Stung by Ingraham, NBC Claims Its Iraq Coverage. . . Not Negative Enough!

Today Show/NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

by Mark Finkelstein

March 22, 2006

Laura Ingraham clearly hit an MSM sore spot with the charges she levelled during her appearance on yesterday's Today show, in which she locked horns with David Gregory and James Carville. Read Laura in the Lions Den.

Ingraham accused most American media of covering Iraq from their balconies in the Green Zone, confining their reports largely to IEDs and killings and missing the more positive stories that abound across the country.

This morning, a clearly stung NBC asked itself whether it is doing a good job reporting on Iraq, and - surprise! - the Peacock Network assured itself and us that indeed it is. If anything, Today told us, the situation in Iraq is even worse than the MSM portray it.

Ingraham's gutsy appearance took on national momentum. Laura discussed it at length during her own syndicated radio show. Rush Limbaugh picked it up, and Ingraham made evening appearances on the O'Reilly Factor and Hannity & Colmes. At one point, Ingraham mentioned that it was her viewing yesterday of a report by NBC's Richard Engel, from the proverbial Green Zone balcony, that sparked some of her sentiment.

NBC fired back this morning, and featured the very same Engel in doing so.

Hosting the segment was Gregory, sitting in for Matt Lauer. He kicked things off asking "is the U.S. media focusing too much on the negative and ignoring the positive stories in Iraq?" Gregory then threw it to Engel in Baghdad, who began by alleging that there are "a lot of myths and misperceptions about what reporters are doing and are not doing here in Iraq."

Engel then narrated a montage showing that at various times, he and his crew have accompanied US troops, put on flack jackets and ventured outside the Green Zone, and exposed themselves to a variety of violent situations. We saw dramatic footage of Engel flat on the ground as bullets whizzed around. The point was made that even staying in the office can be dangerous, as the NBC News Bureau has twice been bombed. Engel also mentioned the danger of kidnapping, with 40 reporters having been taken hostage so far.

While making the case that Baghdad is a dangerous place and that the people covering display bravery, in many ways Engel failed to confront Ingraham's most fundamental charges. She had challenged NBC to apply some of the massive resources it devoted to the Olympics, or even to answering "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?", to its Iraq coverage. Ingraham suggested that the media get off their perches and out into the field. Speak with the Iraqi military, meet with villagers and children. Ingraham predicted that the resulting stories would paint a picture of Iraq more positive than the gloom and doom seen in the glare of the latest IED explosion that is the typical MSM fare.

There was nothing in Engel's report to indicate that NBC had ventured much if at all outside Baghdad or made any systematic effort to speak with the Iraqi military, or with Iraqi people-in-the street or with villagers in the many peaceful areas of the country.

Indeed, Engel's report confirmed Ingraham's allegation that the MSM portray Iraq in a consistently negative light. At one point, Engel asserted that "reporting on everyday life is increasingly dangerous because life here is getting more dangerous." And incredibly, Engel closed by claiming that, if anything, NBC's coverage was . . . not negative enough.

When Gregory asked "is security the overall story?" Engel replied:

"Most Iraqis I speak to say most reporters get it wrong. The situation on the ground is worse than the images we project on television."

[blitzgig]

"As beautiful as Laura is, she has more ba--s than boy Gregory, in my opinion :)"

You said it! She's awesome--and she's a true babe. :)

[loveliberty2]

Timeout posted: "NBC actually had a reporter who did just the kind of "human interest" stories Laura alluded to. He spoke fluent Arabic and, as a doctor, he occasionally interacted with Iraqis and provided them with medical care/advice. He was terrific. Who is he? Dr. Bob Arnot. And what happened to him? As soon as he started sending in positive on-the-street reports from Baghdad, NBC fired him. I've long wondered why Fox or some other network didn't pick him up.

"I looked forward to his reports, mainly because he spoke Arabic so well and could really tell us what was being said. But he was apparently "off the reservation" as far as NBC was concerned. Engle's end-of-the-world reporting is what they wanted."

Great point!! Dr. Arnot came back with terrific stories about what attitudes among Iraqis were, about the wonderful services our troops were doing on behalf of the lives and liberties of the citizens of Iraq; and what did NBC do? It replaced his coverage with more gloom-and-doom-anti-Bush reporting.

So much for NBC's "objective" information gathering on behalf of the "American people" they love to cite as being against the President's efforts in Iraq!

[WalterSkinner]

..having had a brush with death through illness and having been in a war zone recently has given Laura an edge and power to her words that border on the prophetic--she absolutely took Gregory's head off on national t.v.

[LK44-40]

I've been watching CBS lately and have a mixed report.

In a period of about a week (last week) I saw three strikingly posiitve reports -- two on the Evening News and one on 60 Minutes. I believe one of them was the report referred to by the president on Monday. A CBS reporter was out with the troops in a pacified town and showed a very grateful Iraqi populus and some impressive young soldiers.

Another report related to the war was a very touching account of a group of citizen volunteers who make it their business to provide a little homecoming welcome for troop planes refueling in Maine as they return to the U.S.

On the other side, CBS has been about to wet themselves with the desire to label the current situation a "civil war." I consider this extremely biased and irresponsible. They ellucidate nothing whatsoever by -- if they are successful -- reducing the complexity there to a catch phrase. In fact, they distort reality forcing it into a category that will turn some crucial, half-attentive public opinion from uncertain to dispairing. And they are obsessed with doing this.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Thanks for your report. It will be interesting to see if things change if and when Katie moves over to CBS!

[Timeout]

I wonder what ever happened to Dr. Bob Arnot?

[Political Junkie Too]

Ingraham made evening appearances on the O'Reilly Factor

O'Reilly tried to get Ingraham to say that the media is actively undermining the United States operations in Iraq. Ingraham wouldn't go that far, but she did agree that the MSM is blinded by their hatred for Bush, and may not be seeing the impacts of their reporting decisions.

-PJ

[finnman69]

Clearly Ingraham struck a nerve. NBC, and MSNBC both spent an enormous amoutn of time on the nightly news and Hardball on this. Olbermann did too, but I turned him off the second the show came on.

[finnman69]

Gregory, James Carvill and others are screaming "80 journalists have been killed in Iraq"

http://www.rsf.org/special_iraq_en.php3

Actually the actual number is 60 plus 26 assitants (translators,drivers, etc)

Out of these, only a handful are Western Journalists.

13.03.2006 - Muhsin Khudhair, Alef Ba

11.03.2006 - Amjad Hameed, Al-Iraqiya

07.03.2006 - Monsef Al-Khalidi, Baghdad TV Sat Channel

23.02.2006 - Atwar Bahjat, al-Arabiya TV

23.01.2006 - Hamza Hussein, sport journalist at private TV station Al-Diyar

28.11.2005 - Akeel Abdul Rwdha, AL-Iraqia

07.11.2005 - Ahmed Hussein Al Maliki, Tall Afar

19.10.2005 - Mohamed Haroun, Union of Iraqi Journalists general secretary

21.09.2005 - Firas Al-Maadhidi, Al-Safir

20.09.05 - Hind Ismail, Al-Safir

19.09.2005 - Fakher Haydar Al-Tamimi, New York Times

27.08.2005 - Rafed Al Rubaii, Al Irakiya

02.08.05 - Steven Vincent, freelance journalist

22.06.2005 - Yasser Al Salihy, Knight Ridder

03.07.2005 - Maha Ibrahim, Baghdad TV

01.07.2005 - Khaled Sabih al Attar, al-Iraqia

28.06.2005 - Wael Al Bakri, Al Charkiyah

22.06.05 - Jassim Al Qais, Al Siyada

15.05.2005 - Najem Abed Khodair, Al-Madaa and Tariq al-Shaab

15.05.2005 - Ahmad Adam, Al-Madaa and Sabah

23.04.2005 - Saleh Ibrahim, Associated Press

15.04.2005 - Shamal Abdallah Assad, Kirkuk TV, Kurdsat

14.04.2005 - Ali Abrahim Aissa, Al-Hurriya TV

14.04.2005 - Fadel Hazem Fadel, Al-Hurriya TV

01.04.2005 - Ahmed Jabbar Hashim, Al Sabah

14.03.2005 - Houssam Hilal Sarsam, Kurdistan-TV

10.03.2005 - Laik Ibrahim, Kurdistan-TV

25.02.2005 - Raeda Mohammed Wageh Wazzan, Iraqiya

09.02.2005 - Abdel Hussein Khazaal, Al-Hurra TV

01.11.2004 - Dhia Najim, Reuters

27.10.2004 - Liqaa Abdul-Razzaq, Al-Sharqiya

14.10.2004 - Karam Hussein, European Pressphoto Agency

14.10.2004 - Dina Mohamad Hassan, Al Hurriya Television

7.10.2004 - Ahmad Jassem, Nivive television

12.09.2004 - Mazen al-Tomaizi, Al-Arabiya

26.08.2004 - Enzo Baldoni, Diario della settimana

15.08.2004 - Mahmoud Hamid Abbas, ZDF

15.08.2004 - Hossam Ali, freelance

03.06.2004 - Sahar Saad Eddine Nouami, Al-Mizan, Al-Khaima, Al-Hayat Al-Gadida

27.05.2004 - Kotaro Ogawa, Nikkan Gendai

27.05.2004 - Shinsuke Hashida, Nikkan Gendai

07.05.2004 - Mounir Bouamrane, TVP

07.05.2004 - Waldemar Milewicz, TVP

19.04.2004 - Assad Kadhim, Al-Iraqiya TV

26.03.2004 - Bourhan Mohammad al-Louhaybi , ABC News

18.03.2004 - Ali Abdel Aziz, Al-Arabiya

18.03.2004 - Ali Al-Khatib, Al-Arabiya

18.03.2004 - Nadia Nasrat, Diyala Television

28.10.2003 - Ahmed Shawkat, Bila Ittijah

17.08.2003 - Mazen Dana, Reuters

02.07.2003 - Ahmad Karim, Kurdistan Satellite TV

07.04.2003 - Julio Anguita Parrado, El Mundo

07.04.2003 - Christian Liebig, Focus

08.04.2003 - Tarek Ayoub, Al Jazeera

08.04.2003 - Taras Protsyuk, Reuters

08.04.2003 - José Couso, Tele 5

04.04.2003 - Michael Kelly , Washington Post

02.04.2003 - Kaveh Golestan , BBC

23.03.2003 - Terry Lloyd, ITV News

22.03.2003 - Paul Moran, Australian Broadcasting Corporation

26 Media assistants killed


11.03.2006 - Anwar Turky, Amjad Hameed’s driver, Al-Iraqiya

23.02.2006 - Adnane Kahïnallah, sound recordist Al-Arabiya

23.02.2006 - Khaled Mahmoud Al-Falahi, cameraman Al-Arabiya

25.01.2006 - Mahmoud Zaal, Television cameraman at Baghdad TV satellite channel

16.01.2006 - Luaay Salam Radeef, Al-Baghdadia Cameraman

10.01.2006 - Allan Enwiyah, American journalist Jill Carroll’s interpreter

21.09.05 - Ahlam Youssef , Al-Iraqiya TV

17.09.2005 - Sabah Mohssin, Al-Iraqiya

28.08.2005 - Waleed Khaled, Reuters TV

23.07.2005 - Adnan Al Bayati, Rai, Mediaset, TG3 and Panorama

02.09.2004 - Ismaïl Taher Mohsin, Associated Press

25.08.2004 - Jamal Tawfiq Salmane, Gazeta Wyborcza

29.05.2004 - Mahmoud Ismael Daood, bodyguard, Al-Sabah al-Jadid

29.05.2004 - Samia Abdeljabar, driver, Al-Sabah al-Jadid

27.05.2004 - Muhammad Aldin, translator, Le Soir

25.05.2004 - Unknown, translator

21.05.2004 - Rachid Hamid Wali, cameraman assistant, Al-Jazira

29.04.2004 - Hussein Saleh, driver, Al-Iraquiya TV

26.03.2004 - Omar Hashim Kamal, translator, Time

18.03.2004 - Majid Rachid, technician, Diyala Television

18.03.2004 - Mohamad Ahmad, security agent, Diyala Television

27.01.2004 - Duraid Isa Mohammed, producer and translator, CNN

27.01.2004 - Yasser Khatab, driver, CNN

07.07.2003 - Jeremy Little, sound engineer, NBC

06.04.2003 - Kamaran Abdurazaq Muhamed, translator, BBC

22.03.2003 - Hussein Othman, translator, ITV News

[demkicker]

Your reporting is dead-on accurate. I broke my own boycott rule and watched Today just to see how they would respond to Laura Ingram's smack down yesterday.

The Today Show crowd is nothing but a bunch of manipulative liberals whose reason for breathing is to "make" the news and not report it. They exist only to sway public opinion to their way of thinking. Thank God we have the luxury of shutting them up by changing the channel.

[joesbucks]

AG: No I have no particular dog in this fight. The media argument is a straw man argument. Even if the media were totally friendly, they still could not report the war to everyones satisfaction. Now add to it that they to a point need to be adversarial to get to the real story behind the spin and then add that yes, they are to varying degrees not friendly to this administration. But even remaining nuetral in their coverage, they would be irking most people on this forum who are in general supporters of the President because they would report on the abuses, they would report on aspects of the administrations expectations that fell apart and they would report on the toll of the war on portions of Iraqi society. But they would also probably be reporting more stories on sucesses, a return to normalacy in certain portions of the country and signs of democracy emerging. But fans of the admin would focus on the fact that setbacks got reported at all.

About 2/3 of the journalists killed are locals hired by the MSM because it's too dangerous to send marquee reporters to some of the areas being covered. But these folks were hired to cover the stories. But some MSM reporters/crew have been killed or seriously injured while on coverage. The ABC reporter and his camera man come to mind.

Fox news has had Ollie North over there many times and yet not a single person on this thread has pointed that out. His reports detail the bravery of the soldiers as well as the problems they face.

[joesbucks]

He said it because it is possible the job won't be done till another Administration comes in

Believe me, it won't be done before another admin comes in.

Plus he was sending a message that Americans won't cut and run like some want us to ... including the terrorists

I'm not suggesting that as a course of action. But in a way we're sort of stuck. We really can't even if we wanted to.

So in your estimation, based on what you believe to be happening, when do you see a likely withdrawl of troops?

[upcountryhorseman]

I am sure that the "mass media" want our efforts in Iraq to fail. When you consider that the bombings occur mostly in the major cities: What would happen if we stopped publicizing all incidents of violence? Would the violence stop?

[Mo1]

So in your estimation, based on what you believe to be happening, when do you see a likely withdrawl of troops?

In all honestly .. I don't know ..

Though, I do think we will have some sort of troop level/base there or somewhere around there for some time .. just like we did in Europe after WWII

I also know that we cannot leave/drop troop level until they are stable and can stand their own ground .. just like in WWII .. because there are some in the middle east and even here at home that would like them and us to fail

[Mo1]

Even if the media were totally friendly, they still could not report the war to everyones satisfaction.

I don't want them to report the news to my satisfaction

I just want them to report the news actually and honestly and then let the chips fall where they may

The problem is .. some in the media want to make up my mind up for me .. some don't want me to think for myself

[righttackle44]

"So 61 journalists killed since the invasion took place means they are reporting from their balconies? I can't find a figure on those injured."

Let's find out how many of those were journalists
from foreign news services and were out in the field.
I've seen a lot of those guys being credited in reports
and casualty reports.

Then, let's find out how many American journalists were
hurt or killed standing on their balconies. Whats-her-name said that on the NBC evening news last night: "Even the balconies can be dangerous." Then see how many American journalists were killed or injured in Baghdad.

Then let's see who's left.

[BigSkyFreeper]

The fact that NBC has been out there since yesterday defending the criticism of the coverage means the critics are absolutely right.

[joesbucks]

I agree there are some at home that would like failure. And that's sad.

I don't entirely buy the argument of WWII. Most of our troops were put there not to keep the Germans, the Italians or the Japenese in place as policemen. They were there as part of the cold war......to keep an eye on the Soviets.

[soloNYer]

Okay then. When Bush or conservatives who believe in the overall objective for the Iraq War say that there is progress which we are not seeing on the MSM, what is the response?

Find me a story that doesn't say he (or in your view, us) is optimistic "despite the reality on the ground." Never will you see an admission that the press puts US abuses, US mistakes and Bush's "bubble" on the front page because it sells to their audience. Even if you discount the documented facts (which you can look up) that the press is overwhelmingly liberal, they could for once look for the stories that actually support the war effort. They wouldn't spend their time on it.

I was a liberal. I know how they think. They don't look for positive stories (or anything from the conservative point of view). But that's not the point. The press only challenges positive news that put the US in a good light...you will not see them challenge allegations of America's evil from the enemy or from foreign countries.

I don't think you believe the MSM is always accurate and tell the whole picture. However, if you are a conservative...have you ever seen a story in the MSM which does not challenge the conservative point of view (or ignore it completely)? Compare that to the number of times the liberal/anti-war/anti-gun/anti-small govt/tax reducing point of view is reported without challenge.

[joesbucks]

I don't think any "balcony" folks have been killed. There have been injuries as the hotels where journalists have been known to stay are targets. We've seen a few of those attacked.

Ingram was partially right and partially wrong. But being good conservatives, we're suppposed to attack the portion that is wrong to discredit the whole report.