Do Media Know That War Kills?
March 14, 2003
Despite daily reports about the "showdown" with Iraq, Americans hear very
little from mainstream media about the most basic fact of war: People will
be killed and civilian infrastructure will be destroyed, with devastating
consequences for public health long after the fighting stops.
Since the beginning of the year, according to a search of the Nexis database
(1/1/03-3/12/03), none of the three major television networks' nightly
national newscasts– ABC World News Tonight, CBS Evening News or NBC Nightly
News– have examined in detail what long-term impact war will have on
humanitarian conditions in Iraq. They've also downplayed the immediate
civilian deaths that will be caused by a U.S. attack.
The closest thing to a report on the likely humanitarian impact to appear
this year on the nightly newscasts was a January 23 CBS Evening News story
about the mood in Iraq. Noting that "many [Iraqis] are genuinely scared" of
war, the report stated that "almost half" of the country "would starve
without government food handouts." But CBS's report shifted responsibility
for any humanitarian disaster away from the U.S., suggesting that what
Iraqis fear "perhaps even more than an American military attack" is that
domestic "hatred and revenge could tear [Iraq] apart" in the aftermath.
Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting 112 W. 27th Street New York, NY 10001
http://www.fair.org/activism/war-kills.html
Do Media Know That War Kills?
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Type: discussion
Comments
>hi all,
eryk's post (and those that followed) had a huge impact on my mood today…
when do priorities shift?
but i do have to say that there is a myth that activism must be heroic and risky (i saw Patrick Lichty speak post 9/11 at San Jose about CAE, EDT and rtmark, and one woman railed him because she said they weren't putting their lives on the line). a lot of the time it is, but does it always have to be. i agree with marc (and curt's gestural advice) that there's a lot to our mundane actions. while life is always a crisis, we can't always live in a reactionary state. but it does seem necessary now.
the US media's portrayal of all war is horrendous to say the least. but it's not too different from anything else.
the film maker barbara trent (the panama deception) was recently at my school and had a dialogue with students to the effect of:
students: "We have to fight terrorism with force don't we?"
BT: "why?"
students: "because people are being killed here. it's about saving lives."
BT: "yeah, but compared to the number of people dying from heat, cold, and the flu every year, not very many are dying from terrorism."
students: "but those things are just part of life."
BT: "but is it part of your life? if you want to save lives 'fight' for housing and health care."
students: "but that's different."
take care everyone,
ryan