Every government is a liar. That's a prima facie assumption.

February 11, 2014 2:28 PM

I.F. Stone's Weekly, a 1973 documentary about one of the greatest American journalists of the 20th century (Part 1). Part 2 of 6 here (incomplete). Isidor Feinstein "Izzy" Stone discusses how he exposed widely-accepted fictions about the Vietnam War and the escalation of the Cold War—merely by reading what the government published. He was blacklisted in 1950 and began his own newsletter, which railed against McCarthyism, racial discrimination, and the complacent establishment media.

The documentary is narrated by New York Times columnist Tom Wicker. If anyone has access to the rest of this, do share.

posted by zbsachs (7 comments total)

What a pleasure it is to hear Stone speak! He richly deserved his George Polk Award, and he's desperately missed today. "Every government is run by liars and nothing they say should be believed." "Once you've had dinner with the secretary of state ... you feel like a statesman ... and you understand there are certain things the public ought not to know." "The establishment reporters know a lot of things I don't know, but a lot of what they know isn't true." "The basic purpose of the media is merchandising." He understood that stuff long before Vietnam and Watergate. Thanks for the post!
posted by languagehat at 2:56 PM on February 11, 2014 [3 favorites]

I used to engineer Erwin Knoll's radio show. Every month or so he'd have Izzy on. I'd been reading I.F. Stone's Weekly almost since I could read. The first time I called him at home to set up the conversation I said: "Hello Mr. Stone" and introduced myself. He said "Call me Izzy." So I did.
I'd also recommend his book The Trial of Socrates.
He was a national treasure.
posted by Floydd at 3:47 PM on February 11, 2014 [5 favorites]

He was a good one. Thank you, Mr. Stone.
posted by simulacra at 4:06 PM on February 11, 2014

A little context:
The Official Website of I.F. Stone.
I.F. Stone Wiki
posted by Floydd at 4:22 PM on February 11, 2014 [1 favorite]

While we're at it, a tip of the hat to his predecessor George Seldes, another troublemaker who had to publish his own work (In Fact) and subject of his own documentary.

Lots of good video on the fellow.
posted by IndigoJones at 5:07 PM on February 11, 2014 [4 favorites]

At the website is this, from the introduction to The War Years 1939-1945: A Nonconformist History of our Times

"Visiting Palestine in late 1945, he sharply warned that the creation of a Jewish state would sow seeds of divisiveness unless Arabs' needs for self-development were met. "
posted by yclipse at 2:46 AM on February 12, 2014

This is a great find zbsachs. In the first five minutes he calls out Edward Teller as a bald face liar with numerical documentation!
posted by bukvich at 11:02 AM on February 12, 2014