Arab Outrage

"For every man they kill, there will be four or five people who want revenge for this person's life. They can't just kill people and have it be forgotten," Ali Sabry

This would be the feeling that swept across most Arabs at the beginning of the American Iraqi war. Thats how it is though, beginning of wars are always the most chaotic and thats when most citizens become casualties of war, especially with the guerrilla warfare. But as time has passed, and when the United States has established themselves within the country of Iraq, less and less people have become casualties of war. Also with us establishing a bit of control within the country, more and more supporters of the American cause have come forth. This feeling of revenge and hostility towards the Americans has also died down. During the beginning of the war, the media ignited strong hostility on both sides of the fight, for example:

"The popular al-Jazeera satellite television network broadcast the funerals of those killed at the market. It repeatedly showed pictures of severed body parts and wounded toddlers bandaged and crying in hospital beds"

The United States media does not show the gruesome affects of what happens during the war, we keep most of the population at bay with what harm that is being caused across the continents. That would be the one thing that the Al-Jazeera has on us, they show the truth where as the U.S. media sugar coats everything. If we decided to actually show the affects of war, would the opinions of our nation sway to different sides, no one will know because that is how our nation runs. The government only likes to let us know things when they think we need to know, they must always be in control. Which could be a downfall of trust to our own government.

Is Fox a Bad Network??

In an article writen by E.J .Dionne Jr. it is believed that the Fox network is protraying the war negatively to their viewers.

"News Reports are making the situation in Iraq seem worse than it really is.( Dionne,washington post.com,oct,2003) ............ Is Fox Promoting the War??

38 percent of americans thought the news that was being reported by Fox Network were over exaggerating war events to their viewers. Protraying events negatively. This statement made by a Fox Viewers was interseting to me that viewers would believe that fox was making the news worse than what it really is when a war is a negative action!! War is a violent act, so how can an act thats main intentions is to be violent be displayed worse that what is really is ?? As humans we tend to over react to certain situations , but is it ok that we make that and excuse for the exposure of the war. The media's goal during a war is to show events that they think the re viewers wants to see. The news is only really interested in their ratings, because ratings is where the money is! The news likes to believe that they are providing their viewers with information on current events.

This statement was written by a Fox reporter:

. "The government of Iran disguises its involvement in proliferation and terrorism activities through an array of deceptive practices specifically designed to evade detection," http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,339909,00.html?sPage=fnc/world/iran

How can he get away with this?

The network, owned by the News Corporation (news/quote) of Rupert Murdoch, has
always had a reputation-one it disavows-of being politically conservative. But
its demeanor since Sept. 11 has surprised even its critics. The network is
encouraging correspondents and writers to tap into their anger and let it play
out in a way that reminds some rivals and press critics of the war drumbeat of
the old Hearst papers and the ideologically driven British tabloids.

This is crazy to me how this guy is still in charge of all these businesses. I believe that he has so much influence, money, and connections to do and say as he pleases. I don't understand i thought news wasn't supposed to be biast, i thought news was news and there were no sides. Apparentally i was wrong its all a business and who ever has the most connections makes the most decisions. I feel for as long as he has been in charge this has been going on and i believe as long as he stays on top he will continue to do the same. This in fact starts to make Americans one-sided and can end up hurting us in the long run.

Celebs use status to promote war

“If the so called mainstream media has a hard time figuring out what kind of country we are, it must be even more difficult for the entertainment industry…For decades actors and actresses such as Bo Derek, Marilyn Monroe, Ann-Margret, Connie Stevens, Jill St. John, and Raquel Welch, joined Bob Hope in freely giving of their time to entertain the troops overseas, as did musicians like Louis Armstrong. Filmmakers like John Ford and stars like John Wayne had no problem making pro America, pro military movies. That’s no longer the case. Now Hollywood actors like Robert DeNiro and Gary Sinise, and performers like Wayne Newton, are the exception rather than the rule on a USO tour. Worse still, many of today’s actors are activists against American foreign policy and use their celebrity status to try and drive a wedge between the commander in chief and the troops he leads.” (North p.249-250)

Although the passage we read has been written by who most view, a controversial, conservative political figure, a lot of what Oliver North says rings true… he likes to point out that many years ago it was very common for celebrities to encourage the war, and that now, it’s just simply not the case. Today, Mr. North reminds us, that things are a bit different in that we see more and more high profile figures opposing the war and furthermore, discouraging others from being active. It is also Mr. North’s contention that the United States may win ANY war if the media would just stay out. He believes that the American people and media are the only force that can “beat” the American government.

"If there is a thread linking these stories, it is that the media have reported them enthusiastically and uncritically, with no independent verification."(p.1)By J. Getlin & E. Jensen

This quote represents the problems that grew between the media and the pentegon during the current war in Iraq. Similar to the issues during the Gulf War, the censorship and total control of what news was to be reported by the media caused them to write stories of speculation and rumor. Obviously a modern day version of propaganda, one can't help but question the credability of the news being reported.

Final Essay Assignment Available on Blackboard

The final essay assignment for the semester is available on Blackboard

It is due in class on Thursday, May 8.

The Gung Ho Morning Gang-News or propaganda?

"We're the Anti-'Today' show, says executive producer Matthew Singerman."

He is referring to the 7AM "Fox and Friends" Fox news channel's morning 'wake up show.' The two hosts are blatantly pro Bush Administration and pro war on Iraq. They don't even bother trying to sound unbiased, making fun of anti war protesters, or calling them subversives. They also 'wave the red flag' against the labor movement in America, recalling the dark days of McCarthyism. Are their shenanigans dangerous subversion's of the public trust? Most likely not. Their audience demographic is mostly knuckle dragging Neanderthals who peel dead squirrels off the highways and cook them for dinner. They aren't interested in unbiased news anyway. Still, It's troubling that such a large network has devoted itself to destroying the ideal of a free press to watch guard the public trust.

No News is Good News

We tend to see, read, and hear what we want because it is of our interest. The news channel, the paper or radio stations are no exceptions.
According to Dionne Jr.'s article, people's views are hardly influenced by what they see or hear. Their preconceptions on political issues for example is what ultimately affect their views and opinions.
On a poll, Americans were asked if "news reports were making the situation in Iraq seem better, worse or about right. The results, 38% said worse, 14% said better, and 36% said the reports were about right. But, 55% of those who said worse, said their main source of news was Fox News and only 32% were CNN viewers.
As the polls found, the audience for Fox News is more republican than the rest of the nation, therefore it makes sense that they see any news about Iraq as an exsageration or negative.

War Stories

"The problem, of course, is that these wrong assumptions and incorrect "facts" get played prominently in the prime-time newscasts and in front-page newspaper stories, and become part of the official record. Unfortunately, the record won't show how many Iraqis were treated by Army and Navy doctors, medics, and corpsmen. the record doesn't reflect how many Army engineers and Seabees rebuilt water treatment plants, repaired generators, and fixed irrigation systems. And the record doesn't include enough heartwarming stories about the compassion American warriors have for the children of Iraq."

He argues that the media, the news reporters, they are presenting the war wrongly to the American people. He argues that they only pick the stories that they want, they show the war as they want it. This then becomes reality, and the only facts that are known. He argues that more reporting of the positives is needed. Although it is true there are casualties, and blood, and terror. But there are positives to report on as well. He gives the example of Matt Grosz and his battalion, how they were ordered to protect a suburb of Karbala. The solders did more then just protect, they set up civic projects for the people of the suburb. Yet the American people never see or hear these actions. The American people only see blood shed and negative reporting.

Tell them the truth!!!!

As long as we have all lived, we were told what to do, what was socially acceptable and what was right and wrong. We were told this directly and subconsciously by the heavily propagandized media of America. Even when young cartoons and westerns told us who the enemy was, who we should hate and what we should fight for, the government put countless money into campaigns and advertisements to persuade us into patriotism. In our trying days we have been lied to countless amounts of times throughout our lives and with disasters happening all around us as people call for a change and defy the propaganda norms today!

Media news coverage of political affairs show their one sided opinions in the mass media to persuade people into believing what they put forth but people are fighting back. A man on fox 5 morning news chose to speak out on propaganda by mentioning their woes on live TV, it wasn't the first time it was done but it shows the frustration of the people on how bad they want and need change in America. In china they are protesting the US Olympics because they do not wish for their country to be influenced by the United states propaganda which might change their very way of living.

With all of these uproars of change with the democratic nominations and the war people feel the need to speak up and put their input of change out there to the world, the effort is consistent and change shouldn't be that much far away.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/chinas-propaganda-flameout/2008/04/11/1207856831651.html

http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/78148/

Military Analysts & the Pentagon

The New York Times reports that the Pentagon has been attempting shape the media analysis of the war through the many retired military officers who work as analysts on television. Check out NYT reporter David Barstow's "How the Pentagon Spread Its Message" and the selected documents that the Times has put online as evidence of this manipulation of the media. Here is a brief excerpt from David Barstow's article:

"Records and interviews show how the Bush administration has used its control over access and information in an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse — an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks.

Analysts have been wooed in hundreds of private briefings with senior military leaders, including officials with significant influence over contracting and budget matters, records show. They have been taken on tours of Iraq and given access to classified intelligence. They have been briefed by officials from the White House, State Department and Justice Department, including Mr. Cheney, Alberto R. Gonzales and Stephen J. Hadley.

In turn, members of this group have echoed administration talking points, sometimes even when they suspected the information was false or inflated. Some analysts acknowledge they suppressed doubts because they feared jeopardizing their access.

A few expressed regret for participating in what they regarded as an effort to dupe the American public with propaganda dressed as independent military analysis.“It was them saying, ‘We need to stick our hands up your back and move your mouth for you,’ ” Robert S. Bevelacqua, a retired Green Beret and former Fox News analyst, said.

Kenneth Allard, a former NBC military analyst who has taught information warfare at the National Defense University, said the campaign amounted to a sophisticated information operation. “This was a coherent, active policy,” he said."