New Media and the JFK Assassination

[John Simkin]

In today’s world most people get their information online. This usually means going to Google. Have you tried doing this recently concerning the JFK assassination? You might be doing some great research on the subject but is enough people finding out about it?

One organisation that now appears high on any search at Google on the subject is the Mail Online. (It is in fact true of any search). This is because they regularly publish articles on the subject. Unfortunately, it is usually about some crack-pot theory. Mail Online know that people are interested in conspiracy theories so they want to exploit it. At the same time they don’t want any information coming out that undermines the establishment.

Why is it that the Mail Online features so highly on search-engine searches? I want to tell you about a media story that I became involved in over the last few days that helps to explain how the new media works. Hopefully, it will give you an insight into how you can fight back against the influence of multinational organisations.

Last Saturday the Mail Online ran a story about the historian, Ralph Miliband, the father of Ed Miliband, the leader of the British Labour Party. The article was a complete disgrace and included several inaccuracies.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2435751/Red-Eds-pledge-bring-socialism-homage-Marxist-father-Ralph-Miliband-says-GEOFFREY-LEVY.html

At the time, if you typed in at Google, “Ralph Miliband”, my page on him came second to Wikipedia. Therefore, people could have checked out the story via my page on Miliband:

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/HISmiliband.htm

This happened and the page became the most visited on my website. However, within twenty-four hours the situation changed. Google gives priority to large news organisations in its search results. Within 24 hours, as the story became Britain’s main news story, my page on Miliband disappeared to the fourth page.

I decided to fight back against this by using the same techniques as the major news organisations. I therefore wrote an article on my Blog pointing out the inaccuracies and linking the case of Lord Rothermere, the owner of the Daily Mail in the 1930s, with his support of the fascists during this period (Ralph Miliband was a Jewish refugee who arrived in Britain in 1940 from Nazi controlled Europe.) I used information from MI5 and MI6 documents that were declassified in 2005 that showed that Rothermere was paying a retainer of £5,000 per year (£200,000 in today's money) to Princess Stephanie von Hohenlohe, a Nazi spy, and a close confidante of Adolf Hitler. The released documents included documents were several letters from Lord Rothermere to Adolf Hitler. This included, according to a MI6 official "a very indiscreet letter to the Fuhrer congratulating him on his walk into Prague". The letter urged Hitler to follow up his coup with the invasion of Romania. MI5 should have ordered his internment but instead they encouraged Princess Stephanie to flee to the US. They then informed the FBI and she was arrested and interned for the duration of the war. This was a story that the media virtually ignored when the documents were released.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/BUrothermere.htm

I then sent out details of the article to over 100 friends and media contacts. I finished the email with the words: “I therefore ask you to pass on this email to friends. It would also help if you “liked” my page on Lord Rothermere and Ralph Miliband and share the article with your friends. Or you could retweet my tweet on the subject.” I was therefore asking my friends to do what the multi-national media organisations do to promote their articles.

Most of my friends are not really part of the Twitter generation. However, some of them did what I asked (or got their children or grandchildren to do it). It started slowly until Jimmy Wales received the tweet. He liked the story and retweeted it. Wales has 90,000 followers and it took off. Eventually, one of these tweets reached a journalist working for the Guardian. He contacted me and said he wanted to write an article on me and my website but warned me that the Daily Mail might take revenge on me. However, the whole aim was to get this information out. The article appeared online yesterday.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/oct/04/viscount-rothermere-edmiliband

As it was linked from the Guardian home page, it received a large number of visitors. A friend of mine tells me it was the second most visited page on the site. The great advantage was that you can get involved in the discussion that follows the article.

As we move towards the anniversary of the assassination, more and more people will be searching for information on the subject. Unless we organize ourselves in the same way that the multinational media organisations do, we will lose the battle for the hearts and minds of the world’s citizens.

[John Dolva]

http://www.theguardian.com/media/greenslade/2013/oct/04/viscount-rothermere-edmiliband

Good article. Strangely it reminds me of what journalism should be. Factual.

Lots of good comments to 'recommend'.

edit typos

Edited October 5, 2013 by John Dolva

[Guest Robert Morrow]

Super! Get the word out.

[John Simkin]

As a result of the article I have been invited to the University of Cambridge to speak on my version of history. Please feel free to follow me on Twitter. If you post on the JFK case I will retweet it and that will give you access to 570 people, including several journalists.

https://twitter.com/johnsimkin

[Paul Brancato]

I'm following. Is google the best choice of search engine? Do we have an alternative that is less commercially based?

[Pamela Brown]

Good job, John. I'm following too...

[John Simkin]

Good job, John. I'm following too...

Could you send me details of any tweets that you make.

[Pamela Brown]

Good job, John. I'm following too...

Could you send me details of any tweets that you make.

Of course, John.