Americans Tired of Abuse Photos

ASSOCIATED PRESS via Las Vegas Sun ^ | May 29, 2004 | MARTHA IRVINE

[ElkGroveDan]

This is perfect example of liberal press that you can book mark and save for future reference.

Press bias is often a slippery thing where pundits and experienced liberal debaters are able to argue away your complaints with semantics.

Only the AP though, would do an "average man on the street" story by visiting coffee shops in college towns, and talking to 26 year old grad students. I wonder why there is no interview of a 52 year old man leaving an auto parts store in Bakersfield, California, or a 70-year old woman on her way out of morning Mass at a cathedral in any major city.

Most importantly, the poll showed that people are sick of the stupid issue, yet they set out to put a story together full of people who want to see more. And they wonder why so many of us have abandoned so-called traditional news sources.

[Jaded]

I personally am fed up with the over-kill in the major media. It's been going on for years. That's why I get my news HERE.

[TomGuy]

Yeh. What we need is a good half-day car chase on FoxNews. It has been a while.

[SamAdams76]

It is interesting to point out that while the lamestream media have blitzed us with these abuse photos for weeks on end now, there has been startingly little coverage of the crimes perpetrated upon the Iraqi people by Saddam Hussein and his henchmen.

The abuse of the Iraqi prisoners was carried out by a few bad apples who are going to be held accountable for their actions and punished severely. It is quite possible that those most directly involved will be locked up for life. On the other hand, the abuse of innocent (not prisoners) Iraqi people was carried out systematically and with the government's (Saddam) full approval.

Big difference there.

On another note, whatever happened to the captured Saddam Hussein? Since his capture in December, there has hardly been a peep made about him by the lamestream media. When will the trials begin? Public trials of Saddam Hussein will surely put things in perspective. I think the Bush Administration is making a big mistake by not putting Saddam front and center and making his trial a big priority. Will Saddam's trial begin soon? If not, why not?

[jocon307]

"Most importantly, the poll showed that people are sick of the stupid issue..."

Your critique of this text book example of media bias is spot on. People are sick of this, and after the first three days it would have disappeared if not for media flogging.

Not ONE SINGLE PERSON has mentioned this to me, EVER. Even my lefty friend didn't bring it up, with her ususal disclaimer of "I know we're not to discuss controversial issues..." Nothing. My left-wing friend couldn't have resisted saying SOMETHING, if it was striking a chord at all. But my friend is a total hawk on 9/11 and the terrorists, and I can only surmise that she does not care if a few of them had panties on their heads.

[cripplecreek]

Over a 28 day period the NY Times ran some 50 front page stories on the abuse scandal. The Berg story debuted on page 16.

[tgslTakoma]

Only the AP though, would do an "average man on the street" story by visiting coffee shops in college towns, and talking to 26 year old grad students.

Could it be because that's where AP reporters hang out to hook up with their choice of casual partners?

Hey, if the AP reporters, like Scheherezade-whatever, can make blanket generalizations about American soldiers, why can't I do the same with them?

[tessalu]

Prison Abuse photos were over blown. There is prison abuse in the United States if anyone is interested in a cause.
I saw some from Arab nations acting like this was just all so bad, while in their own nations, they have what is called
"honor killings" of young girls and women by their own families, and the murderers escape with little or no punishment. These people are in total disgrace themselves.
I can not see anyone doing this as human.

[Paul Atreides]

"Maybe it's just the conspiracy theorist in me, but I think there's a reason they're being hidden."

The same people, who do NOT want to even consider a possibility of a link between Saddam and Al Qaeda, are the ones who know in their hearts that W, Rummy, and Condi ordered that "torture" in Iraq.

[Sofa King]

Here's a question: if the photos show humiliation of the prisoners, doesn't plastering them all over the TV just make it worse for them?

[Paul Atreides]

Inside the cafe, Tom Graber, a 32-year-old math instructor at Northwestern, agreed that the coverage has been worthwhile. Because of it, he said, "my impression is that reporters have been more aggressive" about war coverage in general.

So, the only time war coverage is good is when it casts our own country in a bad light. I bet he doesn't mind the lack aggressiveness of CNN, in reporting Saddam's torture of Iraqis, when he was still in power? How about Nick Berg? The U.N. Oil For Food Scandal? The innocents who were hung off of that bridge?

These people make me want to vomit.

[Paul Atreides]

Well, ya gotta break a few eggs, to make an omelet. The end justifies the means, ya know. /sarcasm

[AngieGOP]

"...doesn't plastering them all over the TV just make it worse for them?"

The media isn't concerned about the "humiliation" of the prisoners. They want to humiliate the President, Rummy, and Condi Rice and the rest of the good men and women who are serve.

[hgro]

There is no question that there is culpability in the Army command for putting idiots in charge of prisoners and in effect setting up what resulted. No doubt some of the prisoners would kill every soldier in sight if someone handed one of them a gun. On the other hand most of the prisoners were probably vicitims of circumstance and for that reason it was inexcusable for what happened to them.

Mistakes are always made in the Army or anywhere else in life. Thats why we have laws and police to enforce the laws.

However, to keep spouting this disaster over and over helps no one, least of all our troops that are over there getting shot at around the clock.

The comments of the brainwashed college students who technically can be assumed to be intelligent just shows that we should reinstitute the draft and educate them in a little bit of discipline.

[Spok]

How about a show of hands as to how many Americans are sick to death of politicized news? Why won't the pollsters ever ask that question? (Rhetorical question.)

[jla]

I wonder why there is no interview of a 52 year old man leaving an auto parts store in Bakersfield, California, or a 70-year old woman on her way out of morning Mass at a cathedral in any major city.

AP et al can ignore them, but they'll be voting November 2nd. And you can bet that the great majority will be giving the nod to Dubya.

[Starboard]

AP concludes with a non sequitur to squeeze in a final jab at Bush:

"Mostly, people come in here and you hear talk about gas prices," he said. Unleaded regular at the gas station next door was selling for just under $1.94.

What does the price of gas have to do with the prison issue? Maybe someone at the Unicorn Cafe might know. Better rush back there and ask another sociology student.

[IAMNO1]

For me, abandoning the mainstream media has been an evolutionary process. Over the last 10 or so years, I have managed to become alienated by almost every major media outlet, save a few talk radio shows and a few newspapers (e.g. Washington Times).

The internet is where I now get most of my news. I try to the best of my ability to get the unaltered, unedited story (good luck!) and avoid getting the usual talking heads who just can't help themselves from interpreting the story for me because I'm too stupid to hear it and understand it all on my own without their taking me by the hand and leading me.

There have been several instances in my life when I knew the specific facts of a story that I either had involvement with or intimate knowledge of, where the media completely blew the coverage, either because they were too lazy to get it right, too stupid to understand it, or too biased or sensational to report the truth.

I have absolutely no faith that these people could find their way out of a closed closet, or even recognize the truth if they tripped and fell over it.

[Fintan]

"I think people are too afraid to confront what's going on beyond their coffee and muffin," DeSoucey said as she sat outside the Unicorn Cafe in Evanston, Ill., with her sheep dog, Mickey.

 

Am I the only one who sees the unintended irony in this fatuous nitwit's statement?