CBS's Lara Logan Slams American Coverage Of Iraq War (VIDEO)

On last night's Daily Show, Lara Logan, CBS's Chief Foreign Correspondent, spoke out against the coverage of the Iraq War by the American press.

At about 6 minutes into the clip, Logan recalls being asked if she felt responsibility for how Americans perceived the war.

Tell me the last time you saw the body of a dead American soldier. What does that look like? Who in American knows what that looks like? Because I know what that looks like, and I feel responsible for the fact that no one else does. ... And the soldiers do feel forgotten, they do. No doubt. From Afghanistan to Iraq, they absolutely feel -- you know, we may be tired of hearing about this five years later, they still have to go out and do the same job.

Watch:

Thanks to Think Progress for catching this.

Comments

[unscum]

Silly news starved Americans. You see one 'embed' reporter in Iraq who pretty much parrots what all the other embed reporters are saying in Iraq and you think it's some kind of Pulitzer prizes winning journalistic endeavor. How about all those other 'free' journalists, reporters and bloggers who are giving us the real story in Iraq and who are the real ones who are risking their lives without the luxury of flax jackets, armored personnel carriers, the green zone, blackwater and the marines protecting her. If this is what passes for great journalism in the US, no wonder 4000 Americans are dead, 40K are injured and 1/2 a trillion spent on what is now a lost cause in Iraq. However, on a brighter note, at least Lara now has her plum news job probably paying her 7 figures.

[woundedduck]

If you're so contrite, you'd better get it right with Iran.

[christieZ]

Wow. Now, that's a journalist. Brave, intelligent, honest. Part of the reason that there was so much disgust (aside from the draft, of course) over Vietnam was because the media always showed the flag draped caskets returning from overseas. The Bush admin. has banned the press from covering the returning caskets of our dead comrades! We've not once seen a casket or a photo of an injured or dead American, and very few injured or dead Iraqis. Shame on the mainstream media for the absolutely atrocious coverage of the war. And thank goodness for Amy Goodman's War and Peace Report and journalists like Lara Logan and Michael Ware.

[heal57]

The news media could defy the President and show the flag-draped coffins. It's a free country, isn't it. They choose not to cause they're in bed with Bush/Cheney and the repubs.

[GaryWolf]

Although I think Lara is VERY attractive, she's far from being just another pretty face. She's been doing some serious work as a war correspondent for some time now and deserves considerable respect as a journalist. Katie Courics of the world take note!

[naijaman]

I understand exactly where this woman is coming from. My wife and I travel to Brazil, Tanzania and Nigeria every December for a 2 months to visit our relatives, and the Iraq War news coverage is entirely different. Here in the US, we get numbers of dead soldiers, and news about the latest car bombing, with an occasional mention of the Iraqi Parliament and Al Sadr. On CNN International and Al Jazeera English (which I watch in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and in Vitoria, Brazil), the images of dead Iraqis and body parts strewn on the streets in shown, along with in-depth analysis of the challenge Iraq faces. The news programs in Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia all show the same bloody images, and there is real discussion about the various militias inside Iraq.
Here in America we like to be spoonfed simple crap like "good vs evil", completely devoid of any real insightful discussion.

[evekendall]

Our news media here is the equivalent of the U S S R ' s Prav da: spoon-feed the masses only what we want them to know.

[unscum]

Geez, you didn't have to go to Brazil, Tanzania and Nigeria to figure that one out Sherlock. All you had to do was open up you laptop from the comfort of your living room. For example, in late 2002, anyone who bothered to shut off their TV and discontinue all their magazine and newspaper subscriptions would have discovered by reading a numerous Internet news sources from all over the world that Saddam has no WMD. The weapons inspectors pretty much proved that.

[rowzeer]

Exactly right....it's alarming that the US media is no where near as forthright as the media in other countries. They see the REAL cost of the war!! We don't see any of that. After seeing the death and destruction America has brought over imaginary WMDs it's no wonder they hate us.

But this is nothing new...we've been meddling in the middle east for years. The overthrow of a democratically elected president in Iran, the rigging of elections in Lebanon so the Christian minority would win, using Saddam as a proxy in a war against Iran, claiming to want peace between Israel and the Palestinians while secretly condoning illegal settlements. And this is what we've done just in the Middle East....it doesn't include all the death, destruction and chaos we brought to Latin America.

The don't hate us for our freedom...they hate us for denying them theirs.

[CyrusBeaucephus]

I hear the Surge is still working, so we have to Stay the Course if we wish to keep tunring the corners...and now a word form our proud sponser (insert Defense Industry Multinational Corp here)

[Tommygun264]

I had to listen without looking at the screen in order to hear what she was saying - and I'm queer, THAT'S how gorgeous she is.

[nonconformist2]

To compare Katie Couric to Lara Logan is to compare a hampster to a lion. One is a queen, the other is a light snack before dinner.

[Tommygun264]

You're into some pretty twisted appetizers there, nonconformist2. ;-)

[nonconformist2]

I bore so easily! ; - 0

[Darsan54]

Not really a fair comparison. Couric does a light feature well and has a certain "star" power to attract an audience to a morning entertainment/news program. Logan is a field reporter where the story should be the star, not vice versa. Couric takes a lot of heat for trying to change, but it is more the public's responsibility here for not letting her. Yes, I think Logan is a far better reporter but I don't think Couric is bad because of the former's talent. They are just different.

[JeffersonState]

She is hot enough to get a huge raise with a gig at FOX.

She must have scruples.

That voice........... (hearts floating)

Oh yeah, smart and funny too.

[nonconformist2]

Fox don't do smart, or integrity. She scary to Fox. Fox very very scared. Fox want Bimbo instead. Bimbo good to Fox. Bimbo make O'Reilly look clever.

[Patriot0259]

You'll probably see Hasselbeck working for Focks before long, but you won't see this lady.

[Raymondf]

Worse video that I have ever seen on here. Jon, Laura both made it sound like that it was the American soldiers doing all the killing, when it was their own people doing the killing. Shame on both.

[nonconformist2]

You need to work on your listening skills. She did no such thing. She reminded us that we have forgotten the horrors which are faced by American soldiers and Iraqi and Afghan civilians. Sorry she couldn't pretty it up for you to swallow. But war is never pretty.

[SeriousBlack]

Well, you're not a very good listener then.

[JimR]

Try listening again.

[Tom95134]

This was good. I think even John Stewart was quite surprised.

[gnomic]

WOW! I didn't know that CBS had any journalists left. I hope she gets the news outlet she deserves - she is one gutsy woman and I look forward to more reports by her. Kudos to Jon for giving her the time.

[JimInOakland]

WOW ! WOW ! is right ! What a surprise that this beautiful woman let loose before the end of the interview ! Thank you to Jon, too.
She came across as authentic and moving, and not cynical,, even as the praises were sung for Tim Russert, during these past few days. Happy Trails to her !

[Davwbaird]

We have to hear such horror on a comedy channel!!!!! What is wrong with us and this country.

[nonconformist2]

I will tell you what is wrong with this country. We don't like the truth. We are afraid of the truth. We have gotten so used to being told about the world in a nice neat little package which never challenges us in any way, that the only way that anyone can get the truth out, is to sneak it in a side door. Like a comedy show. If she tried to say such things on CNN, Wolf Blizer would have interupted her and silenced her immediately.

So here's TRUTH for you: WAR IS HELL AND HORROR AND EVERY OTHER BAD WORD THAT YOU CAN THINK OF. Sometimes people need to be reminded.

[nonofyabusiness]

Lol......................................................

[Tom95134]

And sometimes people need to be reminded of how our leaders lied us into this mess.

[Politiking]

She should replace Couric as its anchor. Lara Logan is more credible; she is brave, smart, straight-talker, and beautiful. Couric just doesn't have IT! Lara Logan for either CBS Evening News or Meet the Press.

[Tom95134]

This is the kind of hard hitting reporting that Murrow, Cronkite, and Rather use to do. Logan is good. Much more credible than that bimbo Couric. But if she replaced Couric who would be out there getting the real news?

[FlyingEagel]

Watching that was like a breath of fresh air. She is smart and articulate. It is to bad that people like her are not in charge of programming. I would watch her show everyday.

[nonofyabusiness]

Be nice for her to come on after KO

[nonconformist2]

Her and Rachel Maddow are the best.

[nonofyabusiness]

Wow, I'd love to see her every night!!!!