May 14, 2000

To the Editor of Newsweek:

Messrs. Barry and Thomas' informative but long overdue report ("The Kosovo Cover-Up", May 15) overlooks a crucial reason why the Administration was so successful in misleading the public and Congress about Kosovo -- namely, because the press failed us as well by ignoring contradictory reports and neglecting to critically assess facts independently of the Executive's “spin” machine.

A far more significant story than the top brass’ dishonesty regarding the inefficacy of NATO’s military campaign still needs to be told: that Albright's cowboy diplomacy and our use of disproportionate military force are what precipitated the humanitarian crisis in Kosovo -- there was no ethnic cleansing of Albanians until we began bombing civilians in Yugoslavia. Our bombs killed at least as many people as were killed by Yugoslav forces before NATO's intervention, and Albanian extremists are now ethnically cleansing Serbian, Gypsy and other minorities from Kosovo, resulting in a death toll approaching that which prompted our intervention in the first place.

The yet untold story of the media’s central role in our Kosovo debacle raises profound implications, not only for our foreign policy but for our nation’s democratic process as well.

Sincerely,

P. D. Spyropoulos, Esq.
Executive Director

American Hellenic Media Project
PO Box 1150
New York, NY 10028-0008
ahmp@hri.org
www.ahmp.org

The American Hellenic Media Project is a non-profit organization created to address inaccuracy and bias in the media and encourage independent, ethical and responsible journalism.