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Thursday, October 16, 2003
American heroes deserve a full story
Not only is truth the first casualty of war, but the casualties keep piling up in an effort to put a more positive spin on Americans' perception of the war in Iraq.
President Bush skipped the national media to court regional broadcasters, perhaps hoping to find the questions less sharp and the questioners less cynical. But at WBAL in Baltimore (owned by Hearst-Argyle; the P-I is owned by Hearst Newspapers), the resulting story line was, "The president is trying to paint a brighter picture of Iraq despite the deaths of more U.S. soldiers today and another deadly car bombing over the weekend."
Talk about cynical; even the soldiers' letters back home is a propaganda tool. Eleven U.S. newspapers have published virtually identical letters ostensibly from hometown boys and girls in uniform in Iraq. The letters touted their unit's good work and spoke of happy Iraqis welcoming troops "with open arms." The sentiments may be real, but they're tainted by the form-letter approach.
Then there was U.S. Rep. George Nethercutt's ham-handed attempt to redirect news coverage and public attention to the war's positive side. "It's a better and more important story than losing a couple of soldiers every day," the would-be senator gaffed at a gathering Monday.
The family of Pfc. Kerry Scott of Concrete, who buried their young hero Tuesday, likely would not share Nethercutt's news judgment.
On the net:
Soldiers' letters home at: http://frontlinevoices.org/
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