Can The Media Report Just The Facts? Probably Not.

Anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices. --Voltaire

News media honchos seem to be issuing a united cry that the President hasn't been, but needs to "communicate" his goals for the War Against Terrorism better. No matter which network--they are all in agreement on this one. Well, what a crock!

What is needed, in fact, is for the news media to communicate all the events as they occur in Iraq--both war acts and acts of progress.

Further, they need to look only as far as their own reporting and their selective coverage on what's happening in Iraq for the poor and incomplete information we get in the USA.

The President tells his story over and over, then the media ignores his story over and over. Then the President's political foes attack his statements with great zeal and emotional arguments and then THOSE become the story of the day. Puh-lese! This does not pass the media stink test.

Journalists need to get over the thought that if the facts support the President, and if they report those events, factually as they occur, that they are somehow sell-outs. The facts need reporting--actually ONLY the facts need reporting. Wouldn't it be a lovely world without media spin? Wowsa! There's a fresh idea!

The other day, I heard an early AM TV account of two suicide car bombers self-destructing in Iraq. The pictures showed lots of people running and general chaos ensuing, but the death and injury toll was 2 dead. Somehow, they didn't report that the two who died were the suicide bombers, but that's where I'm putting my money, since they were each sitting inside of their own car bomb at the times of explosion. No one else was hurt, but that's NOT what the pictures looked like back home. That's not the full story--that's a spun half-story, with the details left out. (If I could find a copy of this incident in the print media online, I would have linked to it, but, alas! and no surprise, no such record has been found to date. I will keep looking and update if it is found.)

Both the destruction and the construction in Iraq are "stories"--nevermind that the progress side of the news isn't full of graphic pictures of explosions and bodies littering the ground, perfect for your evening TV viewing. Could it be more clear that it is all about ratings (and advertising dollars), rather than National Security, or winning, or allegiance to our country in a time of war, or even a report with the facts in context? Can we please admit at least these ugly media facts?

The lazy so-called reporters need to speak to people actually there and to not be immediately dismissive of the progress that's happening. And they need to stop accusing the administration of lying to the public in order to sway public opinion falsely when that's exactly what THEY are doing (transference--Psych 101?)

This "negative only" accounting of the unfolding events has a self-destructive bent to it. It's not imaginable to me how an American can wish for a loss for his or her own country in a war waged by terrorist against us. Being responsible for creating a negative atmosphere in a country during a time of war is a crime. It's already on the books and it's called sedition. Further, it's also highly immoral when it's done for personal or political gain. (Personal or political gain at the expense of one's own country's existence? Unheard of by anyone who is not a traitor heretofore.)

In a time when almost half of us do not connect that behavior with support for the people who want to eliminate the USA and Israel (not from power, from existence), it just staggers the mind.

You can read more about Iraq's progress here, here, here, here, here, and the most recent updates here.

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Cartoon Credit: Cox and Forkum - http://www.coxandforkum.com/archives/000789.html