Poor teaser headline selection by MSNBC.com? I report, you decide.
At right is a screencap of a teaser headline from the Web site about U.S. humanitarian aid reaching Myanmar Burma. As the AP story linked makes clear, the fault for the delay in the aid's arrival is that of the military dictatorship, not any incompetence or lack of concern by Washington.
Yet the teaser headline reads: "First U.S. aid plane lands in Myanmar; UPDATED: Relief comes more than week after cyclone."
The same headline and subhead are found on the AP article as found when readers follow the link. The AP story itself makes clear the Burmese government has and continues to be an obstacle to reaching devastated Burmese civilians with much needed food and medical relief:
YANGON, Myanmar - The first U.S. relief airlift arrived in Myanmar on Monday after prolonged negotiations with the country's isolationist junta, which considers Washington its enemy and has restricted international aid to as many as 2 million cyclone victims.
The unarmed military C-130 cargo plane, packed with supplies, flew out of the Thai air force base of Utapao and landed in Yangon. Two more air shipments are scheduled to land Tuesday.
After the plane's arrival, the supplies were transferred to Myanmar army trucks.
Myanmar's junta said Sunday the official death toll from the May 3 Cyclone Nargis has jumped to nearly 31,938 with more than 33,000 missing.
Aid efforts still frustrated
But Richard Horsey, a spokesman for U.N. humanitarian operations, said a toll of 100,000 dead or missing was possible based on "reports that we are receiving from our teams in the field from the authorities there."
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
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I'm failing to see the bias
May 12, 2008 - 12:21 ET by taterI'm failing to see the bias in that tease...it was the first plane to land and it did happen more than a week after the cyclone hit. This might be one of those rare cases where they reported the facts.
"They need to have a course in college called common sense and everyone should take it. Problem is there isn't too many people that could pass or teach it." -my grandfather
First plane arrives a week
May 12, 2008 - 12:26 ET by Ken ShepherdFirst plane arrives a week after cyclone. If that's all you read in the headline you might be apt to think it's the fault of Washington for a slow response, given the political rhetoric about the Bush administration and Katrina, etc., I think a better headline would somehow work in something about the Burmese government's reclusiveness.
"Myanmar Relents, Allows U.S. Aid Week After Cyclone" is how I'd work the headline.
"Burmese government allows
May 12, 2008 - 12:29 ET by tater"Burmese government allows first plane of US aid to enter country"
Yeah I could see that as a better line, and given the fact MSNBC does everything in it's power to bash this country and president I would put out the thought of them spinning this...then again on a bias scale of 1 to 10 I'd probably give it a 2.
"They need to have a course in college called common sense and everyone should take it. Problem is there isn't too many people that could pass or teach it." -my grandfather
I agree, it's not
May 12, 2008 - 12:37 ET by Ken ShepherdI agree, it's not earth-shattering or anything.
i don't think it's
May 12, 2008 - 12:24 ET by mister josephi don't think it's necessarily a bias, as the MSM has already established that the Burmese government was being difficult with relief efforts, and the fact that they were not cooperative with any outside forces has been well-known.
MSNBC Biased?
May 12, 2008 - 12:25 ET by MeanderingWhat? MSNBC biased? I beg you to retract this story sir ... wait oh the "MS" in MSNBC confused me. It seemed like a legitimate news source, but once I saw NBC I knew we had the same old liberal bias. Sounds just like them, was it written by Keith Olberman?
reaching Myanmar
May 12, 2008 - 12:40 ET by Jack BauerActually it's still Burma. Even the BBC recognizes that, and that place is as PC as it gets.
The US government has NEVER recognized the name Myanmar, and no legislature in Burma has ever passed any law changing the name from Burma.
Comparison
May 12, 2008 - 12:51 ET by MeanderingWell compare that headline with this,
"Aid rushed in after tornadoes kill 22 across US"
Here's the link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/usweathertornado
Even though these are 2 different stories the headline sounds better as aid was "rushed" to help. Just interesting information.
OK, CALL ME A WARMONGER...
May 12, 2008 - 13:46 ET by danybhoyThe best thing we could do for the people of Burma is attack the country now, yes now, & overthrow/dump/kill the totalitarian military junta that has it's boot on the throat of it people, literally. Then the free people of Burma could thank us down the road while the "international community" would still be bitching about the fact we freed them... if we were to do the right thing.
I would add that this story looks a little fishy about why it's taken this long, & that the Burmese military is taking the food for their own troops, & that I heard a couple of reports that they were trading the food aid on the international market, the sooner they are gone, the better, so attack the Burmese military now & kill them off. The Burmese people would be thankful, even if MSNBC & the UN would scream bloody murder...which is what they have righ now.
"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise" Mark Levin
Well we could except we are
May 12, 2008 - 14:58 ET by taterWell we could except we are still in the process of freeing two countries from murderous thug dictators and horrible governments. Maybe another one of the so called superpowers in the world can take this one.
"They need to have a course in college called common sense and everyone should take it. Problem is there isn't too many people that could pass or teach it." -my grandfather
First and foremost it IS BURMA
May 12, 2008 - 13:47 ET by Mearlineand thank you Newsbusters for using the correct name. Why would our media give credibililty to a name chosen by an illegal communist 'party'. Communist and party is an oxymoron isn't it? Secondly, WHY do we send them anything. They don't want it, they keep it for the 'elite's and then our media makes it GWB's fault.
First and foremost it IS BURMA
May 12, 2008 - 13:47 ET by Mearlineand thank you Newsbusters for using the correct name. Why would our media give credibililty to a name chosen by an illegal communist 'party'. Communist and party is an oxymoron isn't it? Secondly, WHY do we send them anything. They don't want it, they keep it for the 'elite's and then our media makes it GWB's fault.
This is what happens when you have a disarmed population
May 12, 2008 - 15:00 ET by YahooWatcherHitler, Stalin, and Castro each controlled their countries by eliminating individual gun ownership. Burma is now doing it and HRC and Hussein O will do it here if given the chance.
BILL OF RIGHTS...
May 13, 2008 - 02:46 ET by danybhoyTrue, almost all dictators & totalitarian rulers do a few things off the top...
1. Take over the airwaves to control information, even if they are not winning at the time, if they can project the image that they are in control, that's a huge advantage...
2. No guns, Hitler, Stalin, Castro, pick your favorite dictator, they disarm their population, as to have total control...
3. Free speech? yeah, whatever. Once you control the airwaves & the guns, your right to free speech will be gone...
When Admendments 1 & 2 are gone, then the 4th regarding illegal searchs, & the 5th, regarding the right not to self incriminate, will be gone as well. It all unravels.
I really believe that there are some on the left who don't understand this, & they don't realize the ones pushing against guns & speech will take them down when they are no longer needed. I view those who are behind "gun control", or "gun free zones", & those pushing for the "farness doctrine", or "local programming" mandates have far bigger agendas in mind. All you need to do is look at how these sorts of people conduct themselves at any college campus where they are in charge, which is almost every college. See "Expelled" by Ben Stein if you need any more proof on top of the hundreds of stories we get all the time. I believe these people hate America as the republic as it is/should be, & they need to be stopped. I just wonder how much damage needs to be done before the majority of the population gets it & stands up.
"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise" Mark Levin