UPDATED - ColdType

une knew there were serious questions about
Safire’s charges, yet the papers went ahead and
published the second part of his series.” Lando
shows the many errors. See Tompaine.com.
Why we know what we do
THE ultimate test of the coverage is: Is it making
us more informed. Editor and Publisher reports
the opposite is occurring:
“Somehow, despite the U.S. media’s exhaustive
Iraq coverage, a very large segment of the
American public remained under-informed
about key issues related to the Iraqi crisis. In a
January poll, 44 percent of respondents said they
thought most or some of the September 11, 2001,
hijackers were Iraqi citizens. Only 17 percent of
those polled offered the correct answer: none.
This was remarkable in light of the fact that, in
the weeks after the terrorist attacks, few Americans
identified Iraqis among the culprits. So the
level of awareness on this issue actually
decreased as time passed. In the same sample, 41
percent said that Iraq already possessed nuclear
weapons, which not even the Bush administration
claimed. Despite being far off base in crucial
areas, 66 percent of respondents claimed to have
a good understanding of the arguments for and
against going to war with Iraq.” ●
MEDIA SHAKEDOWN
AND BREAKDOWN
EMBEDDED: WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION
THERE is a media shakedown underway that
may portend a media breakdown as the media
war begins to veer “off plan.”
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While critics on the left can’t fulminate enough
about the use of media outlets as echo chambers
for Pentagon spin-meisters, the administration
has been smug and secure with its million-dollar
media center in Doha and legion of embedded
journalists staying on message.
But now that there are bumps in the road, with
more reported casualties and atrocities, new
strains are emerging in what has been a militarymedia
mutual appreciation society until now.
First, there have been high profile media casualties
that have sparked new controversies
where few existed in the past. The right-wing Fox
News began to bait MSNBC’s Peter Arnett as a
traitor. Arnett, apparently unaware of the minefield
he was navigating, then appeared on Iraqi
TV, saying pretty much what other have been
saying about U.S. military strategy across the
spectrum. He was axed for being on the wrong
venue.
The minions at Murdochville didn’t have time
to do much gloating because they had their own
tempest in this nasty teapot. Star reporter Geraldo
Rivera, who vowed to march triumphantly
into Baghdad, has had to turn tail and slither out
of the appropriately named war “theater.” His
crime, according to the Pentagon – revealing
troop locations. His future among the war boosters
at the Fox News Channel is uncertain.
Next, the high command began to lob some
shells at the TV generals who had been masterfully
offering pro-war analysis and doing more
reporting than most of the war reporters. The
regiment was skewered by the man at the top, as
the New York Post reported in a piece dramatically
titled “Fists of Fury.” He didn’t like what
many have been saying.
“An angry Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Richard