Network news coverage of war (not what you think)
This isn't a "they're slanted against our boys!" thread at all, so relax.
No, I was just noticing the lack of it.
When our troops did that initial strike three weeks ago (attempting to get Hussein and his sons right off the bat), all three networks pre-empted and for the next 5-6 hours Brokaw, Rather and Jennings were on the air, with in-studio experts, correspondents in the field, footage from rooftop cams and ENDLESS replays of the bunker buster attack that just happened. I mean ENDLESS. Rather must've shown the clips 20 times, all while looking like he honestly was talked out.
And he was: we flipped around and basically, 4-5 minutes of action was covered by the major networks for the rest of the evening, pre-empting (where I live, anyway) the primetime schedule and the late-night programming (Leno, Letterman, etc.).
So here we are, three weeks later: the Saddam regime is falling, people ARE dancing in the streets a bit, statues are being torn down, tanks are rolling around Baghdad like it's Saturday night on the main cruising drag in your town, etc. and all I see is Caroline Rhea, soap operas and Montel.
This is kinda historic, interesting stuff going on today, but it's not being shown on the networks, at least not constantly. But that little burst of activity three weeks ago and they talk about it for 6 hours straight, repeating themselves, playing the same clip over and over, showing the same maps, talking to the same reporters and retired military guests, etc.
Just odd.
I would've thought today would've brought hour-to-hour, blanket coverage of the fall of his regime.
Sometimes, the news will blow a minor thing all out of proportion, but will almost ignore a major thing. I can't figure it out.
A 5 minute bunker attack gets all-night coverage...the fall of a 20-30 year regime gets sacked by NCAA coverage.
Comments
Oh. US troops are watching and enjoying the festive mood.
Starving/poor people - police force = rampant looting.
Hussein's son stockpiling UNICEF food in his home. gah
If there's something a socialist should like it's what is going on right now in Baghdad, the people taking the wealth of the nation for themselves.
Redistribute that shit, fellas, you'll have law and order soon enough. Take the chance to swipe some gold faucets and piss on some Saddam murals.
They've been under the boot of an authoritarian freak for 30 years, let 'em steal some chairs.
Very true!
Hell, people here overturn cars and set half the city on fire if their team wins!
Perspective, I guess. And better manners.
And I'm all for the Iraqis taking frequent piss breaks on any and all Saddam statues, portraits, etc.
It's the least they can do.
Originally posted by groverat
If there's something a socialist should like it's what is going on right now in Baghdad, the people taking the wealth of the nation for themselves.
I don't think you mean me when you use the term socialist, and I don't consider myself that, but I do know that there is nothing socialist about this. It is the same as the American free market: the law of the jungle: the strongest get it all, the weakest stay behind and die. This is not stw, sharing the wealth. Why does the little grocer on the 'hood have to pay for what Saddam and his buddies the Bush family perpetrated the past decennia? What is so socialist about that?
Originally posted by pscates
Well, as Limbaugh noted earlier:
Wow. Compelling. I'm sure that little nazi minister is, right now, witnessing the lawlessness in the fair Baghdadi streets.
(hey,
Originally posted by ShawnPatrickJoyce
It's called waning interest and over-coverage on the cable news networks.
Yeah, but that's sad because this is pretty major. Historic, even. The attention-span-lacking nutballs that drive this stuff don't speak for me.
Sad that something as serious as war and the overthrow of a truly evil, oppressive regime is subject to things like "waning interest" and "over-coverage".
People just want to sit back and watch "Raymond", I suppose. That's fine, I guess. I just don't understand it.
Different times.
I don't need to see 7 hours of rooftop cams showing explosions two miles away or yet more footage of journalists being carried out of that hotel, HOWEVER on a day like this, I'd think CBS, NBC and ABC would be like "hey, we should switch over to this...pretty amazing and interesting stuff going on. Screw the soaps!"
Originally posted by pscates
Uh, okay. Thanks for...sharing.
Scott will yet turn out to be a communist.
Originally posted by pscates
Well, as Limbaugh noted earlier: the Iraqi citizens - after 30 years of oppression - are more well-behaved today than a typical college crowd after their team wins the championship.
Very true!
Perhaps we're going to follow that example... Bush did say..and I quote: "My job would be so much easier if I were a dictator"
Hell, people here overturn cars and set half the city on fire if their team wins!
Strange how that kind of testosterone-overdose behavior is quasi- tolerated by society...the "boys will be boys" attitude. This stuff happens all over the place...(England is a prime example)...kids running riot after sports events, smashing shop windows, overturning and setting fire to cars, throwing rocks and molotov cocktails even, without any cause whatsoever, except the disappointment some bunch of overpaid "entertainers" clocked a lower/higher score than another bunch of overpaid "entertainers" during some arbitrary period of time on a Saturday afternoon.....
....But get into anything political in a public place...even the simple act of wearing an anti-war button or t-shirt...and you can get branded a traitor, get run off the road by a truckdriver, get spat at on the street, get peppersprayed for even being adjacent to a demo, lose your job, or even get arrested and lobbed into jail for no reason than, for one example aamong many, offending the owners of some 2-bit mall who don't like (the wrong) freedom of expression in the privately-owned sanitized shopping environment that has now all but replaced the public high street. Wow...long sentence...
http://www.nwarktimes.com/times/stor...storyid=105645
Oh dear.
OK...to stay on thread: The network news has been pathetic. I try to watch a bit of CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox etc....as much as is bearable....then switch over to the news coming out of the Middle east courtesy of satellite TV...and the standard of reporting, no matter what you think of the politics behind the war, makes the US networks material look like baby formula.
Originally posted by sammi jo Perhaps we're going to follow that example... Bush did say..and I quote: "My job would be so much easier if I were a dictator"
Well, wouldn't it? I know mine would be. Does it mean he actually harbors notions and is secretly setting up a way in which he CAN be? Uh, no.
As for the sport thing, I couldn't agree more. I've written about it here at AI, actually. Nothing irks me more than seeing idiot college kids or pro sports fans going bonkers and destroying the property of others just because of how a game turned out. I'll never understand that one. Can't they just celebrate at a bar and be cool about it? What's with breaking windows, looting, setting cars on fire, uprooting mailboxes, etc.?
Idiots.
The flag thing? Pick your battles, I guess.
What upsets me most is that cops in Frisco can't wear little pins or flag colors (threatens the protester, I guess). Firemen can't have a flag on their trucks, some town in Pennsylvania barred flags from being flown on public property (wasn't like it's a crucifix...it's the flag - gasp - of the actual COUNTRY we're in!), etc.
But in a sad display of irony, many of the above individuals might be on scene at an event or rally where any pinhead can burn, rip or take a piss on said flag.
How's that for a nice, two-way street?
"By God, as a public servant don't you DARE adorn your uniform with a small pin of an American flag...it's offensive to some people. Oh, by the way, you have parade/crowd control duty today, Officer Mahoney; you'll be patrolling the flag-burning pavillion and the Take a Piss on Old Glory display. Good luck and stay safe! Call for backup if things get out of hand...".
People who love it in many cases can't display it, yet people who hate it can do whatever they want to in the name of free speech?
Someone explain THAT one to me...
Originally posted by pscates
The flag thing? Pick your battles, I guess.
What upsets me most is that cops in Frisco can't wear little pins or flag colors (threatens the protester, I guess). Firemen can't have a flag on their trucks, some town in Pennsylvania barred flags from being flown on public property (wasn't like it's a crucifix...it's the flag - gasp - of the actual COUNTRY we're in!), etc.
I agree with you 100%...what the hell is *up* with that??? It's our Flag, dammit....not the exclusive property of some Pennsylvania town. Who the hell is on the council there?....they need a reality transplant.
But in a sad display of irony, many of the above individuals might be on scene at an event or rally where any pinhead can burn, rip or take a piss on said flag.
That reminds me of an incident at a march in Santa Barbara I attended 2 months back...some punk tried to burn a US flag in the street surrounded by 4 of his buddies...a friend of mine videotaped the entire incident...these kids stopped in the middle of the street while the marchers went around either side of them...but the flag was of synthetic material and their zippo lighter kept going out and all they could do was get one of corners to melt a little into a blackened gooey mess. What they failed to see behind them was a 30-strong contingent of the local Veterans for Peace coming down the street (some of these guys were WW2 vets, in their 80s). ...the kid trying to immolate the flag was dragged by his ear (!) onto the sidewalk by a very slightly built wiry old guy with a shock of gray hair, and given a chewing over he will probably never forget....after a couple of minutes he rejoined the march with his tail firmly between his legs. I don't think he will try a stunt like that again.
How's that for a nice, two-way street?
Well...the comparison is a little lopsided for sure. I dont think anyone's been arrested, thrown in jail, peppersprayed and teargassed, threatened with physical violence or even attacked by members of the public, had their car windows smashed etc etc etc etc for flying Old Glory or wearing a Stars and Stripes pin. And well they shouldn't..that would be outrageous in the extreme. But it seems to be considered just fine and dandy for that kind of treatment to be meted out to those who even peacefully voice their opposition to a government they feel is out of control.... and I guess that having that kind of abuse showered on them only reinforces that viewpoint. Incidentally, after 9-11, there were US flags flying from many of the freeway overpasses here in S. California. They have started appearing again now the war is on.....and that is great. Some peace signs have also briefly appeared...but Cal Trans rip them down in short order. The flags remain.
"By God, as a public servant don't you DARE adorn your uniform with a small pin of an American flag...it's offensive to some people. Oh, by the way, you have parade/crowd control duty today, Officer Mahoney; you'll be patrolling the flag-burning pavillion and the Take a Piss on Old Glory display. Good luck and stay safe! Call for backup if things get out of hand...".
ple who love it in many cases can't display it, yet people who hate it can do whatever they want to in the name of free speech?
Someone explain THAT one to me... [/B]
I wish I could.....sorry....but words fail me.
Originally posted by pscates
Somewhere between the 24/7 "cover every stupid little meaningless tidbit, even if it makes no sense" style of the cable news networks AND the utter lack of coverage from the main three networks, lies a nice, cool happy medium that makes sense to me.
*snip*
... on a day like this, I'd think CBS, NBC and ABC would be like "hey, we should switch over to this...pretty amazing and interesting stuff going on. Screw the soaps!"
I disagree that the networks have an utter lack of news coverage. You have to remember that most people DO want to still watch Raymond and Survivor.
The networks break in when they REALLY should (like this morning) and run it for all it's worth until the main story is over. You can then catch the rest on the nightly news. They've also been doing news breaks during commercials so people can be updated on the war, but not have their sitcoms interrupted.
Face it, even though it's history and VERY important, you can only take so much of it before being burned out on war coverage.