World's news channels play to prejudices (Re: Iraq election)

[MADem]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1402259,00.html

IN the studios at Fox News, Rupert Murdoch's American channel, they could scarcely contain their joy at the "incredible" reports that voter turnout in Iraq had reached 95% "in some areas".

"It really is unbelievable," one of the anchors said jubilantly, apparently without intending to cast doubt on the reports.

....Col North was followed by Ahmed Chalabi, the disgraced former banker, speaking on the phone from Baghdad. Anchorwoman Juliet Huddy addressed him as "sir".

....At al-Jazeera, a different picture emerged: at least 32 dead in a day of election-related violence.

.........
Astounding how two opposite ends of the spectrum can get such differing reports of the same event. The reportage on Faux is right on the mark, though!

[mr fry]

1. better to vote than be fed into a chipper feet first

not sure what the truth is but those people looked happy

[geomon666]

2. I'm sure they did.

They believe they're making a difference.

[daleo]

3. How's that Saddam trial coming along?

I have come to disbelieve the chipper story and most of the rest. Fool me once (WMD)... won't be fooled again.

[LynnTheDem]

4. LOL!!! Yep that "Purple Plastic People Shredder"

PLEASE don't tell me you fell for that bit of ridiculous bullshit!

And you still believe the incubator babies story, too?

:D

[leftchick]

5. You left out Ollie's quote...

another quote about Faux...

<snip>

The channel, which critics have accused of being slavish to the Bush administration, was looking determinedly on the bright side.

Colonel Oliver North, formerly of the Iran-Contra scandal, joined Fox for the celebrations. "What a great day for America and a great day for freedom it has turned out to be in Iraq," he said.

[aikido15]

7. Why isn't he is prison, FOREVER!

WTF? His testimony at the Iran Contra trials was pathetic and he got community service. I would have be put to death for less.

[DistantWind88]

10. Because we don't even send many murderers to jail

"forever" let alone perjurers.

[MADem]

26. I had to make a choice, that's what the ellipses (...) are for

I snipped--in order to give lazy people who don't click on the link a full idea of what the story covered. I was striving to stay within the four paragraph limit of LBN while at the same time providing a rounded sense of the story's context. Had I not so done, I would not have been able to include the contrasting Al Jazeera paragraph, which I thought was equally important to the understanding of the story.

I figured the comment which mentioned Ollie, followed by "sir" Chalabi, got the point across that Faux was lame. It's not as though we don't already know....

[ausiedownunderground]

6. 40% of Iraqi's are under 15!!!!! How could 95% vote????

Of voters eligable to vote 60% were registered, according to mainstream media reports here in OZ. 1.5 million Iraqi's living outside "The Kill Zone" were allowed to vote and voter turnout amongst them was probably extremely high. Here in OZ just about every Iraqi eligable voted - Why not! Whether they will actually go back to Iraq - I doubt! Why is Oliver North not in Jail!!!! Did some Rethuglican president give him "The Pardon"! And while i'm on this subject Why did Bill Clinton give Marc Rich "The Pardon". He cost OZ investors all sorts of problems! The guy is an out and out "Crook".

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. NPR claims that 8 million Iraqis voted

There is no way that this is true.

First there are only 23 million Iraqis in the whole country. Half of them are children. That gives you 11.5 million adults.

Most of the people in the Sunni triangle did not vote.

A fair number of the males throughout the country are insurgents. You mean to tell me all the 'terrorists' voted too?

[DistantWind88]

13. Don't forget Ex-pats

and the population of Iraq is over 25 million, not 23 million.

[DoYouEverWonder]

15. The reports that I saw said only 225,000 ex-pats

registered to vote.

Now would you like to show me how 8 mil Iraqis voted? Got proof?

[DistantWind88]

16. I didn't claim they did

I also didn't understate Iraq's population by 10%.

[DoYouEverWonder]

17. We both were wrong, as of 2002 the population was 24 mil

Population:
24,001,816 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 41.1% (male 5,003,755; female 4,849,238)
15-64 years: 55.9% (male 6,794,265; female 6,624,662)
65 years and over: 3% (male 341,520; female 388,376) (2002 est.)

http://www.nationbynation.com/Iraq/Population.html

[DistantWind88]

19. No, You are wrong

why not use data from 2004?

http://www.immigration-usa.com/wfb2004/iraq/iraq_people.html

[DoYouEverWonder]

22. There is no way the population in Iraq went up since 2002

sorry, charlie.

There are at least 200,000 Iraqi refugees in Jordan right now. Most of the professional class, the people who have money and education, have left the country.

In the meantime we've killed between 100,000 - 150,000 civilians. We've injured at least 900,000 more.

Not to mention that almost no one voted in major parts of the country.

So based on what I know and saw, I can't come up with 8 million adults voting. That would mean that more than 100% of the people who were physically able and registered to vote, voted? Sounds like those towns in Ohio where only 600+ people lived, but 6000+ voted.

[DistantWind88]

23. I gave you a link,

you don't have to believe it. You can find one of your own that shows the Iraqi population for 2004 or even 2003 and tell me if it's more than the population for 2002. You don't just get to make up your own "facts."

Where did you come up with the belief that 8 million was the number of people registered to vote? I thought is was about 14 million.

[DoYouEverWonder]

24. 14 mil registered

where did you see that?

[DistantWind88]

25. 14 million eligible

Poor choice of wording on my part...I don't think voter's actually "registered" as we do here in America (except for, say the ex-pats who voted here in the US).

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6874656/

[DoYouEverWonder]

28. I didn't think

you would have a link for that little tidbit.

So far we are 2 for 1.

BTW: Since you know the stats for Iraq so well, how many people in Iraq are illiterate? Just curious.

[Don1]

20. Some stats

Around Jan 14th some Iraqi official made public statements that about half of 15 million eligible voters would vote:
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/Wire/050114e.asp
That count does include ex-pats, but you have to read the fine print to see it. Probably, when you get the news ticker on TV you wouldn't see that. Probably, when NPR mentions it in a sentence about 8 million voting, they don't explain that either:
"There are 14 million eligible voters inside Iraq, he said, plus 1.2 million abroad allowed to vote in 14 countries including the United States, Britain, Iran and Syria. Such flexibility reflects belief that high participation is important for the election's credibility."

[DistantWind88]

21. Yeah,

The population has grown in the last 4+ years.

http://www.immigration-usa.com/wfb2004/iraq/iraq_people.html.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

29. That information is based on CIA computer models.

It's based on "previous population censuses, vital statistics registration systems, or sample surveys pertaining to the recent past and on assumptions about future trends."

Since there have been no recent censuses, vital statistics registrations or sample surveys it's a guess based on previous statistics.

At this point there is no information on Iraq's population that takes into account the effects of the war.

[aikido15]

8. They were foaming at the mouth while reporting the success...

of the election...I was waiting for one of them to go, "na na na na na!" They don't give a flying f**k about the Iraqis, just lying to make themselves and Bush look good.

I do wish the Iraqis the very best and am sorry for what has been done to them. But this is going to backfire on Bush & Co. As long as they are being occupied, there will be more of the same.

OUT NOW!

[dbt]

9. Notice that the source of the original post is BRITISH.

No major American outlet will carry anything but rosy reports of the Iraqi election turnout. No images will be transmitted here except those of shiny, happy people going to vote.

Dollars-to-doughnuts, there was a clampdown on American "reporting" of the situation; nothing got out except what the Regime wanted us to see.

:argh:
dbt

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. Excuse me, Chalabi is giving interviews?

Last week the Iraqis announced that the were going to arrest him. So much for that line of BS.

[MADem]

27. Chalabi has made a deal with Iran

The dimensions of it are as yet unknown, and you can bet he thinks he's playing them, but they are surely playing him--they may be many things, but they are most assuredly not stupid.

Wouldn't surprise me if all this saber-rattling in Iran's direction has more to do with their long held designs on the Iraqi southern provinces, which Iran has maintained for decades--nay, centuries-- actually belong to them. They also claim that Bahrain is a lost province, much like Saddam claimed Kuwait as one of his.

It's not like Teheran is hurting for oil assets, but what the hell...I'm sure if they had a shot at taking over the Shi'aa south, they'd go for it, if they thought they could get away with it. Their mullahs and ayatullahs would also like control over the Shi'a holy sites, like the tomb of Imam Ali, which they do their pilgrimages to, but don't have any say over how they are administered. So it's an economic and religious thing. They could also really screw Iraq if they could get greater control over the shatt-al-arab--one day that thing could be properly dredged and actually be a useful waterway, at least to a greater extent than it is now.

Chalabi is a total scuzzbag. This has been known for eons, the only ones who didn't have a clue about him are currently serving in our government.

[Prisonerohio]

14. We have no real idea what is going on over there and we never will!

Remember when Afghanistan was liberated and the media showed Afghan males gleefully leaping into barbers chairs to shave off there beards. We are being feed a steady diet of BS. Bush is using this to justify the entire war. If the Iraqis have truly found democracy more power to them, but it definitely was not worth the live of thousands of soldiers or the lives thousands of Iraqis civilians.

[drscm]

18. In Bushworld, the first thing to die is the truth...

then everybody else that is not "with him" in death and destruction.

[Rex]

30. Democracy is awesome when it is shoved down your throat.

Leaves a good taste in your mouth.