Week may feel that way later?
CBS showed a clip of John Kerry in the UK citing social media -- verified by "technology," of course -- as proving who used chemical weapons.
From the UN, after @InnerCityPress was named one of two"Twitterati 100" covering the UN by Foreign Policy magazine, and after InnerCityPress.com ran articles questioning how the US is doling out information and questions to those on the UN Correspondents Association Executive Committee who sponsored a faux "UN briefing" by Saudi sponsored Syria rebel boss Jarba, those insiders launched two counterfeit social media accounts.
The goal is confusion - they've followed diplomats, reporters and others, including a Western "humanitarian" NGO communications chief who has retweeted obviously counterfeit messages, knowingly or unknowingly -- and to undermine Inner City Press and questions being asked. But questions and reporting will continue. Watch this site.
