This Is Real
Today is day nine of "Operation Iraqi Freedom.� The coverage given by TV journalists to the past wars in which we were involved pales in comparison to this one. And, from my perspective, it has only succeeded in confusing and desensitizing the American public.
When all of this began, Peter Jennings was on the air virtually nonstop for ABC. There was a lot of debate on whether the NCAA tournament, scheduled to begin the same day, should take place. The Academy Awards, slated for Sunday, March 23, went off as scheduled, but with no red carpet hoopla and reduced glitz and glamour. Opposing views were expressed by two of the Oscar winners. Both were greeted with boos and cheers.
In a concert in London earlier this month, Natalie Maines, lead singer for The Dixie Chicks, made the statement that she wasn�t proud to have President Bush hail from her home state of Texas. In response to this, country music stations across the country pulled The Dixie Chicks from their play lists. Some even went as far as to place a trash can in front of the stations where you were invited to dump your Chicks� CDs.
But back to the electronic media coverage.
Every morning during the Today show, a live press conference is televised. A high-ranking individual from the armed forces shows footage of bombs hitting designated targets and then opens the floor for questions and proceeds to field inquiries from reporters from all over the world that, at times, border on stupidity.
Wednesday�s Q&A; included scrutiny as to whether the truth is being told, when we would be apprised of bombs that missed their targets and killed innocent civilians and when we would arrive in Baghdad and begin our strategic operations there. One foreign reporter wanted to know if the American government felt bad about civilians killed and how much they would spend to rebuild the lives of those innocently harmed.
The last time I checked, this is a war. And as such there will be casualties, on both sides. Innocent lives will be lost. Being informed continually by television of what may or may not have happened and how many may or may not have died today is simply unnecessary.
So much of what is shared has yet to be confirmed and results in confusion of the general public and unwarranted angst by families who wonder if the latest tidbit of "news" involves a soldier to which they are attached.
This is reality TV beyond anyone�s imagination. How sad it must have been for the soldier�s family who threw the grenade into his own camp�s tent killing two fellow comrades. By Sunday morning, the footage of the alleged offender being taken away had his face blocked.
But the night before, right after the incident, the film had not been censored and his face was very clear. Film shot of those wounded was also shown repeatedly. Again, think of the families who wondered if those involved were their own.
I am not an advocate of the age old adage that ignorance is bliss. But I believe somewhere between a total lack of communication and this need to show every inch of every reel shot of everything that is this war lies the appropriate level of exposure. This isn�t the latest life scenario created for the morbidly curious.
This is simply real.
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