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Iraq: No B.S.WILX Blog Listing
Iraq: No B.S.
Topic Author: Jason Colthorp
Posted: 12:51 AM Jun 20, 2008
Replies Posted: 2 comments
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Iraq: No B.S.

Thursday night at 10:45 p.m. word came down of a Michigan sailor killed in Afghanistan.  My first thought as always is to check the name and make sure I don't know him or her since I've met a number of soldiers during a number of stories I've done on local soldiers.  But, there was no heartache.  No outrage.  It wasn't too long ago, I kicked a chair when news broke of some soldiers dying.  It wasn't long before that, I was really bothered by the number of soldiers dying and the way they were dying.  It wasn't long ago everyone who watched the news knew how important that war and the one in Afghanistan was either.  But somewhere between the time we declared victory and the time we committed a troop surge, America lost interest in Iraq and Afghanistan.  I think I realized it when I noticed we gave stories in Iraq about 20 seconds max and a wacky animal story from Anywhere, USA 25 seconds.  Why is a car bomb that kills 51 people in a crowded marketplace in a country where American soldiers are fighting for their lives everyday still not a lead story on every news outlet in America?  Because, that's old news.  That's what bigwigs will say.  We've seen that story 20 times.  If you agree with that and don't care anymore about what happens there, I encourage you to watch this interview with a reporter on the front lines.  CBS' Lara Logan, who I think does the best work of any journalist in the war zone, doesn't pull any punches about the seriousness of the war in this interview on-- of all shows-- The Daily Show on Comedy Central.

 

Read Comments
Posted by: Jason Location: Newsroom
Good stuff, Kasey... I think it's great Jack is doing his part to keep people informed. Sad though, that he's already done his part-- and then some. It's frustrating being so low on the media totem pole having to rely on powers-that-be in Washington and New York to set the news agendas for Iraq and Afghanistan. Even I often watch and wonder if what I'm seeing is the real deal, or a spin job to further somebody's agenda.

Posted by: Kasey B. Location: Mason
Thank you for posting this - Lara Logan is right on the money! When my brother-in-law, Jack, was serving in Iraq during his first tour of duty, my sister and I would call and talk to each other about the news coverage. As much as we hated seeing what was happening, it also helped us feel more in touch with him. I think it also helped my sister prepare for some of the phone calls she would receive from him. As Jack prepares for his second tour of duty – this time as Company First Sergeant –the lack of quality news coverage on the war bothers me more and more. Adequate and accurate coverage of the war means more to soldiers and their families than most could possibly realize. To his credit, Jack tries to do his part to keep the public informed and has contributed articles to different magazines, providing insight from a soldier’s point of view. The latest was published in January and can be seen here: http://www.legion.org/national/divisions/magazine/release?id=12