U.S. media curtail Iraq war coverage: study

[rodeodance]

Source: reuters




U.S. media curtail Iraq war coverage: study

By Jim Wolf Mon Aug 20, 6:09 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. media reporting of the war in Iraq fell sharply in the second quarter of 2007, largely due to a drop in coverage of the Washington-based policy debate, a study released Monday said.


Taken together, the war's three major story lines -- the U.S. policy debate, events in Iraq and their impact on the U.S. homefront -- slipped roughly a third, to 15 percent of an index of total news coverage, down from 22 percent in the first three months of the year.

The study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism examined 18,010 stories that appeared between April 1 and June 29. Its "News Coverage Index" encompasses 48 outlets, including newspapers, radio, online, cable and network television.

The project is a research group studying and evaluating press performance. It describes itself as nonpartisan, nonideological and nonpolitical. The index is designed as an audit of a broad cross-section of U.S. news media.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070820/pl_nm/usa_iraq_media_dc;_ylt=AiWSv4EvnBLeGtMt8tCPA_2s0NUE

[rodeodance]

1. the evening news sometimes has NOThing over the last few months-I do

not have cable and it is noticeable.

[ronnie624]

6. The article states

that coverage of the "US policy debate" has dropped, but I don't recall ever seeing any sort of meaningful debate of US policy. It's hard to say which is worse: not covering US policy at all, or framing the coverage in propaganda that is designed to make Americans contented and complacent about the criminal activities of their government.

Like you, I do not watch cable television. Few things evoke as much disgust in me as the current state of broadcast media in the United States - a big steaming pile of dung, perhaps.

[0rganism]

8. "The most interesting feature of the debate over the Iraq crisis..."

"...is that it never took place."
-- Noam Chomsky, Rogue States, Z Magazine/1998

[ronnie624]

11. An excellent read.

Hegemony or Survival and Propaganda and the Public Mind are also two very informative books. Chomsky's analysis is, of course, dead-on.

[shain from kane]

2. Coverage should surge over the next several months. n/t

[gratuitous]

3. Why should the media cover its own mistakes?

It just makes the big shots uncomfortable, lends aid and comfort to the dirty fucking hippies, and gives the hoi polloi a reason to mock their betters.

[L0oniX]

4. This is in preparation for the Betray-us report so...

it will look like there is less mass murder by our troops.

[Hugin]

5. Hmm... With all the pulp celeb trash spewing out of the Whurlitzer...

guessed I missed it. :eyes:

[azurnoir]

7. The republics learned their lessons

from the '70's and rule #1 from the day Raygun got into office was CONTROL THE MEDIA and they do, which has reduced American news to level of Pravda.

[cliss]

9. Not a problem for me -

Cuz my TV is gone. It went out to the Garage, because I couldn't stand watching "Einstein" Bush on TV.

I get my news right here on the DU + DailyKos.

[Supersedeas]

10. I'm guess Howie Kutz will give this a 20sec spot, if that -- Keeping Tabs, my @$$