summer-2003-Part 2-live - Nieman Foundation - Harvard University

Journalist’s Tradebeen lost in the “us” and “them” scenario,in which Iraq is openly referredto as “the enemy.”George W. Bush is getting muddled,too, but the networks won’t point thisout. First he promised a short war,then he said it would be longer thananticipated, and so it goes. But no onepoints out these discrepancies. The TVnetworks generally show the sanitizedversion of the war. Iraqi civilians smilingas they’re treated for war woundsin a hospital; military medical corpsoperating to save lives of “enemy” soldiers;distribution of food and water—and so it goes. And much of the unsuspectingpublic is probably totally takenin by these images, and most of the U.S.public still appear to fervently believethat their troops are “liberators” ratherthan the occupiers they really are! (Theraising of the U.S. flag at Um Quasr wasa revealing “mistake.”)There’s no truth in the propagandathat the United States wants to giveIraq back to the Iraqis. Simply put, theywant it themselves. Already a U.S.-basedcompany has been given the multimilliondollar task of managing the UmQuasr port. This is reality TV with ahuge slice of Hollywood. So watch withthis in mind and, where possible, turnto alternative sources of information,because fortunately those who haven’tbeen jammed or taken off the Internetor bombed off the face of the earth bythe United States are still out there. ■gwen@namibian.com.naKeeping an Eye on Thailand’s PressA media column tracks coverage and commentary about the war in Iraq.Songpol Kaopatumtip, a 1987 NiemanFellow, is editor of the Sunday Perspectivesection of the Bangkok Postand writes a column called “Eye onthe Thai Press” for the Post’s Web site.In his column, he tracks commentariesfrom Thai publications. He notesthat “most of the commentaries wereanti-American, and I got angry lettersfor presenting their views.” The Thaimedia relied primarily on CNN andthe BBC to follow news of the war,though many in the media complainedabout the domination of these Westernnews outlets; they accused CNN ofbeing pro-American, while regardingBBC as more balanced. Some newspapersused Al Jazeera’s English-languageWeb site and other Arab Web pages tooffer differing perspectives of the war.All of the leading Thai-language newspaperstook editorial positions againstthe war, as did the most influentialcolumnists. Two of Kaopatumtip’smedia columns are reprinted below.By Songpol KaopatumtipThis column appeared on April 3, 2003.“The Operation Iraqi Freedom hasnow turned into the Holocaust of the21st Century,” says the mass-circulationThai Rath in its main front-pagearticle this morning.With fresh reports from Baghdad ofthe deaths of Iraqi civilians at the handsof U.S. troops, anti-war—and to somedegree anti-American—feeling is growingamong leading vernacular dailies.The opinion is reflected in front-pageheadlines, photos and commentariesby sharp-tongued columnists, many ofwhom believe the war is waged to allowthe United States and United Kingdomto take over vast oil and gas reservesin Iraq.Both Thai Rath and Matichon carrybig photos of a weeping Iraqi man wholost 15 members of his family when histruck was bombed by U.S. helicopterswhile fleeing a town south of Baghdadon Monday. Matichon describes thescene as “heartbreaking,” while ThaiRath proclaims, “This is ethnic cleansing.”In an equally strong editorial, ThaiRath says the United States and UnitedKingdom are likely to be trapped in along and violent war, which waslaunched without the consent of theUnited Nations and is now condemnedby people around the world. Expressinga similar view in Matichon, columnistChalotorn says the photos of Iraqichildren killed in the war have “searedthe minds” of all peace-loving people.“Muslim people are now asking: Shouldwe continue to pray while our brothersand sisters are killed?” writes the columnist.Muslim people in southern Thailandare already boycotting U.S.-madegoods, Chalotorn says, adding thatThais in other parts of the countryshould take action as well. In his opinion,the war will only benefit big U.S.companies with ties to the Bush administration.Lucrative contracts for thereconstruction of post-war Iraq havealready been doled out to these firms,says Chalotorn. He specifically mentionsan oil well firefighting contractgranted to a subsidiary of HalliburtonCompany, once run by Vice PresidentDick Cheney. “This only proves thatthere is no morality in the minds ofthese profit-seeking people,” concludesthe columnist.This column appeared on April 10,2003.Some foreign readers wonder whyall the columnists, editorial writers,academics and ordinary people featuredin this column are all against theU.S.-led attack on Iraq. These readers,particularly American, believe the Bushadministration is doing Iraqi people afavor by freeing them from the tyrannyof President Saddam Hussein. “Howcan the peacemakers condone whatthis SOB has done to his people?” areader wrote me on Tuesday. “He evenexecuted his two sons-in-law.” A fewothers believe Saddam is a threat to96 Nieman Reports / Summer 2003