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edbermac

(15,933 posts)
Mon Aug 16, 2021, 07:07 PM Aug 2021

The Onion nails it.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN—As reporters, news crews, and pundits rushed to evacuate from Hamid Karzai International Airport, the United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan Monday, thereby marking the end to the longest media farce in American history.

“Today, 20 years after the first invasion, we are finally concluding our nation’s longest-ever campaign of media hot air and bullshit punditry,” said Georgetown University historian Alan Hawthorne, adding that the media’s mission to sell the American public on the essentially impossible goal of establishing a self-sufficient government in Afghanistan had dragged on through two decades, four presidents, and three generations of journalists.

“Ever since the attacks on September 11, the U.S. media machine has sacrificed countless hours of prime-time coverage to validate the idea that we could accomplish something of lasting value to Afghanistan, struggling valiantly against common sense and any inkling of skepticism toward the policy establishment. Of course, America’s newspapers engaged in similar campaigns in Vietnam, Korea, and Iraq. But none lasted so long, and few mischaracterized the situation so thoroughly to the American people.”

Hawthorne went on to add that despite having withdrawn from the occupation, the damage the U.S. media did to the reputation of journalists everywhere could last for generations

https://www.theonion.com/withdrawal-from-afghanistan-ends-longest-media-farce-in-1847496557/amp?__twitter_impression=true

19 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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The Onion nails it. (Original Post) edbermac Aug 2021 OP
You just can't write irony in today's world anymore. Mr.Bill Aug 2021 #1
Too close to the truth to be funny... Wounded Bear Aug 2021 #2
This one's better: 10 Tell-tale signs your child is gifted lindysalsagal Aug 2021 #3
Those are awesome! misanthrope Aug 2021 #5
Much better Onion story, thanks. nt Shoeless Louis Aug 2021 #11
Wasn't just journalists, although they should have known better. paleotn Aug 2021 #4
Fabulous malaise Aug 2021 #6
what journalists ? I haven't seen any in 50 yrs. let me know when we get some? monkeyman1 Aug 2021 #7
That was a phenomenal piece of writing. NoMoreRepugs Aug 2021 #8
K&R! SheltieLover Aug 2021 #9
KNR For truth. niyad Aug 2021 #10
Well done by The Onion, as usual. (nt) Paladin Aug 2021 #12
I didn't realize The Onion was doing straight news now. krispos42 Aug 2021 #13
Yikes, that's not even satire. Right on the nose. K&R crickets Aug 2021 #14
I admire them burrowowl Aug 2021 #19
That sounded as if it could have been spoken from the mouth of Walter Cronkite Texin Aug 2021 #15
Kick dalton99a Aug 2021 #16
The $2 trillion military-industrial-complex media stunt Blue Owl Aug 2021 #17
"Three generations of journalists". SergeStorms Aug 2021 #18

paleotn

(17,881 posts)
4. Wasn't just journalists, although they should have known better.
Mon Aug 16, 2021, 07:23 PM
Aug 2021

showed some skepticism and not devolved into cheerleaders. It's also the fault of several US command staffs and a few presidential administrations. But someone had to stop kicking the can and that person was Joe Biden. That took guts. I couldn't be happier with our President.

malaise

(268,693 posts)
6. Fabulous
Mon Aug 16, 2021, 07:25 PM
Aug 2021
the damage the U.S. media did to the reputation of journalists everywhere could last for generations

krispos42

(49,445 posts)
13. I didn't realize The Onion was doing straight news now.
Mon Aug 16, 2021, 09:39 PM
Aug 2021

I thought that story about the bidding war over a burnt-our house in California was a one-off

Texin

(2,590 posts)
15. That sounded as if it could have been spoken from the mouth of Walter Cronkite
Tue Aug 17, 2021, 10:39 AM
Aug 2021

after the fall of Saigon.

SergeStorms

(19,186 posts)
18. "Three generations of journalists".
Tue Aug 17, 2021, 03:16 PM
Aug 2021

That's approximately 7 years for each generation of " journalist".

A "journalist's" career runs that long? Who knew?

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