Larry is right, but this liberal media bias is not limited to Iraq...
There over 6 billion people in the world who don't have AIDS, the media focuses on the 2 million who do.
There are millions of black people in the Sudan who are not being killed, yet the media insists there is a "genocide".
And on 9/11 there were 6 million people in New York City who weren't attacked and killed ... yet they make it out like there was some big event.
Yes, the media always ignores the good news when something doesn't go right...
(I do notice that pictures of dead Iraqis generally have a caption about where the picture was taken and the circumstances. Pictures of happy children playing with soldiers are generally uncaptioned. This happy children pictures are probably not from Fallujah.)
ebrown_p wrote:There over 6 billion people in the world who don't have AIDS, the media focuses on the 2 million who do.
Well , currently worldwide contracted around 40 million people are infected with AIDS ( HIV virus)
and over 20 millions died until now.
ebrown_p wrote:
This happy children pictures are probably not from Fallujah.
That's for sure.
"And on 9/11 there were 6 million people in New York City who weren't attacked and killed ... yet they make it out like there was some big event"
Huh??
Woiyo, I am just pointing out more of the liberal media bias that Larry is talking about.
Didn't you notice that coverage of 9/11 showed us all the pictures of planes crashing into buildings, people running and jumping out of the towers?
They didn't show the pictures of the people who weren't attacked. There were babies born on that day. There were birthdays. Why didn't we see the pictures of these happy occasions.
It is clear the media wanted us to think that America was under attack that day... so they only showed us the pictures of violence and chaos.
This is the same thing that is going on in Iraq. The media wants us to think that Iraq is a mess... so they only show us the pictures of violence and chaos.
In both cases, it is clear we just needed more happy pictures to let us know that things were going well.
Thank you Larry.
Here the thing with the pictures. When was the last time a major newspaper or news report on TV showed pictures of something good going on in Iraq?
"It is clear the media wanted us to think that America was under attack that day... so they only showed us the pictures of violence and chaos.
This is the same thing that is going on in Iraq. The media wants us to think that Iraq is a mess... so they only show us the pictures of violence and chaos. "
Not a very clever attempt at sarcasm.
The imbedded reporters HAVE UNDER-REPORTED good work done by US and Bristish soldiers and other aid workers. Objective journalism is apparently not taught in journalism school or is being edited by the Editors at the major media outlets.
Yes, Iraq is a mess and war is hell. Show BOTH sides in their proper CONTEXT.
If America is under attack, they should report it.
If Iraq is a mess, they should report it.
I think your complaint is that the media doesn't share your bias. (I have the same complaint, from a slightly different perspective). But, it seems to me, if you really support this war as justified, you should have the balls to face up to the very real consequences of your stance.
I have always opposed this war. I have not avoided or flinched or whined about pictures of brutalities commited by Saddam or his thugs or terrorists now-- even though they argue against my position (and I freely admit that my position is one that can be argued against.)
All I am saying is that the media is doing what the media is supposed to do. Happy smiling children-- whether in Iraq or 9/11 or Sudan-- are not news especially when they are from a place where the war is going on. These pictures are most certainly from a region of Iraq that support the US and is not currently in turmoil. It would be interesting to see captions about exactly when and where they were taken (which would make them a bit more news worthy).
Heck, when we were arguing about whether to invade Iraq, and people were pointing out how brutal Saddam was, I didn't complain that happy Iraqi children didn't appear in the paper. I am sure that some children did smile in Iraq at this time and that such picture could have been produced.
We both should admit that the situation in Iraq is a mess and that both of our positions (war or no) have consequences. The press is supposed to make these consequences very public.
I guess what I am saying is I wish you would all just stop whining about the free press.
Yeah, but that's a human nature thing, not bias.
Aren't media outlets businesses? Don't they have to turn a profit? How long could they stay in business if nobody advertised because of low circulation or viewer numbers?
Why aren't righty papers like the Washington Times showing feel good pictures every day from Iraq? If the editor there had to lead an Iraq story with a photo of marines handing out candy or one with a pall of smoke with a dead insurgent in the foreground, which photo would sell more papers?
Iraq IS a mess but I would think that intelligent fellows like you wouldn't use the media bias brush to paint a rosier picture of Iraq.
An excellent documentary on media bias is _The Control Room_ produced by al-Jazeera. One question raised is whether it is even possible for media to be unbiased. The film is NOT a hatchet job. Available for rent at a Blockbuster near you.
The problem is we haven't seen any pictures of the good stuff in Iraq. The media presents the idea that all of Iraq is in turmoil with nothing good happening. That is dishonest at best.
The media being biased against the war doesn't want to show anything good going on because it would counter their doom ad gloom reporting.
JanW wrote:An excellent documentary on media bias is _The Control Room_ produced by al-Jazeera. One question raised is whether it is even possible for media to be unbiased. The film is NOT a hatchet job. Available for rent at a Blockbuster near you.
I guess it is fiting that Al Jazeera make a film on media bias, they are the leading news organization in this field. Do they have pictures of happy people in Iraq or would those constitut unwanted footage? We all know they have no problem showing videos of bin Laden and beheadings.
And yet the vast majority of Iraqis are going to work, going to the market, going to mosque, going about their daily lives and are not materially affected by the war. The liberal news media scours the crowd to find people who will say something negative. According to our service people over there, there are plenty who are saying much that is positive, but somehow these don't get interviewed on TV or quoted in the newspapers. Why is that do you think?
boy Baldimo, sometimes stuff goes over your head like an F-16. The famous amendment goes both ways. Let me ask you again: Why isn't the Washington Times papering their front page with feel good photos and articles?
Foxfyre wrote:And yet the vast majority of Iraqis are going to work, going to the market, going to mosque, going about their daily lives and are not materially affected by the war. The liberal news media scours the crowd to find people who will say something negative. According to our service people over there, there are plenty who are saying much that is positive, but somehow these don't get interviewed on TV or quoted in the newspapers. Why is that do you think?
Could be that a person might say one thing to a soldier of an army that is occupying his country and who has weapons, and another thing to a reporter. The 'liberal' media hasn't had to look very hard to uncover bad news in Iraq.
Please tell me... I would love to have the same rosy view of what is going on in Iraq...
... just where do you all get your news?
Maybe you are right and all we need are more happy pictures. I am sure that we will discover that the vast majority of Iraqis are not affected "materially" by the war. All this scouring to find the few people in Iraq who are facing violence or hardship because of the should simply be stopped.
And then there is some good news, so remarkable, that the media, liberal or conservative, happily cannot resist.
In particular, I recall a recent story that one of the alphabet news outlets aired (with several follow-ups) of an Iraqi toddler with a rare and horribly disfiguring disease. Her Iraqi doctors told her dad to take her home to die, as they were ill equipped to treat her.
The desperate father appealed to the Marines in nearby Abu Ghraib, who took matters into their own hands, got the child and her father to the US for treatment and she's now well on the road to recovery.
Sometimes there are stories that are just meant to be told.
Being able to say that the effort in Iraq has not been a complete failure as certain liberal media outlets would lead you to believe is hardly having a rosy view of the situation. There is yin to balance the yang in Iraq. You just have to look for it harder because it doesn't sell newspapers.
I agree JW. American doctors and surgeons are doing wonderful work all over the world. These stories bring us hope and awe. Why should it be any different because the story comes out of Iraq?
Foxfyre wrote:According to our service people over there, there are plenty who are saying much that is positive, but somehow these don't get interviewed on TV or quoted in the newspapers. Why is that do you think?
When they do get quoted in the newspapers, if all is not rosey in what is said, the military ceases the communication. See
Emails from Iraq
Yes...more happy pictures please.
That way we can be in complete and utter denial of the realities overseas. We should also keep from the public the numbers of dead on either side.
I am a big fan of outta sight, outta mind! It helps me shut out all the ugliness in this world.
