ABC and NBC News Are No Different...

[Mark Heide]

than news organizations run like the former Soviet Union's Pravda. I say this because, they have decided to censor the war news for you. On Sunday, Aljazeera News had re-broadcast the Iraqi News broadcast of the five American POWs and seven dead solders throughout their network. If you went to their website on Sunday, at aljazeera.net, you would have seen in the afternoon on the front page a picture of one of the American POWs on the front page (the young guy with the glasses). One of the POWs named Hudson was seen by his mother in New Mexico on the Philipino channel. Well, eventually the news traveled fast that she had saw her son.

The point of this story is when I watched ABC's World News program Peter Jennings stated that there were other news organizations broadcasting this tape, but the president of ABC News said not to do it. So, I flipped to NBC and Tom Brokov said that the US administration requested them not to show it. The point I'm making here is that ABC did not report the fact that the US administration either asked them or told them not to broadcast it. Anyway, NBC called up Hudson's mother on the phone and showed an except from Aljazeera News of Hudson while he was interviewing her. Tom Brokov said that he only was going to show Hudson and not anyone else.

The point here is that if Hudson's mother never saw the news on another station, no one in this country would have heard about it, because the major news media has decided that they have to follow government orders and have to show us only what they want to show us.

Today, both ABC and NBC showed all five POWs, but still refuse to show dead American solders.

If you want the real news in this country, I suggest going to alternate sources, and forget about the most popular American news channels because they don't tell all the news.

Quit watching ABC and NBC. Demand they tell it like it is!

Good Luck

Mark

[Glenn]

Mark,

You can't be serious. I don't even know how to respond. I only hope that you never lose a family member and then find out about it by seeing a picutre of their dead body all over TV. They did tell it like it is. They just didn't show pictures of the troops before their families were notified. And they didn't show picutres of dead/mutilated bodies that Iraq was using as propaganda. It is called class, not censorship.

[Mark Heide]

Glenn,

The point of my post here is that ABC and NBC waited until the US administration said if it is OK or not OK to broadcast a news story. The similarity between Pravda and US news media is the same. Pravda had to get Stalins approval. This issue just happened to be controvertial, but the sad part of it was is that our govenment is more worried about how propaganda will influence the American public, than our brave and courageous solders and their parents. I would be mad at the US administration if I was Hudsons father and heard about my son being captured on a Phillipino news channel as the first source of information. There was no reason why the US administration could not call these parents immeadiately after it happened. Instead the US administration fumbled and fell into Saddams propaganda trap again.

Mark

[adios]

As Glenn stated they reported the news but didn't show the videos. I suppose that the Iraqis blatent violation of the Geneva Convention in putting it on TV and the fact that it's obviously something Iraq was doing for propaganda purposes would also be good reasons not to run the videos. Also those networks don't live in vacum Mark. They're well aware that if people really want to see them they can.

[Martin Aigner]

1) You guys don´t really think that the coverage to be seen in the USA is no propaganda. Sure it is, as it would be in any other country in the world, too. That´s obvious. The mass media play a huge roll in this war. If the government doesn´t have the backup of the poeple, they can´t win, no matter whether they defeat Iraq or not.

2) I have seen parts of the pictures on TV. As I´ve read in todays newspaper they did broadcast only a small fraction of what was filmed, in Austria. I´afraid, there is a reason, why. Anyway, even the scared look in the face of the soldier is brutal enough. But he´s not the only man in the Iraq with this look on his face.

3) Geneva Convention: Well, don´t you think that Saddam can use a pretty easy apology for not using the Geneva Convention? Isn´t it just what the USA/Bush does with all the prisoners in Cuba?

Let´s pray for all the poor souls over there. No matter which side they are fighting for or (and these are the most) are not fighting for

Martin Aigner

[adios]

"1) You guys don´t really think that the coverage to be seen in the USA is no propaganda. Sure it is, as it would be in any other country in the world, too. That´s obvious. The mass media play a huge roll in this war. If the government doesn´t have the backup of the poeple, they can´t win, no matter whether they defeat Iraq or not."

If anything I would say that ABC and NBC are biased against the war. That's certainly open to debate but that's what I would tend to believe. The media is easily manipulated and I have no doubt that the administration is doing this to a certain extent. If the press and the administration were in cahoots then why wouldn't the President have press conferences very frequently instead of very infrequently? If they're in cahoots all the President has to do is field a bunch of softball questions in order to get great publicity. The reason is that the President as a general rule don't like fielding tough questions and opening themselves up to criticism.

"2) I have seen parts of the pictures on TV. As I´ve read in todays newspaper they did broadcast only a small fraction of what was filmed, in Austria. I´afraid, there is a reason, why. Anyway, even the scared look in the face of the soldier is brutal enough. But he´s not the only man in the Iraq with this look on his face. "

Ok but they're not being shown on a state run media. Don't you admit the Iraqis are behaiving outrageously by doing this? Also I believe this will work against the Iraqis. It will, probably has, galvanized USA public opinion against Iraq and I would guess motivate USA troops.

"3) Geneva Convention: Well, don´t you think that Saddam can use a pretty easy apology for not using the Geneva Convention? Isn´t it just what the USA/Bush does with all the prisoners in Cuba?"

How so? Even if it was true, why do NBC and ABC have to support violations of the Geneva conventions. Methinks you're making a big mistake in implying that NBC and ABC are quasi US government institutions.

[Martin Aigner]

"If anything I would say that ABC and NBC are biased against the war. That's certainly open to debate but that's what I would tend to believe. The media is easily manipulated and I have no doubt that the administration is doing this to a certain extent. If the press and the administration were in cahoots then why wouldn't the President have press conferences very frequently instead of very infrequently? If they're in cahoots all the President has to do is field a bunch of softball questions in order to get great publicity. The reason is that the President as a general rule don't like fielding tough questions and opening themselves up to criticism"

I can´t watch neither ABC nor NBC. But for what I have read in the european newspaper it is a fact that every american reporter had to be approved by the army. Furthermore everything they film will be watched by the army first. Part of the reason is that in Vietnam the american population finally turned against war because of the uncensored coverage by medias. This sure is something every government in the world don´t want to happen again.

"Ok but they're not being shown on a state run media. Don't you admit the Iraqis are behaiving outrageously by doing this? Also I believe this will work against the Iraqis. It will, probably has, galvanized USA public opinion against Iraq and I would guess motivate USA troops."

We sure agree on this one


About geneva conventions: What I meant was that the new laws after 9/11 reagarding terrorism and the rights of the imprisoners don´t go conform with geneva conventions.

Regards

Martin Aigner

[Clarkmeister]

"But for what I have read in the european newspaper it is a fact that every american reporter had to be approved by the army."

Duh. These reporters are embedded with the troops in action. I would be mortified if extensive background checks as well as physical readiness tests were not conducted.

"Furthermore everything they film will be watched by the army first."

This is clearly false. I have seen more live feed than I can count. Live battlefield shots, countless live interviews with troops, and live unedited opinions from the reporters. I have heard that at times the Pentagon gets their information from the 24 hour American news networks before they get it from the field.


I would start to question the veracity and motivation of the newspaper you read.

[KDF]

1. You guys don´t really think that the coverage to be seen in the USA is no propaganda. <font color="red"> TRUE </font color> Sure it is, as it would be in any other country in the world, too. That´s obvious. The mass media play a huge roll in this war. If the government doesn´t have the backup of the poeple, they can´t win, no matter whether they defeat Iraq or not. <font color="red">Incorrect- last poll showed 70% American people support the War. Your country may be different, just as the angle of the news you receive is different. </font color>

2) I have seen parts of the pictures on TV. As I´ve read in todays newspaper they did broadcast only a small fraction of what was filmed, in Austria. I´afraid, there is a reason, why. Anyway, even the scared look in the face of the soldier is brutal enough. But he´s not the only man in the Iraq with this look on his face. <font color="red"> True, but whats your point. Sounds like there are scared people in Austria too. </font color>

3) Geneva Convention: Well, don´t you think that Saddam can use a pretty easy apology for not using the Geneva Convention? Isn´t it just what the USA/Bush does with all the prisoners in Cuba? <font color="red"> Incorrect; prisoners in Cuba are not POWs, they are terrorists, war criminals and true enemies of our country. Also, we have yet to torture or execute any of them ...there's a huge difference. Somehow you seem to think the information you receive is true, while what we get is propaganda. I think we all receive a liitle bit of both. Don't try to protray your European interpretation as superior, when it is no less slanted than any other source.</font color>

Let´s pray for all the poor souls over there. No matter which side they are fighting for or (and these are the most) are not fighting for. <font color="red"> I pray for the world, (Europe included) in the hope that future, more deadly conflicts can be avoided by the action taken today. I also pray for a swift victory and resolution to end any suffering. </font color>

[Martin Aigner]

1. You guys don´t really think that the coverage to be seen in the USA is no propaganda. TRUE Sure it is, as it would be in any other country in the world, too. That´s obvious. The mass media play a huge roll in this war. If the government doesn´t have the backup of the poeple, they can´t win, no matter whether they defeat Iraq or not. <font color="red"> </font color>

We don´t disagree on this one. But there are lots of reasons why there are 70% supporters. One of them is the media. Others are psychologie, fear, ....

2) I have seen parts of the pictures on TV. As I´ve read in todays newspaper they did broadcast only a small fraction of what was filmed, in Austria. I´afraid, there is a reason, why. Anyway, even the scared look in the face of the soldier is brutal enough. But he´s not the only man in the Iraq with this look on his face. <font color="red"> </font color> True, but whats your point. Sounds like there are scared people in Austria too.

Geneva Convention: Well, don´t you think that Saddam can use a pretty easy apology for not using the Geneva Convention? Isn´t it just what the USA/Bush does with all the prisoners in Cuba? Incorrect; prisoners in Cuba are not POWs, they are terrorists, war criminals and true enemies of our country. Also, we have yet to torture or execute any of them ...there's a huge difference. Somehow you seem to think the information you receive is true, while what we get is propaganda. I think we all receive a liitle bit of both. Don't try to protray your European interpretation as superior, when it is no less slanted than any other source

Sorry, not true. It´s just that everybody is told they are terrorist. But nobody can know whether that´s true. I don´t say that none of them is a terrorist, there sure are lots of them. But you know how many innocent people are in prison (all over the world), and I´m sure that there are some innocent people in Cuba too. The problem is that they don´t get the rights they should.

I´m sorry, if it sounded that my "european" interpration sounded superior. That´s not what it was meant to be. It´s just that I don´t agree with everything that happens now.

Regards

Martin Aigner