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Dem Rep Marshall (GA) blames media for soldiers dying

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RamboLiberal Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-22-03 04:31 PM
Original message
Dem Rep Marshall (GA) blames media for soldiers dying
http://www.ajc.com/opinion/content/opinion/0903/22international.html?urac=n&urvf=10642377116960.8839345774896111

On Sept. 14, I flew from Baghdad to Kuwait with Sgt. Trevor A. Blumberg from Dearborn, Mich. He was in a body bag. He'd been ambushed and killed that afternoon. Sitting in the cargo bay of a C 130E, I found myself wondering whether the news media were somehow complicit in his death.

<snip>

But there will be more Blumbergs killed in action, many more. So it is worth doing only if we have a reasonable chance of success. And we do, but I'm afraid the news media are hurting our chances. They are dwelling upon the mistakes, the ambushes, the soldiers killed, the wounded, the Blumbergs. Fair enough. But it is not balancing this bad news with "the rest of the story," the progress made daily, the good news. The falsely bleak picture weakens our national resolve, discourages Iraqi cooperation and emboldens our enemy.

During the conventional part of this conflict, embedded journalists reported the good, the bad and the ugly. Where are the embeds now that we are in the difficult part of the war, now that fair and balanced reporting is critically important to our chances of success? At the height of the conventional conflict, Fox News alone had 27 journalists embedded with U.S. troops (out of a total of 774 from all Western media). Today there are only 27 embedded journalists from all media combined.

Throughout Iraq, American soldiers with their typical "can do" attitude and ingenuity are engaging in thousands upon thousands of small reconstruction projects, working with Iraqi contractors and citizens. Through decentralized decision-making by unit commanders, the 101st Airborne Division alone has spent nearly $23 million in just the past few months. This sum goes a very long way in Iraq. Hundreds upon hundreds of schools are being renovated, repainted, replumbed and reroofed. Imagine the effect that has on children and their parents.

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Vikingking66 Donating Member (402 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-22-03 04:35 PM
Response to Original message
1. what a moron
How many Iraqi guerillas watch CNN?
These people are dying because our president has provided inadequate force protection and because Islamic militants have been stirred up by the sight of the Great Satan conquering Arab lands.
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phillybri Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-22-03 04:42 PM
Response to Original message
2. Dopey crap....
Christiane Amanpour admitted that the media has been handcuffed by a sense of not wanting to question the administration.

This argument carries zero water for me....
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Brian Sweat Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-22-03 04:46 PM
Response to Original message
3. He's right!
Edited on Mon Sep-22-03 04:47 PM by Brian Sweat
If the media had done their job and asked Bush the tough questions and given the people the truth, we wouldn't be in Iraq and the soldiers would not be dying.
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monkeyboy Donating Member (965 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-22-03 04:51 PM
Response to Original message
4. Reporters might be a bit more chipper...
...in their reporting if they didn't have U.S. soldiers pointing weapons at them every time they try to approach a situation.
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hang a left Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-22-03 04:53 PM
Response to Original message
5. actually, I would blame the war in Iraq
for the soldiers dying, duh.
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