Category Archives: Amnesty International

Deceptive Documentaries

When we watch a documentary film I imagine most of us suppose it to be portraying factual information, not fiction. That, after all, is what would differentiate a documentary from other genres like drama or entertainment. With this assumption in … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty International, BBC, bullshit, Channel 4, disinformation, film, journalism, media, propaganda, Syria, Uncategorized, war, White Helmets | 2 Comments

Rejoinder to George Monbiot on Syria

In my previous post I urged George Monbiot to check the basis of his assumptions about the narrative he accepts regarding Syria. In a tweeted response, he repeated his opinion that people like me, who question it, are denying a … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty International, disinformation, journalism, media, propaganda, Syria, Uncategorized, war | 69 Comments

George Monbiot, about Syria…

I write this open letter, George, because you have been using your public platform to defend claims about Syria that I fear may be damaging for its people. Most recently, you blogged a note about the 4th April chemical incident … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty International, bullshit, disinformation, journalism, media, political philosophy, propaganda, Syria, UK Government, Uncategorized, war | 59 Comments

Who to believe about Syria?

I’m no expert about Syria, so why these blogposts? The initial stimulus was realising that people of good will and similar ethics can have some markedly contrasting views of the situation in Syria.  This was a puzzle to me. And given … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty International, BBC, Channel 4, global justice, human rights, journalism, MSF, political philosophy, prisoners' rights, propaganda, Syria, UK Government, Uncategorized, war | 43 Comments

Green Party On Syria

I have supported the Green Party for as long as it has existed within the UK.  I think its speakers often make more sense than most other politicians. However, the statement on Syria, by co-leaders Caroline Lucas and Jonathan Bartley, … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty International, BBC, Channel 4, environment, environmental ethics, global justice, journalism, media, MSF, propaganda, Syria, Uncategorized, war | 19 Comments

A Theory of Bullshit II: Serious Stuff

Serious Bullshit, I suggested previously,[1] was exemplified in the justification offered for the US-led destruction of Iraq. The specific lie deployed initiating it – concerning alleged WMD – has long since been exposed. But a particular lie may be merely … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty International, bullshit, disinformation, human rights, journalism, media, political philosophy, propaganda, Syria, Uncategorized, war | 5 Comments

NGOs Fabricating Evidence Against Syria

Last week, Amnesty International published a report that was severely criticised for literally fabricating evidence to support implausible accusations against the Syrian government.[1]  The report included a project of ‘Forensic Architecture’ that served in guiding the imagination as to the … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty International, MSF, Syria, Uncategorized, war | 2 Comments

Amnesty International on Syria – at it again!

Writing recently about how we were misled by Amnesty International’s reports on Syria, I was criticised – for using the past tense. This week Amnesty International has published a ‘new’ report – Syria: The Human Slaughterhouse – that presents no … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty International, Syria, Uncategorized, war | 5 Comments

How We Were Misled About Syria: Amnesty International

Most of us living outside Syria know very little of the country or its recent history. What we think we know comes via the media. Information that comes with the endorsement of an organisation like Amnesty International we may tend … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty International, disinformation, Syria, Uncategorized | 100 Comments

Amnesty International: is it true to its mission?

Amnesty International has a moral mission: ‘to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of human rights’. Could that be an impossible mission for an organisation that calls for military intervention on human rights grounds? This question … Continue reading

Posted in Amnesty International, disinformation, global justice, human rights, journalism, media, political philosophy, propaganda, Syria, Uncategorized, war | 13 Comments