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

[revko]

I guess Iraq is not enough of a "reality" show for the MSM

We need to airlift The two Coreys and Gene Simmons to Iraq. Maybe then they'll cover it.

[TocinoHumano]

I'm sorry. I was busy reading about the new line of men's fashion inspired by Barack Obama and I wasn't paying attention. What did you say the media was putting on the back burner?

[kellygrrrl]

don't you worry your pretty little head

now get out there and shop!

don't forget to gas up on your way to the mall ;)

[TocinoHumano]

Sometimes I just walk over to the nearest gas station, hand the attendant $20, and tell him/her to just spill $20 worth of gas on the ground. God bless America! God bless Exxon!! God bless consumer capitalism!!!

[adzeman]

That will change...as soon as it benefits McCains campaign. Just watch.

[ClydeSloppers]

I wonder how Barack Obama will spin his support of the Surge.

[qdog112]

Surge THIS!

[ClydeSloppers]

Translation: The Surge is working.

[Snerdgronk]

Working! It finally got off unemployment. then ....

Snerd

[HumeSkeptic]

ANd there were WMDs found in Iraq. It's just that they were the invisible kind.

[kellygrrrl]

Flag Pinz
Rev Wright
bittergate
sniper fire

anyone out there not fully informed on these important issues?

[nicoshalom]

Exactly! Good points.

[kellygrrrl]

at some point the MSM decided to accept the invite to be a "Guest at the Party"

Leave your integrity and dignity at the door and come on in and mingle with the Regime

[cheshirecat831]

Hey, if it's not on TV it's not happening right? Ya gotta hand it to the Bushies...the dumbing down of Amerika..."mission accomplished." And we just hand them our wallets......

[qdog112]

That pretty much wraps it up. Now what? Is all lost or is their a way to get the truth out front?

[mimsnpips]

'The dumbing down' that Rush Limboil rails against is in reality a tool of the Republicans though they decry it. They rely on ignorance, and unfortunately there is plenty to go around. So many people claim they are just "too busy" to follow the important stuff. It is sickening.

[thinklib]

Oh, come on.

Republicans are the ones who are trying desperately to tell people how well things are going in Iraq.

It the Democrats who don't want to discuss it.

The fact that the media are hardly reporting what is obviously a huge success tells you which side of the aisle they sit on.

[TXOBAMAGIRL73]

Ask yourself a few simple questions and all the answer you need will reveal themselves.
1. Who started this mindless war?
2. Why? Was the reasons given were they based on facts or lies?
3.Who voted for the war and help sale it to the public?
4. Who controls the MSM? Did they help sale this war?
5. Who is getting a free pass on their support of this war and once touted that this would be easy ?
6.Who is running as a surrogate to keep the this endless and pointless war going ?
7. Who is making money from this war?

Now do you see why 2 mins might be enough lull to some people into thinking everything is going good.

[situationcritical]

TXobamagirl73 - the answer for questions 1 thru 7 :

A TEXAN.

[cheshirecat831]

And then there was that way back Texan prez who prolonged that other senseless war. Iraq is simply Arabic for Viet Nam. What is it about Texas anyway? Altho it did produce Ann Richards and Molly Ivins. I guess it is just the guys.......

[TXOBAMAGIRL73]

Every true Texan who watched GBW drag our state through mud knew what he was going to do to this country...Those who never voted for him as Gov or Pres tried to make their voices heard ,but were drown out by the ones that wanted to drink a beer with him ...Anybody who has a drinking buddy knows dog gone well that they wouldn't want him running the country. Those outside the state did and here we stand at the cross roads....One side is change on the other side GWB 3 reloaded.

[ATFIllinois]

Anyone surprised??

[Sparky123]

Not at all. I just want cheap beer and sports. Don't bother me with news about a war that is costing us billions and killing our military folks. American Idol and Deal or No Deal are much more fun. I can't drive any where, so I just drink and eat and watch meaningless TV. Much more fun.

[Mojane]

Gee, maybe that's a good thing because, if we don't hear about it, it will all just go away. Since we haven't heard anything of what really goes on anywhere, and since we hear that all is going well in Iraq (with only a bit of a hitch in Afghanistan, but who cares, they don't have oil), then really only we exist, the U.S.A., the best, the mightiest, the most just and caring country in the world. In fact, we may be the only country in the world, at least that's what I hear in the news.

[SaintZak]

How much has been spent covering Tim Russert's death as though it was the death of a sitting President? tim Russert?! I'm still mystified by the attention.

I'm guessing when we head into the later part of summer we will see alot of upeat, positive stories on Iraq and Afghanistan. Painted schools and carefully choreographed markets will be all over our tv's in the lead up to the election.

[osage]

What bad words? What the heck is going on with this blog? How appropriate that blogs are being erased for the innocent use of words that are in no way offensive to anyone when the subject of this one is the failure of the media to be reponsible. I'm through with the Huffington Post. It's become too controlling and elitist for my tastes. All things that were once good must come to and end I guess. I no longer find this blog representative of my values. Goodbye.

[HumeSkeptic]

They are honoring Carlin be declaring all words as bad.

[lornejl]

Carlin wouldn't post here, he would tell them to go f*ck themselves.

[speakingtruth2power]

Please don't go osage. I feel your frustration but despite the hurdles,

we still can contribute in this important forum. Work around those GD

PC mud orators. This will post below in 30 minutes or less, if lucky!!!

[Beelzebul]

Kudos to the networks for not giving the evildoers any attention. A recent survey showed 99% of our brave noble warriors would prefer slaying 9-11 Iraqizoid Koran loving islamic militants w/o the MSM around.

[TheEmptinessOfTruthiness]

This is your brain on a recent survey *sizzle*

Got a link?

Nope. Didn't think so.

[TocinoHumano]

Relax. Beelz posts things like this all the time. They're jokes, satire. Smart people get it. Smart people laugh at his posts. Not-so-smart people miss the (OBVIOUS!) humor and get angry at him. Which are you?

[TocinoHumano]

I heard that the other 1% in that survey just pointed to the 99% and said, "What they said!"

Thanks, Beelz, for doing all this research and keeping us apprised of the situation.

[ChiGuy]

Just as long as they had a rifle to plant next to the body.

[kellygrrrl]

D!ck - is that you?

why so many words?

why not just "SO"?

[CuriousPerson]

Yes,

They would be a distraction.

[IntelligentDesign]

Out of sight out of mind in to mindlessness.