On Thursday, for the second time this week, only the CBS Evening News -- of the three broadcast network evening newscasts -- gave a few seconds to new stats from the Department of Defense with good news on Iraq, this time a 50 percent reduction in IEDs. On Monday, only the CBS Evening News devoted a few seconds to how rocket and mortar attacks on U.S. forces fell in October to the lowest level since February of 2006. And on Thursday night, anchor Katie Couric relayed: Now to Iraq, which has seen a dramatic decrease in roadside bombs, which account for nearly half of all American deaths there. The U.S. military reported today that in October, 1,560 roadside bombs were either found or exploded in Iraq, that's less than half as many as this past March. A top General says one reason for the decline is that Iran seems to be living up to its promise to stop the flow of arms to Iraqi insurgents.For details, check a November 15 article from DOD's American Forces Press Service: “IED Attacks Down Significantly; Enemy Being Pushed North, General Says.”
Or the AP's dispatch, “US general: Roadside bombs down in Iraq,” as posted on Yahoo.
A November 13 NewsBusters posting recounted CBS's Monday night brief:
Anchor Katie Couric read this short item on her November 12 broadcast: "Turning to Iraq now and another sign that violence there is decreasing. In October, insurgent rocket and mortar attacks fell to their lowest level in nearly two years. The U.S. military reported today there were 369 of those attacks last month. Rocket and mortar attacks peaked in June when there were more than a thousand."CBS, however, remains the only broadcast network evening newscast to not air, in the past month, a story from Iraq about improving living conditions there. For details, check my November 15 NewsBusters item: “NBC Catches Up With ABC to Highlight Safer, Better Life in Iraq.”
