Major Networks Putting Iraq On The Back Burner: Reporters

The New York Times has a piece today on the dwindling amount of time US news networks are spending on Iraq and Afghanistan:

According to data compiled by Andrew Tyndall, a television consultant who monitors the three network evening newscasts, coverage of Iraq has been "massively scaled back this year." Almost halfway into 2008, the three newscasts have shown 181 weekday minutes of Iraq coverage, compared with 1,157 minutes for all of 2007. The "CBS Evening News" has devoted the fewest minutes to Iraq, 51, versus 55 minutes on ABC's "World News" and 74 minutes on "NBC Nightly News." (The average evening newscast is 22 minutes long.)

A post on the blog, Obsidian Wings, points out that Tyndall's numbers mean Americans are getting about "two minutes of Iraq coverage, per network, per week."

And we ought to care. We are responsible for the present state of Iraq, and we ought to care what happens there. Besides, we have men and women risking their lives in Iraq. We owe both Iraqis and our troops more than 181 weekday minutes, for all three networks. That's about two minutes of Iraq coverage, per network, per week. And that's far too little.

Comments

[letsgetsmart]

Republicans in congress in lock step with the white house made it possible for a few of their republican civilian owners to consolidate the media so what story is told is no loner news but propaganda. The propaganda has to be good for their republican stooges in or running for office and the owners control of everything. It seemed like a great plan at the time and it did get you eight years but it is all falling apart now. In spite of the control, those darn people are voting dem in the next elections. They want everything investigated and want to put you in jail How ungrateful after all they did for us. Our expectations are just too large, we wanted crazy things like a home, a job, health care, education for our children that includes real science and happiness in our lives. What, a mud hut with all you produce going to the castle owner wasn't enough? Serfs don't need school, that is an outrageous expense for the castle owner. I thought that the public air ways were in our hands, I guess we will have to get to work and clean this up after November.

P.S. Trolls are booooorrrr­riiiiinnnn­nggggg, why do you play with them?

[coldcanuckinwhite]

When have we, the people living in North America EVER gotten the coverage of the Iraq war, as has been covered and shown in Europe? NEVER.

[ChiGuy]

You're absolutely right.
The sad part is that it's even worse now.

[ErnestineBass]

For years, I've watched BBC World News rather than our own worthless MSM. Last week I noticed something strange. The BBC broadcast was choppy, as though it had been edited by an amateur.

In one instance, they abruptly cut from Iraq news to an unidentified commentator opining on gawd knows what (no intro, no context).

The next jumped from news of the Iraq oil deals to footage of a sweating soccer player babbling about some game.

Has anyone else noticed something odd going on with the U.S. feed of the BBC?

[speakingtruth2power]

Hey VolvoB, if you want me to remove your "name" from my fan list,

you will have to tell me the particular sock you are referring to. JCT?

If you're not B&R, that other arro gent poser must be TclapNutron??

[VolvoBirkenstock]

I don't use socks.

[speakingtruth2power]

Both of you have posted under a previous name

after being victims of a housecleaning purge. No?

[ThunderclapNewman]

I don't use socks either.

[speakingtruth2power]

But both of you have argued that BushCo has not

technically committed war crimes and treason. No?

[Rule Of Law]

Just as we don't see the war on TV, we also don't hear much about the Generals and other Brass who have recently "retired" who oppose this war and Bush's running of it. And it raises the same sorts of issues.

So, just a question, and I mean it with the sincerest appreciation for the sacrifice of our veterans in the armed forces but; If the PC (politically correct) thing to do these days if we are truly liberal--whatever that means if Hillary is included in that camp along with Feinstein and Pelosi--is to want an end to the war(s) but "support the troops" then, when Bush or whatever Fascist sits in his place decides to declare the Constitution to be just a "godamned piece of paper" and trash all of our rights, Do you think those brave men and women in uniform will support the Constitution they swore to uphold and the people of America it protects---

Or will they fall obediently behind their Military-I­ndustrial-­Lobbyist leaders and murder us wholesale in the streets? Given the numbers of recently "retired" top Brass who have come out against the war and Bush's prosecution of it, I am truly torn. But I do remember Kent State, and Santa Rita Prison after the Oakland Port protests. I know many returning vets who have seen this debacle first hand and hate it, but this doesn't make the news either, so I just can't call this one.

Just a question..­.

[ErnestineBass]

I find myself asking that same question, ROL.

I'm hoping that the honorable men and women of our military will adhere to the MCOC if given an order they consider "illegal" or "immoral".

[lthuedk 1]

If commanders obey orders from an undisputed dictatorship, they are as culpable as any general of the Third Reich. The People will make sure their names are deeply emblazoned on the pages of history.

Lay down with fascists and wake up with swastikas.

http://www.light-to-dark.com/the_petraeus_insult.html

[ChiGuy]

Something interesting for Huffy fans:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-sun-rosenthal-22jun22,0,7845138.column

[lornejl]

Tim Russert held every politician to account, thats why politicians don't lie anymore.

[ErnestineBass]

This means during the average half-hour newscast, advertisements for "Erectile Dysfunction" meds receive approximately three times as much overall airtime as our troops.

Geroge Carlin was right. America Is Finished.

[ChiGuy]

Good point.

[findingthetruth]

A strategy the GOP welcomes with open arms. Of course the GOP would love this country to FORGET about our brave troops' lives in danger.

[wkitwizard]

NEWS ALERT: There are no more journalists in MSM. They've been fired, laid off or sent packing to the outback of "entertainment" media. Want REAL news? Tune into PBS, BBC and internet news services, besides the corporate propaganda giants NBC, CBS, ABC (Faux News doesn't count).
Somewhere George Orwell is smiling. His nightmare came true in 2000.

[SaulGood]

who thinks this will make it through the msm? (i added the spaces)

On S eptember 13-14, 2008, L awrence V elvel, the dean of the Massachusetts School of Law at Andover, plans to convene a 'convention' at the school's facilities; the attendees of which will plan strategies to prosecute members of the B ush administration for war crimes.

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/B ush_war_cr­imes_confe­rence_to_c­onvene_062­2.html

[returnofthejedi]

Not a chance. I hope the guy is succesful, but I wont hold my breath.

[ErnestineBass]

Somebody, somewhere has to start something, sometime.

I wish I could afford to attend.

[lornejl]

I think 5 minutes of Iraq coverage a week would be plenty. It should go something like this...
G*orge B*sh lied us into war so his oil buddies could control a huge part of the worlds oil supply resulting in record profits for the oil companies and record high gas prices..

Heck, that would only take 20 seconds, just repeat it over and over for 5 minutes.

[alaintex]

Of the 90 stories on the HuffPo page, this is the only one talking about the Iraq War.

I guess all the complaints of the Corprate Media also apply to this site as well.

Bu$Hliter owns HuffPo. It's all about PROFIT!

[ChiGuy]

HuffPo doesn't have correspondents over there.
They are as dependent on the MSM as anyone for stories to pass on to visitors like you and me.

Think.

[Marlyn]

Unfortunately, Huffington Post doesn't make a profit. Not yet.

[lornejl]

Pay per post, that should do it, we could get rid of the riff raff too.

[Americanium]

You have not seen anything yet. The News Chiefs are determined to put Obama on the defensive. The lie that Obama was receiving favorable press has become a nightmare for Obama. The media is fearful of being accused of such has hardened its reporting against Obama, particularly on CNN.

McCain has been changing his policy positions daily and CNN turns a blind eye on it. Obama pulls out of public financing and CNN is questioning Obama's principles. Wolf has been accusing Obama of wanting to to quote " tax tax tax tax" while he praises McCain for suddenly wanting to " drill drill drill"

It is a blatant bias in the NYT, CNN and the Big 3 Networks. The angry letter they sent to Obama was not only a protest but a threat to go even more negative if Obama does not jump when they ask him to.

Meanwhile McCain and his family gets a pass. CNN even sent Dana Bash's fiance/ husband( John King) to cover Cindy McCain in Vietnam!!

God help Obama should he become the President.

Interesting summer ahead. Fasten your seat belts. BBQ anyone??

[lthuedk 1]

Reduced liquidity will hopefully force the MSM to our point of view. No money - No spendey. Corporate did it to itself.

[speakingtruth2power]

The force of the market is not enough for these co-conspirators of fascist treason.

Early in 2009 we must create a strong new Fairness Doctrine!!! Read up on why it

was created and how it was defeated and who falsely declared it unconstitutional.

Hate Radio & Propaganda TV have been the cheer leaders for the BushCo cabal!!

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Many delusional Rethuglicans talk about how 0bama is getting a free ride in the media. We already know Faux News is totally in the tank for McBush and the Rethugs, but the right wing print media is the worse of all. I check out Real Clear Politics website ever day because it has most of the political commentary. I have seen that the right wing in the media have a constant drum beat attacking 0bama in every article. While liberal columnists are all over the place with their editorials. The way the right wing has been able to win the last two elections is to constantly stay on message because when they all say the same thing over and over again it eventually gets picked up by the main stream media. A prime example of this is Charlie Gibson now coming out and saying it is not fair that 0bama is going to have more money than McBush because he is not taking public financing. This is just disgusting. I don't think liberals should mimic the attack methods of the right wing hate machine, but the liberal spectrum of the media should call them out on it.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/

[MaxBob]

Sorry, you are so misinformed, it borders on the ludicrous. I just bopped over to RCP and the posts are pretty even handed, with stories praising Barry and John, and other stories ridiculing both......­pretty even handed.

[returnofthejedi]

They are starting to sound more idiotic every day. What has worked so well for them in the past is not working all that well this time around. I must admit it is great to see their so called machine implode.I predict In a few years this jalopy(I won't even call it a machine anymore) will be almost non existant in the U.S. political theater.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

I just heard a big part of McBush's speech today is going to continue to attack Obama's decision to opt out of public financing. Obviously McBush's attack is based on Charlie Gibson's unprecedented tirade of a major party candidate on an issue American's don't really care about in the first place. The right wing thinks they can make this into an issue to attack 0bama's new kind of politics. I would not count out the right wing hate machine yet.

[wmholt]

Is it too far-fetched to believe that after the amazing profits the Hillary-Barack horse-race gave the news media, that they will knowingly try to make Obama look bad and present McCain in a good light so that the race will heat up, and profits will once again soar?

KQuarksSup­erKollider­: is your sig referencing the LHC?

[ErnestineBass]

Charlie Gibson...w­hy am I NOT surprised?

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

The only issue this idiot cares about is capital gains tax rates, because he might have to pay a little more on his millions from his stock investments.