Can we trust the media? (Basel 3.3.2018)

Can we trust the media? Swiss historian and peace researcher Dr. Daniele Ganser posed this question in his 60-minute lecture in Basel on March 3, 2018. Ganser emphasizes that there are indeed good journalists. There is no comprehensive reason to distrust all media reports. But the time when one blindly trusted the media is over, according to Ganser. Because there are constantly manipulations, distortions, lies, and war propaganda in the media. Ganser advises to be vigilant in consuming media and always observe one's own thoughts and feelings. What is triggered at the level of thoughts and feelings when I read this or see that? Daniele Ganser specifically presents 11 media stories in the lecture and each time urges the audience to look inward to recognize the impact the stories have.

These are the eleven stories: 1) In France, in 2007, the newspaper "Paris Match" manipulated the image of President Sarkozy in a canoe. 2) In Great Britain, in 1997, the newspaper "Mirror" manipulated the Diana image to fake a kiss with Dodi. 3) In Switzerland, in 1997, the newspaper "Blick" manipulated the image of the Luxor terrorist attack and colored a water puddle red to make it look like blood. 4) In the USA, in 2015, the newspaper "New York Times" unfairly edited the picture of politicians who demonstrated on a side street after the Paris terrorist attack, making it look like senior politicians had blended in with the crowd. 5) In Israel, in 2015, the newspaper "HaMevaser" cut Chancellor Angela Merkel from the Paris picture. 6) In Germany, in 2012, ZDF misattributed the Homs video. 7) Worldwide, in 2016, during the US election campaign, Facebook spread the false story that the Pope supported President Trump. 8) In Germany, in 2003, the newspaper "Bild" claimed before the Iraq war that Saddam Hussein had ABC weapons, which was false. 9) In Great Britain, in 2003, the newspaper "Sun" claimed that Bin Laden was cooperating with Saddam Hussein, which was a lie. 10) In Great Britain, BBC reported prematurely on September 11, 2001, during the terror attacks, about the collapse of WTC7. 11) In Switzerland, in 2018, the "Aargauer Zeitung" reported unfairly on this conference at Scala Basel, even before the event had started.

At the end, Daniele Ganser thanks the German journalist Ken Jebsen (from the press portal KenFM) and the geographer Rainer Rothfuss for their courage and good cooperation, and asks both to come on stage. All three look back with joy on the Tübingen lecture 'Medially Mediated Enemy Images and the Attacks of September 11, 2001 - Lecture by Daniele Ganser,' which has now surpassed the 1 million views mark on YouTube.