War. What is it good for? Media frenzy.
The coverage of Afghan War in British media is really quite pathetic. The only thing the tv and newspapers are all interested in is that the British soldiers are dying. You'd think they just sit all day in their camps and get mortared, or drive around trucks and get blown up by mines.
What's happened to good old war reporting?
There's a war in Afghanistan. You may disagree with it, but that's the fact. There are battles. People are dying. Recently, there's a massive offensive on Taliban, allegedly one of the largest ones since the war - something we only know from US coverage, not from local news. And the Brits fight on its right flank in the Panther's Claw operation (I know that from wikipedia, not from BBC). Of course some people will die. Dozens, possibly hundreds more die on the other side. That's what happens in the war. But no, the only thing you'll hear is 'another british soldier dead'. Why? What was he doing? In what context? What's going on with the war? Are we winning? Are we losing? Are we in a stalemate?
We don't know that. Instead we're treated, of course, to a stream of interviews with friends and families of the dead, the meaningless eulogies (of course he was 'brave'. they don't take cowards to the war!) the dreaded 24-hour news 'human angle'. The human angle that is torn out of context, blown out of proportion, treated everytime as a separate, unrelated event. Our poor boys, sent to die for 'incomprehensible reasons', because the media do nothing to make these reasons even the slightest bit comprehensible.
No wonder modern democracies lose all their wars.
What's happened to good old war reporting?
There's a war in Afghanistan. You may disagree with it, but that's the fact. There are battles. People are dying. Recently, there's a massive offensive on Taliban, allegedly one of the largest ones since the war - something we only know from US coverage, not from local news. And the Brits fight on its right flank in the Panther's Claw operation (I know that from wikipedia, not from BBC). Of course some people will die. Dozens, possibly hundreds more die on the other side. That's what happens in the war. But no, the only thing you'll hear is 'another british soldier dead'. Why? What was he doing? In what context? What's going on with the war? Are we winning? Are we losing? Are we in a stalemate?
We don't know that. Instead we're treated, of course, to a stream of interviews with friends and families of the dead, the meaningless eulogies (of course he was 'brave'. they don't take cowards to the war!) the dreaded 24-hour news 'human angle'. The human angle that is torn out of context, blown out of proportion, treated everytime as a separate, unrelated event. Our poor boys, sent to die for 'incomprehensible reasons', because the media do nothing to make these reasons even the slightest bit comprehensible.
No wonder modern democracies lose all their wars.