Hot off the wire

[incubus]

I have a friend that returned from Iraq (he runs air traffic control for the Army out of Baghdad International) on emergency leave for 8 days. He is now back in Iraq. The one thing that struck him? The media are clueless as to what is going on - they focus on the negative when there are SO MANY good news stories every day.

 

Here are some more that were sent to me: Sorry about the karots - didn't have the time or inclination to take them out.

 

 

Commentary: Where’s fair and balanced news?

>

> By Beau Whittington

> September 16, 2003

>

>

> WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Sept. 16, 2003) – A striking headline hit

the New York Daily News last week –

> “Flash for the media: U.S. won war in Iraq.”

>

> “The United States and the coalition of its few faithful allies are not

winning the war in Iraq – they have

> already won it,” A.M. Rosenthal’s commentary said. But, Rosenthal added,

it would take hours hunting through

> stacks of newspapers and never-ending TV snippets to figure it out.

>

> While Rosenthal may have overstated the victory, he’s spot on about the

coverage. Being one of those

> journalists who daily wades through the negativism of the mainstream

media, I know how difficult it is to find

> the positive outcomes of the troops trying to rebuild Iraq.

>

> Even the New York Times fleetingly mentioned the subject in its lengthy

Sept. 15 article about State Secretary

> Collin Powell’s visit to Southwest Asia. It attributed Powell as saying

he, “found that more progress was

> being made in securing and building Iraq than had been emphasized in news

reports, mentioning for example new

> parent-teacher groups at local schools.”

>

> The lengthy article continued to discuss the trip by reporting a soldier

died that day, Powell was unable to

> reach an agreement on a faster turnover of power and it outlined the

secretary’s dining arrangements.

>

> Nowhere was there another mention of the school improvements in the

fleeting reference to Powell’s statements.

>

> Again, you have to peruse the media closely to find stories about progress

in Iraq. But, there are some good

> news stories.

>

> The Washington Post ran two positive stories in its Sept. 14 issue.

>

> One discussed how American Soldiers are training Iraqi recruits for a new

national army. The Los Angeles Times

> ran a similar story Sept. 16. Both indicated the recruits reflect the

country’s ethnic and religious mix. One

> quotes a “burly sergeant recruit” saying, “We want to say that we’re all

Iraqi, and we all are proud to be in

> the Iraqi army.”

>

> The second, “Giving Iraqis a stake,” frankly discussed the risks and

benefits of American efforts to give

> Iraqis a stake in rebuilding their country. The article pointed out that

even though the summer has been

> “brutal” the country has not “plunged into chaos or the bloody civil war

that experts have long predicted.”

> The article squarely stated American efforts for diversity in Iraqi hardly

guarantee success, but continued,

> “They do suggest … Iraq has certainly not been lost.”

>

> Yes, there are a few articles about progress in Iraq. But, hopefully, soon

there will be more when reporters

> open their eyes to a few facts on what’s happened in Iraq in the last four

months:

>

> · More than 6,000 rebuilding projects have been complete

>

> · Schools, universities and hospitals have opened

>

> · Iraq is transitioning to a representative government: the Iraq Governing

Council has selected ministers and

> a committee has been appointed to draft a constitution.

>

> This may not be enough to convince some reporters progress is at hand.

And, they keep reminding us -- Iraq isn

> ’t Germany. Perhaps they should compare progress in the two countries:

>

> · Establish a central bank – Germany three years; Iraq two months

>

> · Standing up a police force – Germany two years; Iraq two months

>

> · Selecting a new cabinet – Germany 14 months; Iraq four months

>

> How can mainstream media outlets overlook the many gains the Iraqi people

have seen since the Hussein regime

> has fallen? It’s simple – evil sells and profits abound. Reporters find it

easier to sell fear than to build

> hope through actions.

>

> But, as in Iraq, all is not lost. We will win the media war; it just won’t

be as easy as our march through the

> desert.

 

[mattp]

Lets hope he's right. It certainly wouldn't surprise me if the evil media found it more profitable to stress stories about bombings and assassinations than to discuss progress toward a new sewer system or PTA meetings and improvements to the school system. Don't we see the same kind of coverage here in Seattle?

[incubus]

Not only in Seattle, but world wide. Mundane but important topics don't sell copy. In the end, it's always about money.

[Formaldehead]

[incubus]

Formaldehead said:

we boring you? don't read it, turd smeller

[Formaldehead]

Who cares? None of it means shit anyways. Go fish.

[j_b]

one bit of statistics that says it all: they get ~30 bodies a day at the bagdad morgue (many resulting from violent death). this is 4 times more than before intervention.

 

if you want info from someone with a stellar journalistic reputation, has been a middle east correspondent for 30 years, and has been in iraq since before the war: http://www.robert-fisk.com/

 

(the server appears to be down at present but give it a try some day.)

 

funny how these comments about biased iraq reports come out in mass as the admnistration is in serious trouble with the us public on its handling of the situation there. perhaps they should do like they do in iraq: close down unfavorable media and shoot reporters.

[incubus]

If it means nothing to you, then stay outta the arena. fish on