An eye opener........from the horses mouth you could say

[Honu]

Title: Media and Iraq in general and Fallujah, specifically
Posted On: August 23, 2005, 19:05 PM
Listing Detail Now, my (very few) regular readers know that I don't like to preach much. I know this blog is being read by you-know-who, but that's only part of the reason. The real reason is that I'd prefer to show you pictures of every day life in Iraq rather than give you my views on events that are beyond my control and out of my lane. However, in reading the below piece from Jack Kelly, it struck me that I haven't shared with you my own little first-hand brush with media bias. So here goes:

We've hosted several media correspondents (print and TV) out here at the CMOC ... LA Times, NY Times, Fox News, CNN, Knight-Ridder, AP, UPI, even GRD (German) TV. I have, to a man/woman, gotten along well on a personal level with every single correspondent that's come through here.

However, almost invariably, the "good parts" of the story get covered up and obscured by the bad news, or the "facts" are reported in a manner which makes things appear to be worse than they actually are. For example, one recent visiting correspondent (I'm not going to name names here, you can google it just as easliy as I can), in reporting on reconstruction progress in Fallujah, wrote words to the effect that "only 60% of the homes in the southern part of Fallujah have power or water."

Now, reading that, you'd think that we just plumb were not doing our jobs here, wouldn't ya? Well, the reporter was technically correct. We do still have some work to do in the southern part of the city. However, the real story is that, prior to our arrival, ZERO PERCENT of homes in the southern part of Fallujah had power or water. Yes, on our watch, contractors solicited by us and paid for by us have gone in and put power to poles and water to pipes where previously there was none! Your intrepid correspondent chose to report it this way, despite the fact that he had been shown a brief which graphically displayed before-and-after status, and he had been told what I just wrote here. I reckon it just "reads better" that 40% of Fallujans in the south don't have power or water, despite our efforts and ongoing plan to get it there, hm?

I'm not trying to imply that all media are bad or purposely mis-represent the facts, but just remember to keep an open mind when you're reading anything: this blog, mainstream media, DoD press releases. People are naturally biased one way or the other, and it follows that our passion about issues seeps into whatever we write or produce, even though we may try to keep it "fair and balanced" -- to borrow a phrase.

Anyway, for the real scoop, check out folks like Michael Yon, Michael Fumento, Ollie North, and yes, even "MSM" CNN correspondent Jane Arraf, to name but a few.



Washington Times
August 21, 2005

Familiar Patterns

By Jack Kelly

Near the end of his touching account of the funeral of Lance Cpl. Brian Montgomery, one of six Ohio Marine reservists killed in an ambush Aug. 1, the Los Angeles Times' David Zucchino reported a fact I have seen nowhere else:

"Before leaving Iraq, Eric made his buddies promise they would track and kill the insurgents who took his brother from him. Last week, he said, a squad member's mother called to relay a message from Iraq: 'We got the [expletive].' "

News reports from Iraq typically lead with U.S. casualties, usually without putting them in context or reporting what happened to the enemy. Two days after Brian Montgomery's death, 14 Marines from the same battalion were killed when a roadside bomb destroyed the amtrac in which they were riding. It was Page One news all over the country. But there was little on Operation Quick Strike, in which they were taking part.

Imagine if correspondents covering the Normandy invasion had emphasized American casualties, while downplaying the strategic significance of the battle, the greater losses of our enemies and the valor of our fighting men. Would people on the home front have become discouraged?

Suspicions Iraq war coverage is intended to discourage the home front have deepened because of the massive coverage accorded Cindy Sheehan, recently camped out on the doorstep of President Bush's ranch in Crawford.

Cindy's son, Casey, was killed in Iraq last year. She suffered a terrible loss, but no different than that of more than 1,800 other mothers. Why have the media given Mrs. Sheehan so much attention and so little to the others? Could it be because Mrs. Sheehan opposes the war, and most of the others do not?

This is a familiar pattern for journalists. Thousands of Americans lost husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. But media attention was lavished on a handful -- the so-called Jersey Girls -- stridently critical of President Bush.

Soldiers and Marines in Iraq have complained bitterly that journalists exaggerate their difficulties and give short shrift to their accomplishments. "I know the reporting's bad because I know people in Iraq," Mark Yost, associate editorial page editor of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, said in a July 12 column.

"I get unfiltered news from Iraq through an e-mail network of military friends who aren't so blinded by their own politics that they can't see the real good that we're doing there," Mr. Yost said. "The fact that makes this all the more ironic is that the people who are fighting and dying want to stay and the people who are merely observers want to cut and run." Mr. Yost was subjected to a torrent of criticism from thin-skinned colleagues.

"I'm embarrassed to have you as a colleague," wrote Pioneer Press reporter Charles Laszewski. Knight-Ridder Baghdad bureau chief Hannah Allam (Knight Ridder owns the Pioneer Press) said only the press knows the real story.

Steve Lovelady, editor of the Columbia Journalism Review, in an e-mail exchange with Web logger Jeff Jarvis implied Mr. Yost should be fired because "he's a right-wing shill who belittled and betrayed hundreds of reporters who go into harm's way every day to tell us what the hell is really going on."

But most journalists rarely leave the fortified green zone. "It's very confining for our staff to go into Baghdad and have to spend most of their time on the fifth floor of the Palestine Hotel," said Mike Silverman, Associated Press managing editor.

Kathleen Carroll, AP executive editor, said it was much easier to add up the number of dead than to determine how many hospitals got electricity on a particular day or how many schools were built.

Mr. Silverman and Miss Carroll were recounting to the New York Times' Katherine Seelye a July AP editors' discussion of reader complaints that only one side of the Iraq story was being told.

The AP could, of course, embed more of its reporters with U.S. troops. But then they would be in greater danger than at the Palestine Hotel, and would be deprived of its comforts.

Jack Kelly, a syndicated columnist, is a former Marine and Green Beret and a former deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force in the Reagan administration. He is national security writer for the Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post-Gazette.

http://www.milblogging.com/result.ph...tingTitle&dir=

[Rupert Pupkin]

Thanks Honu. That was an interesting article.

[Honu]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

Thanks Honu. That was an interesting article.

Its actually a Blog site where U.S Soldiers post their everyday happenings and thoughts about what is going on around them and the mission they are on . I found this site to be a very refreshing read compared to all the negative press you get in mainstream media. These guys are living the war and commenting about it from a real birds eye view , I for one am glad they are so at least we get a true picture of what is going on and not just what the press want us to know.

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

check out this link...

www.liveleak.com/view?i=5030321bc2


us finest..kicking ass and taken names..

[GenuineRisk]

<<Anyway, for the real scoop, check out folks like Michael Yon, Michael Fumento, Ollie North, and yes, even "MSM" CNN correspondent Jane Arraf, to name but a few.>>

Ollie North... Ollie North... where have I heard that name before? Something about selling arms to Iraq and Iran, wasn't it? Hmm... can't remember. Apparently neither can the rest of the country.)

Listen, Honu, I hope this stuff is more true than false because I don't like thinking our soldiers are being thrown into a hopeless situation. But after the BS we were fed leading up to the war, I'm skeptical. The truth, as always, probably falls somewhere in the middle. Though I would sure like this version of events to be closer to it.

Anything in any of those postings about whether our soldiers are getting the armor they need?

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

then try living like this daily...
www.liveleak.com/view?i=7dbc22eed7&p=1


im sure they love to hear how 1/2 the people in the u s dont want them there......im sure they would rather be home too..

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by hoovesupsideyourhead

then try living like this daily...
www.liveleak.com/view?i=7dbc22eed7&p=1


im sure they love to hear how 1/2 the people in the u s dont want them there......im sure they would rather be home too..

Well duh that they'd rather be home themselves. But here's the thing, if I were in a situation like that, gads, if any of us actually were serving ourselves, I'd jolly well want to feel that I was there for a reason, too. I can't imagine how awful it must be/has been for soldiers in a war situation where they didn't feel they were there for a good reason-- believing in what they're doing must be essential to the mental and emotional health of a lot of them. And you'd better believe, when I sent out care package stuff through anysoldier.com (putting a plug in there for it again) I didn't offer any of my opinions of the situation in Iraq. They have nothing to do with it-- they're doing their job, to the best of their abilities.

I work for an environmental organization and believe me, there are times when I think, "What's the point? This effort is for nothing" and I get really depressed. Now, add to that depression being in a situation where I might have to kill people and am in constant danger of being maimed or killed myself and I imagine that depression turns into some pretty fierce mental anguish. I think I would choose to believe I'm needed there and I'm doing the right thing. And I don't blame a one of them for it.

And the reason behind not wanting them there is not because half of America thinks our nation is a big bad monster but because we're aware that these soldiers aren't nameless, faceless units that the government tries to hide from us (notice how you don't see any footage on television of the dead coming home?)- they're sons and daughters and friends and fathers and mothers and aunts and uncles. And we don't want them maimed, or dead, and their families left to mourn them. And I think our country has an obligation not to send them into danger when they aren't urgently needed. I think that's a betrayal of what they signed up for.

Because no one is complaining about going into Afghanistan (other than the slip-shod way it's been done, but that's not the soldiers' fault, it's the men in brass'). It's Iraq. Why do you think that is?

While I'm on the soapbox, folks, take some of your winnings (or spending money) and send a care package (or at least a letter) via anysoldier.com. For about $26.00 you can send a box of cookies and things. I know how little I make, and I can find that and I'm betting a lot of you make a lot more than I do, judging from the discretionary gambling money many of you seem to have every week. And if you're unwilling to, take a little time and write a letter, which is what most of them want more than anything anyway.

And I hope and pray in the end, it won't be for nothing. Please God, for sake of all those serving.

[GenuineRisk]

In a bizarre example of "Let's show how much better professional news writers can write than GR," Salon.com's cover story today is on a sense of purpose in military missions:

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2006/12/21/ptsd/

If you bother to read it, check out the editor's choice letters-- one of them made interesting points about military vs. police.

anysoldier.com. I think Dear Abby does a thing for the soldiers, too, by the way.

[paisjpq]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

While I'm on the soapbox, folks, take some of your winnings (or spending money) and send a care package (or at least a letter) via anysoldier.com. For about $26.00 you can send a box of cookies and things. I know how little I make, and I can find that and I'm betting a lot of you make a lot more than I do, judging from the discretionary gambling money many of you seem to have every week. And if you're unwilling to, take a little time and write a letter, which is what most of them want more than anything anyway.

And I hope and pray in the end, it won't be for nothing. Please God, for sake of all those serving.

if I could have a little room on your soapbox...MOVE OVER WOMAN!

the wounded warrior project is one that members of my family are involved in...in the adaptive sports programs
this group is dedicated to helping injured soldiers upon return to the US... it's another way to get involved and help
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org...adquarters.htm

[Downthestretch55]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

Well duh that they'd rather be home themselves. But here's the thing, if I were in a situation like that, gads, if any of us actually were serving ourselves, I'd jolly well want to feel that I was there for a reason, too. I can't imagine how awful it must be/has been for soldiers in a war situation where they didn't feel they were there for a good reason-- believing in what they're doing must be essential to the mental and emotional health of a lot of them. And you'd better believe, when I sent out care package stuff through anysoldier.com (putting a plug in there for it again) I didn't offer any of my opinions of the situation in Iraq. They have nothing to do with it-- they're doing their job, to the best of their abilities.

I work for an environmental organization and believe me, there are times when I think, "What's the point? This effort is for nothing" and I get really depressed. Now, add to that depression being in a situation where I might have to kill people and am in constant danger of being maimed or killed myself and I imagine that depression turns into some pretty fierce mental anguish. I think I would choose to believe I'm needed there and I'm doing the right thing. And I don't blame a one of them for it.

And the reason behind not wanting them there is not because half of America thinks our nation is a big bad monster but because we're aware that these soldiers aren't nameless, faceless units that the government tries to hide from us (notice how you don't see any footage on television of the dead coming home?)- they're sons and daughters and friends and fathers and mothers and aunts and uncles. And we don't want them maimed, or dead, and their families left to mourn them. And I think our country has an obligation not to send them into danger when they aren't urgently needed. I think that's a betrayal of what they signed up for.

Because no one is complaining about going into Afghanistan (other than the slip-shod way it's been done, but that's not the soldiers' fault, it's the men in brass'). It's Iraq. Why do you think that is?

While I'm on the soapbox, folks, take some of your winnings (or spending money) and send a care package (or at least a letter) via anysoldier.com. For about $26.00 you can send a box of cookies and things. I know how little I make, and I can find that and I'm betting a lot of you make a lot more than I do, judging from the discretionary gambling money many of you seem to have every week. And if you're unwilling to, take a little time and write a letter, which is what most of them want more than anything anyway.

And I hope and pray in the end, it won't be for nothing. Please God, for sake of all those serving.

Genuine Risk,
I also pray for the well being of those that serve in the military.
There is a growing movement of resistance.
Here is their site:
http://www.appealforredress.org/

[hoovesupsideyourhead]

heres are boys letting off some steam

www.liveleak.com/view?i=8b8fe10151&p=1

www.liveleak.com/view?i=5c0d2a40e6&p=1

i think gpk t3b is rideing on this truck..lol

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by paisjpq

if I could have a little room on your soapbox...MOVE OVER WOMAN!

the wounded warrior project is one that members of my family are involved in...in the adaptive sports programs
this group is dedicated to helping injured soldiers upon return to the US... it's another way to get involved and help
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org...adquarters.htm

Hee hee. Happy to share the soapbox; my throat was getting tired, anyway. Here's the megaphone; I'm going to make a Starbucks run. Want anything?

I read an article a few months ago about veterans with severe leg and hip injuries riding horses as part of their physical therapy because the horse's walking gait is quite similar to ours and it helps the veterans regain strength iin their walking muscles. And, of course, they were finding some mental benefits as well-- as those of us who love to ride could have told them. I think someone here (probably you, Bethani!) already mentioned this, but I thought it was worth mentioning again 'cause it's neat.

Great site, by the way, I made a donation.

[paisjpq]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

Hee hee. Happy to share the soapbox; my throat was getting tired, anyway. Here's the megaphone; I'm going to make a Starbucks run. Want anything?

I read an article a few months ago about veterans with severe leg and hip injuries riding horses as part of their physical therapy because the horse's walking gait is quite similar to ours and it helps the veterans regain strength iin their walking muscles. And, of course, they were finding some mental benefits as well-- as those of us who love to ride could have told them. I think someone here (probably you, Bethani!) already mentioned this, but I thought it was worth mentioning again 'cause it's neat.

Great site, by the way, I made a donation.

no thanks I'll wait for the freebie from GPK...

I wasn't the one who posted about the therapeutic riding...but I used to volunteer at a place that did therapuetic riding for disabled kids...it was amazing; words fall short when trying to describe how much the horses helped those kids...physically, emotionally...

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by paisjpq

no thanks I'll wait for the freebie from GPK...

What????? Darnit; I knew he liked you best!

[paisjpq]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

What????? Darnit; I knew he liked you best!

not me...it's my dog he's after....she's a charmer and he likes his women with short thick legs

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by paisjpq

not me...it's my dog he's after....she's a charmer and he likes his women with short thick legs

(Insert tired Hillary Clinton joke here).

There, I did it so the Repubs on the board don't have to.

I think Kev's dog resents me. Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful, Sarah!

Originally Posted by hoovesupsideyourhead

then try living like this daily...
www.liveleak.com/view?i=7dbc22eed7&p=1


im sure they love to hear how 1/2 the people in the u s dont want them there......im sure they would rather be home too..

reminds me of Apocolypse Now... without the vegetation.