March 21, 2003

Louis Vandenberg: Why do you call your program "Background Briefing?"

Ian Masters: I call the program "Background Briefing" because that is what I try to provide the public with, an in-depth backgrounder on the subject or issue of the day. With very limited resources, I attempt to have the public listen in on the best advice and input available in the world, information of a quality similar to that which the President would get in his daily briefing. The idea is to allow the public to be a fly on the wall in the Oval Office. But, since we have a President who is not intellectually curious and interested only in ideological reinforcement, "Background Briefing" allows listeners to be better informed than the Commander-in-Chief. Although objective truth can be elusive, good, solid information honestly presented can and should set you free to make up your own mind about what you believe and how you should act. This is essentially an educational process, the antithesis of molding the facts to a preconceived ideology or dogma.


LV: Can you give a "Background Briefing" on yourself?

Masters: By definition the show is not about me, it's about the guests. However, I'll try to do a backgrounder on myself. In the 1960's I was able to witness politics up close and personal as a freelance news cameraman working mostly out of Paris. I moved to the BBC in London to become an editor and learned how stories are constructed, edited and presented. My preference is for documentaries because they allow time to explore a subject and are best when they have a point of view. I have been privileged to work with some great newsmen and filmmakers such as Clete Roberts and Haskell Wexler with whom I did the anti-nuke primer "War Without Winners.î Other documentaries I worked on include "The Secret Life of Plants" and "Koyaanisqatsi".


LV: What motivated you to start the program?

Masters: I got started as a result of doing the research for "War Without Winners" which Haskell and I made for the Center For Defense Information in Washington D.C. They were and are a think tank of principled Admirals and Generals opposed to the Military Industrial Complex's domination of the national security debate on nuclear arms control and defense spending. Back then the FCC allowed equal time on TV to counter the well-heeled hawk propaganda, so the film was aired on television stations across the country. After studying the secrets of nuclear theology, I soon learned the emperor had no clothes and that national security meant more than weapons. We tried to reach the taxpayer whose patriotism had been manipulated into handing the keys of the treasury over to these "Dr Strangeloves" on the best guarantee that if we die in a nuclear attack, the Russians will all die twenty minutes later in our annihilating response. I felt that the taxpayers should know what they had bought in the name of national security. Although we were effective in undermining the big lie that more nukes meant more security, we lost out to Reagan who was elected by convincing Americans that their nuclear penis was puny compared to the Russians. At that time the GM at KPFK, Claire Spark, wanted to share what I had learned with the public. Thus began a quest for truth in the nuclear Age, a long twilight cold-war struggle that mercifully ended with a whimper, although many times--behind the scenes--it almost ended with a bang.


LV: How long have you been on the air?

Masters: I've been on the air for over twenty years. As I mentioned, I began broadcasting when Reagan entered the Oval Office with both guns blazing, not unlike George W Bush. However, Reagan was elected by a majority of the votersóvery different from W.


LV: What have been some of your most memorable interviews?

Masters: My most memorable interviews are with lesser-known but prescient and sentient people such as I.F. Stone. In what may have been among his last interviews, I remember Izzy talking passionately about the democracy movement in China that was barely on the radar at the time but later emerged at Tien An Men Square.


LV: Why are KPFK and Pacifica important?

Masters: KPFK and Pacifica are obviously gaining more importance as the corporate media become more and more an extension and companion of the governing elite. Just as the 1980's anti-nuclear movement sprung up in response to Reagan's nuclear gun-slinging, today millions are taking to the streets because they are alarmed by this swaggering scion Bush, who struts on the world stage with smart bombs and stupid policies. Already the most hated man in the world, our President is an incendiary mix of arrogance and ignorance, decisiveness and dumbness. In a breath-taking short order he has ruined the U.S. economy, turning a surplus into a deficit by looting the treasury for his cronies and contributors. He has undermined national security by uniting and dignifying America's enemies while dividing and alienating our allies. Bush has cooked up a phony war against puny Iraq, a conflict that will be a very quick victory and very long defeat. Although we were the victims of 9/11, we are now seen as an aggressor nation, and having lost the world's sympathy, Americans are now a target. Clearly and ironically, bin Laden rescued this failed and dubiously elected President from spending his tenure reading to first graders for press photo-ops, and transformed him overnight in the public mind into a quasi-Churchillian figure with a cartoonish "Dont mess with Texas" attitude. Plainly, Bush as Churchill is an absurd notion and a dismal reflection on the press and public who embrace it. He has used his 9/11 and war poll numbers to push through a reactionary legislative agenda that is far removed from the best interests and wishes of the majority of Amercan citizens. Obviously George W. Bush thinks he is on to a good thing and will politically milk it through 2004. That is why he has gone after Saddam. It's militaristic war-drum "bread and circus" time in America now. And besides, it puts the chicken-shit ìoppositionî Democrats on the defensive. Beyond this short-term electoral cynicism, and to our everlasting detriment, Bush has opened up the last of our wilderness for irreversible plunder. Everything he has done, all this deceit and damage, has been delivered and sold to us by the mainstream corporate media. Anything that can give us some alternative, something real, like Pacifica or the internet, is to be treasured. Think of this alternative media as being like Tom Paine and his clandestine ìsamizdatî printer. Its how you can be saved from the tyranny of the rulers.


LV: You've spent over twenty years in Pacifica and KPFK. What keeps you going?

Masters: I strongly believe in delivering information to the public. One of the great things about America is that it is still actually very open. You can get even the most establishment people to talk the truth, in a way, because the majority of Americans are not paying attention. Alot of people with information figure that if the corporate media wont use the available facts, and the public doesnít care, why not just tell the truth. Unfortunately, the mainstream media doesn't even use the information that is right in front of them. They fill the factual void with commercial interests that want you to consume but not be aware. So, that gives alternative progressive independent outlets an opportunity to do something important. For independent media, in a very real sense, I believe we should think globally while acting locally. I support local programming and diversity. I'm hoping that it goes further. I want to see a rainbow coalition of the voiceless bringing untapped talent to KPFK because we all need to know what is happening in our community, instead of waking up every few decades to a city in flames.


LV: Your programs often anticipate world and national trends, crises and conflicts well in advance of their happening. Your track record is excellent. As but one example, you predicted the end of the cold war years before it happened. How do you do it?

Masters: There are no secrets, only mysteries to be solved. Over time you develop contacts with a wide range of people. Why should our national dialogue in the world's only superpower be brain-dead when there are so many smart people in America? Just because the Congress, the people's representatives, have sold out to the highest bidder doesnít mean that there are not professionals in the structures of government, in the academic world, journalism, professional specialties and and even the corporate world, who care deeply about America and are willing to speak out. This is particularly true now, at this rare moment in history, when George W. Bush so dangerously rules the world. It is times like these that the first amendment becomes critically important.


LV: Are there any thoughts you might have for those who want to get involved in or support the kind of journalism you do?

Masters: It's tremendously important that we counter the lies in the right-wing media with truth and accuracy. One of the problems in the left wing or "progressive" media is that anyone can say what he or she thinks. Its another matter to say what you can prove. A real journalist asks questions without necessarily knowing the answer in advance. Clearly, in noncommercial independent progressive broadcast outlets, we don't want to give airtime to the same right-wing onslaught that dominates the rest of the media. Fox News is a feedback loop, an echo chamber for the right. But, at the same time, Pacifica should not mirror this "Pravda" of the Bush Administration, preaching to an increasingly limited choir of already like-minded leftists. We need to present the highest quality, most factual, most informed journalism we can. People are crying out for truth, for something other than the charade presented to them as news by the corporate media. We need to take care though, because in this bankrupt environment it's very easy to slip into delusion and conspiracy as a substitute for real inquiry. Credibility is hard to earn and easy to lose. I take it very seriously. If listeners want to support what I do, they should get involved at KPFK, in the advisory committees, in the by-laws committee, and most importantly the Program Council. Listeners need to show up and represent the people. Management really needs good reasonable input sincerely expressed by the real owners of the station: the listeners and contributors. I know it's a lot to ask, after they've given money, but the silent majority should step up because the network needs the input to help keep them grounded and going in the right direction. Besides getting directly involved in station operation and guidance, I ask listeners to my program to make it clear to management that they support diversity and democracy as well as "Background Briefing" by e-mailing the General Manager KPFK at gm@kpfk.org.


LV: Back to geopolitics for a moment --what do you see as the most significant challenges facing the world today?

Masters: The biggest problem facing the world is that most people on the planet have miserable lives with little prospect while a few enjoy all the wealth, resources and comfort. Obviously this cannot last because the ìhavesî and ìhave-notsî will meet somewhere. It may be in some destructive "jihad," or it may be in a place of truth and justice. I hope for the latter.


LV: What about within the United States?

Masters: The United States, the worldís lone superpower, is currently led by two contradictory elements: an unusual alliance of isolationists and unilateralists and an unholy alliance of pro-Likud neo-conservatives and Christian fundamentalists who rely on a narrow apocalyptic reading of the bible for their public morality and worldview. Strangely, the U.S. is the only democracy where the majority of its people are almost completely detached and alienated from their government. They seem to have no concept that you vote for politicians who provide public services to all citizens. But, the publicís lack of participation has led to an absurdly reversed situation where a handful of the rich and powerful give thousands to politicians and get millions or billions back from the government for themselves. In spite of the disastrous results of privatization, the auctioning of America continues and I fear we will become a Third World country ruled by the super-rich. I hope we wake up and reclaim the birthright that the framers bequeathed and activate citizenship to pursue ìhappiness and a more perfect union.î Otherwise, you can be a passive consumer and Rupert Murdoch will take care of you - something you really don't want to happen.


LV: Do you feel that the fact that you're Australian gives you an objectivity which makes your program unique?

Masters: In Australia you get fined if you don't vote. I grew up with full spectrum politics, not this narrow right wing sham that passes for political debate in the United States. But, being Australian is no guarantee of political enlightenment. Rupert Murdoch is also from Australia. He was a Communist in university before becoming a slash and burn capitalist. I also spent a lot of time in Europe and the Soviet bloc so I've lived in countries where socialism is the orthodoxy, not the tormented minority. Obviously its lucrative to serve the right-wing on radio and other media. But, I've become more left wing in America out of a sense of fairness, even if it's like tilting at windmills. I just can't believe that working Americans think that George W. Bush cares for them while he's giving away the store to his friends and backers.


LV: I know weíve spoken about the media and its failings, but could you expand a bit regarding your criticism of American print and broadcast journalism?

Masters: I find it hopelessly constipated and devoid of any ideas, let alone passion. This thesis-antithesis-synthesis convention in the media--the pro, con, then meaningless mush, probably is a reflection of the two party system (as if there is only two sides to an argument). But as the world turns from black and white to gray, the paradigm becomes useless. Little wonder George W sees things in black and white, good or evil. It sells because it's simplistic and a lot easier to deal with. But, active citizens have to deal with the real world where there are no easy answers. That's why I think Liberals and Progressives are the real political heroes in America. They were the pragmatists who offered solutions to civil rights, women's rights, environmental destruction, health care and secure retirement. The conservatives, having no ideas, just said no, while offering atavistic dreams of a shining city on the hill that never was. The real truth about America is that less than 25% of Americans live in the traditional "Ozzy and Harriet" nuclear family. It's about time we recognized the American reality--the majority of families in the United States, 75% in fact, have working mothers. More reality: the indebted and shrinking middle class, the working poor and blended families. Does the media cover them?


LV: How do you put a typical "Background Briefing" program together?

Masters: I come in to the station early on Sunday and hit the phones. If I had some time during the week to do research or call people it would not be such a nail-biter. But I don't have a producer or for that matter, a researcher, so I have to pull it out of the ether. Sometimes I go on the air without the hour filled, praying that someone will call back.


LV: You feature a number of people on the program who are former intelligence professionals. Why?

Masters: I believe a journalist's job is to get as much credible information as possible out to the public. A government should not hold secrets from the people. Article two of the Constitution makes clear that the government should regularly publish a full and complete budget. So how do you explain secret black budgets with hidden billions that benefit defense contractors? Who has most of the secrets? The CIA and to a lesser extent the other alphabet soups in the Washington D.C. securitocracy. Although some of my less than rational detractors think that talking to ex-CIA officers means I work for the agency, let me assure you that I do not. I think it's my duty as a journalist to dig up the hidden history of U.S. foreign policy. You talk to the people who have the information. Allthough there is a hidden history, it is possible to go overboard with conspiracy theories. It is depressing that many people are so alienated from their government that they ascribe great secret powers to it. This is the antithesis of political activism, to assume that six white men in a back room run the world, and therefore citizen political engagement is hopeless. Power is what you give to others. I believe in empowering people with knowledge and information that can be used against those who want to keep us ignorant, distracted and powerless.


LV: You sometimes interview conservatives, such as John Fund, Larry Klayman and Lou Sheldon. Why?

Masters: Because their views are the dominant orthodoxy and you will never change the status quo unless you chip away at the internal logic of the conventional wisdom. Wall to wall Noam Chomsky may make you feel good, but in the real world, the left has nothing to be comfortable about. The left hasn't so much lost the argument; they are not even in it. You will never take back this country by clinging to self-righteous martyrdom. You have to take the right wing on and reach out to the center by coming up with a better argument than Rush Limbaugh. It's the same as Union organizing. You don't look down on workers who are slaves. You try to lift them up. Don't blame people for stumbling about in the dark. Light some candles.


LV: What do you think of the politics in the United States? What happened to the left in America? It seems to have disappeared.

Masters: As the Irish say, the situation is critical but not serious. I am heartened by the fact that Michael Moore's book "Stupid White Men" is still a bestseller. Besides, there have been many times when the left voted and had real representation in America. Unfortunately the malefactors of great wealth manipulate the electorate using identity politics, dividing and distracting those working people who do vote with hot button social issues like abortion, guns, and affirmative action. Meanwhile, under the surface, Americans are having their democracy, their natural resources, their economic wealth and their civil liberties swindled from them. There are far greater numbers who have everything to gain from voting but nobody to inspire and convince them that they too have a stake in America. Clearly, this is a country run by and for merchants and as long as you buy their propaganda and their products, you'll always be bamboozled by them. Its time for a get-out-the-vote drive combined with a consumer boycott of all the products that are killing the planet. We need both political empowerment and personal freedom to choose, not from meaningless brands, but from meaningful lifestyles.


LV: Are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future?

Masters: I have to be optimistic. I have a nineteen year old daughter who will be the President of the United States some day.


LV: What advice do you have for listeners who want to make a positive difference in the world?

Masters: Stop expecting to lose in politics and start planning to win. The idiots who run this country have figured this out. But it's your country too, so take it back and make it better!

Contact Ian at: ianmasters@mail.com