Networks send big guns to Iraqi vote

[Rose Siding]

Political polls, town hall meetings, dramatic interviews: The Iraqi elections will get intense American-style coverage, even as security concerns mount for U.S. broadcasters.
...
"We want to tell the story of democracy in action," said John Stack, vice president of news gathering for the Fox News Channel....

"We have had an ongoing presence in Iraq to tell the daily story, but January 30 is an important date in the history of a country pursuing its freedom," Mr. Stack said, noting that crews will visit polling places and other public spots in the days leading up to the election, with reports at least twice an hour on election day.
"There's a security situation here. We'll do our best; we're hoping for a peaceful day, there's always a fear of violence," Mr. Stack said. "But we'll tell the good with the bad."
...
In one of his last hurrahs before stepping down March 9 as "CBS Evening News" anchorman, Dan Rather will head to what CBS described as the "triangle of death" — a spot about 30 miles south of Baghdad — to "patrol" with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20050123-112455-2489r.htm

[realFedUp]

1. better served outside the country...

one of other big stories is the million
"Iraqis" who are voting outside Iraq.

[gratuitous]

2. Just because they can't go out into the country

It should be no impediment to reportage just because the high-powered blowdrys can't go anywhere, talk to anyone, or see anything for themselves. We'll be sure to get wall-to-wall coverage of exactly what the corrupt Bush administration wants us to see and nothing of what they don't want us to see. Guaranteed.

Or the slimy Bushistas could do the same thing they did on the June 30 "handover" of the government: Hold the election two days early without prior notification to anyone and then declare their own hand-picked puppet the winner. They've done it before.

[Inland]

4. The only reporting available will be interviews with US officials in green

zone. And one can expect that the US will declare a rousing success and no pics or interviews from outside.

Of course, Al Jazeera will report the blasts and killings and low turnout, but that will never get to us.

My prediction--withdrawal begins Feb 7. Bush declares victory and leaves the Iraqis to die in the chaos we leave in our wake.

[Rockerdem]

18. Hardly

Comvoys will escort Brokaw and Jennings and whoever CNN sends into the Shiite areas. Their cameras will show long lines of voters at selected sites, and the visual message to gullible Americans will be an eager successful vote.

Mark my words. These media whores will lap up the company line. Fish on.

[Inland]

20. Maybe. I am not so sure.

Fact is, the situation is so insecure that they may rather leave reporters in teh Green Zone suspecting how bad things are than have one get killed and confirm it.

[StClone]

3. This should be interesting

The FAUX reporters will need extra undies as they will be soiled at ever inopportune car backfire. But need not worry FAUX cub reporters, you will not be targeted as the Al Jazirah reporters were.

[The Zanti Regent]

5. Who cares? We know the Main$treamMedia will lie anyway

and we know the Nazi Republican Party will stuff the ballot boxes, just as they do here. We know what the result will be, a Nazi/Likud puppet state will be (S)elected!

[Orsino]

6. "Big Guns"?

Paging Dr. Freud. Dr. Freud, please call your service.

[DS1]

7. Stupid

I think once a lot of Iraqis find out what the elections are for, they're gonna be super-pissed

[Cocoa]

8. it will be a night of suspense

finally it will be revealed who the candidates are, and where the polling locations are!

[shadowknows69]

32. I hear you can find the polling stations by following the car bombs. n/t

[merwin]

9. Wasn't there just an article saying that international observers

were not allowed??

[HuffleClaw]

10. its a set up

all that talk about 'hundreds of car bombs expected', 'zarqawi threats'...

so that they can claim 'things went FAR better than expected' !

[Robbien]

11. I'll save them the trouble: Allawi won! A great day for Democracy!

See, look at this picture of a woman in Iraq who now gets to vote. Doesn't she pose nicely.

What a great day for Iraq! What a great day for Bush!

[0007]

31. .....What a guy! My minds eye can see Sponge Bob doing

hand springs, back flips, cart wheels and skipping with glee of happiness for the Iraqis and telling the world of our brave leader, junior, 'The King of Shame'

[inslee08]

34. But...

I believe they aren't even electing their president, just electing their parliament, no?

[fooj]

12. The media should be ashamed...

How dare they propagandize the Iraqi elections? Conyers has 100+ pages of documented election irregularities and fraud and they spend their time in IRAQ? Until we rise up and scream "ENOUGH" this BS will continue! It is the medias moral and ethical obligation to report factual and accurate news. How long will we stand by and be willing participants in this travesty of justice? When will we hold these professionals accountable? I believe that NOW IS THE TIME...
Know this: People behave the way they are ALLOWED to behave! Period!

[carolinalady]

13. Well that pretty much assures we won't hear about any

election fraud!
:puke:

[VegasWolf]

14. Peter Jennings is now calling Baghdad for Allawi. n/t

[daleo]

15. Will they leave the Green Zone?

I have my doubts. I can see them now, all interviewing the same voter, all day long.

[leftchick]

16. I hope they take their big guns with them.

For the welcome party the Iraqis will throw them.

[jazzjunkysue]

17. Geraldo! Geraldo! Send Geraldo! and Jerry Springer! Anne Coulter!

God will protect them! They'll be safe! Tammy Fay Baker! Pat Robertson!

[against all enemies]

21. Why put Jerry in with those right wing jerks? He's pokes fun at

himself and his own show. The others are self righteous assholes.

[mtnester]

19. Too bad they did not do their jobs during our election right here

I am still bitter about the on the ground LACK of reporting on election day of the hideous disenfranchisement that was happening live right in front of their eyes here in Ohio

Oh well, I suspect they will report Irag EXACTLY the same as they did here.

[maddezmom]

22. kick

[leftchick]

23. Top anchors cover Iraq elections

http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/articles/2005/01/28/top_anchors_cover_iraq_elections/

<snip>

Jennings spent a day with the top US commander, General George Casey, who has been a popular interview subject among the TV journalists. The ''World News Tonight" anchor has also gone to Mosul to talk to Iraqi election workers and was visiting the Abu Ghraib prison.

ABC's reporting will also include the third installment of its ''Where Things Stand" series. The network has surveyed more than 1,300 Iraqi citizens on their opinions, and is working with teams of Iraqi reporters from the Institute for War and Peace Reporting.

Williams interviewed Casey for NBC's ''Nightly News," visited Mosul and is working on a story about Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.

Fox's Smith took rides in a helicopter and armored Humvee to get a look at conditions in Sadr City, and also interviewed John Negroponte, the US ambassador to Iraq.

[Karenina]

24. Two words...

MEDIA. CIRCUS.

[annabanana]

25. three more

"on the take?"

[leftchick]

26. payola media anchors?

shepard for sure.

[noonwitch]

27. At the Southgate, MI polling place, they are reporting a 10% turnout

That's not good, as it's in this country, where they aren't facing possible bombs at the polling site.

[Azathoth]

28. Let the ratings wars commence

Big explosions = big entertainment = big ratings

[hector459]

29. This means we already know where the "show" is going to be

What heroic action will they be able to "catch" on camera? Too bad they didn't fan out across the US during the last two elections.

[KDLarsen]

30. I wonder if anyone will get near Falluja?

.. I just heard how they're going to conduct the elections: On the morning of the election day, US planes will fly low over the city, dropping flyers with the name of the one polling station in town (they made it sound like there's only one, anyway). Only Iraqis will be manning the polling site, but for a radius of 500 metres around, US troops will be standing guard.

[shadowknows69]

33. I predict fox news

to be the first network to declare Allawi the winner with 1/1000th of 1% of the vote counted.