PBS' Iraq Documentary Sets Online Viewership Record

Executives at "Frontline" do not yet know how many people watched their recent four-and-a-half hour documentary, "Bush's War," because of PBS's complicated Nielsen ratings.

Online, however, "Bush's War," which was produced for the fifth anniversary of the United States' invasion of Iraq, has set a record, with more than 1.5 million views of all or part of the program, which was streamed in 26 segments.

"Frontline" has streamed most of its documentaries free since 2002 (www.pbs.org/frontline), part of an effort to reach younger audiences than typically tune in to PBS. The online viewing to date of "Bush's War," which was broadcast in two parts on March 24 and 25, is an estimated "10 times the traffic of a normal show for us," said Sam Bailey, the program's director of new media and technology. Viewers are also sticking around much longer than they usually do on the site, typically for 7 to 10 minutes.

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Watch the full series, which bills itself as "a two-part special series that tells the epic story of how the Iraq war began and how it has been fought, both on the ground and deep inside the government," online here.

Comments

[gcallaghan]

Bush's War is a monumental series, whether viewed online or TV. The real value is found in reiterating the lies and spin that brought us to where we are today - which isn't very far from where we were in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 or 2007. The more times the lies are exposed, the better. Use the administration's own propaganda methods against them by, instead of inventing lies justifying war with Iraq, revealing those lies over and over. Eventually, everyone with a functioning brain will recognize Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Gonzales, Yoo, Addington, Rice, Powell and others as either delusional war criminals or the willing tools they are.

[lovethesinner]

Although I enjoyed watching "Bush's War," I can't wait until Frontline gets somebody impartial leading it. As it is, this documentary is more of an outline of the facts too well documented to cover up than an expose of what really happened. They leave you with the impression that the Bush administration is more incompetent than criminal.

[gnorrfa]

i know how you feel. i'm still waiting for an impartial leading a documentary of the third reich.

[ashabot]

Too bad PBS didn't air this YEARS AGO! It won't bring back the dead.

[totalliberal]

That would be like kind of like impossible as it was a history so far? Get it?

[Benny59]

I viewed the Frontline special online and was enamoured by it as each episode unfolded. Watching that, and the latest on the Voodoo Platoon, gives you a before and after picture that is truly chilling. I compliment PBS for their effort and hope it continues. It makes a clear case for impeachment in ways that anyone can understand.

[percyveer]

jmort - I agree with most of what you wrote. However, you have to remember that PBS gets a pittance to put its programs on. For the last seven years they have been systematically squeezed by Bush et al. Their budget is constantly being cut and I guess they feel that half a loaf is better than no bread. If they go too far, watch their funding being slashed again!
That being said, Frontline is still a good program and Bill Moyers produces some of the most thoughtful episodes on the boob tube.There is still LinkTV as well!

[valleygent]

This Frontline series clearly spells out the case for impeachment of a U.S. President and Vice President, criminals and traitors, both. When in God's name will the American People be given justice? I am a veteran and I say to begin impeachment hearings yesterday. Over 4000 U.S soldiers are dead, that is now far more than died in 9/11, do you get it America???

[c1ee]

Thank you Frontline. It was one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. I could feel the heart and soul, journalism at its best, that went into making this epic series. Made me view Colin Powell in a new light as well. It seems he lost his hard-won reputation and integrity for loyalty to the president (and country?).

[gtt]

Yes, the very best documentary. Frontline, an oasis in the vast wasteland of public television.

[schatsie]

This was an interesting program, but I (my son served in Iraq for 12 months) highly recommend Taking the Wall by Patrick Murphy... Very good and I am so glad this man ran for and is now serving in Congress.. Bucks County (routinely repug) turned out for him and he will be running again this year.

[schatsie]

You know I thought that there was a 20 year swing between labor and capital having the power, but with democrat lite, that capital swing has taken over... Look when the real minimum wage is almost 50% of what it was when MLK died, you can tell we are on a tremendous downer....

When you realize that Mafioso Bush has fingered the Social Security Surplus to fund a tax cut for the wealthy before we were sucked into this stupid war with 24 million people (less than the size of California)...

Reality sucks, I want public financing for elections instead of corporate shills who are stiffing the middle class while Buffett gets interest free loans (for 28 years) from the IRS for his taxes due of 1 billlion.... We can do better, but the Democrats need to get some cahones....It is not enough that they are spitting in each others eyes, they need to take the Republicans to the cleaners and not just McCain. The economy sucks and the job market is a mess and we keep putting more people in jail on top of that there is Enron, Katrina and Blackwater.

[jmort]

Nothing new here. Way too little real analysis and about 4 years too late. Pablum for the masses. It's no wonder that PBS has to spend 1/3rd of their time begging for support, they lost their edge years ago.

[ChrisR]

This documentary Bush's War was actually put together from several Frontline specials aired over the last few years, so I disagree with your "too little too late." I also believe that ONLY PBS puts together informational shows like this, so your attitude seems more juvenile than insightful. Try donating rather than sniping.

[kaiser cordova]

bush is an ass cant u c dat how could u elect him twice. go barak but u need 2 center urself

[jubo]

Cheney witnessed first hand the CIA's failure to foresee the invasion of Kuweit. What?

Irak asked of the eventual US repercussions if it went after Kuweit and was given a green light by the US ambassador to Irak, April Glaspie. Something's off here.

[nyboomer]

I wish they had not tiptoed so gingerly around the notion that the war was sold on false pretenses.

We need to call liars exactly that. Cheney's mistrust of the CIA is no rteason to set up Feith as an intelligence arm of his office. The pointed assessments of his skills were spot on. Feith is the Fucking stupidest man on the face of the earth and his assessments are a bunch of crap.

It seems they knew what the likely outcomes were but went ahead anyway. If you know you are killing off thousands of Americans and spending trillions of dollars, why do it? Why hurt this country so badly?

[winoohno]

You have to remember: PBS is part of the federal government and the Head of the organization is a Bush appointee, so you must realize: they would never let anything air that had too much scrutiny or embarrassed the President.

[MissingAmerica]

I shed many tears as I watched this, and wished deep down inside that Congress would pay attention and act after actually seeing what this administration has done. As I watched the "packaging" of human beings being "shipped" to Gitmo, I cried. I cried for the indignities inflicted on these people who had not even been proven to have committed any wrongdoing, and I cried at the realization that this horrendous indignity was inflicted by the United States of America, a nation known as a leader in human rights.

From there, it just went downhill. We cannot afford to let this administration get away with these treasonous, criminal acts. Sadly, with few exceptions, Congress doesn't seem to see this urgency. We should remove all those who side with this terroristic, tyrannical policy. It would appear that Bush has become as mad as he claimed Saddam Hussein was. At least under Hussein, the people in Iraq could walk down the streets; under Bush, they have to live and die in them.

[Durango]

It was a good show but unfortunately it was 5 years too late. Much of what they reported was known OR should have been known in the lead up to the Iraqi war. Frontline failed us then.

They had a report that I watched prior to the invasion. Reporting on the oldest society on earth Frontline did not feature anything older than the Reagan Administration to offer "insight" into the impending war. No history, no social or political background. No valid explanation on how we arrived at the invasion.

They accepted and reported the LIES of the Bush Administration like most of the rest of the media in the US. And their crime was actually worse since they HAD to have known.

As a result they stand as accomplices of the Bush Catastrofuck.

They have a whole lot of karma to work off. That show was only a minor beginning.