Ann calls out Women's Media Center and Lauren War Wolfe

Robin Morgan, Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda should answer as to why they're featuring the 'reporting' of Lauren Wolfe on Syria.  Wolfe's not in Syria, has one-sided sources and whips up a war frenzy.

Considering the black eye feminism took for the Afghanistan War -- due in large part to the actions of Gloria and Robin, among others -- the women should damn well know you don't cheerlead a war.  But that's what they're doing as they underwrite the 'reporting' of Wolfe and feature it at Women's Media Center.

Ann called the nonsense out early Saturday morning and we're posting it here because WMC has refused to allow Ann's comment to go up at their site.  I know Robin, Gloria and Jane and I find that offensive.  Elaine weighed in at her site and featured Ann's comments.  Isaiah just mentioned them to me on the phone (I hadn't read Elaine's post yet, sorry).  So we're adding this to Third.  And where's the link to the WMC story?  We'll worry about a link here when WMC posts Ann's comments.

-- C.I.

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  Ann Wilson • 2 hours ago

  
  

  I don't really support The Atlantic as a source because it is so rooted in sexism and has been for so long. So I discount the 'report' for that reason alone. In addition, Amnesty International and the Iraqi Parliament have documented the torture and rape of women in Iraqi prisons. Why hasn't that been covered?

  
  It has been at The Common Ills which has been covering it since November.
  
  

  It's really funny that I'm supposed to be concerned about rape in Syria (from a questionable source) but documented rape and torture of women in Iraqi prisons isn't supposed to bother me.
  
  

  The attention on Syria feels like an attempt to arm twist me into supporting war.
  
  

  Equally true, Tuesday April 23rd, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's forces attacked a peaceful sit-in in Hawija killing 50 people and injuring 110 according to Kirkuk's Department of Health.
  
  

  The war-prone Atlantic didn't lead on that either. (The Common Ills, again, did. C.I. reported Sunday, April 21st, that the US State Dept was privately calling Hawija a "hot spot" and was very concerned about what was going to happen.)
  
  

  It's funny because in 2002 and 2003, The Atlantic beat the drums for war on Iraq. But now they and the rest of the media ignore the tragedy that the war created.
  
  

  Now when you're able to cover those issues, I might give you the benefit of the doubt that you're seriously concerned about Syrian women and not just trying to pull the nation into war.
  
  

  And, to be clear, WMC needs to up their Iraq coverage to be taken seriously.
  
  

  
  

  Stop pointing us towards 'wanted wars' and start covering reality.
  
  

  
  

  It's appalling that the rape and the torture can and was reported by the Guardian of London to have sparked the ongoing protests in Iraq (that have lasted over 120 days now) but WMC can't tell us about it. It is appalling that women are being arrested in Iraq under a law that allows them to be arrested when the police can't find their husbands or fathers or sons. Innocent women are arrested not because they're suspected of anything but because they're related to a suspect. They then disappear into the maze that is Iraqi 'justice.'