Fox to Feature What Those Killed in Iraq "Accomplished There"

MRC ^ | Monday May 3, 2004 | BrentBaker

[fight_truth_decay]

Fox News Sunday to go Nightline one better. In reaction to Nightline's Friday night recitation of the names of every serviceman killed in Iraq, which Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace regretted had failed to provide "a context of what they went halfway around the world to do," the next edition of his show, he announced Sunday, will feature "a list of what we've accomplished there through the blood, sweat and, yes, lives of our military. We think the point is not just that those hundreds of troops died but what they died for."

Wrapping up a panel discussion on the May 2 Fox News Sunday about the April 30 Nightline in which Ted Koppel read the names of those killed in Iraq, as matching pictures appeared on screen, Wallace announced:

"After listening to all of the debate and then watching the show, we think the folks at Nightline made a mistake this week, listing all the brave men and women who have died in Iraq, but without providing a context of what they went halfway around the world to do.

"So next week, we here at Fox News Sunday are going to put together our own list: a list of what we've accomplished there through the blood, sweat and, yes, lives of our military. We think the point is not just that those hundreds of troops died but what they died for. And we hope you'll watch next week."

For details about what Koppel did and said Friday night, see the Saturday, May 1 CyberAlert: "Koppel Denies He's Against War, But Lectures on Sharing Its Cost." It's at: http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2004/cyb20040501.asp

Fox News Sunday home page: http://www.foxnews.com/fns/index.html

[fight_truth_decay]

Will this program be considered 'political' since it seems to have a pro-Bush slant to it?

Should Nightline have been pulled from 8 cities?

I did not watch Koppel's show, but then I never watch Koppel. I do not believe most Americans will sit and watch what one might term "depression" television. It ranks up there with having to attend a funeral..it's not something one enjoys doing. If Koppel had run 'the accomplishments', I believe his viewing audience would still be low. I don't believe, however; Koppel should have been pulled.

Fox is just presenting a format it always presents anyway. Fox has a larger viewing audience. "Accomplished There" could be deemed educational if pictorial facts are presented without partisan commentary. Let the viewer decide [sic]. However, offering this show up with reference to Nightline's in their description was not necessary and most likely for ratings in view of the controversy. Let's just call it a tribute to the men and women who have given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. (and not just Iraq).

However, I believe Fox is only providing what other networks do in snippets only - an entire broadcast of the positive actions in Iraq.

"Bad news is good news". Good news is usually no news. An entire show of good news will be historical!! ;)

[olivia3boys]

I watched for a few minutes and noted with interest how similar the Marine photos are. There is that Marine stare or whatever that makes them all look absolutely identical.

Then I listened to the names respectfully for a while, while I did some dishes, and then I went to bed. There's no way anyone would sit and watch the whole thing.

[shhrubbery!]

Fox is doing these fallen men, and our country, a great service.

As Mark Steyn wrote a few days ago:

The cost of war is the cost of losing it measured against the cost of winning it.

This is a calculation that seems to be beyond the capacity of smug liberals like Ted Koppel.

[antaresequity]

Seems like Nightline exploited the dead rather than honoring them.

If Wallace exploits ABC, thats kind of like exploiting the dead too...lol

[BushisTheMan]

You must not watch Fox much. They have always had stories about the good things that our soldiers have done. It may not have been all compacted into one hour at one time, but don't be ridiculous.

[what's up]

The concentration should be on the good, such as the infrastructure operating smoothly, schools open, women educated, etc.

Too often Fox just reports on the battles as do the other networks.

Granted, Fox spins in the President's favor; however, I haven't seen an agressive push by them to put good news way out in front which I why, perhaps, they are touting this new approach with this upcoming broadcast.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

I could accept a certain stance of "objective neutrality" on the war issue, provided ABC were to go to as great a length to convey positive stories out of Iraq as they go to convey the negative stories.

Journalism has its rules, like engineering does and like accounting does. And as in those cases, the rules are there so that the businesses can be commercially successful.

In the case of journalism, the rules are to always be wise in your own conceit, never question the objectivity of another journalist and condemn anyone who does, always make your deadline and always criticize people who have bottom-line responsibilities. Those rules sell newspapers. They also consistently produce anti-conservative propaganda.

[danmar]

...which Ted Kopple read the names of those killed in Iraq,

One should remind this sanctimonious sob that the US has also lost her sons and daughters in "Gulf War I, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Somalia, Yemen et all". What...they are not important enough to his political agenda?!

Kudos to Wallace for trying to set the records straight!

[nutmeg]

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[nutmeg]

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[SevenofNine]

You know i miss last week Fox news sunday

I was kicking myself on that I thought I miss it rack Chris Wallace and Fox news crew

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[lainde]

bump and thanks!

[Mo1]

Niteline had a chance of honoring these soldiers in a prpoer way, but they blew it by Ted trying to act like Walter

[sauropod]

I saw that segment. The show will be called "What We Accomplished."

[cvq3842]

By showing they accomplished something, rather than dying for nothing? Sorry, I don't follow.

[brownsfan]

They would answer that the justifications of the war - and its results - are also reported on by ABC, and each person can form their own opinion. Is it your opinion that ABC has failed to adequately cover justifications and results?

This is really a tough one. Context is everything. The nightline broadcast was certainly colored. I don't watch ABC to know if in total they are balanced. I do think the particular nightline broadcast wasn't balanced. The problem is, we are at war. We really are. Most don't see it, or believe it. And I'm not wearing a tin foil hat as I type this. Look at history, look at what the Islamists are saying, and doing. We are at war, a war unlike any we've experienced. Being at war changes things. I think, as an American, your first responsiblity is to your country, and your countrymen. And THAT makes it stickier yet. Of course opposition should have a voice. Herd mentality produces things like what happened in Nazi Germany. Where is the line? How do we define it? That's not easy, I'm not sure. But I think that nightline went too far. To present an arguement against the war that is reasoned, and based on logic, that is what I think is acceptable. To simply appeal to emotion, to say, these people died, without the context, is to appeal to every sane person's revulsion to war. War is evil. War should be something that people hate. But, war is, at times, a necessary evil in a less than sane world.