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Later: Do you think CNN is going to devote five days of coverage to this the way they did to that horrible mining tragedy, 12 dead in each? Interviews with the grieving relatives live on screen? Comments about all the previous mistakes at the employer that may have lead to the deaths? More or less, we're discussing two horrible industrial accidents, but they will not be treated the same.
This is the success of the Bush PR offensive surrounding "patriotism" and the offensive on the media. CNN, and the other cable channels, have been cowed into silence by the repeated assaults by the Bush administration. Somehow, the reporting of deaths has been made a political issue rather than a recounting of facts.
Look, the tragedy in West Virginia was significant and I'm not attempting to minimize it. I'm trying to point out the exploitation of those poor people's tragedy by the media by showing that they were singled out for that exploitation because their story was deemed politically "safe."
These are two extreme examples of a flaw in the the way these networks conduct themselves. In West Virginia, they wrung out every bit of emotion from the relatives that they could put on the screen, live, with no real care for whether it was in their best interests or not. Just get me the footage.
In Iraq, they are going to mention the deaths as the lead in a larger Iraq story that reports a lot of things, but largely ignore them because they don't want to be accused of being "political."
It's all so messed up.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Twelve Americans were killed when a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed in Iraq early Sunday, the military said.......
The military also announced the deaths of five U.S. Marines in three different Iraqi towns Saturday and Sunday.
Insurgents in Falluja killed three Marines during separate gunbattles Sunday. Falluja is about 35 miles (56 kilometers) west of Baghdad in restive Anbar province.
On Saturday, roadside bombs killed two Marines, one near al-Karma and another near Ferris. Both towns are near Falluja.
Later: Do you think CNN is going to devote five days of coverage to this the way they did to that horrible mining tragedy, 12 dead in each? Interviews with the grieving relatives live on screen? Comments about all the previous mistakes at the employer that may have lead to the deaths? More or less, we're discussing two horrible industrial accidents, but they will not be treated the same.
This is the success of the Bush PR offensive surrounding "patriotism" and the offensive on the media. CNN, and the other cable channels, have been cowed into silence by the repeated assaults by the Bush administration. Somehow, the reporting of deaths has been made a political issue rather than a recounting of facts.
Look, the tragedy in West Virginia was significant and I'm not attempting to minimize it. I'm trying to point out the exploitation of those poor people's tragedy by the media by showing that they were singled out for that exploitation because their story was deemed politically "safe."
These are two extreme examples of a flaw in the the way these networks conduct themselves. In West Virginia, they wrung out every bit of emotion from the relatives that they could put on the screen, live, with no real care for whether it was in their best interests or not. Just get me the footage.
In Iraq, they are going to mention the deaths as the lead in a larger Iraq story that reports a lot of things, but largely ignore them because they don't want to be accused of being "political."
It's all so messed up.
posted by mikevotes at
7:36 AM
2 Comments:
That is a great point Mike. You put your finger right on it. This is an excellent example of how the traditional media is all messed up.
By
left-over, at 12:38 PM
Really good connection. I didn't think of that but how spot on.
By
Anonymous, at 7:52 PM
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