Author: Norman Solomon
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An Assault from Obama’s Escalating War on Journalism
By Norman Solomon In a memoir published this year, the CIA’s former top legal officer John Rizzo says that on the last day of 2005 a panicky White House tried to figure out how to prevent the distribution of a book by New York Times reporter James Risen. Officials were upset because Risen’s book, State of War, exposed…
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Why We Need Media Critics Who Are Fiercely Independent
By Norman Solomon The most renowned media critics are usually superficial and craven. That’s because — as one of the greatest in the 20th century, George Seldes, put it — “the most sacred cow of the press is the press itself.” No institutions are more image-conscious than big media outlets. The people running them know…
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When Hope Turns Rancid: LBJ and Obama
[This article was published by Al Jazeera America.] By Norman Solomon Hope makes history. So does betrayal of hope. Early in his presidency, Lyndon Johnson inspired enormous hope. But the promise for a Great Society imploded — and disappointment jolted many former supporters, with trust and optimism turning into alienation and bitterness. The negative ripple…
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The Feinstein Syndrome: “The Fourth Amendment for Me, But Not for Thee”
By Norman Solomon Who knows, soon we might see headlines and cable TV shows asking: "Is Dianne Feinstein a whistleblower or a traitor?" A truthful answer to that question could not possibly be “whistleblower.” It may already be a historic fact that Senator Feinstein’s speech on March 11, 2014 blew a whistle on CIA surveillance…
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Hillary Clinton: Playing a Dog-Eared “Hitler” Card
By Norman Solomon The frontrunner to become the next president of the United States is playing an old and dangerous political game — comparing a foreign leader to Adolf Hitler. At a private charity event on Tuesday, in comments preserved on audio, Hillary Clinton talked about actions by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in the Crimea. “Now…