The War You Don't See
A powerful and timely investigation into the media's role in war, tracing the history of embedded and independent reporting from the carnage of World War One to the destruction of Hiroshima, and from the invasion of Vietnam to the current war in Afghanistan and disaster in Iraq.
As weapons and propaganda become even more sophisticated, the nature of war is developing into an electronic battlefield in which journalists play a key role, and civilians are the victims. But who is the real enemy?
John Pilger says in the film: "We journalists... have to be brave enough to defy those who seek our collusion in selling their latest bloody adventure in someone else's country... That means always challenging the official story, however patriotic that story may appear, however seductive and insidious it is.
For propaganda relies on us in the media to aim its deceptions not at a far away country but at you at home... In this age of endless imperial war, the lives of countless men, women and children depend on the truth or their blood is on us... Those whose job it is to keep the record straight ought to be the voice of people, not power."
tremendous work by pilger. especially admired how cool he kept himself as he asked hardball questions to high government officials used to a softball press, and pressed them to defend themselves.
we live in a horribly dystopian world, especially regarding western imperialism, militarism, and psychological corruption. tptb are ruthlessly violent and deceitful. propaganda plays a huge role, as does a dumbed down populace which acts as though it's allergic to critical thinking, especially when it up-ends a dogmatic worldview. brainwashed blue pill addicts (google 'red pill blue pill' to see what i mean), many with fascist tendencies, seeking a (mis)leader like donald j trump. on top of this, civilization is staring collapse in the face, though few perceive this, such is the level of ignorance and delusion, deceit and denial in dystopia. with near term human extinction also a dire threat, thanks to our heedless population growth, consumption, environmental destruction, and fossil fooled climate disruption, which, thanks to reinforcing positive natural feedback loops, looks to get out of control very soon if it isn't already.
It is sickening how blatantly full of cr@& these war mongers are. It's time that these military psychopaths defend the positions they defend without the use of jargon or by avoiding the questions asked. If they fully believe that this atrocious and unneccessary war is, in fact, legitamite then they need to start standing up for what they believe is right. In my opinion, it's obvious that the continual state of war we find our countries involved in is for the plain and simple purpose of profit, national(corporate and politician's) interests, and reasons I'm sure that I'm unaware of. There is no threat out there from any terrorist group an ocean away, the deaths each year that are commited by terrorists aren't any more significant that the deaths that occur from bee stings or lightining each year. Yet we aren't launching operations to combat stinging insects nor are we interested in taking action towards lessening the effects of any major cause of death in our countries. It's a racket, these murders are carried out in our(societies) name, and it's about time that we say enough is enough and start taking action within our own countries. If violence is required to be used against those who feed this "beast" then so be it. I'd love to think that there are means to make changes using non-violent means. However, I fear that the only way we can take back our countries from the current slobs that are and have been in charge for too long. Even back during the advent of democracy were people like Plato smart enough to understand that the governing body must be required to live humble lives without access to money. It was obvious that corruption would ensue if the governors of the state were, in any way, given a chance to enrich themselves as a result of political favor. Yet we openly allow SuperPAC's, lobbying, Corporations having the same rights of human beings, the revolving door that politicians/corporations share in their corrupt governance of many nations. I fear for our future and hope I live to see even a meaningful spark of change occur in any way.
Super media structures are owned by multi billionaires. And multi billionaires own weapon factories... so they need the fu... journalists to do the propaganda to sell wars and weapons... So simple.
In 1935 or so, the two time congressional medal of honor winning Major General Smedley Butler wrote a piece called "War Is a Racket". Last time I looked you can find it for free with a web search. Definitely worth the read from someone who did his homework and was in the thick of it.
Depending on those, who the political parties put in front of you, isn't getting the job done. Its 83 years later and things haven't improved; they've gotten worse. Government and war are both rackets.
@kimberley Armstrong: Hats off to those who see that the people themselves need to gather together apart from political parties in order to educate the rest. Although "young turks and RT" are not the places to go for unbiased news and information.
The everyday folk gathering together is the only way to take power away from the globalist-bankster-government-corporate-weasels. "government-Corporate" includes the military industrial complex, the corporate owned major media, etc. The only way to stop what they are doing to us is to take away their ability. That means clearing out the bankster corporate minions from government office.
When the people see to it incorruptible people are running in numbers from all parties, so no matter who the lazy minded major media watching bobble heads vote for, someone decent will get in. One or two decent folk won't do, need to clean the majority of congress and state legislators out.
I know some of them. They may vote for something good once but if their party threatens to fund and run someone else against them, they always vote for their job. This is exactly why 1 term limit is a necessity for ALL elected positions.
Politics is war to begin with. It is the politicians that vote for military spending. Propaganda reigns on both fronts. Nothing bad happens without government approval. So how is it so many still believe government is their friend and there to protect them?
There is a reason the founders of the usa desired limited government. More govt power = less power to the people = less freedom. For those who don't get it, Socialism = more govt = less freedom. If you think Capitalism is corrupt you haven't lived in a fully Socialist country.
More government will NOT prevent corruption or prevent bad things. Govt causes more corruption. Nothing bad happens without government approval.
How is it so many are duped into socialism, as if that would be without corruption and bad things? Govt school IS socialism and full of propaganda. Socialism is corrupt by its very nature. It is designed to get rid of the competition, be it in politics or business.
Suppose you come up with a better mousetrap. The big boys decide that better mouse trap would take money out of their pockets so you don't get a permit to build it. Socialists want to control it all in order to steal from you to give to themselves and dribble a little to buy votes with. The rest is just propaganda designed to fool those who are too lazy to do their homework.
Getting others to pay for your stuff IS CORRUPT at its core. Matters not what that stuff is or how bad you want it.
NAZI was a National Socialist party. You can see how the usa Socialists are very similar to the NAZIs in their words and actions. They believe "the ends justify the means" and lie, lie, lie, and lie some more, while calling everyone else liars. Similar to ISLAM who are instructed to lie to the infidel, not to mention sided with the NAZIs.
Then it should not be a surprise to see the globalist bankster minions importing Islamists around the world. Globalism = One world govt = Socialism-Communism. Pitting disparate groups in close proximity causes fear, distrust, conflict, and cries for more govt protection = more govt control = less freedom.
All because you are too lazy to see to it you don't have much better representation.
The propaganda global machine shown in this documentary is right now trying to take down American president Donald J. Trump.
kimberley Armstrong
This has surely been done many times and then along comes the "powers" to infiltrate it, take it over and lead it down another path.
The fact that USA is just an arm(military) of the powers that be must not be ignored.
They have no power to do anything without orders.
Rough McHewn
"And yes, I think that the Nobel Committee should rip the Peace Prize away from Obama and Kissinger and hand them to Pilger."
I doubt that would ever happen, as the Nobel Committee is probably funded by Obama's and Kissenger's masters.
Good people exist.
Excellent work from John Pilger and insightful interviews as always. Money continues to perpetuate the cycle of violence, and it is getting worse in the US. New York, is a major control center for a lot of this.
I'm the best!
I have this idea that ordinary folks could get together in teams or groups and make posters, flyers etc and at night go around city's and stick em up at bus stops. They can direct people to alternative news channels on YouTube like young turks, RT news Going underground etc or even blogs, websites. You could challeng mainstream media with real facts and figures that contrast with whatever they've printed that day??? Art that sends a message, makes people think?? I mean you could get real creative with it. Meet up with people each week and brainstorm together?? You could even build a really big group, expand club together and rent out a space and show documentarys from YouTube to the public. Hold discussion afterwards? I dunno like someone mentioned in one of the earlier posts. What is needed is ' A revolution of knowledge to awaken the masses'
Knowledge is power and I think us ordinary folk need to make it happen by getting out there!!
Thoughts?? Anyone??
Great documentary. Informative and moving. I liked how it was edited and pit together especially that part where it showed news shows talking about the 'evidence or incontrovertible proof' etc etc and then images of warfare, injured and maimed humans. That had quite an emotional punch in the gut. I think that's really important to make an emotional impact upon people as well as being informative. I actually think they could have gone a little further with the emotional side. I think that's how we get people to listen to what's going on I mean what REALLY going on in the world. Not what people want you to think. Anyways.... @reasons voice I chuckled with your comment about Bush " He was inarticulate and spastic under pressure" hahahha brilliant x
A comment made by Wayne "the independent news sources, however need to do a better job of becoming more obvious to the average citizen"
I kinda get what your saying. I know that you really have to go on the hunt and it takes a while to get to know and critique the good from the bizarre, ridiculous or conspiracy theory ?. So I'm wondering Wayne have you any ideas on what people could do or try to get things more out in the open??? Or anyone else?? Wanna add xx
It confirms what we have always believed. The election of a president does not mean too much. The war machines have a life of their own and since the campaigns of all politicians are financed by corporations which make billions in profit in the military industrial complex nothing will get done. . When you manufacture all those weapons you need to use them up so that you can make more. Obama has not control really. No matter who the people vote for their bidding will not be done.
I have advised my family that keeping careful watch on the system can only allow them to leave ahead of catastrophe. I don't want to live anywhere that war is their business but I am too old now to do much except warn others.
I just wanted to say that as long as this film is allowed to make its appearance again, its up to us the people who watched to re post it as much as we can on other sites, or anywhere else that lets you do that..This will never get time on PBS or any of the others, so this is the only way people will see it. This should be mandatory viewing for every American., but sadly most Americans will never see it...
Iraqi society today, thanks to American help, is defined by house raids, death squads, check points, detentions, curfews, blood in the streets, and constant violence..That's not democracy
Thank you John Pilger. With the US pushing a renewed "Cold War" to justify their unlimited military spending, it is good to be reminded how they constantly 'create' new "enemies" to keep the US and "Western" public in a state of fear so they will go along with any weapons program or attack on any targeted country.
With the hysteria currently being generated around the Autonomous Republic of Crimea voting overwhelming to reunify with Russia, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) has been running nonsense pieces about how NATO has been letting it's military wither away while the Russian bear is ramping up military spending and will soon overrun the Free World. A quick look-up of "World military spending by country" shows that NATO is outspending Russia by more than 10 to 1, while the USA alone spends almost as much on weapons as the rest of the world combined.
This film was obviously made before Edward Snowden made public the incredible extent of US and British spying on their own citizens, not mention the rest of the world. The Nazi Gestapo or Stalin's KGB could only dream about the NSA's ability to track the exact location most of the world's population minute by minute and secretly turn on the microphones on their phones at will. Not to mention reading all their mail, bering privy to their thoughts, watching what they look up on the internet (such as Johns' movie), and murdering people around the world with missile firing drones at the whim of the US president . . . .
they should all be put in prison all the lyers
We're in a system that directs our attention away from the extremes of this violence. Drawing attention towards it is the best thing we can do to disentangle ourselves. Thank you for this - you are brilliant.
John Pilger is a f*cking hero of journalism.
As far as I can tell, this film has been banned in the USA. Since when does a free and democratic society ban films? I have seen with my own eyes how it disappears from websites every time it gets posted. I know of one where it was posted twice on the same page. On one of the posts it says deleted by Vimeo. On the other it says film does not exist.
Yet it should be the responsibility of every American to see this film. As Americans you really need to ask why is someone making it so hard for you to see it? There are many answers, but I will give you the one that first comes to mind.
Scott Ritter was the UN weapons inspector that everyone saw in those reports about IRAQ not allowing the UN weapon's inspector to do his job before the US ever invaded that country. If you recall, that was one of the main reasons the Bush admin gave for justifying the invasion of Iraq. It was front page news at the time.
But here in this film you see Scott Ritter clearly in focus, freely and willingly, admitting that no one ever stopped him from doing his job.
The US plan to use Australia as their centralised base of operations for 'tackling' China.
- Pilger / Assange / Wiki Leaks
Why can't we bring charges upon media and their journalists for lying? Why shouldn't we charge the murderers with crimes against humanity and treason for deceiving the country and its laws?
unfortunate he says on the death of children !!!! What the f*** are these yanks but fascists!!
@ 31:52 "every site visited in 2003 (by a reporter) was still sealed from 1991"...we attacked, what we learned after the fact, to be a DEFENSELESS UN compliant sovereign country-Iraq. It is true in my humble estimation-Iraqi's were practically defenseless against a superpower like us led by the Bush admisitration...
Like joabkulnin I would like to download this film or even buy it but I cannot figure out how.
I want to download it but can't find a link. My connection is too slow to watch it online.