The definition of ironic? A media outlet that omitted positive information about Iraq...from an article that criticized the media for doing just that.
Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch commander of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, which is stationed in Iraq, spoke to reporters while on leave in the US. He denounced the media habit of omitting or downplaying positive news coming out of Iraq and then gave an example of the kind of news that is usually downplayed or omitted by the media (thnx NewsBusters reader).
In a perfect illustration of what Lynch meant, Editor & Publisher, a leading industry journal, let its metaphorical slip show and omitted Lynch's positive news about Iraq from the paper's September 21 article.
Without knowing it, Lynch described exactly what E&P would do in the article about him:
"If the American people are informed properly," Lynch told reporters after he arrived home on leave, "I believe they will be supportive of the mission. But they're not getting the right story. As a result, they're anti the war."
The media use a "filter" that downplays information about American successes: "All I'm seeing when I watch TV ... is the bad news and not the good news."
Luckily, Savannah Morning News was a little more responsible that day and reported what E&P would not (bold mine throughout):
Enemy attacks and U.S. casualties in the 3rd ID's West Virginia-sized battle zone south of Baghdad are "way down."
More than 2,000 enemy have been killed or captured there in the past six months.
The enemy has lost "sanctuaries" where it makes bombs, stores munitions, trains suicide bombers and plans attacks.
"But you never see that by watching Fox, CNN and NBC," he said.
Here's a tip to E&P. Don't try to conceal positive news from Iraq in a story about a soldier exposing that very gimmick. Doing it in the same article makes it really easy to catch.
Lynch couldn't have planned it better.
Lynn is a contributor for NewsBusters and can be reached at tvisgoodforyou2 AT yahoo DOT com
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Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch
Wed, 09/26/2007 - 01:37 ET by In ExcessA true American hero.
The Great Charade
Wed, 09/26/2007 - 08:20 ET by allanfI think the coverage of Iraq is part of a great charade motivated by purely political considerations. The Democrats have no intention of forcing a pullout from Iraq without Republican involvment. Democrats are unwilling to take responsibility for the disaster that would follow.
Instead Iraq is used as a rallying cry to bash Republicans and the President. Mealy mouthed candidates like John Edwards try to back track on their earlier votes aided by accomplices at the networks.
Harry Reid, whose partisanship exceeds his good sense, says the "war is lost'. Well Harry, if you think we can't win, you are right, you can't win it. Get out of the way of those who can.
The political season is still early. The Democrats have given the Republicans much material to use in the general election cycle.
The MSM, and the Dem/Libs
Wed, 09/26/2007 - 08:23 ET by mattmThe MSM, and the Dem/Libs are the enemy. Sorry, but that's how I feel. They are traitors and should be shot.
This is what I've been
Wed, 09/26/2007 - 09:46 ET by BeowulfThis is what I've been griping about for years. I have been there and seen the progress. I have spoken with G.I.s of all branches and gotten their virtually universal positive viewpoint of why we are there, what we are accomplishing, and staying until the job is finished. Yet, little of this information makes it to the American public except the bad news (look at what happened to Leiberman after he came back and refuted the "everything's terrible" party line). The Dems, working hand-in-hand with the fawning and most willing MSM, have sucessfully parlayed this bias into a congressional victory, and are attempting to work it into a presidential victory (trust the Dems to use the same tactic over and over - they just LOVE beating dead horses). They ran (and won) on a campaign of "fixing the mess" in Iraq". Can anyone point to one single thing they've accomplished towards that campaign promise? Or any of their other promises? Yet, the MSM has given them a pass on their failures and the Dem party-line voters continue to pull the lever on the left.
This is probably the most significant reason I oppose the Dem party as a whole. Their leadership has consistently demonstrated an unwavering willingness to sacrifice literally anything to gain/regain political power. They will sacrifice our military members, our economy, our standing as a world leader, or anything else to do so.
The Closed Mind Erects Strong Barriers
I think the MSM is coming undone..
Wed, 09/26/2007 - 10:04 ET by JayTeeI think the MSM is coming undone, they are deteriorating before our eyes. And everyone the MSM supports with their bias, their sins of omission for factual reporting, the Move On “discount” ad and the NYT’s admission of guilt, to the Columbia University miscalculation and the lack of Gay’s in Iran, to Hillary’s Hsu connections and the lack of reporting, to the Democratic Congress’s approval ratings and their untenable position on the war, a war that suddenly has more good news than bad news.
Is the MSM house of cards falling down around the feet of the spin doctors ?
Suddenly the MSM standards of ethics, judgment, and job performance are being viewed as falling short. The MSM is showing BIAS slants such that even Dan Rather can’t recognize his flaws of reporting false facts.
Who’s bringing down these so called reporters of Truth on TV and in print ?Who is blowing the cover of the omission of facts ? Who has time to put into print that which was judged as unprintable ? Who has time to cover a subject in depth and provideFactual details being omitted and glossed over with dropped sentences or incomplete quotes ? Who has the TV “air time” to counter the American News reporting Insurgency at home ?
There are several answers, from Talk Radio’s in depth views, to FOX’s Fair and balanced TV ratings, to C-Spans unfiltered broadcast on the floor of the House/Senate, to NB’s power of detail analysis/audit of the old media, and lets not forget the BIG KID on the block to which NB claims membership, the “NEW MEDIA”, the Web based power of information sharing.
The old media is dying before our very eyes, thrashing about on the floor covered in missing and unreported facts.
You can’t cover a War in 30 seconds of Prime time TV, mixed with Video of a talking head imbedded in their own world of Biased Corporate Culture. The Military blogs are not limited to 1 minute of factual information, they provide in depth views of the war for those that want and demand more information than Dan Rather was willing to provide.
Katie Couric can fly to Iraq, but she cannot compete for the Reality of the News in Iraq.
Gen. Petraus lives in Iraq, works in Iraq, and suddenly we believe the War news coming from a PHD Military Commander, over the filtered reporting of a MSM talking head that lives in the Suburbs. We believe the Generals 2 days of Testimony and Facts, over the 1 minute sound bite of the last IED explosion.
We can recognize character assassination when we see it, and we can recognize Dan Rather’s forged documents when we see it, with a little help from our friends on the Web.
What good is a Free Press, if it is a False Press ? David Foote GoE
A dismissive attitude by reporters in Iraq?
Wed, 09/26/2007 - 10:34 ET by acaiguanaSince when have reporters been discounting good news in Iraq?
Sorry.
The MSM has been wallowing in their self-defined bubble of perspective for about 35 years regarding the military, the government and the policies of the US. Take Cuba for example... uh, never mind.
The Rather denials; the Kopple tunnel vision; the eagerness to report on false chemical and bio warfare use in Laos; all are symptoms of a foundering beast with no new ideas.
And really, the concept of new ideas isn't new. "Think out of the Box", for example.
It is like watching a rust belt industry continue to stagger along whilst still rusting.
Good for them. As long as they are so blind to what is really happening to them they will continue to blunder about the truth like the seven blind men and the elephant.
And that suits me just fine. It is absurd beyond absurd now and this is more evident daily in the (gee forever) political campaigning that we watch. Obama is leading the Democrats? With what? Hillary cheated on campaign financing and there is absolutely no coverage? What will we ever do?
Keep up the good work NB.
ACA
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Quoted from: 'Acaiguana Notes from the Bomb Shelter' (soon to be a movie at theaters near you)
From the E&P
Wed, 09/26/2007 - 13:48 ET by SouthernRootsFrom the E&P article:
I wonder how often E&P puts the adjective "alleged" to describe negative news from Iraq.
I won't be wronged. I won't be insulted. I won't be laid a-hand on. I don't do these things to other people, and I require the same from them. - J.B. Books (John Wayne)