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

[MaxBob]

As it should be if one wishes Obama to win in November. But, how will Obama frame the debate after he visits Iraq???? Another double flip-flop with a half twist to the left??????

[lthuedk 1]

The C O R P O R A T I O N is not good for peace or freedom.

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

[k6007]

Nor, is peace and freedom good for the C O R P O R A T I O N.

[SeconLine]

"Dems and libs in general the Iraqi's and Americans are winning the war"

The Iraq's WHAT are winning the war?

[ThePodiumIsMine]

Another thing you don't see in the news much these days; The Great Global Warming Scam.
Of course folks like the hufftards are still stupid enough to fall for it, but then the huffkid idiots have their panties in a fear induced bunch all day, every day.
Pretty good entertainment.

[ChiGuy]

Tell us....Is it really bliss?

[ErnestineBass]

ZING!

[k6007]

So is heroin.......... and just as dangerous.

[lornejl]

Ha ! Very good.

[speakingtruth2power]

Flag and ignore this finger painter of Bu$&!t.

[ThePodiumIsMine]

I love how you respond to my every post while also admonishing others to ignore me.

You're a trip, you're a special little hufftard.

[weavermiami]

Just keep getting your instructions from Bill O' and you'll be fine. The rest of us prefer truth.

[returnofthejedi]

I see your back again insulting people on the site,while at the same time coming up with absolute
garbage for facts.
O.K heres my advice. Since your infinite wisdom is so much for the people that post here, not go to a fox news site or a conservative blog where you could actually be counted as an insightful commenter. Deal?

[blindjester]

Science is, like, really hard and stuff.

[TheEmptinessOfTruthiness]

Anyone else of the opinion that they would drop converage of Ir*q only because it would hurt McCorp's chances of getting elected (i.e.bombing Iran)?

[returnofthejedi]

Aye

[ErnestineBass]

Absolutely.

[WrongwayFeldman]

Let's hope it drops below 1 minute. Perhaps then some bright egg at one of the major networks will decide to end the war(s)....certainly Congress ain't going to do it!

[rwe]

watch out liberals or you might just get what you ask for... It is despicable but not surprising the libMSM has curtailed its reporting in light of the great progress and success over the last year....We can't have any good news getting in the way of Obamanation's run of change through misery

[Marlyn]

libMSM = STANDARD RIGHT WING LIE

[ChiGuy]

Awwww come on Marlyn, cut 'em a break.
It's all they have.

[TocinoHumano]

"LibMSM" is a 40-year-old conservative talking point. It's based on a survey conducted all those years ago in which most reporters who were asked identified themselves as "liberal". The conservatives' lack of imagination prevents them from coming up with fresh material, so they just cling to the same old tired stuff. It's easier than thinking.

Then again, GE owns NBC and you KNOW what a bunch of left wing commie radicals run GE. Maybe the cons are on to something after all.

[w&cheneysuck]

You have NO idea what you are talking about. The MSM is NOT Liberal; 80% is owned by CONSERVATIVES....do your homework.

[kissmygrits]

Great progress and success? Planning your family vaca in Baghdad this year, are you?

[blindjester]

The "libMSM" includes the following: Olbermann, Mahar, and Stewart. And Matthews about 30% of the time. (And of course, Mahar and Stewart are comedians.)

The "neoconMSM" includes virtually everything else. Most newspapers. Most of network news. CNN. Most of the programming day at MSNBC.

Anyone who would hire Kristol or Rove is not liberal.

And remember, the progress the "surge" was supposed to make was political. We were fighting to give them a chance to work on their own government, and almost all the benchmarks were political. Since they aren't meeting any of the benchmarks, the media stopped talking about that.

In simpler terms: NO PROGRESS. No success on the benchmarks. No positive results from the escalation.

And no reporting on this in the neoconMSM.

[SeconLine]

We're winning? Great! Fit's in nicely with Obama's plan to turn Iraq back over to the Iraqis.

Democrats: The new Fiscal Conservatives!

[SwingingFromCenter]

Man, this site *really* wants to try and turn this into an issue.

Apparently they can't grasp the concept that WE ALREADY GET IT. We don't need the media to keep ramming it down our throats, and if they try, we'll change the channel.

[ChiGuy]

"...we'll change the channel."
___________________________________

Translation: "What's Britney up to?"

[NoMercy]

I read this as satire. Really good and really subtle, but it has to be satire.

It's too depressing to think that anybody could take themselves seriously if they thought this way.

[lornejl]

Read his profile, he doesn't do satire.

[ThePodiumIsMine]

Despite the rabid wishes of huffkids, MSM, Dems and libs in general the Iraqi's and Americans are winning the war, that's why you don't see much anymore.

"Roadside bomb attacks and fatalities in Iraq are down by almost 90% over the last year, according to Pentagon records and interviews with military leaders." -- USA Today

http://rightwingnews.com/mt331/2008/06/quote_of_the_day_the_turnaroun.php

[VolvoBirkenstock]

How cute. His mommy scraped together the June payment to Rent-A-Lectern!

[RoloTomassi]

Just save time and aggravation and flag abusive; this cretin has NEVER posted anything other than idiotic nonsense.

[speakingtruth2power]

Please folk! Flag and ignore this proven @$$&0()!!!!!!!!!

Don't read and respond to this finger painter of Bu$&!t.

[ChiGuy]

Right Wing News dot com???

LOL!!!

[ThePodiumIsMine]

My but a different voice or opinion just scares the pee out of you little hufftards. No wonder you make such fine sheep.

[HumeSkeptic]

Where else can you get unbiased opinion on how the war is going if not from the Pentagon. Brilliant!

BTW, wasn't it the same Pentagon who told us about Saddam's WMDs?

[ThePodiumIsMine]

The WMD's that were found? Yes, I believe the Pentagon did tell you about that.

[NoMercy]

That's because the mission is almost accomplished.

Country destroyed. Segregated populations. Millions in self-imposed exile. Puppet government. Permanent occupation.

Almost...

[ErnestineBass]

If nothing else, Immodium's consistent.

Hmmm...could he be related to Nellie Kristol?

[VolvoBirkenstock]

Unfortunately, Rent-A-Lectern is also incontinent.

Spews all over the place.

[HappyHouse]

I agree with *fishretired*
Why doesn't HuffPost take the lead on this? Last Wednesday 63 Iraqi civilians were killed by a bomb and the story was 2/3 of the way down the Home page. Yeah, I know, the site needs the mindless ShowBiz/Celebrity tripe on the front to generate clicks, but how many vitally important Iraq stories are being pushed down or off the page completely as a result?
C'mon, Huff...show the MSM how it's done.

[speakingtruth2power]

Sometimes I think the Huffpo we made big, is going in the other direction.

I know they are bowing to the pressure to be PC but they are killing all the

spontaneity that makes it enjoyable and allows for personal creativity!!!!!!

[Marlyn]

"they are killing all the spontaneity" ???

I don't think so.

[kellygrrrl]

MSM = Middle School Mentality

[SaulGood]

no wonder the t rolls are defending it

[ObamaEdwards]

News producers mistakenly believe that we don't care. This is BS. Ask any American what's on their mind and one of the top three subjects they are concerned about today will be Iraq. News agencies convince themselves that viewers are not interested in those stories the agencies don't want to cover. It's easier to sit in an air conditioned studio yapping about whose wife bakes better cookies and who didn't weat their flag pin this week, and what that might or might not mean in the general election. This is all fluff, and it's all we're getting from TV news producers who are more concerned about eye candy and ratings than about gathering and presenting news we need. THAT kind of news is difficult and it takes time, effort, and courage. You have to go out and find it, and talk with people, and compare quotes, and search for more sources, and then you have to write. Until we get a new generation of people who like to do those things--rather than farting around on TV like big shots, and going to Washington parties, we won't know what we need to know about the world.

[Marlyn]

Give it up. The MSM is nothing but a Republican propaganda machine, promoting war FOREVER.

[Snerdgronk]

Speaking of enabling, I heard an interesting rework on a maxim ... "Power is Knowledge"


Snerd

[thegreatgiginthesky]

Why would we want to hear about Iraq when we all want to really know where Obama keeps his Chinese made US flag pin.

[truthbrigade]

Hey, if there’re no "UMERCAN" dying there is no news. Never mind Iraqis dying, made orphan, made destitute, made refugees, made homeless, humiliated, and occupied. This illegal and immoral aggression against innocent people has defined and exposed the real quality of the US citizen for the world to see.

The US masses will learn NOTHING from this experience. If they were capable of learning, they would have gained some lessons from the Vietnam fiasco; fear instinctively drive the idiot masses. Having access to facts is one thing (not that they get it from their own media); understanding and then comprehending what they mean is beyond the grasp of most US citizens.

[lornejl]

Anyone against the occupation of Iraq is called the Anti-War Left. Does the media ever call the war mongers the Pro-War Right ?

[HumeSkeptic]

Excellent point, However, they atre justified when such EXTREME leftists as Pat Buchanan have opposed the war.

[w&cheneysuck]

Patrick Joseph "Pat" Buchanan (born November 2, 1938) is an American politician, author, syndicated columnist and broadcaster. Buchanan was a senior adviser to American presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan, and was an original host on CNN's Crossfire. He sought the Republican presidential nomination in 1992 and 1996. He ran on the Reform Party ticket in the 2000 presidential election.

He's a Far right winger.....

[Snerdgronk]

That's a very good point ...!