Media Coverage

[gcb]

I would think if there is a war on and your country is involved then it should be front page material everyday. If it isn't then you have to wonder.

But maybe that is only me...

[gcb]

Real News isn't there to make you feel good.

[gcb]

Here is the real news in iraq:

http://www.stopwar.org.uk/Statistics.htm

[Dos Equis]

I would think if there is a war on and your country is involved then it should be front page material everyday. If it isn't then you have to wonder.

But maybe that is only me...

Yes the war should be front page material everyday.  What we shouldn't see is a picture of a screaming Iraqi every week and the suppression of positive things happening in theater.  Headhunter made a great point about how silent things have become because the surge has been working.  If the surge was failing I guarantee you outlets like CNN would be all over it.   

[Decker]

Yes the war should be front page material everyday.  What we shouldn't see is a picture of a screaming Iraqi every week and the suppression of positive things happening in theater.  Headhunter made a great point about how silent things have become because the surge has been working.  If the surge was failing I guarantee you outlets like CNN would be all over it.   

So hundreds of Iraqis dying a month instead of thousands is a success of the Surge?

That is good news for the Iraqis.

I mean the US has driven several million Iraqis from Iraq.  Finding Iraqi insurgents to kill must be an effort in diminishing returns.

We're running out of Iraqis.

After destroying their lives on a daily basis, we charge the puppet government we installed to rebuild what we've destroyed.  What a lucky deal for us.

What if americans started to think about the legitimacy of the invasion and what we are really doing over there? 

Why we might have....opposition to the war.

Perhaps an opposition that no amount of equal time "good news" can bury.

[Dos Equis]

So hundreds of Iraqis dying a month instead of thousands is a success of the Surge?

That is good news for the Iraqis.

I mean the US has driven several million Iraqis from Iraq.  Finding Iraqi insurgents to kill must be an effort in diminishing returns.

We're running out of Iraqis.

After destroying their lives on a daily basis, we charge the puppet government we installed to rebuild what we've destroyed.  What a lucky deal for us.

What if americans started to think about the legitimacy of the invasion and what we are really doing over there? 

Why we might have....opposition to the war.

Perhaps an opposition that no amount of equal time "good news" can bury.

Yes, the fact that insurgents are murdering fewer Iraqis is definitely a sign of success. 

[Decker]

Yes, the fact that insurgents are murdering fewer Iraqis is definitely a sign of success. 

It is so hard to tell who is killing whom in a civil war. 

[240 is Back]

Yes, the fact that insurgents are murdering fewer Iraqis is definitely a sign of success. 

well, you can only kill a guy once.  You kill a few hundred thousand and chase out a few million and yes, there will be less people there to kill.

I'm not sure you see that.  The "sign of success" is a false one.  The only reason less are getting killed is because less are there.  If you put those 3 million + refugees back in baghdad - the killing # would rise significantly.  No sane person can argue this.

[Dos Equis]

It is so hard to tell who is killing whom in a civil war. 

Not in this one.  Pretty obvious that insurgents are the ones blowing up women and children.

[Mad Nickels]

Yes, the insurgents are doing the killing.  The question is, why are they there?

They weren't there in 2002, they weren't there in 2003.  Why are they present in such high numbers in 2008?  Is our military incapable of stopping them, or is our military the bait?

[Decker]

Not in this one.  Pretty obvious that insurgents are the ones blowing up women and children.

How do you know?

There are no definitive casualty counts.  The car bombings by my source are down yet the killings are still in the hundreds per month.

I suppose the US soldiers that are still dying over there are not dying from fire fights...just the non-combat reasons.

[Decker]

I have no doubt that iraqis are attacking and killing iraqis that cooperate with the invading US forces.

That would happen when any foreign invader conquers a country.

[240 is Back]

The car bombings by my source are down

That could just mean they are running out of cars.

You can only blow up a car once.

[Dos Equis]

How do you know?

There are no definitive casualty counts.  The car bombings by my source are down yet the killings are still in the hundreds per month.

I suppose the US soldiers that are still dying over there are not dying from fire fights...just the non-combat reasons.

How do I know that insurgents were the ones blowing up women and children?  The news (like everyone else) and talking to many soldiers who have been there. 

Don't forget we haves rules of engagement.  Insurgents do not. 

[240 is Back]

How do I know that insurgents were the ones blowing up women and children?  The news (like everyone else) and talking to many soldiers who have been there. 

The news, and your friends.  Sounds like perfectly credible sources to me.  Let's see... the news, which you ATTACKED with this exact thread for being biased.   And your friends, who are cool enough to hang out with a high school dropout such as yourself.

Your sources suck here.

[Dos Equis]

So the current front page, lead story on CNN is, again . . . the disfigured boy:  http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/12/24/youssif.surgery/index.html

I believe that makes about 3 or 4 days this week alone. 

[240 is Back]

So the current front page, lead story on CNN is, again . . . the disfigured boy:  http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/12/24/youssif.surgery/index.html

I believe that makes about 3 or 4 days this week alone. 

Why do you hate this boy Yousef so badly?

Hasn't he suffered enough?

[Decker]

So the current front page, lead story on CNN is, again . . . the disfigured boy:  http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/12/24/youssif.surgery/index.html

I believe that makes about 3 or 4 days this week alone. 

Thank you for linking the story.

That's a feel good story Beach Bum.

How Youssif got his smile back

How on earth is that biased against the war?

It's exactly the type of Iraq feel good story you want.

[Dos Equis]

Thank you for linking the story.

That's a feel good story Beach Bum.

How Youssif got his smile back

How on earth is that biased against the war?

It's exactly the type of Iraq feel good story you want.

Call me a cynic.     I have a different viewpoint.  You can tell this story without the grotesque pictures.  Putting those pictures on their front page, as the lead story, three of four times in a week, is not done for a beneficent purpose IMO.  The pictures are designed to evoke negative emotions about the war and probably Bush.  What happened to that kid's face is a tragedy.   

fyi - There are a number of stories like this in Iraq.  I've talked to a soldier who worked in a medical facility and there are numerous, heroic efforts by our troops to treat and save Iraqi citizens, including Iraqi children.     

[Dos Equis]

It's back.  lol.  The current front page story, again, is the disfigured boy, complete with pictures.  That makes about 5 times this week. 

[Dos Equis]

So this morning CNN removed the pictures.  I guess five days was enough?  This morning's lead story on Fox:  "Thousands of Iraqi Christians Stream Into Churches to Celebrate Christmas"   http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318224,00.html

[240 is Back]

So this morning CNN removed the pictures.  I guess five days was enough?  This morning's lead story on Fox:  "Thousands of Iraqi Christians Stream Into Churches to Celebrate Christmas"   http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,318224,00.html

One appeals to the group who primarily think the war is going awesome and we've been winning for 5 years (FOX).  One appeals to the group who despises the war and believes it was a choice to go for greed and power (CNN).  Are you really that surprised that they both slant their journalism to pull on heartstrings, and NEITHER focus on the bigger things going on (like a large chunk of world's oil reserves changing hands or permanent bases being set up to control the region).

[gcb]

Call me a cynic.     I have a different viewpoint.  You can tell this story without the grotesque pictures.  Putting those pictures on their front page, as the lead story, three of four times in a week, is not done for a beneficent purpose IMO.  The pictures are designed to evoke negative emotions about the war and probably Bush.  What happened to that kid's face is a tragedy.   

fyi - There are a number of stories like this in Iraq.  I've talked to a soldier who worked in a medical facility and there are numerous, heroic efforts by our troops to treat and save Iraqi citizens, including Iraqi children.     

There maybe some positives in the war but overall its negative and the news should reflect exactly that, otherwise it isn't news.

[Dos Equis]

There maybe some positives in the war but overall its negative and the news should reflect exactly that, otherwise it isn't news.

Not true.  Talk to people who have been there and you'll likely get a different story.  Check this link out too.  You'll find stories here the media doesn't report.  http://goodnewsiraq.com/index2.htm

[gcb]

If it's a war it's negative - you can put a positive spin on it but then that is what it is - war is not a good thing.