If you're discouraged by how the war is going, check out USS Clueless, especially this post. Among other items, Steven links to Ha'aretz which says:
There has never been a war with such a high level of disinformation about what exactly is happening on the battlefield as the present conflict in Iraq, according to Israeli researchers and senior military officers....Contrary to the sense that has been created in the last few days, including in the media, there have not been any particularly tough battles in Iraq so far, and the American military has chalked up a series of achievements.
People are hungry for news, and they're getting it from embedded reporters. But, for the most part, they're getting exactly what the military wants them to get.
How will the media evaluate this coverage, looking back. Does embedding compromise theri objectivity? Is it a co-opting of the media that they will find unacceptable? 'news' is a product for which there is a market, so the media will keep serving it up. But shouldn't they be keeping in mind, and reminding their viewers, for the sake of journalistic integrity, that they lack major pieces of information.
This embedding thing turns all of the major media into a military propaganda arm under the guise of objective reporting. That's pretty good for fighting a war, not so good for getting the whole picture.
One last question: How's the whole Psychological Operations thing going? Sure would be nice if we didn't have to fight in the streets of Baghdad. It's often been said we're waging a different kind of war where public opinion around the globe really matters, and most of all in Iraq.
Steven also links MentalBlocks, which looks pretty knowledgeable.
Oh, and by the way, Israel's totally loving us right now.
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