The US Media Copying Dr Strangelove on North Korea

The US’s refusal for negotiating with North Korea is being couched by the US media, as the latter's refusal to put its nuclear and missile program on the negotiating table. 38 North, a website focussed on North Korea, makes it clear in its August 9th editorial, titled Fake News, that this is not what North Korea is saying. A series of statements, starting with Kim Jong Un's (July 4th) and an official statement of the North Korean government has made clear, “...the only way they will put their WMD programs on the table is if the US threat to their country ends, a very different position than described in media reports.”

Robert Carlin, who has been following North Korea for more than four decades, pointed out, that due to the mistranslation of statement at the ASEAN Regional Forum meeting by North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho, it was misinterpreted to mean the North Koreans would never negotiate with the United States.

As the editorial states, “We can argue whether the North Koreans are “sincere” about negotiations and of course whether talks can work, but first, we need to get our facts straight. In this case, the media did a disservice to us all.”

This is not simply a case of misinterpretation, mistranslation or a simple disservice. The US media is now a part of its government's propaganda and an adjunct to its foreign policy. Whether it is Iraq, Libya, or Syria, we have seen war hysteria being whipped up by the US media. This time, the stakes are far higher. The US is threatening nuclear war against North Korea, extinction of its people, and millions dead. North Korea's sabre rattling against Guam, only worsens the current nuclear impasse.

This is not the time for the US media to become cheerleaders for war. Dr Strangelove is not a model that any media should follow.