Get some Experienced Reporters in the Lebanese/Israeli War Zone.
It is difficult to tell which of Israel’s enemies is worse: the Hizbollah, or the international media! And I include the US-based media.
When you have TV reporters acting as forward observers for the Hizbollah rocketeers, that’s pretty bad. Now, we have the doctored photos deal. I don’t think it can be condemned enough. Hardly anyone was surprised by that activity …unless they have been living in a cave since, well, prior to Vietnam.
In the first place, I don’t like the practice of having reporters, with no combat experience in the armed forces, covering a battle zone. What you wind up with… is a gaggle of the un-initiated, describing battle scenes, and artillery and bomb impact points which they have no experience to read or decipher. Deciphering photos of a combat zone is difficult enough for trained, professional, military men. But, a reporter, trying to tell me what I am looking at, and he, or she, cannot describe it, or… describes it incorrectly, is, well, inviting trouble.
Now add to that a media, which is biased again Israel and the IDF, and you have a plot perfect for a Hollywood movie.
If a news network is serious about accurate reporting from the war front, then assign reporters with combat experience. Lacking that, we suggest the networks hire former combat soldiers to tag along and tell the reporter what he, or she, is looking at, while staying out of camera range, of course.
And those dinky looking helmets (We’re going to be generous here and assume the helmets are made of Kevlar) are pathetic. At least, for heaven’s sake, SOMEBODY please show the wearer how to put the darned thing on! I have been expecting, any day, to switch on the tube and see a serious, earnest-toned, reporter, with the cussed helmet on backwards!
Its bad, folks! It’s REALLY bad!
I know, for instance Fox News network has at least one reporter with combat experience in Iraq. But he’s nowhere to be found… at least nowhere near Israel or Lebanon.
And there’s Ollie North. Col. North could interpret the “goings on” along the southern Lebanese border, in detail, and do it in such a manner as the un-initiated viewer could understand what he was telling us. He’s not there, either.
Why am I picking on Fox News??? Well, ‘cause I don’t watch those other far left propaganda machines. That’s why.
I know I can’t be the only veteran watching their TV screens and spotting APC’s referred to as tanks….or the mix-up of in-coming, and out-going, artillery shells rattling overhead.
I even heard a near breathless TV reporterette breaking the news of Israel’s battle plan for the invasion. Make a strong drive to the Latani River, by-passing all the villages where the Hizbollah are holed up, and cut them off from their supply line, then swing back and mop up the terrorists. Oh, the IDF had barely gotten their tanks rolling north before this vital info was out for the world, and the Hizbollah, to hear. Does anyone think the terrorists, now knowing they are going to be encircled and cut off, will remain in those static positions?? Of course not! Now that they know the IDF’s battle plan, they’ll slip away from those bunkers, and fixed positions, and slink away into the mountains, or across the river, and live to fight another day.
I know Israel is bending over backwards to accommodate the American Media. But I think they are making a terrible mistake in doing so. They should immediately censer everything being reported from Israel until this war is over. I can understand Israel’s wanting to keep, it’s American audience up to speed on the state of the war, but… by allowing the American media to disseminate that news, they are doing great harm to their war effort and it is almost certain to cause them more causalities than the war would cause otherwise.
When a single news outlet has reporters reporting from both sides in a war, you can bet, troop movements, damage reports, casualty reports, are going to be skewed.
The news media has done great harm to the US war effort in Afghanistan and in Iraq. I give them most of the credit for the US losing the war in Vietnam. Now they are at it again.
If Israel wants to win this war, and win it quickly, then they should shut down the media reports coming out of their country and the war zone. And they should do it now!
Longstreet
Why am I picking on Fox News??? Well, ‘cause I don’t watch those other far left propaganda machines. That’s why.
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It's funny how proponates of democracy and freedom, hate a free press. It is the presses job to inform the public, and informing isn't P.R. for the people in power. That's where Repuiblicans come in and blame the press. If the governments are corrupt or up to no good it is their job to do the investigative reporting and uncover these lies. Our media has been a lap dog for this administration until they totally blew Iraq on the W.M.D. lies but this white house. Now no one reports on these and other lies by this administration. Colen Powell resigned because he had to give a scripted speach to the U.N. that was full of lies. I am so tired of people who want Media to be an extension of our government. Our founding fathers KNEW how important a free press is to a democracy. So much so Jefferson once said, "A government with no newspapers is worse than a newspaper with no government." Look at NBC owned by G.E. a defense contractor, does Westinghouse still own CBS? And Disney far right corporation own ABC. We won't get into how Reupert donated monet to Newt so he could write is book in exchange for changing the constitution so a foreigner could own a U.S. media outlet, all FOX's crap is pay back to the republican party. It's not the medias fault that these governments are corrupt, or there is more than the American republican party's view to everything. There is the truth. An independent media is a free one!
I wish to God we did have an Independent Press! It never has been, is not now, nor will it ever be.
ReplyDeleteThe American Press now sees itself as the 4th branch of the US government! They have got to be brought to heel. An Official Secrets Act would go a long ways toward shuting those leftie mouth-pieces down!