Iraq

Embedded Reporter Tactic "Sheer Genius"

by Laura Miller — March 27, 2003 - 11:00pm

"The current war has been called the best-covered war in history, and certainly the visuals and reports from 'embedded' reporters have been spectacular, bringing war into our living rooms like never before," Katie Delahaye Paine writes in her PR firm's publication The Measurement Standard. "[T]he embedded reporter tactic is sheer genius. ... The sagacity of the tactic is that it is based on the basic tenet of public relations: It's all about relationships.

Main Source: 
The Measurement Standard, March 28, 2003

The Truth About Basra

by John Stauber — March 27, 2003 - 11:00pm

Robert Fisk reports that "an Iraqi general, surrounded by hundreds of his armed troops, stands in central Basra and announces that Iraq's second city remains firmly in Iraqi hands. The unedited al-Jazeera videotape, filmed over the past 36 hours and newly arrived in Baghdad, is raw, painful, devastating. ... It is also proof that Basra, reportedly 'captured" and 'secured' by British troops last week, is indeed under the control of Saddam Hussein's forces. ...

Main Source: 
The Independent, March 28, 2003

NYC Peace Activists Risk Arrest Protesting Media Bias

by John Stauber — March 26, 2003 - 11:00pm

"Hundreds of chanting demonstrators lined
Manhattan's Fifth Avenue on Thursday, and dozens lay down
in the street in a 'die-in' to protest the war. ... Anti-war groups also called for other civil disobedience in
the city to protest media and corporate 'profiteering from
the war.' ... Some protest signs were directed at the media. One
protester held a sign showing a picture of parrots and the
words, 'Don't Parrot the Right-wing Propaganda.' Another, 44-year-old teacher Lee Whiting, held up a sign that said, 'Embedded?

Main Source: 
Associated Press, March 27, 2003

Global Anger Grows Against US War on Iraq

by John Stauber — March 26, 2003 - 11:00pm

As pundits and the Pentagon try to quantify the number of acceptable US casualties, world-wide opposition to the attack on Iraq grows by the day. The New York Times notes that "the public mood in
many countries around the world seemed to become angrier
and more sarcastic than ever... . Another day of global protest
is being advertised on Web sites and posters for Sunday,
April 6.

Main Source: 
New York Times, March 27, 2003

The "Information Operations" War in Iraq

by John Stauber — March 25, 2003 - 11:00pm

"Bush planners appear to have left television off the
initial [bombing] target list because they wanted to use it to
administer Iraq immediately after the war and to limit the
damage to civilian infrastructure. Reports from Iraq, however, suggest that the American
restraint was seen by many Iraqis as an indication of Mr.
Hussein's resilience, undermining the allied message that
his days were numbered. There are, in fact, two parallel battles underway. One is
the intense assault American forces are mounting to set
themselves up for a drive to Baghdad to overthrow the
Saddam Hussein regime.

Main Source: 
New York Times, March 26, 2003

Rumsfeld's Happy Face Masks Deep Problems

by John Stauber — March 25, 2003 - 11:00pm

Journalist Joseph L. Galloway, the military affairs correspondent for Knight Ridder, criticized the Bush administration's war fighting plan today on NPR's Fresh Air program. Galloway, the co-author of We Were Soldiers Once, and Young, was recently a consultant to Colin Powell.

Main Source: 
Knight Ridder, NPR, Washington Post, March 26, 2003

Hackers Shut Down al-Jazeera Websites

by John Stauber — March 25, 2003 - 11:00pm

"The English-language and Arabic websites of Qatar-based broadcaster al-Jazeera were forced down this morning after a spate of suspected hacker attacks last night. Neither aljazeera.net, which gets the most hits of any Arabic website in the world, nor english.aljazeera.net, which launched on Monday, were available this morning after suspected attacks crashed both sites. [C]ommunications manager Jihad Ali Ballout told MediaGuardian.co.uk the company was doing everything possible to get the sites up and running.. ...

Main Source: 
The Guardian, March 26, 2003

The Media Giant Behind the Pro-War Rallies

by John Stauber — March 24, 2003 - 11:00pm

Paul Krugman notes that "by and large, recent pro-war rallies haven't drawn nearly as many people as
antiwar rallies, but they have certainly been vehement. ... Who has been organizing those pro-war rallies? The answer, it turns out, is
that they are being promoted by key players in the radio industry - with
close links to the Bush administration. ... Until now, complaints about Clear Channel have focused on its business
practices. Critics say it uses its power to squeeze recording companies and
artists and contributes to the growing blandness of broadcast music.

Main Source: 
New York Times, March 25, 2003

Kurtz Blames Media for War's 'Great Expectations'

by John Stauber — March 24, 2003 - 11:00pm

Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post asks, "Why did so many people think this would be a cakewalk? You'd have to say the media played a key role. The pre-war buildup was so overwhelming that it seemed like the war should be called off as a horrible mismatch. There were hundreds of stories about America's superior weaponry, the Bradleys and Apaches and Mother of All Bombs, the superbly trained forces. There were so many 'shock and awe' stories that Americans could be forgiven for thinking they were in for another video-game conflict.

Main Source: 
Washington Post, March 25, 2003

War, What Is It Good For? TV Ratings.

by John Stauber — March 24, 2003 - 11:00pm

"The start of the war caused business at movie theaters to
drop by 25 percent on Wednesday as people stayed home to
watch the war, and snack-food sales and restaurant
deliveries thrived. The opening salvos of the war had taken
the place of prime-time entertainment, and television
stations did their best to serve up gaudily produced
coverage: the war in Iraq as the ultimate in reality
television, as the apotheosis of every favorite Hollywood
genre, from the combat thriller to the coming-of-age tale
to the blow-'em-up, special-effects extravaganza. ... Happy-talk anchors ...

Main Source: 
New York Times, March 25, 2003
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