When I first heard the report on the radio I said to myself -- here they go again. I disagree with everything Rep. Duncan Hunter has to say, not to mention Rep. Brian Bilbray and Rep. Darrell Issa, all of California. The report stated that these representatives were upset because CNN had shown footage of an American soldier KIA. Good, I thought, Americans need to "feel" this war. A draft would wake up everyone right away when their high school kids are forced to fight as soon as they graduate, but that doesn't look likely at this point. So something else needs to knock some sense into Americans (yeah, I know what the polls say, but where's the outrage?).
The reps called it nothing short of a terrorist snuff film. After the brief news report I turned the radio off in disgust that these guys are still trying to spin ridiculous angles.
Then I read a report in the L.A. Times this morning about how CNN got this video from a spokesman for the Islamic Army. The footage had been captured by a terrorist, not a CNN news crew.
It is a snuff film. CNN was wrong. These representatives are right, as much as it makes me shudder to write that.
CNN had a long, intense editorial debate before showing the video (which, apparently is still on its website -- I won't watch it now), but apparently they weren't debating the real issue. They compromised by blacking out the video when the bullet impacts the soldier's head.
The debate should have been about whether this was news or propaganda.
Posted by On The Mark
1 comment:
On the Mark responds -- Aurelius, thanks for reading and responding. I believe that when a PR rep for any enemy supplies footage to further its cause, then it's propaganda. The enemy(ies) wants America out of Iraq, and they know this kind of footage is influential toward achieving that goal.
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