STORM2K

I say the News Media are hurting our chances of success in Iraq. They are dwelling upon the mistakes, the ambushes, the soldiers killed, the wounded. Fair enough. But it is not balancing this bad news with "the rest of the story," the progress made daily, the good news. The falsely bleak picture weakens our national resolve, discourages Iraqi cooperation and encourages our enemy.

During the conventional part of this conflict, embedded journalists reported the good, the bad and the ugly. Where are the embeds now that we are in the difficult part of the war, now that fair and balanced reporting is critically important to our chances of success?

The answer is they are gone. Only a handfull of reporters remain from the nearly 800 Western Journalists embedded during the initial stages of this conflict. Fox News alone had 27 reporters there. Reportedely, there area total of 27 there now.

I have a "future" Son-In-Law, stationed in Iraq, that offers the following "good" things that ARE ACTUALLY GOING ON:

Thousands of small reconstruction projects, working with Iraqi contractors and citizens.

Hundreds of schools are being renovated, repainted, replumbed and reroofed. Imagine the effect that has on children and their parents.

He speaks of waving cheering Iraqis wherever he goes, as well as the sad and ugly attacks on his unit. The positive far outweighs the negative he says. Not one comrade of his thinks they are doing the wrong thing by being there. Does he want to come home? Sure he does, who doesn't., and that comes from a man who hasn't seen his 7 month old son since he was 1 week old.

I just wish the press, Fox News included, would get their heads out of their a***s and start being fair and balanced once again.

that's good to hear J. All those little things don't make good sound bite coverage. Or maybe it's politically motivated. I don't know why Fox isn't picking up on this.

Fox News Channel has a few embedded reporters again, after a several week lull.

I agree that it sure would be nice to hear some good news for a change! Thanks for sharing some with us!

GulfBreezer wrote:I agree that it sure would be nice to hear some good news for a change! Thanks for sharing some with us!

I agree thanks J

The good things happening in Iraq haven't been mentioned even once?

Interestingly enough, a bipartisan Senate/House group just came back from Iraq, and said the same thing; there's a LOT of good going on there, but only the bad or ugly gets reported.

Thousands of schools have been opened and rebuilt, the new Iraq Civil Defense Force and police forces are being trained, oil is flowing, streets are safer, shops are open, people are freely talking, and Iraq just suspended both Al Jazeera and Al-Arabiya reporters for two weeks for aiding the insurgents by being in place BEFORE attacks occurred on Iraqis or coalition forces, while not informing the coalition or Iraqi authorities about the plans...besides which, much of the local authority is now in Iraqi hands...one has to wonder.

Maybe it would benefit the White House if they had more news conferences or issued statements about what has been accomplished over there if it doesn't seem like the media is able or willing to do it themselves.

Unfortunately, this is a problem with the news media and the "news" in general -- not just in Iraq. How often does your news source report good news? It can be applied to Iraq, but just doesn't apply to Iraq.

Yeh i think it was because we've heard very little from bush on the war. After giving the victory speech people expected the rest of the war to be easy. It gave us a false sense of security, but people are still dying everyday...and most eren't expecting this after declaring victory. But i do agree we've been hearing too much bad and not enough good. For every step back we are going forward by leaps and bounds.

Yep, we only hear the bad. I think the White House does issue statements about the progress, but the media still concentrates on the bad. Honestly, it's sickening. There are so many people who only hear the bad.....such a shame.

Btw...I'm proud of the job our President is doing.

So am I, Kelly!

One has to wonder, as well, about the intransigence of the U.N.; they demanded a role in all this, but at the same time, they don't want to "get their hands dirty" by sending in peacekeepers?

My guess? As long as they can blame the U.S. and coalition forces for "lapses in security", they are fine with that...they don't want the world to see for itself how utterly feckless they are when it comes to REAL problem-solving.

I'm a guest here, and probably this would offend someone. Probably this would also be my last post here.
If i'm not wrong, Mr Bush's answer to ONU when they disagreed war in Iraq was "ONU sucks". Now he claims for help...
US, UK and Russia, now coalized in the war against terrorism, used terrorism (and still use it) for their own interests.
Just to name one, Mr Orlando Bosch lives safe in Miami. Look for Mr Bosch in one engine and see who he is.
US was recognized guilty by The Hague Court of Justice for "terrorism". What happened? They simply ignored the sentence...
Fort Benning: why this terrorists' training camp still exist?

San Salvador, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Cuba... Apply the same democracy to your stains...

You know what people in Bohpal (India) scream?:"You want Osama, give us Anderson".

I have nothing personal with you all, this shall be clear. But who is leading your country makes war just for interests, not for democracy, peace or things in what you and your sons sent there believe.

Open your eyes, open your minds and always ask them and yourselves "WHY".

All the best
Paolo

streetsoldier wrote:Interestingly enough, a bipartisan Senate/House group just came back from Iraq, and said the same thing; there's a LOT of good going on there, but only the bad or ugly gets reported.

Thousands of schools have been opened and rebuilt, the new Iraq Civil Defense Force and police forces are being trained, oil is flowing, streets are safer, shops are open, people are freely talking, and Iraq just suspended both Al Jazeera and Al-Arabiya reporters for two weeks for aiding the insurgents by being in place BEFORE attacks occurred on Iraqis or coalition forces, while not informing the coalition or Iraqi authorities about the plans...besides which, much of the local authority is now in Iraqi hands...one has to wonder.

thanks for the supplement...

As Bill states...there is far more good going on then we are hearing about.
It's almost as if (Gasp...) the media (mostly the Liberal left wing) doesn't want us to succeed in Iraq! Why would that be????

As for Paolo...free Country ..you are entitled to your opinion. (although your anti-Americanism saddens me) Would you mind explaining to me exactly what "The Hague Court of Justice " is?????

thanks for the supplement...

As Bill states...there is far more good going on then we are hearing about.
It's almost as if (Gasp...) the Liberal left wing media doesn't want us to succeed in Iraq! Why would that be????

As for Paolo...free Country ..you are entitled to your opinion. (although your anti-Americanism saddens me) Would you mind explaining to me exactly what "The Hague Court of Justice " is?????

j... I don't think you can blame this on the liberal media. I think this simply comes down to what society defines as news. In every newscast almost all the news tends to be negative or not uplifting. I don't care if you are talking the most conservative news to the most liberal. I don't think you can politicize this in that manner.

point taken wx...I shall edit accordingly

Would you mind explaining to me exactly what "The Hague Court of Justice " is?????

check what the Hague court is here. I have posted a link to state members
http://www.hcch.net/e/members/members.html

I am absolutely, defintively not antiamerican. But cannot accept war as a solution, cannot accept moralism lessons from those that should first moralize themselves (talking about your governement)

uuuuurrrrrggggghhh....

Let me ask you this then>> Can you, or would you accept mass murder in your Country(ala 911)? Perhaps members of your family would be blown into a million pieces, burnt to a crisp, or trapped in a towering inferno awaiting total collapse.

I would expect, given your definitive position, that you would be marching to your Capital with peace signs and pleas to give peace a chance?? So what that all of your family is dead now.

I say...YOU cannot accept war as a solution, because in some weird twisted logic, you somehow think that what has happened in America, does not effect you.

Let me give you this oppurtunity (since you have opened up the door yourself) to explain to us all, how it is that The United States is "morally corrupt", and please provide us some proof to your claim that the United States "used" terrorism (and still use it), for their benefit!!!!!

"Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of justice." Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

War is justice.

Indonesia: Soharto regime (1 to 2 millions farmers killed) supported by US and UK.
San Salvador: 1200 (800adults, 400kids) killed by special troops trained at Fort Benning.
Nicaragua
And more...more...more...
If you like, will advise names and books where find informations.
I do not have documents in my possession, but italian public tv transmitted some documentaries showing witnesses, declassified documents from US and UK embassys... If italian tv can, why not yours?

911 was a big tragedy, it touched me as everybody in the world. I do not
feel better 'cause it happened far away from me, or because I did not personally know the victims: I was touched exactly as you were.
The difference is that I am ALWAYS touched, and all died are the same. There is no Major League and Second Division. They are all the same.
I cannot see the joint between 911 and Iraq. Can you? Can you say "we won the war, Iraq is free and terrorism is finished?". Do you really believe that bombing people is a way to stop terrorism and hate?
I don't think so, and I don't sleep better because US troops (and italian, british, polish etc...) are there.