Thursday, December 04, 2008

Why Isn't The Media Talking About The War?

Chuck Norris' view on the media coverage of the war: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=29728

I read this article, and initially thought, "How typical. I'm not surprised that the media would not be giving credit to the current administration for anything positive". Then I thought about it, and wondered if what this article is stating is true. I did some research, and found out the following information about the number of US casualties in Iraq over the last two twelve month periods.

Dec. '07 thru Nov. '08: 317 total deaths, an average of less than 27 per month.

Dec. '06 thru Nov. '07: 952 total deaths, an average of just over 79 per month.

Source: www.globalsecurity.org

I don't know a lot about war, but this certainly would seem like a positive story, and something that the media would want to celebrate. Of course I am not implying that the deaths of 317 soldiers is something that anyone should celebrate, but reducing the amount to one-third of what is was just 12 months ago is a move in the right direction. Even those completely opposed to this war would have to agree.

You may not be a fan of Chuck Norris, but he certainly is making some sense in this article. Feel free to share your opinions below, I would love to hear what you have to say about this subject.

10 comments:

Janine said...

I'm wondering with all the Obama excitement if the war is "old news"? Plus, the media does seem to like train wrecks and if things are going well over there it's not as interesting.

Anonymous said...

I think the media is focusing on economic issues since that is what most people say concerns them most right now. Even before the election, polls said that the economy, not the war, was the #1 concern. Plus, your local TV news can focus on the sad stories of people who live in your neighborhood, which they love to do. Local papers can do the same.

On another note, when I do read stories about the war in Iraq, I have seen messages about reduced violence. Then again, most of the stories are about daily suicide bombings that are killing Iraqis. I also think it's very sad to focus only on Americans killed in this war. It completely breaks my heart and brings me to tears to see these numbers -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casualties_of_the_Iraq_War . And to think about the historic monuments, artwork, architecture and infrastructure that has been obliterated over there. Sad.

Sorry. My rant. My bad. :-)

Kevin Mogee said...

Janet, thanks for your perspective. I agree that it's not all about Americans being killed, but that's what our media tends to focus on. And when it comes to architecture, art, etc, I agree 100%, it's culture that has been around for thousands of years, and it's being destroyed forever. Very sad indeed.

Anonymous said...

The standard "If it bleeds, it leads". What is bleeding the most? Obviously, the global financial economy, the Big 3 automakers and associated industry, and Plaxico Burress' leg.
Remember, although many individuals refer to the word "media" and the news reporting industry, it truly still is entertainment and content. And the revenue generation is based on popular content which like television and radio sells ad revenue, not objective or subjective matter.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous brings up a good point in referring to the media and news industry as Entertainment and content. That is the most accurate portrayal of "media" that I have heard. Although I don't find sad news as entertainment, it truly is what its all about as far as the industry is concerned. Nothing sells more than death and destruction of people, places and things and with our technology, "media" use this to their advantage and bombard us 24/7 with the ugly and the bad rather than the stories of what a great job our troops are doing for one.

Anonymous said...

When did everyone start taking Chuck Norris' opinion so seriously? If we were to hold Chuck Norris' opinion in high regard, then the Total Gym should be the ultimate fitness machine in the world.
Also, let us examine the source of this article too, which is also "media" harboring ill will against other "media". This goes back to both Mark Twain and Benjamin Disraeli : There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Let's look at another source that usually is not quoted: http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home
or
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/07/AR2008030702846.html
when conservative "media" attacks current bailout packages.

Kevin Mogee said...

To Anonymous, I was not implying that Chuck Norris was an authority on anything, I was just asking your opinion, but since you chose to post as an anonymous person, I don't know who 'you' are. However, the fact that you quote the Washington Post, and then make a reference to conservative media makes me think that you have no idea what you're talking about. There could be no more liberal newspaper than the post, with the exception maybe of the NY Times.

Anonymous said...

And you must be truly educated in politics, or what it has truly become, direct marketing. Oh, but wait, it took you 20 years to get a BS from a third tier school. That makes you qualified to be nominated as VP.
Just someone with a stick who likes to poke the bear.

Kevin Mogee said...

Anonymous, you obviously don't know me, or you would know that, one, I don't have a degree at all, and two, I don't consider myself an expert on anything (except maybe Google-related stuff, but that's another blog). I find it funny that you are taking a jab at politics for being nothing more than marketing and at Palin at the same time, and yet Barack, with his 2 years of experience is probably the biggest Presidential marketing 'experiment' since JFK.

btw, as the owner of this blog, I have the power to remove your comments, but as of right now I won't. However, if you continue to post anonymously, I may change my mind. What are you afraid of? Stand up for what you believe in, and show yourself.

Palin-Berry 2012 said...

They only talk about the war when a conservative president is in office. War provokes a negative image for the public, so the media doesn't want threaten Obama's agenda by linking him to the wars in the minds of Americans.

They would be forced to consider the fact that Obama is president, yet the world is not all rainbows and butterflies like they thought it would be.