A casualty of war (The media's integrity has been all but lost)

Jewsweek ^ | Apr 15, 2003 | Avi Davis

[Diddley]

Those who lost their lives are not the only victims of this war. The media's integrity has been all but lost.

As the smoke begins to clear in Baghdad the world will soon be able to assess the damage of a short war. The final toll will no doubt include thousands of Iraqi dead and many Allied troops. It will include billions of dollars of damage and shattered relations between a number of nations. It is as sad as it is tragic. War, no matter where or why it takes place, is always heartbreaking -- destroying lives and leaving scars that do not easily heal.

Yet heal they will. Investments of time, money and goodwill, though unable to bring back the dead, will lead the way toward an eventual reconciliation.

But not for everyone. There are wounds of this war that will not be nursed back to health. And the most permanent disfigurement of them all is media credibility.

The coverage of the war in Iraq has proven that experience is no barrier to either ineptitude or scurrility. The litany of malfeasance is long. Well-known photographers doctored photographs in order to project the Allied effort in a negative light.

Commentators, analysts, and newsroom anchors turned the war into a replay of the Super Bowl with bombastic play-by-play commentary that embarrassingly revealed more ignorance than expertise. And many reporters -- such as glory seeker Geraldo Rivera -- chose to project themselves as the story, rather than the military conflict they were supposedly covering.
. . . . . . .

[Diddley]

Photographs doctored in order to project the Allied effort in a negative light.

Commentators, analysts, and newsroom anchors turned the war into a replay of the Super Bowl.

And many reporters -- such as glory seeker Geraldo Rivera -- chose to project themselves as the story, rather than the military conflict they were supposedly covering.

Many - not just CNN - shape the news.

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[T'wit]

>> The media's integrity has been all but lost.

Oh, bull. They never had any.

[lawgirl]

Loving it bump

[Diddley]

You are right, but in the past they could lie about it.
They can still lie, but it's getting harder.

[T'wit]

I heard a jounralist tell the truth once and nearly fell over.

[T'wit]

Come to think of it, I heard Bill Clinton tell the truth once. I was flattened. I was astounded. I was gobsmacked. I wrote it down and stared at it over and over.

[NetLiberty]

Why do you post the source of this article as "Jewsweek?" Are you trying to make some kind of sly commentary? What's your problem?

[NetLiberty]

--my mistake. I actually see that the link is from a site called "jewsweek" --forgive my previous post, and for being so quick to make a snap judgement.

I have seen a number of anti-semitic inferences on FR in the past, and I was a little too quick to jump on this one. Sorry.

[Diddley]

I heard a jounralist tell the truth once and nearly fell over.

Who was that person? He obviously hasn't been well trained. (/sarc)

[Diddley]

No problem.

I make mistakes now and then, too.