Media Has Blood On Its' Hands, Iraq GI Tells Rep.King

Newsmax.com ^ | October 29, 2003 | Newsmax.com

[Lady In Blue]

Reprinted from NewsMax.com

Wednesday Oct. 29, 2003; 12:12 a.m. EST

Media Has Blood on its Hands, Iraq GI Tells Rep. King

Rep. Peter King, R-NY, delivered a stark message on Tuesday from an unnamed U.S. military officer now stationed in Baghdad who believes negative press coverage of the U.S. war effort has cost American soldiers their lives.

While flying back to the U.S. aboard a military transport, King told nationally syndicated radio host Sean Hannity via satellite phone, "I promised an American colonel yesterday, an Army colonel, that [I'd relay his message]: 'There's blood on the hands of the American media.'"

"He's lost men because of the terrible reporting and it's just creating a terrible atmosphere," King said the Army colonel told him.

"The troops have tremendous morale. But unfortunately the terrorists are encouraged and the Iraqi people are being dissuaded from cooperating with the American forces because of the terrible coverage back here," King said.

The unnamed GI, who King said had two graduate degrees, shared his disturbing assessment as the two flew by helicopter from the Baghdad airport to the Al Rashid hotel.

Paraphrasing the Army colonel's words, the New York Republican said, "I just want you to know that there's blood on the hands of the American media; that my men and women are going to die because of them."

The GI's message continued, "We are winning this war and the only way we can lose this is if the American people lose their nerve and that's because of what's going on in the American media."

King said he concurred with the Army colonel's complaint, saying, "What I saw is totally different from what the American media is reporting."

Noting that he was in Baghdad during the wave of terrorist attacks this weekend, King said that, "in spite of all of that, life is virtually normal in Baghdad."

"What the media doesn't show is that the rest of Baghdad is traffic jams, markets open . . . you would have thought you were in midtown Manhattan," the New York Republican contended.

"Life is so different when you're there from the way it's being portrayed in the media."

Editor's note:
Former CBS reporter Bernard Goldberg makes more stunning revelations about Dan Rather - Click Here Now!

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

Media Bias
Saddam Hussein/Iraq

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Iraq through a filter
Published October 28, 2003

President Bush complains that the public is getting a falsely negative impression of the American occupation in Iraq because of the "filter" of the media. It is certainly true that even the most comprehensive and evenhanded reporting from Iraq cannot possibly provide a perfect reflection of events in such complex, chaotic circumstances. However, those who go to the trouble of seeking out a broad cross-section of media coverage from Iraq are receiving a generally accurate accounting of the successes, failures and continuing challenges in Iraq.

Instead, it is those who rely only on the Bush administration's propaganda - perhaps including the president himself - who are receiving a distorted picture of events in Iraq...

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

Aweful truth about our powerful press finally being stated out loud by a courageous politician on Capitol Hill.

If you want on or off my Pro-Coalition ping list, please Freepmail me. Warning: it is a high volume ping list on good days. (Most days are good days).

[blackie]

Aweful truth about our powerful press finally being stated out loud by a courageous politician on Capitol Hill ~ Bump!

[Pan_Yans Wife]

Rep. King speaks loudly.

BUMP

[MEG33]

Amen,well said.

[prairiebreeze]

Bttt

[Constitutional Patriot]

Anyone who understands the "mainstream" media in this country (or any other, for that matter) knows that the media wants the US to fail, just as they did in Vietnam.

[Redleg Duke]

Like to explain yourself, buddy?

[McGavin999]

Paraphrasing the Army colonel's words, the New York Republican said,

"I just want you to know that there's blood on the hands of the American media; that my men and women are going to die because of them."

Anyone here disagree with this? I thought not.

[deadhead]

Ping

[Grampa Dave]

Thanks for posting this.

I'm saving it to attach to everyone of these downside reports gleefully posted by the 5th columnists of FR. As far as I'm concerned they have blood on their hands too!

[machman]

The GI's message continued, "We are winning this war and the only way we can lose this is if the American people lose their nerve and that's because of what's going on in the American media."

Well, the media is trying its best to lose it, after all, that is what they want.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[bert]

This is a third hand report. Have you run across a closer link to the Col who made the charge?

[Hondo1952]

Thanks RC.

I had no idea New York had a representative that had the sense G-d gave Mr. Tonkin's goat. What refreshing surprise.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[Interesting Times]

Ping.

[Travis McGee]

That ol' boy looks like somebody you'd want as a friend, and not an enemy. One of those Scotch Irish Appalacian mountain men that make up half of the special forces, going back to 1776 at least.

[OldFriend]

The media would NOT be misinforming everyone without the explicit encouragement from the DNC......

[Skeet]

Bookmarked for later use.