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I just did some Googling and found that Laura isn't the first to make this complaint to NBC. Have we all forgotten a great NBC reporter who was FIRED for filing "positive" reports from Iraq?

A little trip back in time [via Instapundit archives]:

DR. BOB ARNOT HAS LEFT NBC:
In his letter to Mr. Shapiro, [Arnot] wondered why the network wasn’t reporting stories of progress in Iraq, a frequently heard complaint of the Bush administration. "As you know, I have regularly pitched most of these stories contained in the note to Nightly, Today and directly to you," he wrote. "Every single story has been rejected." . . .
A number of high-ranking military officials contacted by NYTV complimented Dr. Arnot’s superior reporting skills, especially in light of what they perceived as the chronically negative war reporting on TV in the United States. Larry DiRita, the Pentagon spokesman for Donald Rumsfeld, said that Dr. Arnot captured Iraq as he experienced it when he visited there himself. "It was complex and nuanced and uneven then, and you had to get around to see it that way—and he does," Mr. DiRita said. "I think his coverage provided an aspect of daily Iraqi life that is being missed by a heck of a lot of coverage."
Maj. Clark Taylor e-mailed NYTV from Baghdad to state that Dr. Arnot "highlighted what is really happening over here …. He generally reported positive things because, generally, that is what is happening. Of course there are occasional bad things … and he reported those as well. The fact was, he reported what he saw—which generally was positive."
The network's excuse is that it was cutting back on coverage. This just serves to underscore blogosphere complaints about the lousy job Big Media outfits are doing.

THIS IS FROM FEB, 2004---over 2 years ago! Unfortunately, the linked story at the New York Observer is in a paid archive now.

But isn't it interesting that one of NBC's own reporters told them way back then the same thing Laura "shocked" them with this week?!

Some enterprising reporter/blogger/radio host needs to go find good ole Dr. Bob for an interview. His comments should be interesting in light of the media's defensive reaction to Laura and President Bush.

(And, while I'm on the subject, why didn't some smart network---cough, cough, FOX---pick up Dr. Bob after he left NBC?! The man speaks fluent Arabic, for cryin' out loud!)

WOW. Thanks for that. I do remember now after your reminder that Dr. Bob did do that kind of reporting. Your reporting this is why the MSM is obsolete! If you would send it to Rush, Hannity et al FYI. Great Thanks.

Nothing will change soon unless you get an enterprising individual to place a teargas bomb in the hotel bar they are getting loaded at and film the whole thing while they are drunk and play it on TV. Better if they blow that gas that makes them throw up! Maybe mix it with teargas for the cameras. That's the real fix for this. I smelled both and they are potent while alert and physically fit.