Round of applause for the Parguayan newspaper La Nacion for managing to win the "Most Racist Article of the Year" award - an accolade handed out by Survival International, the human rights organisation that campaigns on behalf of indigenous tribal peoples.
Clearly the awards is a bit of a cheeky PR stunt by Survival but what the heck.
On 13 September last year La Nacion penned an article on a group of indigenous Indians who had taken over a square in the city of Asuncion. Comparing them to a "dangerous cancer, spreading bad smells, destruction and contamination" the article went on to call this particular tribe "Neo-lithic" with a "withered culture" and said they should return to the jungle to "carry on living with the animals".
For their journalistic excellence the editors of La Nacion will be sent a certificate inscribed with a quotation from Lakota Sioux, a Native American author who died in 1939. The inscription reads: "All the years of calling the Indian a savage has never made him one."
I wish I could be a fly on the wall when the editor of La Nacion opens up that parcel.
For those who would like to pass on their congratulations, the paper's phone number is +595 21 512 520, email redaccion@lanacion.com.py
I looked for comments on this article/blog/peice but found none.
I'm not surprised.
Like the Independent itself, its weblogs are a reflection of well intentioned but complete vacuity. With the notable and outstanding exception of Robert Fisk, the newspaper caters to liberal naivety: with poor journalism and little insight.
Remember how one of its journalists – I forget his name but I understand he is openly homosexual and a champion of such – was supportive of the Iraq invasion? I bet he sings a different tune now.
And its weblogs are going the same way and deservedly so. People are waking up to the lies and distortions foisted on them by the mainstream media.
Posted by: Rixon | Wednesday, 19 March 2008 at 11:57 PM
Sorry, Rixon - your point is what, exactly?
Posted by: J D Baldock | Thursday, 20 March 2008 at 08:32 AM
Rixon is talking nonsense - the Independent is an excellent newspaper, and all papers need a little light reading to balance out the actual news.
Why leave such a spiteful, ignorant message?
Posted by: Elizabeth | Thursday, 20 March 2008 at 09:01 AM
I don't read the independant regurlarly so I can't comment on the calibre of the paper.
All I know is that Robert Fisk is an honest man and reading his articles have certainly been enlightening.
I would recommend them any time.
Posted by: Kashif Muneer | Thursday, 20 March 2008 at 09:32 AM
I'm sure they haven't made it up, but I don't think much of their translation so that calls into question exactly what was written in the first place. Would be good to see the original piece.
Posted by: Robbo | Thursday, 20 March 2008 at 09:46 AM
Robbo: Here's the link to the original language version: http://www.lanacion.com.py/noticias.php?not=168360
Survival posted a link to the Spanish version below their translation so I took their version in good faith but if anyone notices any inaccuracies, feel free to point them out
Posted by: Jerome Taylor | Thursday, 20 March 2008 at 10:27 AM
You mean Johan Hari? Yes, yes he does.
Posted by: Fír Déarg | Thursday, 20 March 2008 at 01:22 PM
Sorry to digress but Johan Hari should not be considered typical of the high calibre of most Independent output; this is the man who said that a black person and a white person who have sex together is proof that neither can be racist against the others ethnic group......hmmmm. What. Rubbish.
Posted by: Ami | Sunday, 23 March 2008 at 08:20 AM
Lakota Sioux? Are you sure that's the author's name? Lakota is one of the three Dakota tribes -- Dakota, Lakota and Nakota.
Posted by: Co | Monday, 21 April 2008 at 04:37 AM
Oops... I meant "one of the three sioux tribes". Sioux is actually considered a derogatory term by many of those tribes, so they usually identify by one of those three tribes (or a sub-tribe thereof).
Posted by: Co | Monday, 21 April 2008 at 04:40 AM