THE TROOPS HAVE IT RIGHT

Interesting observation from some of our troops in Iraq today. By now you know that ABC World News Tonight anchor Bob Woodruff and his cameraman were injured a few days ago in a roadside bombing in Iraq. They've been transported back to the United States, where they are expected to eventually make a full recovery. Our prayers go out to them and their families as we wish them a speedy recovery.

But some aren't so thrilled with all of the media coverage Woodruff and his colleague are getting. It seems the rank and file are a bit peeved that the injuries of 2 journalists are getting all of this attention. What about the other troops that have died or have been seriously injured? Good point.

Said one: "Why do you think this is such a huge story? It's a bit stunning to us over here how absolutely dominant the story is on every network and front page. I mean, you'd think we lost the entire 1st Marine Division or something. There's a lot of grumbling from guys at all ranks about it. That's a really impolite and impolitic thing to say ... but it's what you would hear over here." I suppose they're right, although it's not Woodruff's or his cameraman's fault.

One military officer said it seems the impression being left is that press people are more important than the military. They just might be right.

"Why do you think this is such a huge story?"

Because the "mainstream media" has become a clique. A childish, elitist, self-centered, high school clique.

When something bad happens to one of their little clique members, they sit up and take notice. They "wake up" to the horrors of the real world where ~~insurgents~~ terrorists ~~struggle against~~ attack ~~imperialist occupiers~~ innocent, goodhearted people.

When something bad happens to some armed services "peon" from some flyover red-state, they don't care. But since it is somebody they know, somebody they consider valuable (as opposed to the rest of us, who are just numbers in the Nielson ratings), they fall all over themselves to put it on every newspaper, magazine, TV screen and internet site they can.

I am among the most enthusiastic critics of the Antique Media. However, if I may, I'd like to do something I almost never do: Defend them a little. (Donning reinforced flame-resistant suit)

I think it's important to remember what El Rushbo taught us about the news. Remember the very definition of news: The more rare an occurrence, the more newsworthy it is.

I have family in the military, in Iraq, as I write this. I frequently weep over stories of the sacrifices our brave men and women of the military make. As gutwrenching, painful and heartbreaking as every military casualty is, they are more common, more expected in wartime than the serious injury or death of a journalist.

In short, heavy coverage of this story may have less to do with one person being more valuable than the other as it does with one event being more rare than another.

In short, heavy coverage of this story may have less to do with one person being more valuable than the other as it does with one event being more rare than another.

I respect your right to your opinion, but I personally think that is total crap.

The MSM coverage of this is not typical coverage of a rare, newsworthy event. It is a prime example of the self-centered MSM making everything all about them.

They live in a fantasy-land where our brave U.S. soldiers are really evil robots programmed by Dick Cheney to torture innocent men and women, terrorists are just misunderstood (but noble) freedom-fighters, the biggest threat to our nation is global warming, spying on terrorists is a bad thing, Christianity is trying to destroy all that is good in the world, crude oil is produced by milking the corpses of murdered Middle Eastern children, George Bush used Karl Rove's weather machine to massacre 10,000 democratic voters in New Orleans (Halliburton hid the bodies), Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the only thing standing between us and total armageddon, and Brokeback Mountain is the greatest movie ever made.

When the real world intrudes into their fantasy-land, they lose it.

As for El Rushbo's opinion, I think he sees this a little more like I do than you. From his website:

"[The media] don't care a whit when this happens to US troops. They use those body counts to heighten their own viewpoint.
---snip---
It's all about them, and because journalists are getting hurt and getting killed, it's worthless, and it's not useful and we've got to stop it; it's a disaster.
---snip---
I'm sorry. I think so much attention has been paid to this that it helps us to understand just how almost like the baby boom generation, the whole media is. The world revolves around it. They are the stories."

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In short, heavy coverage of this story may have less to do with one person being more valuable than the other as it does with one event being more rare than another.
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You make a salient point, and I do think you are right; half right, anyway.

The media, and Hollywood, do love to fawn over themselves. I think it's a mixture of both angles.

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