OK, this I can believe, but there's nothing in there about the US govt. paying CNN, which is the part I objected to. Mainstream media has long been a propaganda arm of the government, especially in war time. This is true of most national media and falls under the rubric of "national security" however you wish to interpret that. Vietnam was probably the only exception and didn't pass unnoticed by the PTB. Look at the way the Gulf wars were covered - embedded reporters and so forth. You saw only what they wanted you to see.
As I read it, the story here is, if you report unfavorably on something that's of government interest, they'll run interference on you. Bahrain is a strategic ally of the US. From the state dept's website: Bahrain plays a key role in regional security architecture and is a vital U.S. partner in defense initiatives. Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet and participates in U.S.-led military coalitions.
If there's a mystery here, it's why CNN sent a crew there in the first place. As for Amber Lyon, how naive do you have to be to work for CNN then act all surprised when they kill one of your stories at the govt's request? Sorry, I don't buy that part either. This looks like a career move to me. But hey, years of dealing wiith this sort of stuff in Latin America made me a hardened cynic, so perhaps I'm wrong this time.
ebear
