A Gritty Look At Life in Iraq
The “tabloidization” of American cable news has been hailed as an unfortunate, but necessary, step to maintain viewership. CNN, MSNBC, FOX and other channels have reduced air time for political and world news and supplemented it with stories about celebrity scandals, small town murder mysteries, and sports.
But a recent show on ABC has shot a hole in the theory that Americans aren’t interested in hard-hitting international news. The program — a gritty, violent, in-depth look at American soldiers on patrol in Iraq — has already been viewed over 251,000 times online and brought in some 500 comments. It’s a sign that many Americans are interested in real news, and not just tabloid stories.
Not surprisingly, ABC has already come under fire for airing the program. They have been criticized for trying to demoralize the American public and providing a propaganda outlet for our enemies. But, as blogging colleague Xanthippas correctly points out, honest news coverage is extremely important in a time of war.
The video is harrowing, but you can find worse out there. The American media typically doesn’t show such graphic images, but TV programs such as Frontline have been more blunt in their depictions of the war. As they should be. One of the commentators on the story said he had “nightmares” after he watched the report. I find myself wondering where he’s been for the last four years.
Of course, some of the comments on the ABC broadcast also excoriated the willingness of the “liberal media” to proclaim defeat in Iraq by daring to broadcast such footage. One of the commentators referred to it as “cowardly reporting.” This is beyond absurd. Of all people, it is the American people themselves who are entitled and have a duty to watch such footage. It is for us to decide if the price we are paying in dead and wounded is too high. As citizens it is our only job in this war, to face such news unflinchingly and without reservation. It is not too much to ask, compared to what our soldiers and the Iraqi people must endure.
As a warning, the video is very hard to watch. It’s graphic and unedited in a way that gives a small idea about the hell that both soldiers and Iraqi citizens are dealing with every day.
(Originally posted at Foreign Policy Watch)
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8 Responses to “A Gritty Look At Life in Iraq”
Jeb – Another important factor is that real investigative journalism cost money. The “cheapening” of news is both financial and intellectual. To Catch a Predator is good story for a couple of news cycles, but when it becomes an “Apprentice” and is used to hype the networks (NBC and MSNBC) it becomes a freak show.
Good point, Rudi.
As non-liberals will remind you, while you may resent that Fox has often parted from the liberal media lockstep party line, non-liberals avoid Fox as much as any other teevee (and associated radio) mainstream programming because it is so tacky. Fox in particular was a pioneer in tackiness. Nowadays we have the female Geraldo Rivera, a.k.a. Greta van Facelife, Fox’s celebrity mole and unofficial prosecuting attorney-questioner, we have a news anchor in Sheperd Smith (sp?) who is as loud as or louder overall than Hannity, and on the news show you see gimmicky graphics (those stupid images of Saturn and Sputnik satellites) and stupid sound effects aimed at people with an MTV-level young-child attention span, which Fox pioneered on its pro sports broadcasting. (And now we have, complete with contemporary nose-picker acronym abuse, “FSN,” or Fox Sports Network. New Year’s Day show? “FSN2K5″ [gag].
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Rudi:
Bottom-Line Pressures Now Hurting Coverage, Say Journalists
Sad. Truly sad. You do what you got to do.
And we ask our soldiers to carry this burden, and we pile more upon them. Fifteen months is a long time to put up with this crap day-in, day-out. The ‘surge’ plan is morphing to place the troops on the next rotation for fifteen months, and those troops who did the first rotation may be going back for another extra-long deployment soon after that.
So do you think an ABC reporter at the next news conference will have the guts to ask Tony Snow or the President himself if he plans to watch this?
I’ve been saying to my wife for a while now, the fastest way for us get out of Iraq is to put the Congress and senate over there in until a solution is found. They don’t come home until the soldiers do.
Every member that voted against giving soldiers a 1:1 ratio of time served to time off should watch this. Lindsay Graham are you listening?
It’s been said before, I know, but the nanosecond we bring back a universal draft (no
Cheneysdeferments), is the day this war ends.I don’t believe in doing that for a couple of reasons, though. Nearest to my heart is I have two draft age sons now (as well as daughters). Secondarily, it’d likely finish off the professional military as we’ve known it since Vietnam.
What I Can’t Tell My Mom
Remember the men and women in the armed forces of the American Republic are not politically motivated, but that doesn’t mean service members don’t have really good opinions (Discretion is advisable).
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[...] A Gritty Look At Life in IraqThe Moderate Voice – The “ tabloidization †of American cable news has been hailed as an unfortunate, but necessary, step to maintain viewership. CNN, MSNBC, FOX and other channels have reduced air time for political and world news and supplemented it with stories [...]