These past six months I have been getting to know the inter-media. They’re not formally part of mainstream, and they’re not very social, so I call them inter-media. They are like the maintenance team for the mainstream. To explain this, I’ll first say how I came to meet them.
The context of these encounters is writing posts on Syria. Doing so, I rely entirely on what others say. But the fact that we hear directly contradictory narratives provides a rare opportunity to test whose tale is the truer. Lies, whatever some bluffers and braggers may think, are infinitely harder to sustain, over time, than is the truth.[1]
The impulse to write about Syria originated at a very specific moment, even if my curiosity had been piqued earlier by the Netflix White Helmets: Where are the fighters that are holding off the combined military might of Syria and…
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The Wall Will Fall 
Here is some encouragement that writing to mainstream outlets about Syria is not always a waste of time. Evening Standard here publishing a letter I sent them last week.
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https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/letters/es-views-the-government-must-hurry-to-make-all-tower-blocks-safe-a3618636.html
The West is also to blame for jihadis
The Reverend Dr John Cameron has a point in saying Muslim clerics should condemn fanatics [Letters, August 21]. However, I fear the problem goes far beyond individuals. In the Middle East today this distortion of Islam is actively sponsored by several Gulf states, and these same states are backed by the US and Britain.
An absurdity of Western policy today is that al Qaeda militants in Syria and elsewhere have been rebranded as “moderate rebels”. Think of President Assad what you will but he did make a fair point when he said: “They [the West] call it terrorism when it hits them, and revolution, freedom and human rights when it hits us.”
Until we address our self-serving hypocrisy in the Middle East and elsewhere, the world will continue to become far more unstable.
Kevin Smith
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The other thing is I’ve been writing to my MP about Syria – and taxpayers funds going to al Qeada and via the White Helmets. Predictable response from him but some figures he quoted looked suspect. He says that Russia and Syria are conducting a concerted disinformation campaign against the White Helmets.
The other thing he said is the White Helmets have saved the lives of 95,000 people. Sounds alot to me and wonder where he got that from. Also he says 7 million Syrians live in opposition areas where WH operate.. That also sounds too high – considerating 5 million or so are refugees outside of Syria – that would leave 17/18 million civilians inside Syria. I thought most of the major cities and towns were government controlled and included most of the population. And some areas are IS or Kurd controlled – where WH probably don’t operate so 7 million does not seem right.
Is this another figure plucked from the air – as with Cameron’s 70,000 moderate rebels?
I wonder if anyone has any initial thoughts on these figures – before I try to debunk them..
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