I think that the lack of coverage is very unlike t...

2008-01-09T09:02:00.000-08:00

I think that the lack of coverage is very unlike that of WWII. I say that because in WWII the technology was different, and our culture here in the US was different. The government really controlled what was reported.

Today, the media is such a huge part of our culture, where our very lives are shaped by what we hear from them (whether it is true, not true, spinned so kinda true, etc). It has been so apparent to me in conversations with the veterans as well as active duty personnel that what we are hearing from our popular media outlets (the ones you note as being conspicuously absent) is not the whole story. Bad news is good press. It increases viewers.

The days of objective reporting over (or at least, objective reporting is rarer than before, I am sure that it has always been subject to subjectivity if that makes sense).

I find it incredibly frustrating that people say we need to get out of Iraq, and are basing their statements on just the bad stuff they see on the news. Our culture here in the US is that we have the attention span of gnats, we shape our opinions quickly and shallowly, and it is fairly rare to see someone actually try to get both sides of a story, or the complete story anyway.

No one reports on the good that is being done there. No one reports on what the Iraqi opinions are of what is going on.

It is a shame. And I commend you for risking your life to try to get the whole story, if only just a slice.

Stay safe Eric!

Comments on Eric in Iraq: Reporters Notebook: Who is covering the war in Ira...

I think that the lack of coverage is very unlike t...