(no subject)
Solution?? Aren't my solutions evident with each post? How bout some solutions:
1. The media can show us the gritty side of this war complete with dead bodies and all instead pictures of planes taking off from carriers with the perfect backdrop of setting sun.
2. The media can ask tough questions of people in charge and challenge them to backup ALL statements with proof and ensure that they clarify what is speculation and what is fact.
3. The media can be aware of their role in shaping the public opinion and act responsibly by not skewing public opinion with untrue stories. Let's imagine that tonight on every news channel the reporters began like this:
"Tonight we'd like to present to you some of the stories we reported in haste and offer a retraction or correction for those stories that turned out to be untrue and/or inconclusive. Our role is to present to you as accurate a picture of current events as possible, and in our efforts to give you immediate reporting of moment to moment changes in the war we have occasionally compromised the integrity of our profession and the view presented to you.
"First we would like to comment that there have been no discoveries of weapons of mass destruction, or even traces of weapons of mass destruction. The many reports about WMD facilities and suspicious substances found have all turned out to be negative, proved otherwise through examination and scientific testing. It is true that items that offer protection from chemical or biological attack have been found, but there's not been anything found to indicate intention to use chemical or biological agents.
"Second, until we have conclusive proof of the deaths of any of the leading figures in Saddam's regime, we will only report that attempts have been made and will not report the many different speculations on the likelihood of their death or survival. To do otherwise is irresponsible journalism.
"Third, we apologize for the differnce between our reporting and that of the rest of the world's media. While the rest of the world seems only to focus on the worst aspects of war, we perhaps go to far the other direction and present a too sanitized appearance of the reality of war. We are limited in our content by the many official reviewers and approvals that our reports must pass before we are allowed to air them. Our reporters are embedded with the military and thus are subject to the restrictions of those in command of their group.
The items that we'd like to apologize for are:
1. The reported find of a chemical weapons facility -- false
2. The report that 3000 chemical protection suits equals posession of WMD -- false
3. The report that Hussein was likely dead on the first day -- false
4. The report that an entire division of 8,000 men surrendered -- false
5. The report that Basra had fallen in the first days of the war -- false
6. The report that drums full of liquid were the smoking gun -- false
7. The report that Chemical Ali was killed -- false
8. The report that white powder found in a building was the smoking gun -- false
9. The report that there was an uprising in Basra -- false
10.The report that an American bomb did not hit a marketplace killing 50+ -- false
11.The report that Hussein had been killed again -- false
12.The report that scuds have been found and used -- false
13.The report that missiles with chemical agents found -- false
14.The report that nerve agents were found, made soldiers sick -- false
15.The report that soldiers were executed (embarrassed Blair) -- false
16.The report that 408 boxes of remains was evidence of atrocities -- false
17.The report that Jessica Lynch was tortured and shot while in hospital -- false
18.The report that Umm Qasr was secure in the first days of the war -- false
"Finally, we would like to show you the other side of the war that has rarely been presented. Reports of civilian casualties reach us every day. The White House doesn't offer civilian casualty estimates, but the Red Cross and other sources place the numbers somewhere near a 1000 deaths and many more wounded. This doesn't take into account the relatives of the dead and wounded, the orphans, and the people that may have suffered emotional trauma. The video we are going to show you is from inside the hospitals of Baghdad that have nearly run out of medicine and have begun to stack the wounded across empty places on the floor. The estimates coming in are 100 new patients per hour. Consider not only these victims, but the soldiers who will live these images and the families of the soldiers that will have to deal with the inevitable emotional trouble that is experienced after someone has experienced war."
1. The media can show us the gritty side of this war complete with dead bodies and all instead pictures of planes taking off from carriers with the perfect backdrop of setting sun.
2. The media can ask tough questions of people in charge and challenge them to backup ALL statements with proof and ensure that they clarify what is speculation and what is fact.
3. The media can be aware of their role in shaping the public opinion and act responsibly by not skewing public opinion with untrue stories. Let's imagine that tonight on every news channel the reporters began like this:
"Tonight we'd like to present to you some of the stories we reported in haste and offer a retraction or correction for those stories that turned out to be untrue and/or inconclusive. Our role is to present to you as accurate a picture of current events as possible, and in our efforts to give you immediate reporting of moment to moment changes in the war we have occasionally compromised the integrity of our profession and the view presented to you.
"First we would like to comment that there have been no discoveries of weapons of mass destruction, or even traces of weapons of mass destruction. The many reports about WMD facilities and suspicious substances found have all turned out to be negative, proved otherwise through examination and scientific testing. It is true that items that offer protection from chemical or biological attack have been found, but there's not been anything found to indicate intention to use chemical or biological agents.
"Second, until we have conclusive proof of the deaths of any of the leading figures in Saddam's regime, we will only report that attempts have been made and will not report the many different speculations on the likelihood of their death or survival. To do otherwise is irresponsible journalism.
"Third, we apologize for the differnce between our reporting and that of the rest of the world's media. While the rest of the world seems only to focus on the worst aspects of war, we perhaps go to far the other direction and present a too sanitized appearance of the reality of war. We are limited in our content by the many official reviewers and approvals that our reports must pass before we are allowed to air them. Our reporters are embedded with the military and thus are subject to the restrictions of those in command of their group.
The items that we'd like to apologize for are:
1. The reported find of a chemical weapons facility -- false
2. The report that 3000 chemical protection suits equals posession of WMD -- false
3. The report that Hussein was likely dead on the first day -- false
4. The report that an entire division of 8,000 men surrendered -- false
5. The report that Basra had fallen in the first days of the war -- false
6. The report that drums full of liquid were the smoking gun -- false
7. The report that Chemical Ali was killed -- false
8. The report that white powder found in a building was the smoking gun -- false
9. The report that there was an uprising in Basra -- false
10.The report that an American bomb did not hit a marketplace killing 50+ -- false
11.The report that Hussein had been killed again -- false
12.The report that scuds have been found and used -- false
13.The report that missiles with chemical agents found -- false
14.The report that nerve agents were found, made soldiers sick -- false
15.The report that soldiers were executed (embarrassed Blair) -- false
16.The report that 408 boxes of remains was evidence of atrocities -- false
17.The report that Jessica Lynch was tortured and shot while in hospital -- false
18.The report that Umm Qasr was secure in the first days of the war -- false
"Finally, we would like to show you the other side of the war that has rarely been presented. Reports of civilian casualties reach us every day. The White House doesn't offer civilian casualty estimates, but the Red Cross and other sources place the numbers somewhere near a 1000 deaths and many more wounded. This doesn't take into account the relatives of the dead and wounded, the orphans, and the people that may have suffered emotional trauma. The video we are going to show you is from inside the hospitals of Baghdad that have nearly run out of medicine and have begun to stack the wounded across empty places on the floor. The estimates coming in are 100 new patients per hour. Consider not only these victims, but the soldiers who will live these images and the families of the soldiers that will have to deal with the inevitable emotional trouble that is experienced after someone has experienced war."