guardianlv | As the saying goes, “there are two sides to every story,” but a more
accurate articulation of this phrase would be “in any story, there are
multiple sides, viewpoints, opinions and perspectives.” The story in
Iceland is no exception. Socialist and Marxist blogs here in the U.S.
say that there’s been a massive U.S. news conspiracy and cover up about
the revolution in Iceland because the U.S. media is controlled by
corporations, including banks, and the “powers that be” don’t want U.S.
citizens getting any ideas to stage a revolution of their own. Some
conservative Icelandic bloggers claim that while there was, indeed, a
revolution, it did not lead to a successful or widely accepted new
constitution.
They say the situation in Iceland is worse than ever, and
that international news reports of an effective democratic uprising
leading to a better government are simply myths. Social media commenters
are scratching their heads over why they were robbed of the story of
Iceland’s pots and pans revolution.
As with most narratives, the truth may lie somewhere in the middle of
all of these varying perspectives. One thing is clear, though: it’s
nearly impossible to find one mainstream U.S. news report of the pots
and pans revolution in Iceland, the resignation of Iceland’s entire
government, and the jailing of the bankers responsible for the economic
collapse there. Whether or not the revolution led to a more fair
government or a workable and effective constitution is irrelevant to the
fact that the U.S. media has essentially skipped over this story for
the past five years.
Is it possible that mainstream media sources purposely covered up the
Iceland story to appease their corporate sponsors? It doesn’t seem
likely, and yet, what explanation could be given as to why this news
never made it to the front pages of our most trusted media organizations
here in the U.S.?
As Iceland struggles to regain its footing with a new government,
U.S. citizens may or may not be able to look to Iceland as an example of
perfect democracy in action. The real question, though, is why weren’t
U.S. citizens given the information about the ousting of the Icelandic
government and the jailing of the unscrupulous bankers? Are journalists
in control of the mainstream media or is there some truth to accusations
that big business may, in fact, be strong-arming reporters to keep
quiet about world events that could inspire similar actions here in the
U.S.?
