How fair is the Western media coverage of Iraq?
U.S. media coverage of Iraq is too polarized between “good news” and “bad news” and all sides are missing out on a complete picture, participants in a panel discussion organized by Reuters said on Wednesday.
That was one of the few points of agreement between journalists, a professional blogger and a U.S. military spokesman gathered in New York to discuss media in Iraq.
Iraqi bloggers add their voices to the debate. An Iraqi based in London explains:
Here is the point – if we had a full debate in the media on Iraq would this tragedy have been allowed to happen in such a disastrous way? Would there be some understanding for when and how troops are to leave Iraq? Would the Pentagon have felt safe to throw away the State Department’s Future of Iraq plan and go for its scorched-earth-year-zero plan?
Up to now the media as a whole has not done its job as a pillar of democracy – and its failure will be felt for years to come.