The Dixie Chicks

In March of 2003, during the American build-up to war in Iraq, Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks criticized President George Bush. During a concert in London, Maines, a Texan, declared that she was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." Her remarks caused a furor back in the states. Several Clear Channel radio stations organized boycotts of the group, refused to play their music, and encouraged listeners to throw away their Dixie Chicks discs. What do you think of this incident? Should Americans criticize their president during wartime? Did the group have a right to speak out against a policy they considered unjust? Some critics of the group claimed Maines' actions were particularly vile because they occured on foreign soil. Do you agree? Do you consider Maines' comments unpatriotic? What is your definition of patriotism?

Outfoxed

Use your class notes to discuss the documentary, Outfoxed, by Robert Greenwald. Suggested topics: Jeremy Glick on The O'Reilly Factor, reporter Christiane Amanpour's claim that CNN censored its Iraq War coverage ("I think the press was muzzled, and I think the press self-muzzled. I'm sorry to say, but certainly television and, perhaps, to a certain extent, my station was intimidated by the administration and its foot soldiers at Fox News. And it did, in fact, put a climate of fear and self-censorship, in my view, in terms of the kind of broadcast work we did."), the injection of opinion into the news, the University of Maryland PIPA study (regardless of their political affiliation, Americans who relied on the Fox News Channel for their coverage of the Iraq war were the most likely to believe misinformation about the war--discovery of WMDS, Saddam Hussein-Al Qaeda connection, international opinion favored Iraq War).