Anchor (Ashleigh Banfield): Coverage was biased

The Topeka Capital-Journal ^ | 04/24/2003 | Matt Moline

[KQQL]

MANHATTAN -- War's sobering realities never reached American TV screens during the recent U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, according to NBC News correspondent Ashleigh Banfield.

"We didn't see what happen when Marines fired M-16s," Banfield said during a Landon lecture appearance Thursday at Kansas State University. "We didn't see what happened after mortars landed, only the puff of smoke. There were horrors that were completely left out of this war. So was this journalism? Or was this coverage?"

On the other hand, she said, many U.S. television viewers were treated to a non-stop flow of images presented by "cable news operators who wrap themselves in the American flag and go after a certain target demographic."

Ashleigh Banfield"It was a grand and glorious picture that had a lot of people watching, " Banfield said, "and a lot of advertisers excited about cable TV news. But it wasn't journalism, because I'm not sure Americans are hesitant to do this again -- to fight another war, because it looked to them like a courageous and terrific endeavor."

Banfield's appearance at K-State's McCain Auditorium marked the 129th speech in the long-running Landon Lecture series, which was established in 1966 by the late Kansas Gov. Alfred M. Landon.

In addition to her duties at NBC, Banfield also hosts the popular MSNBC cable TV news show, "MSNBC Investigates."

Until last fall, Banfield anchored her own MSNBC news program, "Ashleigh Banfield: On Location," a program that included a stop last summer in Manhattan, where the Canadian-born host interviewed K-State experts who have developed methods to protect the nation's food supply from potential bioterrorism threats.

Since 9-11, Banfield has frequently reported news stories relating to the Bush administration's "war on terrorism" from the Middle East, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Syria and Lebanon.

In her lecture, Banfield noted inconsistences in the Bush administration's announced war aims in Iraq, beginning with the original U.S. pre-war contention that Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein's alleged stockpile of chemical and biological weapons posed a serious international threat.

"Conveniently, in the week or two we were in there, it became a message of 'freeing the Iraqi people,' " Banfield said. "That should have been the message early on, in fact, six to eight months preceding this campaign, if we were trying to win over the hearts of the Arab world."

According to Banfield, U.S. broadcasters don't accurately inform the American public of the basic reason behind widespread Islamic distrust of the U.S. -- the American government's continued unwillingness to treat Israelis and Palestinians as equal partners in the future of Israel.

"As a journalist, I have been ostracized just from going on television and saying, 'Here's what the leaders of Hezbollah, a radical Muslim group, are telling me about what is needed to bring peace to Israel,' " she said. "And, 'Here's what the Lebanese are saying.' Like it or lump it, don't shoot the messenger, but that's what they do."

An audience of about 500 attended Banfield's lecture, the last event in this season's Landon Lecture series.

[KQQL]

@

[Nitro]

Why did the car containing Jessica Savage sink so fast?

[Nitro]

She was an anchor woman.

[KQQL]

yep..she's from Toronto

[onyx]

This witch confuses "journalism" with "agenda" --- hers.

[Always Right]

According to Banfield, U.S. broadcasters don't accurately inform the American public of the basic reason behind widespread Islamic distrust of the U.S. -- the American government's continued unwillingness to treat Israelis and Palestinians as equal partners in the future of Israel.

LOL, is that really is that what the Arabs want. Seems to me the Arabs have been hell bent to push the Jews into the sea from day 1.

[Nitro]

Re-read mine...

[GGpaX4DumpedTea]

Peter's cousin?

[T'wit]

This is the third article I've looked at tonight so stupid, trite, hackneyed, biased and insufferable that it had to be written by a liberal with at least 12 years of dumbing down in public schools, maybe even sixteen years.

[Imperialist]

Was not she the one reporting from West St. in downton NYC on 9/11 at around 5pm that day when 7 wtc collapsed just behind her. We all saw that, and she was scared. We Americans knew what we were looking at during Iraqi Freedom.

[aruanan]

According to Banfield, U.S. broadcasters don't accurately inform the American public of the basic reason behind widespread Islamic distrust of the U.S. -- the American government's continued unwillingness to treat Israelis and Palestinians as equal partners in the future of Israel.

Poor, stupid Ashleigh. Palestinians (that is, Arabs--and a few non-Jewish folks) who are citizens of Israel are equal partners with other Israelis in the future of Israel. They have political representation in a way denied to other Arabs in the Arab nations of the Middle East. As Muslims in Israel, they have political representation in a way denied to other Muslims in almost every Muslim nation on earth. However, the non-Israeli Arabs that have been used by the surrounding Arab nations as pawns for the past 50+ years don't have equal partnership with Jewish, Arab, Muslim, and Christian Israelis over the future of Israel because they're not Israelis! They may, though, have a claim on the major Palestinian nation, Jordan, which never helped them.

[L.N. Smithee]

"As a journalist, I have been ostracized just from going on television and saying, 'Here's what the leaders of Hezbollah, a radical Muslim group, are telling me about what is needed to bring peace to Israel,' " she said.

That's because when Hezbollah tells "what is needed to bring peace to Israel," what they mean is "this is what will have to happen before we cease supporting and financing wanton slaughter of Israeli civilians."

Most journalists realize this. Only those who will value access to them over the truth of their statements don't.

Michael Savage had a really cool nickname for Banfield. Anyone remember what it was?

[dwilli]

An audience of about 500 attended Banfield's lecture, the last event in this season's Landon Lecture series. ...............That's more than those who watched her on MSNBC.

[doosee]

There were horrors that were completely left out of this war.

Lets see, Saddam's humidor was running low on Cuban cigars, she would rate that one up there higher than the kiddie prison we liberated.

[Alas Babylon!]

But it wasn't journalism, because I'm not sure Americans are hesitant to do this again -- to fight another war, because it looked to them like a courageous and terrific endeavor."

Because it WAS a courageous and terrific endeavor, you leftist twit! How I hate big media.

[mewzilla]

In addition to her duties at NBC, Banfield also hosts the popular MSNBC cable TV news show, "MSNBC Investigates."

LOL. Popular according to whom? I'd never even heard of it.

[Bluntpoint]

Translation:

"As a DNC operative, like many of my Colleagues, this was a Republican affair and I cannot help but to try to spin this victory into a defeat."

[Mr. Mojo]

"We didn't see what happen when Marines fired M-16s,"

We already know happened. Iraqi soldiers and terrorists were killed.