Mainstream news media suffer collateral damage from Iraq war

[Barrett808]

Mainstream news media suffer collateral damage from Iraq war
By Ron Hutcheson
Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - As the battle for Iraq's future plays out half a world away, the American news media are caught in the crossfire at home.

War supporters accuse journalists of undercutting the troops by highlighting problems and ignoring progress in Iraq. War opponents also are unhappy. They say the media failed to question the need for war and sanitize the conflict by refusing to show gruesome scenes of carnage.

Military mom Cindy Sheehan, who got extensive media coverage for her anti-war protest outside President Bush's Texas ranch this month, voiced the view from the left in a conference call with supporters Aug. 10.

"Thank God for the Internet or we wouldn't know anything and we would already be a fascist state," she said. "The mainstream media is a propaganda tool for the government."

That's not the view from the right.

"If you believe the liberal media's reporting on the American military effort in Iraq, you're almost forced to be ashamed of America," the Media Research Center, a conservative media-watchdog group, said in a recent message to potential donors.

(more)

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/12427062.htm

[knowbody0]

1. but it's all under control now

that we have the situation room.

[AlGore-08.com]

11. Harry Shearer said it all...

[MADem]

50. What is Wuffie doing with those puffies????? n/t

[Up2Late]

52. That is such a weird capture, I had to grab a copy

He's a BUG! Those are his REAL EYES!:yoiks: :hide:

[ThoughtCriminal]

2. The pathetic part

Is that the media probably figures that since there are attacks from both sides, that is just proof that they are "balanced".

[shadowknows69]

9. i think you nailed it

i don't think most of them do (obvious offenders aside) intentionally spin anything too far one way or another but its just that they are so impotent and incompetent these days that whatever they do seems to tip deeply in favor of one view or another. because all news is now is analysts who don't dissect an issue like they should but simply hurl Jerry Springer Show like rhetoric at each other. someone always gets the last word or is a more charismatic speaker than the other and the audience is that shallow for the most part. Does that make sense to anyone? Just ramblings from a student of Journalism who is shocked and awed by the state of it.

[ThoughtCriminal]

19. I think there is a problem with "balanced" jounalism

Balance has nothing to do with truth. When the ruling party is jumping up and down screeming that "black is white!", today's journalist reports that "Some critics claim that white is white".

[CAcyclist]

23. Thank You!

When I called to cancel my NY Times subscription a while back, I ripped into the person on the line about how the Times was no longer reporting the truth. I told him I didn't want to read right wing crap anymore. I didn't want them to try to "balance it" with left wing POVs, either - I wanted the truth, dammit. The guy actually thanked me, saying he heard a lot of complaints from the right but not from the left and my voice was kind of refreshing.

Facts are facts and a proper investigative journalist should present the facts. There are no right-wing and left-wing truths, there is just the truth. Opinion can stay on the opinion page.

[mmonk]

26. Bingo

Truth is what it is independent of opinion. Balance is opinion. The problem is talking heads are not balanced anymore.

[Montauk6]

3. OK. then, Freep Newsies, WHAT IS this supposed progress???

All I hear from the DrudgeMaxTalkingPoints group are attacks on the left (e.g. Sheehan, Moore, Dean, etc.). Why aren't THEY playing up the good times going on in Iraq? Shouldn't they pick up the ball and run with it, since it's SO OBVIOUS that the liberal media is bent on doom-and-gloom?

I thought so.

[Up2Late]

21. Nope, they are all way too cowardly to even think about going there,

let alone, actually facing the Truth about the Real situation in Iraq.

[mntleo2]

38. And They Are Lazy

:sarcasm:

If it ain't on FAUX, then it jest ain't news...

[MADem]

51. Actually, they did go there

A bunch of RW radio and pundit nuts...they cowered behind a bunch of revetments well inside the Green Zone, and made fast, frightening, high speed forays to a school and a show hospital, or some such. And then came back and claimed everything was fine.

No shopping in the bazaar, no strolling in the parks, no eating at a restaurant or kebab stand....they'd be shot dead if they tried that crap...

[54anickel]

47. Well, there was that story about the luxurious digs some of our troops

have, and that one story that had a totally unrelated picture of the female soldier lounging by a pool. It's a big party over there!

The poster above states it well, we don't need balance - we need the truth without the political slant.

[bluestateguy]

4. Not good

Because we need an MSM that works and has appeal across partisan lines.

When both sides become alienated by the MSM you will start to see more people gravitate toward media outlets that reinforce their world view: Right wing talk radio and Fox News on the Right, Air America, Democracy Now and blogs on the Left.

[Ron Green]

5. "When News Breaks..... We Fix It."

[wli]

6. more "liberal media" lies; the MSM is 100% GOP-owned n/t

[Drum]

7. I agree with Ms. Sheehan...

...most of the media in our country---from wimpy press-corps reporters to timid editors to corporate networks---now seem more to resemble those in countries we used to rail against: mouthpieces for thugs.
Why?
Follow the money....

[uppityperson]

10. Welcome to DU Drum

Welcome to DU.

This line of the article made me laugh, the irony: If you believe the liberal media's reporting on the American military effort in Iraq, you're almost forced to be ashamed of America," the Media Research Center, a conservative media-watchdog group, said in a recent message to potential donors.

[MrBenchley]

13. "you're almost forced to be ashamed of America"

Now who isn't proud of what we're up to in Abu Ghraib and Gitmo? (snicker)

[uppityperson]

17. snicker indeed

"they're forcing me to be ashamed and I don't like that, so they must be lying"

Responsibility and accountability are difficult things to shoulder.

[MrBenchley]

44. The party of personal responsibility...

Imagine, being ashamed of a country headed by a wartime deserter who advocates torture and launches unprovoked war...it's almost enough to make someone throw the bandaids with the purple hearts on them down the toilet.

[Miss Chybil]

36. But, if the media didn't report it,

it wouldn't matter. Don't you get it?

/sarcasm

[MrBenchley]

45. You wouldn't have to trouble your "beautiful mind"

and could sail through life like Barbara Bush and her dysfunctional family of swindlers and substance abusers.

[Miss Chybil]

58. Another Dysfunctional Dynasty for the history books... nt

[sidpleasant]

61. you forgot "perverts" too

Let's not forget Neil Bush and his sex trips to Asia. At his divorce proceeding he brazenly claimed that when whores showed up at his hotel rooms he thought they were locals unable to resist an overwhelming desire to have sex with him. And, let's not forget that lovable ol' Barbara Bush helped Neil hide his affair from his wife.

[Blue_Tires]

40. lol n/t

[Triana]

8. I believe the "liberal media"

Doesn't exist. I wonder of the Media Research Center also believes in the Easter Bunny and that the moon is made of green cheese?

Ya think?

Puh.

[tocqueville]

12. one of the biggest mistakes from the insurgents

was to abduct journalists

OK it gave them some cash but on the other hand it killed most of the independent western media coverage.

If such a coverage has been allowed or even encouraged, the war would be over by now

[Barrett808]

15. These abductions may not have been by insurgents, just common criminals...

...who see a flush Westerner as a cash cow.

[tocqueville]

25. some yes, but not all of them

besides, if the Iraqui resistance had really been centrally organized it would have suppressed most of the "in for the business" guys, or made deals with them.

[NNN0LHI]

14. Two words. SHARK ATTACK! n/t

[Vogon_Glory]

16. MSM Has Suffered Collateral Damage By Whoring For The Republicans

The main stream media has been suffering collateral damage across the boards by whoring for this administration in particular and for the Republican Party in general. This administration has repeated the Duck Soup Posse's and the Banana Republicans lies almost verbatim (The "almost" is what accounts for the righ wingie-dingie's continued claims of liberal "bias) and their credibility has suffered accordingly.

I never, ever thought that the press as a whole in my country would be so corrupted in regarding its news reportage as the national corporate media are now--and I'm a long way from being the most to the left of DU's posters, either.

[stillcool]

18. it may be business as usual...

for corporate media to lean sway to their masters. The black-out of news and the mis-representing of facts has left me to no longer tune in. As a result, i would argue that i am far better informed. This board, and others has more than filled the void left by the talking heads. Soon the day will come when what is reported on cable news will be heard by no one. That one has to pick and choose, and look at the source, and verify...its the price to pay until our government is reigned in.

[matt819]

20. What's it like to live in fantasyland 24x7?

Conservative media watchdog -- is that an oxymoron or what? In any case, this group is quoted above -- "If you believe the liberal media's reporting on the American military effort in Iraq, you're almost forced to be ashamed of America," the Media Research Center, a conservative media-watchdog group, said in a recent message to potential donors.

Okay, what is there to be proud of at the moment?

[daleo]

22. The mainstream media suffered in the Soviet Union too

That's what happens when the media forgets what its true role has to be - i.e. independent.

[xchrom]

24. there is no ''main stream media''

it's all extreme corporate propaganda.
not even gop -- which would give legitimacy as a political entity to them.

the gop along with the corporations don't constitute a political anything -- except their own goals.
even extremist christians would be/are cut out from their goals.

now some moderates -- even if they are bothering to read this thread would be shaking their heads at these descriptions, maybe even alarmed.
but i now believe that moderates have become tools of the corporation -- educated, skeptical even, bright -- but tools none the less. and that's a shame.

[iconoclastic cat]

27. So, we're all in agreement: the MSM blows and journalists are $2 whores.

Perhaps we could get the Fairness Doctrine revived with all this bipartisan support?

[Solly Mack]

28. We need more beanie baby stories cries the Right Wing!

Less news about torture and more news about beanie babies...

[Fire Walk With Me]

29. "Undercutting the troops.." I don't buy it at all. Bad armor and lies

about WMD hurt the troops. No plan for leaving hurts the troops. "Loose lips sink ships", sure, but public opinion does NOT hurt the troops. What a pathetic if/then supposition/fear-dose/behaviour modifier.

[Barrett808]

53. More conservative projection n/t

[blm]

30. They can explain all the hours spent on Aruba and the honeymoon murder

every single day?

Those two missing people have gotten FAR more coverage for little storylinef than the Downing Street Minutes which forced us into a WAR and the Rove treason combined.

[rodeodance]

42. I have heard so many times it is what the viewers are intersted in (aruba

et.al).

[Catrina]

56. I don't know how they can explain that

They can't say it brings ratings because all their ratings are down. Maybe it fills time so they don't have to tell the truth?

Their ratings would have been sky-high if they had covered the 'Curve-Ball' story BEFORE the war. People wanted to know if this war was necessary. But the MSM reported only Chalabi lies funneled through Colin Powell and Judith Miller.

If they had covered the Jeff Gannon story, they would have had huge ratings, but somehow a story that had sex, lies and politics, fake journalism, a trail that exposed the rightwing propaganda machine, and the mystery JG patron in the WH itself, didn't pique their interest, while a blue dress occupied them for years. Why?

Those two missing people are more important than the tens of thousands of dead Iraqis, each with a story of their own, and way more important than the nearly 1,900 US troops, none of whom, according to George 'no casualties' Bush should be 'getting on with their lives'.

The Downing Street Memos, and treasongate, would bring ratings they can only dream of, better than any Robert Ludlum spy novel.

They only had to tell the truth ~ the truth doesn't change, it has no sides, doesn't need to be balanced. You can disagree with the truth, but you can't change it and the truth is that the MSM collaborated in a big lie that got tens of thousands of people killed. And they dismiss this as 'partisan'.

So it's 'left' to say 'there were no WMDs'?

The War was planned way in advance and the evidence was manufactured?

Colin Powell knew something was wrong with the speech he made to the UN which sold the war to the AMerican people?

There were no spies in the Pentagon?

George Bush has not been able to prove he fulfilled his military duty?

So then, left = truth. And it looks like over 60% of the population now is left!

[Selteri]

31. Eh, it's not the news people, it's their owners.

Remember, when you own the network you control what it talked about.

Look back to the 'mistake' on Lou Dobs where a woman said 'This is such bullshit.' It was bullshit but I'll still bet she was fired.

Now if only we could fire the owners like we all want to see Novak fired for his atrocities.

[JoFerret]

32. One way to look at this

...is that the media has become another victim of the extremist politics of the right wing.

[hannah]

33. media

Really and truly i thought the media were suppose to be for the people. To give us a voice against the big corporations and the government. no?

[Beam Me Up]

34. Brainwashed we all were.

"The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum — even encourage the more critical and dissident views. That gives people the sense that there's free thinking going on, while all the time the presuppositions of the system are being reinforced by the limits put on the range of the debate." -- (Noam Chomsky)

"We were not born critical of existing society. There was a moment in our lives (or a month, or a year) when certain facts appeared before us, startled us, and then caused us to question beliefs that were strongly fixed in our consciousness-embedded there by years of family prejudices, orthodox schooling, imbibing of newspapers, radio, and television." --Howard Zinn

Quotes from www.thirdworldtraveler.com)

[ShockediSay]

35. It's the Sound Bite Media

Most don't know how to read or think analytically in this so-called democracy. It's the Rupert Murdochs, the William Randolph Hearsts, the Joseph Goebbels, that rule.

[fshrink]

37. "Liberal media"! Lol!!

In Europe maybe. Might as well blame it on the US communist party.

[go west young man]

39. The fact that the media excepting Keith Olberman just ignored

all the anomilies during the election is proof that the MSM is biased to the right and seriously out of touch with reality. What has the media done for this country really in the last decade. Report on Michael Jackson, OJ Simpson and a few abducted women. Thats all anyone remembers. They never challenged the administration on Iraq. They waved the flag to make some bucks and we are all the worse off for it. I say send them all out to the front lines and let the insurgents have em. They have essentially helped get our troops killed by cheerleading for an unjust war. I wrote Lou Dobbs before the war and told him he will be responsible for the deaths of so many people if he keeps helping promote invading Iraq and he actually responded saying that I was entitled to my opinion and I shouldn't expect him to feel the same. Well 2 years later he and many others owe us all an apology. Not to mention all the tens of thousands who have died or been injured due to thier ignorance.

[rodeodance]

41. I certainly do not think that Cindy got 'extensive" media coverage-as this

article points out.

.....Military mom Cindy Sheehan, who got extensive media coverage for her anti-war protest outside President Bush's Texas ranch this month, voiced the view from the left in a conference call with supporters Aug. 10.

[rodeodance]

43. "Don't believe the liberal media!" the dog tag says.(will send to a troop)

my gawd!!--this is outragous!!

....In return for a donation, the organization will send a specially inscribed military-style dog tag to a soldier in Iraq. "Don't believe the liberal media!" the dog tag says. "I'm just one of millions of Americans who realize that powerful elements in the media are undermining the war effort."

Army Capt. Sherman Powell reinforced that view with his comments during an interview Wednesday with "Today" show host Matt Lauer in Baghdad. Lauer wondered how troop morale could be so high, given the problems in Iraq.

"If I got my news from the newspapers also, I'd be pretty depressed as well," Powell replied. "Those of us who've actually had a chance to get out and go on patrols and meet the Iraqi army and the Iraqi police and go on patrols with them, we are very satisfied with the way things are going here."

[flyarm]

54. i can not stand laur..he is a filthy pig!

he is *es monica!

[LibDemAlways]

48. "Extensive" media coverage

would have been Cindy sitting down for extensive interviews with the networks and print media. Instead, what did we get? A few soundbites before the rw smear machine kicked into high gear demonizing her.

[orpupilofnature57]

46. Who facilitated Shrub,Donny, and Kkkarl more? Like Shrub shortsighted

[goforit]

49. How many people viewed the news in 1998 vs today???

Probably far more then than now!!!!

Hats off to Those who despise the Pentagon Propaganda!!!

[flyarm]

55. i have been saying over and over again,...

we have the power to stop the propaganda..by shutting them down..turn if off and keep it off....use child block ..i child blocked fox 3 years ago..no fox can be turned on in my home!

don't listen to rush..just don't...everytime you turn him on you are giving him money!

turn them all off..i now have an embargo on cnn!

don't turn them on.period...there is nothing on those networks you can't find on the internet!

hit em where it hurts..there are over 50 million of us..think how hard we can hit them if we all shut em down!

[jus_the_facts]

60. not only will you have to turn it off...STOP PAYING FOR IT....

....not watching but still buying won't hit 'em where it hurts...not giving them your $$$$$$ is all that WILL. :nopity:

[rocktivity]

57. SHE GETS IT!!!!

"Thank God for the Internet or we wouldn't know anything and we would already be a fascist state," (Cindy Sheehan) said...in a conference call with supporters..."The mainstream media is a propaganda tool for the government."
That statement is worth its weight in gold.

Bush's greatest line of defense has been the MSM--he knows they will not criticize or disagree with him excessively. And literally out of nowhere comes a demure woman of faith who delivers the body blow we have needed so badly. Ironically, I doubt she'll get to SAY it on the MSM!

:headbang:
rocknation

[SoCalDem]

59. This is what happens when media is "corporate owned"

they become tentative and afraid to report REAL news for a long time, and when it's finally evident that they have to start reporting it as it's really happening, EVERYONE is mad at them,..

They (as a group) need to draw up some guidelines, and stick to them.

The "news divisions" need to be sold off and made INDEPENDENT of the corporations..

News just IS..the people listening/watching it should be allowed/encouraged to make their own slant on the FACTS.. All we really need is the FACTS..

If those facts 'damage" someone, then SO BE IT..

Our MSM people have gotten slick and packaged, and apparently the public (all sides) had finally had its fill..

[obxhead]

62. We should be ashamed of amerika.

We've gotten it all wrong for so long now as we have buried our heads in the sand and let these crimes continue unanswered.