good news is the bad news is wrong

[bodypilot90 0]

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Press slants Iraq news: Members
By Hans Nichols

Journalists are giving a slanted and unduly negative account of events in Iraq, a bipartisan congressional group that has just returned from a three-day House Armed Services Committee visit to assess stabilization efforts and the condition of U.S. troops said.

Lawmakers charged that reporters rarely stray from Baghdad and have a “police-blotter” mindset that results in terror attacks, deaths and injuries displacing accounts of progress in other areas.

Comparisons with Vietnam were farfetched, members said.

Rep. Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), the committee’s ranking member, said, “The media stresses the wounds, the injuries, and the deaths, as they should, but for instance in Northern Iraq, Gen. [Dave] Petraeus has 3,100 projects — from soccer fields to schools to refineries — all good stuff and that isn’t being reported.”

Skelton and other Democrats on the trip said they plan to reach out to all members of their caucus and explain what they observed.

The seven member congressional delegation (Codel) was briefed by U.S. civilian administrator L. Paul Bremer; Maj. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, overall commander of military forces in Iraq; and Petraeus, commander of the 101st Airborne Division.

The lawmakers said they worry that the overall negative tone of American press outlets’ reports did not do justice to the progress being made by an occupying force reconstructing a country after years of neglect and in the face of remaining hostile elements that profited under the old regime.

Skelton also trained his sights on the administration for its postwar policy. Joined by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) at a Democratic press conference, Skelton said, “Failure is not an option.”

He warned that should the reconstruction effort fail, Iraq would become “a snake pit, a haven for terrorists.”

Skelton also demanded that the administration’s supplemental spending request receive hearings in his authorizing committee as well as in the Appropriations Committee.

But Skelton tempered his dire warnings with anecdotal evidence that progress is being made on the ground. He said he was impressed with the flexibility and innovative spirit of the American forces, as they shift their strategy from defeating the Ba’athist regime to earning the trust of the population.

It is precisely that innovative spirit, Skelton said, that gives him hope that Iraq will be stabilized. “Foreign troops would not have that kind of improvisation,” Skelton said.

Another member of the delegation, Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.), agreed that the stabilization effort is making headway. “In fairness, the war is neither going as well as the administration says it’s going or as badly as the media says it is going,” Taylor said.

Republicans were left out of the press conference, but they stressed that they shared their Democratic counterparts’ assessments about the bravery of the troops and the innovative programs, especially in the northern part of the country.

Democrats concurred that the delegation of Armed Services Committee members was a model of harmony and bipartisan consensus. “We agreed on 99 percent of what we saw,” Skelton told The Hill.

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) said: “We were all like-minded in our conversations, not robotic at all, but we saw the real progress that is being made, that we are not at all mired.”

Wilson, once a print reporter, strongly criticized the balance of his former profession’s story selection. “Sure, show the bloody side, but get away from this police-blotter mindset. There’s much more going on, ” he said.

“Just on Friday, I heard a CBS radio report on the three deaths and then they had this analysis that just bordered on the hysterical,” Wilson said.

Adding, “CBS got it exactly wrong, the media portrayed it as an act of sophistication and a regrouping of Saddam’s forces, when in fact, it’s an indication of disorganization and desperation.”

Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga.) explained that the longer he was in Iraq, the more skeptical he became of his previous assumptions.

Some of the media reports led him to believe that “it was Vietnam revisited,” he said. But he said there was “a disconnect between the reporting and the reality.”

Marshall also claimed that there now are only 27 reporters in Iraq, down from 779 at the height of the war. “The reporters that are there are all huddled in a hotel. They are not getting out and reporting,” he told The Hill.

He added, “The good news is not being reported in the conventional press.”

Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), noting that the reconstruction effort includes over 6,000 projects, said, “The positive nature of that is just not being reported back here.

“We came away with the realization that a lot of the debate back here is really irrelevant.”

Reps. John Spratt (D-S.C.) and Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) also were on the trip.

http://www.hillnews.com/news/092303/press.aspx

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I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

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Hans Nichols
Staff Writer

Prior to coming to The Hill, Hans Nichols was a reporter for the Washington Times' Insight Magazine, where he was also a member of the Times book review committee. His work has appeared in Slate, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Wall Street Journal and The Weekly Standard. He holds a masters degree from the London School of Economics in political theory and graduated magna cum laude from Cornell University in government, where he was also captain of the tennis team.

Ya gotta really take it in context of in who's opinion in the "bad news is wrong".

In this particular case, no. The bad news is still really bad, but Hans Nichols would like the press to focus on the "good news" and simply ignore the bad.

Hey, I dunno about you, but news that the soccer fields are back open in some small part of Iraq just does not compare, in any way shape or form, with the fact that our troops are still in harms way -- in a big way. And we're about to send more.

There's only so many minutes of news on each night and so many web pages that a person can read in one day and frankly, I wanna know if our guys are getting blown up rather than if little Achmed can bend it like Beckham.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[bodypilot90 0]

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Ya gotta really take it in context of in who's opinion in the "bad news is wrong".

In this particular case, no. The bad news is still really bad, but Hans Nichols would like the press to focus on the "good news" and simply ignore the bad.

No a fair and balanced press would report both. It seems that even some of the dems are waking up to the slant. But some here don't want to hear facts. They would rather listen to the rants of the dems presidential candidates.

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It seems that even some of the dems are waking up to the slant. But some here don't want to hear facts. They would rather listen to the rants of the dems presidential candidates.

Let's see, democrats getting on board huh . . .

Let's see what Nancy Pelosi, member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence for 10 years (the longest continuous period of service in the committee's history) including two years as the Ranking Democrat, had to say the other day shall we?

http://www.house.gov/pelosi/press/releases/Sept03/prpostWarIraq091603.html

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Pelosi Statement on Post-War Iraq

September 16, 2003

Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today at a news conference held with Congressman John Murtha to discuss post-war Iraq:

“I am pleased to be here today with Congressman John Murtha, the Ranking Democrat on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee.

“Mr. Murtha is a decorated Vietnam veteran. Among his awards is the Purple Heart. For his 30 years in Congress, he has championed the interests of our military men and women. I have seen the esteem with which Mr. Murtha held when I had the privilege of joining him to visit our troops in the Persian Gulf a few days before hostilities began.

“During that visit, Mr. Murtha raised questions about the military’s ability to sustain this force for an extended period of time. I also saw firsthand his personal concern for brave Marines and Navy personnel when we visited Bethesda Naval Hospital.

“Under Mr. Murtha’s leadership, Democrats in Congress will be sure that our troops have what they need to accomplish their mission and return home safely.

“In his remarks today, Congressman Murtha made a compelling case about what has gone wrong in Iraq. For too long, the Bush Administration's approach to bringing stability to Iraq has relied on U.S. troops taking almost all the risks, and American taxpayers paying virtually all the bills.

“It is clear that whatever plan may have existed for dealing with post-war Iraq, that plan has failed. That failure is the result of miscalculations and faulty assumptions by the Administration. These miscalculations have been extremely costly.

“One week into the war, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, told Mr. Murtha’s Appropriations subcommittee on defense: ‘We’re dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon.’ How wrong that was.

“While our military men and women prevailed in battle through their exceptional courage and skill, bringing stability and security to Iraq is far from accomplished.

“As we have seen in recent weeks, there are enormous problems in Iraq. The condition of Iraq’s infrastructure is worse than expected, unemployment is much higher, and opposition is much more intense.

“On September 7, the President presented American taxpayers with the bill for these miscalculations: $87 billion dollars in additional spending. It is likely only a matter of time before even more money will be required.

“We are already facing a nearly half trillion-dollar deficit, and American taxpayers deserve to know how this spending will affect our ability to address the unmet needs in our own country.

“Congress will not hand the President a blank check.

“President Bush and the architects of this failed Iraq policy must tell the American people the truth: How did this happen? How did the Administration spend the $63 billion that Congress already provided, and why were the shortages Congressman Murtha mentioned not addressed before the war began?

“Where is the detailed plan for future spending? Where is the plan to stabilize and rebuild Iraq?

“The stakes in Iraq are too high to continue on the Administration’s current course. We must succeed in Iraq for our sake as well as that of the people of Iraq and their neighbors.

“Success is going to require a much more sensible approach than has been taken thus far, and we are quickly running out of time to implement it.”

# # #

Yeah, I guess that does sound like she's coming around doesn't it?

Or how about just yesterday after GWB made that horrible speech to the U.N..

http://www.house.gov/pelosi/press/releases/Sept03/prBushMissedOpportunityAtUN092303.html

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Pelosi: President Bush Missed an Opportunity at the U.N. Today

September 23, 2003

Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today following President Bush's speech to the United Nations General Assembly:

"In his speech today, the President missed an opportunity to show his commitment to securing a United Nations mandate for an international force to bring security and stability to Iraq. I had hoped the President would have sought international consensus in a spirit of cooperation. By not doing so, the President underscored how much difficult work remains before we get a significant amount of international participation in the effort to stabilize Iraq.

"Instead of a realistic plan for post-war Iraq, what we have seen from the Administration is misrepresentation of the facts, misleading of the public, and miscalculation of the risks after the war.

"The American people have seen the cost of that miscalculation: hundreds of American lives lost and a bill for $87 billion in additional spending. The President is proposing to spend more per person in Iraq on school and health care than we are spending on Americans. He has his priorities wrong -- we need to have a balance between what we are spending in Iraq and how we meet critical needs here at home."


# # #

Yep, looks like she's really on-plan with the Admisistration doesn't it?

And ya know, she's been at this for awhile too.

http://www.house.gov/pelosi/biography/bio.html

Anybody suggesting that she is now somehow sympathetic to the Admisistration is sorely wrong or intentionally misrepresenting the facts.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[billvon 3,125]

>No a fair and balanced press would report both.

Let's take CNN, a network that many claim is too liberal. Put in the search term "iraq" and search for recent news. Top 10 results:


- Shot Iraq politician 'worsens'
Negative story; assassination attempt

- General: More reservists may be called for Iraq duty
Negative story; hints at 'quagmire'

- Democrats say Iraq timetable too vague
Negative story

- Bremer, Rumsfeld face senators on Iraq funds
Neutral story; some oppose it, most think funding bill will pass with mods

- Iraq says it will stay in OPEC
Positive story; OPEC membership means improved economy for Iraqis.

- Iraqi minister: Empowerment under way
Positive story.

- Bush, Schroeder mend fences
Positive story; international help may be forthcoming

- Chirac: Iraq war undermined U.N.
Negative story.

- World leaders speak out over Iraq
Neutral story. Leaders condemn war but support aid to Iraq.

- Ancient mask recovered in Iraq
Positive story. Suggests looting problem is being 'fixed.'


So four negative, two neutral and four positive. This is "focusing on bad news and neglecting the good?" I think the problem may be with how _you_ perceive CNN, not what they report.

[bodypilot90 0]

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Nancy Pelosi

come on, she's from california, you'll have to come up with someone other than her. If Bush said the grass was green she'd say it was black. A real live liberal.

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Now wait a minute! The article you cited brought her into the conversation -- not me!

The article and you suggested that she had somehow seen the light and was now going more in favor of the "media is wrong about the war issues" when -clearly- that's not actually the case.

I have no doubt that the article correctly quoted her actual words, but I'm pretty damn sure they were taken out of context with regard to her feelings about the war.

Actually, scratch that! Was she even quoted in your original article? Hmmm, why even mention her name then if not in an attempt to make people -believe- that she was somehow on-board with this opinion?

Really weird reportage there eh?

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[bodypilot90 0]

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Let's take CNN, a network that many claim is too liberal. Put in the search term "iraq" and search for recent news. Top 10 results:

perhaps you will notice it was not only the republicans saying that but it was the dems as well. This was coming from people that went there and saw first hand. I find it hard to believe Bill that you know more than someone who has just returned from there. Do you have some inside info. If you do please share it.

[billvon 3,125]

>I find it hard to believe Bill that you know more than someone who
> has just returned from there.

I never claimed that I did. I was just showing that your post suggesting that the press does not report both sides is wrong. The press - even the hated liberal CNN - DOES in fact report both sides, if you care to read it. (Of course, if you only see what you want to see, it's hard to see this.)

[turtlespeed 226]

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>I find it hard to believe Bill that you know more than someone who
> has just returned from there.

I never claimed that I did. I was just showing that your post suggesting that the press does not report both sides is wrong. The press - even the hated liberal CNN - DOES in fact report both sides, if you care to read it. (Of course, if you only see what you want to see, it's hard to see this.)

As I was so aptly reminded, it all depends on where you draw the middle line to see how much of both sides you have.

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[bodypilot90 0]

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I never claimed that I did. I was just showing that your post suggesting that the press does not report both sides is wrong. The press - even the hated liberal CNN - DOES in fact report both sides, if you care to read it. (Of course, if you only see what you want to see, it's hard to see this.)

My point was if the dems thinks most of the press is slanted (as do I) in this issue and they have just returned perhaps the press just might be. One thing to report a story but has to do with how you report it as well.

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come on, she's from california, you'll have to come up with someone other than her. If Bush said the grass was green she'd say it was black. A real live liberal.

Well, then let's turn our attention to Representative Ike Skelton, a leader in the House on defense issues, Skelton is the Ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee. He is also a member of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee. (1)

Let's see what he had to say when he came back from his trip and see if he has gone soft on the whole "war is bad" thing.

http://www.house.gov/skelton/pr030917.htm

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SKELTON VISITS U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ



Washington, DC – Congressman Ike Skelton (D-MO), the Ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to Iraq last weekend.

The 7-member delegation, which departed Washington last Thursday and returned on Tuesday, spent three days in Iraq visiting U.S. troops, U.S. military leaders, and Coalition Provisional Authority representatives. Skelton's delegation visited the Iraqi cities of Baghdad, al Hillah, and Mosul. During the trip, the delegation also spent time with U.S. troops in Kuwait and Germany.

"The backbone of our effort in Iraq is the American soldier. I am so proud of all of our men and women in uniform, particularly the Missouri soldiers I had the honor of seeing during my visit," said Skelton.

"Failure in Iraq is not an option. First, we cannot fail because we have an obligation to our troops, who are so professional, courageous, and who have sacrificed so much. Second, we owe it to the American people because failure to succeed would create a snake pit where terrorists would thrive. Third, we have to succeed for the Iraqi people who have put their trust in us. To fail would lead to bloodbaths there similar to those that Saddam Hussein inflicted after the 1991 Gulf War. Finally, we have to succeed because our international leadership is at stake, particularly our partnerships in the global war on terrorism," said Skelton.

"We have a narrow window to get this right and things could still go very badly. We have to get the security situation in order. We have to get the infrastructure rebuilt and the lights back on. We need to get Iraqis more and more involved in their own future decision making. And we need more international presence there – both troops and civilians," said Skelton.

"In the days ahead, Congress will consider the President's request for $87 billion in supplemental spending for Iraq and Afghanistan. We ask a lot of the uniformed forces who are serving in harm's way and I fully endorse giving them the resources they need to get the job done. But the Administration must give Congress and the American people a full and open accounting of its plans for the future of U.S. involvement in the region," said Skelton.


- 30 -

"We have to get the security situation in order. We have to get the infrastructure rebuilt and the lights back on. We need to get Iraqis more and more involved in their own future decision making. And we need more international presence there – both troops and civilians," said Skelton.

Geeze, I dunno but it doesn't look like he has too many pieces of "good news" to report either since clearly, according to him, those things are not quite back in place yet. I mean, even he doesn't mention the soccer field.

So, I'm still not conviced your claim that the "dems are waking up" has much validity.

Still seems to me like they think there's quite a long way to go.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[kallend 2,171]

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Quote

Ya gotta really take it in context of in who's opinion in the "bad news is wrong".

In this particular case, no. The bad news is still really bad, but Hans Nichols would like the press to focus on the "good news" and simply ignore the bad.

No a fair and balanced press would report both. It seems that even some of the dems are waking up to the slant. But some here don't want to hear facts. They would rather listen to the rants of the dems presidential candidates.

Well, people getting killed in Chicago make the front page of the papers and the lead story on the local news. Can't say I ever saw a story about a soccer field being opened on the front page of the paper or the TV news show.

The US media responds to the wants of its consumers, since it is profit driven and run by good capitalists.

I think you have a warped idea of what is newsworthy and what people want to read.

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