Left I on the News
@leftiblog
Followers
12,501
Following
338
Media
12,490
Statuses
72,571
Socialist anti-imperialist activist, real name Steve Patt. Media commentary & more since 2003 @lefti .blogspot.com & Twitter. Birder, ultrarunner, 🇨🇺 activist
California (Bay Area)
Joined March 2009
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
Explore trending content on Musk Viewer
Happy 4th
• 1145636 Tweets
Labour
• 794829 Tweets
Kendrick
• 236331 Tweets
Messi
• 197644 Tweets
Ecuador
• 179068 Tweets
Not Like Us
• 171803 Tweets
Corinthians
• 126930 Tweets
Corbyn
• 94616 Tweets
Vitória
• 57326 Tweets
Whitney
• 51619 Tweets
Enzo
• 47844 Tweets
Dibu
• 39322 Tweets
Julián
• 36941 Tweets
Enner
• 33303 Tweets
Estevão
• 28481 Tweets
Rony
• 28449 Tweets
De Paul
• 28125 Tweets
Lisandro
• 27850 Tweets
Renato
• 25398 Tweets
Licha
• 25370 Tweets
Cuti
• 24177 Tweets
#BeALifeSaver
• 17906 Tweets
#DesafioXX
• 16798 Tweets
Scaloni
• 15172 Tweets
Caicedo
• 14399 Tweets
Montiel
• 13748 Tweets
#يوم_Iلجمعه
• 13497 Tweets
Molina
• 12943 Tweets
Gabi Xavier
• 12476 Tweets
Paez
• 10512 Tweets
Di María
• 10253 Tweets
nico gonzalez
• 10051 Tweets
Pinned Tweet
My discussion with
@cmg
of
@CABulletin
about media bias in coverage of the Israeli war against the Palestinian people, covering three categories: general bias, mis/disinformation by commission (lying), and misinformation by omission. All three very common.
5
15
47
If cops shoot tear gas at you, that’s “crowd control”, but if you pick it up and throw it back, that’s “assault with a deadly weapon”. Got it.
274
45K
99K
Gonna’ keep writing this every day. Israel still claiming “1400” dead. Why can Gaza, under relentless bombardment, produce a detailed, up-to-date list of more than 8000 of Israel’s victims, but Israel, after 3 weeks, still can’t produced a list of the alleged 1400 dead?
178
7K
21K
LAPD has killed more people this week than Cuban police have in a decade. But sure, let’s sanction Cuba for the way their cops treat citizens. 🙄
50
2K
11K
Rather shocking statements from CNN’s Clarissa Ward, who says PIJ rockets wouldn’t cause this much damage, and notes that the IDF has lied before.
262
3K
9K
Unbelievable footage of Kibbutz Be’eri aired by Fox News tonight. Unbelievable because it is impossible to view this footage without realizing that the damage you’re seeing was caused by the IDF, not Hamas. Yet not a word of that, even of the possibility it happened, was spoken.
190
3K
7K
The fact that Israel took, or more accurately claims to have taken, 5 weeks to realize that 200 dead bodies were actually Hamas militants is preposterous. They covered it up because knowing that leads directly to the conclusion that burned Israeli bodies were also killed by IDF…
85
2K
6K
Imagine if the media used “US-backed” like they use “Iran-backed”.
“US-backed Israeli forces bombed Syria today.”
“US-backed protesters rioted in Hong Kong yesterday.”
“US-backed neo-Nazi forces overthrew the Ukrainian government today.”
“US-backed coup fails in Venezuela.”
62
1K
3K
MSNBC reporter talking about Rafah & mentions the Nakba in which “Palestinians feel, & this is debated, that they were forced from their homes.” 🤦🏻♂️😡
415
781
3K
CNN with a story claiming Russia is stealing Ukrainian grain. You know what story CNN has never covered? The US stealing Syrian oil.
96
894
3K
The only list known to me, at Ha’aretz, currently shows 901 names, many without ages. And no breakdown as to babies, children, women, elderly, or military/police. After three weeks! WHAT IS ISRAEL HIDING?
19
350
3K
Cuba & Venezuela offered aid to the US in response to Hurricane Katrina. Venezuela offered 2 mobile hospital units, 120 rescue & 1st aid workers & 50 tons of food. Cuba offered 1586 trained, equipped & totally self-sufficient medical personnel. The US refused to allow the aid in.
15
929
2K
David Muir much further than 6 feet from Donald Trump, totally appropriate since Trump is such a blowhard.
72
198
2K
Following up, host Alex Witt asks, if Palestinians are forced to leave, “will they have the right to return to their homes”? Interesting question, Alex! Possibly the first time those words have been uttered by a mainstream American journalist in decades.
13
141
2K
WaPo admits that much of the damage to “civilian” targets in Ukraine may be the result of Ukraine’s strategy (strategy!) of placing heavy military equipment in civilian areas, thus turning them into legitimate targets (those last two words are deliberately omitted, but implied).
95
611
2K
Propaganda isn’t often large things like “Iraq has WMD”. More often it’s small things, like unnecessarily telling readers Ukraine is a “democracy” and that Russia’s invasion was “unprovoked”. The reader is not supposed to even think about those words, just to absorb them.
57
467
2K
@aaronjmate
@SecBlinken
Just a coincidence that someone else blew up the pipeline giving the US a “tremendous strategic opportunity”. 🤷♂️
23
128
2K
Chile — 42 dead
Hong Kong — one guy who was attacking a cop with a metal pipe shot in the shoulder
Guess which situation got the bigger headlines in US media?
16
528
2K
Israel frequently sends rescue teams to other countries to pull people from rubble from earthquakes. It is inconceivable they haven’t already retrieved every single body of those who were killed in Israel (unlike Gaza, where there may be 1000 or more still to be found).
1
140
2K
More solidarity with fire victims from Cuba than from Trump.
Our condolences to relatives and friends of fire victims in California, Oregon and Washington State. Solidarity with first responders and local authorities dealing with these tragic events
4
99
270
6
192
2K
And this is separate from the question of how many of the Israeli dead were actually killed by Israeli forces executing the “Hannibal Directive”. There are evidence that many were, but it’s impossible to put a figure on it with known evidence, which Israel is no doubt hiding.
4
176
2K
@Dock_Currie
After 3 weeks they’re still **500** short of the alleged total. And yet no reporter raises the slightest question about the alleged 1400 number. Compare that to how quickly they jumped all over the initial claims about Al-Ahli Hospital, which now appears was a mistranslation.
6
132
1K
“Russia’s CLAIM that it captured Mariupol”. 🤦♂️ Jesus Christ the propaganda gets more heavy-handed every day.
40
183
1K
For a guy who changed $2000 checks into $1400 checks & $50,000 student loan forgiveness into the possibility of $10,000 forgiveness (but only if Congress agrees), Biden sure uses the word “bold” a lot.
51
324
1K
Pointing out again—the attempted coup in Venezuela has not had the power to seize a single government building, military barracks, or anything typically associated with a coup. It has one & only one strength—the backing of imperialism. This is not a Guaidó coup, this is a US coup
18
436
1K
No one, I repeat no one, reporting the story actually believes the ridiculous claim that Russia bombed its own POW prison. The purpose of that story is simply to allow people to think it’s an open question for a day or two until the story disappears from the news.
27
208
1K
I’m pretty sure someone you’re having a conversation with is not “missing” 🤷♂️
16
72
823
This is vile slander. Cuban doctors told people that medical services would be cut off if Maduro lost. That wasn’t a threat, it was a prediction. Bolsonaro expelled Cuban doctors after his election; VZ right-wing will do the same if it takes power.
21
324
749
Hey
@TreyYingst
, care to explain how the damage you aired tonight could possibly have been caused by a bunch of guys with AK-47s and other light weaponry?
13
84
802
Never forgive, never forget. This is psychopathic.
How sick are these people?
Former US Vice President
@Mike_Pence
writing a message on US weapons that will be dropped on civilians in Gaza.
The people in the pic are smiling and taking photos like it's a pizza party.
Shame on them.
@CIJ_ICJ
@UN_HRC
@UN
2K
12K
21K
17
373
800
Colbert’s audience of liberals cheering wildly last night for the suicide (or was it murder?) truck bombing of the Kerch Bridge. Propaganda is ubiquitous, and its effects are powerful.
29
116
770
…And that conclusion is one they have kept the Western mainstream media from reporting for six weeks now. It’s all an attempt to disarm opposition to their genocidal killing spree by keeping pressure from building up on Western politicians.
2
117
726
Unbelievable! NO mention of Sy Hersh, NO mention of how the West squelched an independent UN investigation, & MULTIPLE references to the absurd idea that Russia did it. And the only suggestion it might be the US a vague reference to “a Western nation”.
12
125
675
I feel it necessary to point out that 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑠 𝑎𝑔𝑜 the ICJ ordered Israel to stop killing Palestinians 𝑖𝑚𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑦. Not only did Israel not comply with that order, AFAIK they didn’t even comply with the order to submit a 30-day progress report.
28
362
690
Has anyone read or heard the words “decapitated Palestinian kids” in mainstream Western news reports? I certainly haven’t.
12
222
626
As someone who was born after WWII, I can honestly say that no veteran who served in any war during my lifetime has ever done a single thing to protect my “freedom” or my freedom of speech or any other right I have. If anything they (under orders) have put those rights at risk.
24
122
597
CNN running a piece on its reporters being denied entry into Nicaragua. No surprise given headlines like this. As usual, “global” in this case means “the US and its imperialist allies”.
23
108
566
@SZunes
7, of which 3 have populations that could fit in a phone booth. Only 4 of any significance, of which two are the US and Israel. They couldn’t even keep the UK onboard.
17
45
599
Here’s how the NYT described forcing down Evo Morales’ plane in 2013—it was just “rerouted”! Forcing a plane down by denying it permission to continue flying on its planned route (the one for which it has sufficient fuel) is sooo different than forcing it down with a bomb threat.
11
174
532
The people behind "Zone of Interest" with a strong statement against the genocide in Gaza & the misuse of the Holocaust to justify it. What heartens me is not just the statement, but the significant positive reception they get from the audience.
#CeasefireNow
16
170
581
Tom Friedman, pretty much correct for once! (though not for the reasons he thinks)
4
38
545
@TreyYingst
And
@TreyYingst
, why did it take 2 1/2 months before you got to Kibbutz Be’eri to film this? It’s been there this whole time.
6
50
555
Just to repeat something I wrote days ago — if there was no other way to tell those dead bodies were Hamas militants, the fact that A) those bodies had guns next to them; & B) there were 200 more men in the kibbutzes than actually lived there, should have been a clue.
5
80
552
NYT follows up its scurrilous Johanna Hausmann video with a ridiculous op-ed by Julio Borges, another Venezuelan opposition leader. The full-court press by the US establishment to overthrow another country is on. No accusation is too inane.
24
170
469
Read carefully. 7 more Palestinian kids killed. Not in Gaza. IN THE WEST BANK.
Israeli forces have killed 7 Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank in the last 24 hours. All were killed in the context of demonstrations across the West Bank as Israeli forces use intentional lethal force to repress Palestinian protests.
36
2K
3K
0
227
502
AP calls the elected leaders of Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua “authoritarian”. You know where AP didn’t use that word? In their article 2 days ago about Biden’s potential visit to Saudi Arabia, where its leader was described respectfully as “Crown Prince”.
5
135
467
The claim that Russia started the war with the aim of taking over the entirety of Ukraine is now simply a truism in Western media, not to be questioned. It’s part of the attempt to convince Western audiences that Russia is “losing”, despite now occupying 1/5 of the country.
34
94
424
What part of the “rules-based international order” allows the US to establish military bases in other countries without the permission of the internationally-recognized government of that country?
9
129
431
Look at the way ABC frames the Venezuela story. They don’t even concede that the two American mercenaries were captured, despite running footage showing them! But they’ll report any scurrilous, evidence-free charges against VZ from Trump or Pompeo without even questioning them.
13
157
403
He killed two members of the Basij and wounded four more. But if you only read the tweet, he was just a protester. This isn’t accidental. It’s designed, as all Western mainstream coverage, to deliberately inflame tensions with Iran, & prepare Americans for war or more sanctions.
Iran has executed a second man allegedly involved in the nationwide anti-government protest movement, Mizan Online and the semi-official Tasmin news agency reported.
118
79
185
11
125
421
Coup News Network exposed for passing off men as “Venezuelan army defectors”.
12
210
370
More massive actions across the US. This is a *national* story. At *best* each of these actions gets some coverage on local TV. But the fact that *hundreds of thousands* (total) have shown support for Palestine in city after city across the US is unreported by national media.
The wave of global solidarity actions for Palestine comes to Texas.
Tens of thousands of people from Dallas, Austin, Houston and San Antonio marched this weekend, defying the stereotype of the state as simply a bastion of right wing and pro-war politics.
58
2K
6K
10
139
428
Just look at that journalist “clashing” with police. 😡
#Israeli
police attack
#Palestinian
journalist Rami Al Khateeb at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Credit:Albawsala
51
372
525
10
185
391
“Dispensing with the facts” may have a literary flair, but it’s no substitute for the more accurate word — “lying”, which belongs in the headline, not the subhead.
@froomkin
12
105
417
@AriDrennen
Even this article contradicts the claim that China has “banned” HRT. It says that online sales were banned. No, it’s not ideal (though more advanced than most of the world and US states). But false claims do not help.
5
5
372
Absolutely perfect timing 🤦🏻♂️
Gabbard proclaims Musk & Twitter & herself as champions of free speech on the day Twitter suspends a half-dozen actual practitioners of free speech.
Freedom of speech is a fundamental right in America. Sadly we live in a time where debate, dialogue and dissent can be cause for cancellation and censorship by those in power. To defend free speech, we must use it. I’m announcing a new partnership today with X where under
5K
9K
51K
15
128
397
Absolutely bizarre claim from Rep. Salazar about why she supports continued aid to Ukraine: “I represent Miami, the heart of the Cuban exile community. We know what the Russians can do. We know what Mr. Putin does to people. He did it to the Cubans.” Huh? 🤔
98
67
386
Expect to see “Russian-backed” in every reference to Kazakhstan from now on, just as there are no “Houthis” but only “Iran-backed Houthis”. Propaganda never sleeps.
7
87
359
@EmpireFiles
@MikePrysner
Yes, "harassment and bullying" is definitely ban-worthy, as opposed to starting a war that kills a million people. 😡
0
19
364
I saw a couple references to this fact, but this is the first time I’ve seen a map showing that it’s absolutely true — the avenue that leads to Babi Yar, where tens of thousands of Jews were murdered, is named after notorious Jew-killer Stepan Bandera. It beggars belief.
12
116
368
The IDF is getting its ass kicked by Hamas, but on the plus side, it’s having great success against nuns taking care of disabled people. 😡 Let’s repeat that: THE IDF IS FIRING ROCKETS AT CONVENTS!!!😡😡
17
228
368
@Jonathan_K_Cook
Zionists aren’t “intimidated” by pro-Palestine, pro-ceasefire marches, they’re 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑒𝑑 by being confronted with the moral depravity they’re supporting.
7
86
382
🧵 A couple hours ago on MSNBC I heard Richard Engel talk about how he wasn’t surprised by what happened, because Palestinians are effectively sitting in prison all day thinking about ways to break out of prison (yes, he used that word).
4
40
351
This WaPo article on protests in Cuba does not including the word "embargo" (or "sanctions" or any other reference to US efforts to strangle the Cuban economy). Not…one…fucking…word.
8
70
331
A lesson from the WaPo in how propaganda is done. Statements by Ukrainian officials are simply reported. Statements from Russian officials are also reported, in far less detail, and “can’t be verified”. Needless to say the WaPo didn’t verify the Ukrainian claims either.
5
99
338
I’d be recommending this tweet even if it didn’t start by recommending me, because it’s an excellent discussion of what propaganda is & isn’t, & an understanding of the importance in starting with the truth. Encapsulated by the quote which has led my blog since it started in 2003
One of my favorite follows right now is
@leftiblog
, because he has a real knack for going through articles in the mainstream press and highlighting the mundane little manipulations we’re fed each day to shape our worldview in alignment with the US empire.
One story he singled
90
601
2K
4
60
340
I believe I speak for many people here when I say “F**K YOU, NYT!” Not only is this racist towards Palestinians, but it beggars belief that they think a society that has now killed 742 children (yesterday’s count) “values human life”. Gaslighting in the service of genocide.
4
96
334
NYT front page right now states the establishment case very clearly — the Democratic primary is “a race against Sanders”.
17
117
305
Jake Tapper says “over the weekend the Cuban government cracked down” on protesters, & reporter Oppmann says he saw cops “cracking heads.” But weirdly, NO footage proving these claims. 🤔
18
59
304
@norabf
Anyone shot by a sniper must be presumed to be specifically targeted; if said person is wearing a “PRESS” helmet and vest, it’s a prima facie war crime.
13
24
330
Note the asymmetry of the headline. CGTN’s “license [was] withdrawn” but BBC was “banned”. No attempt to prejudice the reader there. 🙄
@FAIRmediawatch
6
84
303
Remarkably little press coverage of UN Secretary-General’s denunciation of Israel’s seige of Gaza & demand for humanitarian aid to be allowed in. Nothing in the NYT, WaPo, or that I’ve seen on CNN or MSNBC.
19
150
315
@TheGreeneBJ
As I wrote several weeks ago:
I’m sorry, if this really happened, we would have heard about it long before 40 days later. What, was the witness in a coma? These stories are being invented in a desperate attempt to counteract the very real horrors visited upon the people of Gaza.
4
44
208
4
29
317
Once again, we have a case of bothsidesism, even if probably intended. There aren’t tensions “between” Washington & Tehran, anymore than there are Iranian warships in Chesapeake Bay or off the coast of NYC. The aggression is entirely one-sided.
BREAKING: Over 3,000 US troops have arrived in the Persian Gulf as tensions between Washington and Tehran threaten to boil over.
506
875
2K
4
71
316
The only mention of the US blockade of Cuba in this article comes in the 11th paragraph, where the effect of the blockade on the Cuban economy isn't demonstrable fact, just an "attribution" by the Cuban government.
9
102
290
@LailaAlarian
I keep thinking about his wife. “Hi, honey, I stole these shoes from a Palestinian woman I killed. Enjoy!” What kind of woman would wear those shoes?
21
15
305
Twitter still keeping up this State Department sycophancy, pretending that Cuban media (or that of other “enemies”) is “less reliable” than the NYT, WaPo, CNN et al. Hey
@elonmusk
, what is the basis for this claim? (Answer: there is none.)
4
75
290
@stacycay
Not sure where you got that “half million Ukrainians dead” figure, but it’s literally an entire order of magnitude greater than the confirmed fatalities (these from Wikipedia).
8
1
300
Look how the NYT phrases this subhead to make Russia sound extra evil. Not “a day after Kyiv attacked the Kerch Bridge”, but a day after Russia blamed them for doing it (as if it’s just some wild accusation). Remember — the most effective propaganda is the subtlest.
3
70
288
News is filled with the phrase “Iran-backed”. Why isn’t every Israeli action preceded by “US-backed”?
3
83
280
You won’t find any Palestinian kids from Gaza in this NYT video, almost certainly the most war-traumatized children in the entire world. Nor will you find the girl who lost her parents yesterday when Ukraine attacked the Kerch bridge. Nor kids from Donetsk or Luhansk. Surprised?
9
76
276
Justin Trudeau & others want to talk about “Russian propaganda” in connection with the standing ovation for a Nazi story. But the *real* propaganda (by omission) was the way neither the NYT or WaPo initially covered the story at all.
4
61
285
NYT still headlining the official claim despite the fact that the names of all nine civilian victims, including six children, are known.
6
91
255
Listen as CNN’s reporter twice admits, under a banner headline touting Ukrainian claims, that they are broadcasting Ukrainian propaganda. He “wouldn’t be allowed to say” if Russia had destroyed an arms depot, & they can’t report the truth so as not to give Russia targeting info.
10
89
257
Horrific and disgusting. The equivalent of book burning, the hallmark of fascists everywhere.
All 550 episodes of
@AbbyMartin
’s legendary show Breaking The Set have just been deleted by YouTube ☹️ plz let us know if you know of them being archived anywhere
492
2K
7K
9
74
248
Pretty sure it’s Israel you can thank (and I mean that unironically).
7
54
261
What a f**king dishonest post. He doesn’t give a flying f**k about the people of Yemen or Gaza, both of whom he’s actively killing. The only ones being hurt by the Houthi attacks that he cares about are in Israel.
The attacks by the Houthis are hurting people around the world – especially the poorest and most vulnerable populations, including in Yemen and Gaza.
843
182
507
14
76
262