No one has mentioned this yet, so I think it’s worth pointing out that the media is doing a fantastic job covering this war.
The ‘embedded’ reporters are right in the thick of things. They’re not in the rear columns in relative safety - they’re right out in the forward positions. Richard Bloom is reporting from the ‘tip of the spear’, the armored column racing for Baghdad that would be the first to engage the enemy.
The reporters in Baghdad (Peter Arnett, again, Nic Robertson from CNN) are at great risk - not so much from the bombing, but from a dying regime that could take them hostage or kill them. Yet they’re reporting in a very calm, cool fashion.
Every network I’ve tuned to has been very accurate in describing military tactics and equipment. CNN has some fantastic visuals, and Miles O’Brien and Gen. Wesley Clark have been great.
There’s been no ‘rah rah go boys’ stuff, nor has their been any handwringing about whether they should be there. Just straight ahead factual reporting.
Anyone else disagree or agree? Is this one of the media’s finer moments?
It has been truly amazing so far. Watching the live digital camera shots of the command vehicle in the sandstorm was unprecedented coverage. I never thought I would see live coverage of units manuvering in ‘secrecy’. Wrap your mind around that.
I should have said David Bloom, not Richard Bloom. Gutsy guy. Soldiers train for this stuff - they are surrounded by their compatriots, and know exactly what they are doing and what to expect. Reporters are just along for the ride, and must feel pretty helpless. It takes a lot of courage to ride the lead element into battle in those conditions.
The journalists did all go to boot camp last summer, remember.
Me, I can live without CNN.com’s Second-Coming headlines, “STRIKES ROCK IRAQ”, like we don’t know already? and their complete abandonment of their usual bottom of page teasers for Entertainment, Technology, etc.
[channeling Scarlett O’Hara]
War, war, war! I’m SICK of war! I wanna hear about the friggin’ OSCARS!!
That’s because these reporters haven’t been in actual combat yet, and also because we’re seeing the low-res ‘live’ feeds. I imagine that when they get back they’ll have lots of still photos and videotape that will be of amazing quality.
If there is heavy fighting somewhere, it’ll be Vietnam-style coverage, only real time. Because reporters are travelling with almost all of these units.
That’s not to say the Vietnam coverage wasn’t great. It was. And a lot of reporters were killed.
I haven’t seen much of the TV coverage. There appears to be the usual problem of not having enough material for day-long broadcasts and having to fill in with a fair amount of fluffy commentary and endless repetition.
Also I am wondering how much the US networks are reporting less positive stories. For instance see this BBC story about higher-than-expected resistance at Umm Qasr: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2873311.stm
Has any US network reported this story in as much detail? I can’t find anything on CNN or MSNBC but I haven’t looked very closely.
I hafto say, I do envy the reporters riding in with the armored convoys. You know that’s a life-changing experience, one that a person would remember for the rest of their life.
[ul] [sup]You ain’t going to whoosh anyone with that one, EasyPhil[/sup][/ul]
I watched a piece with Brian Jennings and Ted Coppal. Coppal was standing in the desert while a column of armored vehicles went by and crossed the line into Iraq. It was two veterans at their best and later Jennings remarked that he didn’t realize that it had lasted 20 minutes. I am not a Coppal fan or maybe I should say I wasn’t a Coppal fan.
Not sure what you mean. The coverage is unprecedented even if there is less combat to film.
Personally, I would like to roll into Iraq as far as possible without combat. I would like all of the Iraqis who want to surrender to be given a fair chance to surrender. Then, the holdouts, I want to see pulverized as quickly as possible.
I would prefer not to get lots of coverage of soldiers writhing in pain in the jungle next to the poor naked girl with napalm burns.
I was watching Fox when the “Shock and Awe” phase offically began, and they actually stopped coverage, switched into a “special report” transition, and switched all their graphics to “SHOCK AND AWE!!!” I’m not quite sure why.
Actually, I found it pretty funny, like the way that most of this reporting has a tendency to go over the top. However, I would kill to actually see Bush to Saddam: <ha 1 0wn3d j00 n00b…irack suXors!!!1!>.
I agree that some of the footage is impressive. Al-Jazeera, it should be noted, is getting a lot of footage the American networks can’t. But it bothers me that they’re just repeating whatever the U.S. government tells them. A few examples:[ul][li]“The U.S. will be commanding Turkish troops.” Lie. [/li][li]“40 countries are in the ‘coalition of the willing.’” Let’s see… U.K., Australia… I’m done counting. How many countries consider themselves in that category?[/li][li]“It may be one of Saddam’s body doubles in the video.” Are you kidding me? No amount of plastice surgery could produce a face that identical.[/li][li]All this business about the Iraqis welcoming the U.S… The BBC was reporting that the war has united Iraqis with differing opinions on Saddam in their disapproval of the Americans’ attack. Large numbers have being returning to Iraq from Jordan so that they can fight against the Americans.[/li][/ul]Also, I hadn’t realized that most newscasters’ command of the English language is only slightly better than GWB’s. I was sick in bed all day yesterday listening to it and was tempted to make a list of the made-up words and atrocious grammar I heard.
I think you’re tripping. It’s beyond siss boom bah. It’s an electronic circle-jerk to the gods of military technology, a Dionysian orgy in celebration of all things sleek, shiny, and lethal. It’s warnography.
Granted the reporters are potentially risking their lives riding in a tank or armored personal carrier, but the seem to function more as the movie crews that went around with the Nazis.
Duck Duck Goose, live? Okay, it’s live, whoop-tee-doo, I can go to the beach and watch sand.
I myself I’m not really looking for blood, gore and exploded bodies, but damn, is it really news to see armored vehicles rolling around in the sand?
I hear you Beagle, but you know what? [size=4]War is Hell!** It’s not a clean affair, people die, they writh in pain, their limbs are blown off, their guts hang out. It’s about killing and being killed, that’s the whole point of it.
The coverage is unprecented, in what sense? Because it’s live? Filmed from a tank? Or is it because, it puts you there in a safe and clean way? To me it will become unprecedented when it goes beyond what I’ve already seen of real war footage.
I envy those reporters SO much. I’m stuck here watching piddling politicians discuss a budget. Meanwhile, other journalists are riding with troops in an invasion.
I mean… that’s COOL. Not to glorify an invasion, but I would be giddy as hell to get to cover something like that. As was said earlier, it would truly be a life-changing experience.
At the same time, they are putting their lives on the line. And the reason the coverage is of pretty good quality is that these are some of the most hardened, serious reporters out there. There is no glitz or glamour in reporting a war. They do this because they LOVE being reporters and LOVE being where the action is. That love makes them do their jobs the way they should be done.
Though, yeah, CNN.com is really testing the limits of how big a font you can display on the Web.
The media is doing a great job… of parroting the administration’s spin on this war. By constanting referring to the ridiculous name given to this farce (Operation Iraqi Freedom – why not just call it Operation Bush is Great)) to constantly referring to the US and British forces as “coalition” forces to make it seem like the whole world is on our side, to showing video of every single pathetic Iraqi who surrenders to make it seem like Saddam’s whole army is collapsing, yes they are doing a wonderful job of shedding the last shreds of objectivity they might have once possessed.
