Once again, the good old reliable US major media proved unreliable again — time and again delivering fake news to readers, viewers and listeners.
On April 20, the NYT reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “was receiving treatment after undergoing heart surgery.”
Days later, the Times asked: “Where in Kim-Jong-un? Rumors are swirling about Kim Jong-un’s location and health.”
On Sunday, the Washington Post asked is Kim “dead after heart surgery? Is he lying in a vegetative state in a hospital bed?”
After being out of public view in 2014, there were false rumors of his death or a military coup.
The Wall Street Journal quoted Wilson Center public policy fellow Jean Lee, saying rumors about Kim’s health “could impact his ability to lead the country.”
Market Watch.com reported that Kim was either dead or in a “vegetative state,” citing Hong Kong and Japanese media.
MSNBC’s Katy Tur reported that Kim was “brain dead,” citing unnamed US officials, adding:
“He recently had cardiac surgery and slipped into a coma.”
So-called media analyst Mark Dice claimed the above information is “confirmed.”
The Washington Examiner claimed that Kim is in “grave danger” after surgery, adding:
“A US official with direct knowledge of the matter told CNN” that the US was “monitoring intelligence of” his conditions.
South Korean-based Daily NK cited unnamed sources, claiming that Kim had a “cardiovascular surgical procedure.”
CNN’s chief national security correspondent Jim Sciutto claimed he was “told by a US official with direct knowledge that the US is monitoring intelligence that the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un is in grave danger following a surgery.”
RT mocked CNN with the following headline:
“No confirmation needed? CNN fans rumors about Kim Jong-un’s alleged health issues, reports he’s in ‘grave danger’ after ‘surgery.’ ”
Screenshot from RT News
Bloomberg News got it wrong with a similar report, claiming Kim was in “critical condition.”
Senator Lindsey Graham was quoted, saying “’I’ll Be Shocked If He’s Not Dead.”
An unnamed Trump regime official said it’s unclear if Kim is alive or dead.
Former CIA deputy division chief for North Korea Bruce Klinger noted numerous earlier “rumors about Kim’s health,” adding:
“(O)ver the years, there have been a number of false health rumors about Kim Jong-Un (and) his father.”
A spokesman for South Korea’s Blue House (its White House equivalent) said the following:
“We have no information to confirm regarding rumors about Chairman Kim Jong Un’s health issue that have been reported by some media outlets. Also, no unusual developments have been detected inside North Korea.”
Britain’s Express said Kim hadn’t been seen in public since April 11, adding:
“Reports suggest his sister, Kim Yo Jon…could be set to take over.”
On Sunday, South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s senior policy adviser Moon Chung-in said Kim was “alive and well,” claims otherwise false.
Western media rumors, speculation, and reports got it all wrong.
On Monday, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency quoted Pyongyang’s Rodong Sinmun, the DPRK’s main broadsheet, saying Kim thanked builders in the country’s port city of Wonsan, the report saying:
Kim “sent his appreciation to the workers who devoted themselves to building the Wonsan-Kalma tourist zone.”
Satellite imagery reportedly showed his train in the area last week.
Rumors about his death or serious illness circulated when he wasn’t at a birthday ceremony for his late grandfather, Kim Il-sung, North Korea’s founder.
On Monday, RT mocked Western media, headlining: “Not dead anymore?”
“(M)edia (now) downplay death rumors after Seoul adviser sa(id) (Kim) is ‘alive and well.’ ”
Reports of his death, grave danger, vegetative state, being brain dead in a coma were greatly exaggerated.
They were fake news all along, no credible information supporting them.
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Award-winning author Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected]. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG)
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
