In other words: A discussion of The Bush Administration
speaking of bad media coverage (as I did below), Krugman asks
What About Iraq?
A funny thing happened after the United States transferred sovereignty over Iraq. On the ground, things didn't change, except for the worse.
But as Matthew Yglesias of The American Prospect puts it, the cosmetic change in regime had the effect of "Afghanizing" the media coverage of Iraq.
He's referring to the way news coverage of Afghanistan dropped off sharply after the initial military defeat of the Taliban. A nation we had gone to war to liberate and had promised to secure and rebuild - a promise largely broken - once again became a small, faraway country of which we knew nothing.
Incredibly, the same thing happened to Iraq after June 28. Iraq stories moved to the inside pages of newspapers, and largely off TV screens. Many people got the impression that things had improved. Even journalists were taken in: a number of newspaper stories asserted that the rate of U.S. losses there fell after the handoff. (Actual figures: 42 American soldiers died in June, and 54 in July.)
Yes "journalists" were taken in by... not reading the newspapers? Not doing 2 minutes of research before "reporting" for god's sake? They're just saying stuff at random now and if they report a fact its got to be attached with some bizarre "mood' piece. "Despite the fact that things have gone bad to worse in Iraq the mood on the ground is actually quite better." Honestly have you ever landed in an airport, gotten in a cab and checked into a hotel without talking to any locals and been able to grasp the mood of the area you were in? What does that mean anyway?
"The mood today in New York City was grumpy because the city that never sleeps really needs some shut eye."
- rob 1:55 PM - [PermaLink] -
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