UPDATED - ColdType

War dances or not, there clearly is a pattern of
coverage that is beginning to attract more dissection
and complaint. Andrew Tyndall, who
analyzes every U.S. TV newscast, has been keeping
track of the tilt in the coverage. USA TODAY
found his research newsworthy, reporting:
“Of 414 stories on the Iraqi question that aired
on NBC, ABC and CBS from Sept. 14 to Feb. 7,
[Andrew] Tyndall says that the vast majority
originated from the White House, Pentagon and
State Department. Only 34 stories originated
from elsewhere in the country, he says.
“Similarly, a check of major newspapers
around the country from September to February
found only 268 stories devoted to peace initiatives
or to opposition to the war, a small fraction
of the total number. ‘Most editors and reporters
think the diplomatic story – the great power narrative
– is more real,’ NYU’s [Jay] Rosen says.
‘And people who move into the White House
know how to dominate the news agenda.’”
But could they dominate the agenda without
the willing cooperation and the promotion of
what most media pundits see as the “inevitable.”
Village Voice media critic Cynthia Cotts, who follows
coverage closely, noted, “Last week, journalists
were still using phrases like ‘a possible
war,’ ‘in the event of war,’ ‘if war breaks out’ and
‘assuming there is a war.’ Events were unfolding
so quickly behind the scenes that results were
impossible to predict. But by press time, the subtext
that was previously embedded in every
newspaper, Internet, and TV war story had
become the main thesis: The U.S. is going to
attack Iraq. Case closed.”
The case seems to be closing against the quality
of journalism we are seeing and reading as
well. More than two dozen journalism school
MOBILIZING OPINION
95
deans and professors, independent editors, journalists,
producers and reporters have signed a
letter to the major media indicting the tendency
of many media organizations to become a megaphone
for the Bush Administration. Their letter
cites six specific complaints over the nature of
the coverage:
1. The Horserace Syndrome & Highlighting
Tactics Over Political Analysis: Endlessly
repeated news features with titles like ‘Showdown
with Saddam’ present a grave matter as
though it were a high-stakes sports contest,” the
letter says. It goes on to highlight major news
stories the media has failed to cover adequately
as they obsess over military tactics.
2. Failing to Protest Government Control of
Information: The government has frozen out the
media and carefully controlled their access to
information. Newspapers and TV news have
underreported this freeze out, and failed to contest
it aggressively.
3. Failing to Maintain an Arms-Length Relationship
with Government: “State-controlled
media comes in many garbs,” warns the letter,
noting the over-reliance of TV news in particular
upon government-approved retired military and
intelligence consultants.
4. Failing to Question the Official Story: The
media should never confuse patriotism with
obeisance and a rubber-stamp mentality.
5. Failing to Present a Diversity of Viewpoints:
There is a duty to seek out and quote the many
experts who express skepticism about claims by
the state, rather than simply to rely on the same
pundits repeatedly,” the letter states. It calls as
well on “editors, publishers and producers to see
that their op-ed pages, letters-to-the-editor sections
and talk shows are open to a vigorous