Image courtesy: MSNBC.comJune 7, 2010 was one of the deadliest days of the war in Afghanistan for coalition troops on the ground. Of the ten allied troops killed in numerous enemy attacks, seven were Americans. While our thoughts are primarily with the families of these exceptional fallen heroes who volunteered to serve their country, the American media's misconduct, especially by cable news channels, is also difficult to bear.
At about 1:00 a.m. eastern time, I visited the websites of MSNBC, Fox News, and CNN. On the top half of these three prominent news destinations, I found a grand total of one story about major events in the eight-plus years of violent conflict in Afghanistan. While the U.S. media's lack of consistent war coverage over the past several years is documented and undisputed, a failure of this magnitude, a week after Memorial Day, is inexcusable and shocking.
The top story on MSNBC's website was about BP's oil spill, which is a valid news story. The next two most prominent items were about the arrest of Joran van der Sloot in Peru and the future of soccer in the United States. Are these stories more important than the deaths of seven U.S troops? Absolutely not. News from the war front was not found in the site's top stories section, yet the Washington Nationals selecting Bryce Harper as the top pick in this year's baseball draft was included. As a D.C. area native and big Nats fan, that article interests me, but it is a sports story with limited importance. Is the longest war in American history not more relevant to our daily lives?
Image courtesy: FoxNews.comFox News' website, which I have criticized in the past for its focus on celebrities, leads with the van der Sloot story as "breaking news." While the deaths of Stephany Flores in Peru and Natalee Holloway in Aruba are tragic and their families deserve our prayers, I fail to understand how the heroic sacrifice of seven Americans overseas is not "breaking news." The story was nowhere to be found on FNC's website, even though two articles about U.S. soldiers being arrested did appear in the top stories section. For a cable news network that makes a genuine effort to be patriotic, I found its coverage incredibly disappointing.
Image courtesy: CNN.comCNN's website also treated the van der Sloot confession as "breaking news." While I strongly disagree with the prominent, ratings-driven play the media is giving that story, my former employer did have an article about the violence in Afghanistan in its top stories section, and also led with the casualty news on its website earlier in the day. While I question why Monday's events are not getting prominent play this morning on CNN.com, the news organization does deserve credit for at least making a minor effort to provide relevant information to its audience.
While I was virtually sure that coverage would not increase during Tuesday's news cycle, I recorded the 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. eastern hours of CNN and MSNBC and watched Fox News live during the same time period. While it is possible I could have missed a very brief mention while watching a live broadcast and fast forwarding through DVR content, I did not see a single mention of the deaths of 7 U.S. troops on any of the three major cable news networks during that time period. While news executives and producers are good at justifying their show rundowns, there is no rational explanation for a story of this magnitude being absent, less than 24 hours after the news broke.
Cable news is often heavily criticized for partisan shouting matches, celebrity-driven segments, and lack of follow-up reporting. Yet as a journalist who spent eight years in various newsrooms and the last half of the most recent decade inside CNN, there is no better example of how the industry is cheating the American public and failing its Constitutional freedom of the press. Our nation is at war and millions should be mourning Monday's tragic events, as an engaged, patriotic nation did during World War II. Instead, more Americans are aware of the interrogation of Joran van der Sloot than the hunt for terrorists responsible for Monday's roadside bombing in Afghanistan that killed five Americans.
Journalists are fond of saying they have a duty to hold the powerful accountable. Today, it is time to hold the media's feet to the fire, as the families of these seven departed warriors deserve better. Send e-mails to networks and pen letters to the editor for newspapers. This must not stand.
Amen!
ReplyDeleteIt is to say the least deplorable, that "our" media sees fit to ignore a war that takes, almost daily, at this point American lives! Then again, it is unfortunately, an example of societies choice to "see no, hear no". We have become numb, robots about our daily lives, and unless one has a direct correlation to the involvement in Afghanistan, or any number of other military theaters, we choose to ignore! How sad, that our society will wake up one day to no freedom of the press, nor freedom of speech...all because they choose not to demand better of those reporting the news. Our troops, and those of other NATO countries...fight for the very thing we have no time or interest in preserving for ourselves! I pray for my son, and all the sons and daughters who believe in America and fight for her!
ReplyDeleteThank you for blogging this! Look forward to more and Honoring and Remembering the Troops that gave their all on June 7th..I want to know them..My thoughts and prayers of strength and comfort to the families of Our Dedicated Troops..(Carla from moh)
ReplyDeleteI came across your blog today from the ThunderRun. I am a Canadian MilSpouse/MilSupporter, and was considering a blog entry about something I had noticed the past few weeks. I regularly read CBC.ca (Canadian News Site) and CNN.com. I was struck today by the fact that the Helo taken down earlier today had more prominent coverage on the Canadian site than on CNN, despite the fact that the fallen were all American Troops. I have noticed this in the past as well. (note: the story has since moved from the front page to the "world" page on CBC).
ReplyDeleteA friend who is an American Viet Nam vet has also commented on the discrepancy between the two countries, and thinks if the returning fallen were better recognized, the survivors would also have an easier time ~ that more of his brothers in arms would still be around today.
My heart goes out to the families of the fallen, and all who have gone before, regardless of nationality.
Jordan vander slot killed a women and has gone to jail for 28 years. He's responsible for all that.
ReplyDeleteBrian VanderSloot