Michael Yon and Matt Sanchez: boots—and word processors—on the ground
Michael Yon has been doing some fine work lately in writing about how the surge is going in Iraq. It’s sad that independent journalists dependent on donations (such as Yon) are forced to do this on their own because the MSM seems to not want to touch such stories.
Yon’s efforts have been highlighted here, in a piece that describes how he has been trying to get the word out about what’s been happening in areas such as Diyala. Take a look and spread the word; the MSM won’t do so.
And this excellent must-read by Matt Sanchez, a corporal in the Marine Corps reserves and an embed reporter in Iraq, says a great deal about what’s driving media coverage in Iraq and thus shaping the hearts and minds of most Americans. He decries the utter lack of accountability demanded of the media, and the ignorance of most journalists about war itself and this conflict in particular:
Unlike any other player on the board, the press has no oversight, no mandate, few penalties, and even fewer consequences. In Fallujah, a suicide bomber kills one victim, but an “unidentified police officer” reports 20 dead and just as many casualties. Because there are not enough reporters on the ground, too many bureaus have outsourced both their reporting and standards to third-party “stringers” whose spectacular videos of explosions and inflated body counts have shown up on both jihadist recruiting sites and American television screens, simultaneously. These hacks-for-hire literally get more bucks for each bang.
Nothing happens? No cash from an image-driven 24-hour news cycle. Have the media made mistakes in coverage? No doubt. But in an industry where some claim to be “keeping them honest,” there’s no penalty for false or misleading reports. With accountability about as valid as last week’s newspaper, reporters still maintain carte blanche in their work. For a group that habitually decries abuse of power and unilateralism, who watches the watchmen?
Well, people like Yon and Sanchez do. But their voices are not being disseminated in a way that can even begin to compete with that of the MSM.
I try to do my own small part in trying to spread the word. I hope you do yours.
Thank you for today’s link, Neo. I have sent Michael’s home page info to most of my address book. Might get a bit of flack over that! My 17-year-old son has just signed up for the Marines’ delayed entry programme, so I take a personal interest in the non-MSM accounts of the Iraq war.
Yours is the only blog I read faithfully. Thanks to you I have lately discovered Leonard Cohen. That Youtube “Dance me” makes me swoon:-) I grew up in New Zealand and I missed out on many of America’s popular cultural icons.
Keep up the good work, you stir me to deeper thoughts!
191 journalists have been killed in Iraq since we invaded.
That’s more casualties than the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy combined have suffered there.
That’s why I take these daily “the press doesn’t cover the real war” stories with a large dose of salt.
I’m not sure that comparison means that much, alphie. Iraq is primarily a ground war and USAF and Navy don’t exactly represent boots on the ground. I don’t even know what their respective troop strengths are in Iraq compared to Army and Marines.
And futuremarinemom, my dear, calling Leonard Cohen a popular cultural icon is a bit of a stretch.
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alfie:
“That’s why I take these daily “the press doesn’t cover the real war” stories with a large dose of salt.”
No huh? But you could practically make your own nuclear weapon by throwing dirt in a washing machine, cant you alphie? Nothing absurd about that is there?
On leonard Cohen:
So, Zhombre, I guess that’s where my ignorance shows!
Well, Cohen is a cultural icon. And although “popular” is stretching it, he’s certainly popular with a niche crowd. Count me in that niche.
youtube.comCohen is good, but for best singer from Montreal, I gotta vote for Gino Vannelli:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xXIHPUmv3k
Unlike any other player on the board, the press has no oversight, no mandate, few penalties, and even fewer consequences.
Huh?
“Press has no oversight…”
Of course it doesn’t, and shouldn’t, have “oversight”. Has this guy ever heard of “freedom of the press” ??
“Fewer consequences….”
He is wrong. The free market generates the consequences. If a newspaper, for example, is consistently wrong and incorrect in its reporting, eventually the readers will catch on and stop reading it. Its circulation will fall, and it will go out of business. Those are the consequences.
This guy is scary, because he seems to want some kind of heavy-handed “oversight” and “consequences”. That way would lead to censorship and an unfree press.
And speaking of Iraq…:
By Noam N. Levey
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 7, 2007
WASHINGTON – Wearied by the lack of progress in Iraq and by the steady stream of military funerals back home, a growing number of Republican lawmakers who had stood loyally with President Bush are insisting his strategy has failed and are calling on him to bring the war to an end.
Cpl. Sanchez was not speaking of censorship. Cpl. Sanchez has devoted some portion of his life and sweat to protecting American rights – including freedom of the press/freedom of speech. Cpl Sanchez deserves better than to be slandered by a commenter using a nom de guerre.
As for a news industry which consistently fails to provide adequate oversight for inadequate reporters, and which consistently fails to impose consequences on those reporters, its circulation numbers are in free-fall. The market is speaking, with greater rapidity and impact than I ever imagined it would.
As for a news industry which consistently fails to provide adequate oversight for inadequate reporters, and which consistently fails to impose consequences on those reporters, its circulation numbers are in free-fall. The market is speaking, with greater rapidity and impact than I ever imagined it would.
No kidding! But…why are these Republican lawmakers believing the news industry?
“By Noam N. Levey
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 7, 2007
WASHINGTON – Wearied by the lack of progress in Iraq and by the steady stream of military funerals back home, a growing number of Republican lawmakers who had stood loyally with President Bush are insisting his strategy has failed and are calling on him to bring the war to an end.”
“But…why are these Republican lawmakers believing the news industry?”
The “Republican lawmakers” are believing their constituents’ reactions to the endless “drip drip drip” of bad news dished out daily by the “news industry” that has no “oversight” in the sense of editors that don’t check for facts in their reporters’ stories and photo editors that fail to see photoshopped pictures sold as “true” by stringer photographers.
These “lawmakers” are just saving their bacon by choosing the easy course–give up, rather than lose a seat in Congress. This country was founded on the principle that we would avoid a “ruling class” by electing our government every four years. We seem to have forgotten that the sinecures granted to the pork-loving losers that currently occupy both sides of Congress’ aisles have given us a “nobility” of our own.
A pox on them all.
Say what you want about the quality of reporting coming out of Iraq, stumbley, but there is one overarching fact about Iraq that nobody fails to get right:
Our troops are still there.
Everything else is just color commentary.
Hi Neo
Off subject, but seeing that Leonard Cohen has been briefly discussed, and none of my friends or family seem to be familiar with him……….
I find some of his material to be a bit too gritty for my taste, but yet other songs move me immensely, e.g. Suzanne, Hallelujah (although I prefer the Jeff Buckley version.) The latter has been running through the back of my head since I heard it on (was it?) Grey’s Anatomy a couple of years ago. Have to chuckle though, he mixes up the stories of King David and Samson and Delilah. D’you think it’s on purpose, or is he biblically ignorant? Can’t actually imagine Leonard being a bible scholar!
191 journalists have been killed in Iraq since we invaded.
Of course they were killed, obviously the journalists seeking to imbed with Americans must be silenced otherwise the editors and desk jockies back at Baghdad can’t get the real goods out over the noise.
That’s more casualties than the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy combined have suffered there.
That’s like saying the US Marine Corps suffered more casualties than the DC politicians back home sitting behind a desk and giving press releases about the war. Nice. Just cause you don’t understand what relative risk means, A, doesn’t mean you should demonstrate that ignorance to everyone else.
Of course it doesn’t, and shouldn’t, have “oversight”. Has this guy ever heard of “freedom of the press” ??
Now that’s funny. It would be even funnier if he said in defense of the 1st Ammendment and 2nd Ammendment, that there should be no oversight of those either.
Petty tyrants should never be limited!! Vive Le Revolution.
The free market generates the consequences.
Doesn’t apply to monopolies.
If a newspaper, for example, is consistently wrong and incorrect in its reporting, eventually the readers will catch on and stop reading it.
The foreign funds and exclusives from America’s enemies takes care of that, so that it doesn’t crash the newspaper immediately. Also the huge conglomerates have large credit lines so that a decrease in market share only slows them down, it doesn’t stop them as it would a small business.
myjewishlearning.com
Futuremarine’smom: Actually, Leonard Cohen is extremely conversant in the Bible. He was raised as an observant and traditional Jew and received a great deal of religious instruction wile growing up. If his Biblical allusions are mixed, I am sure it is purposeful poetic license.
See this for more about Cohen’s religious background and viewpoints:
Cohen still remains an Acquired Taste and not an Icon. A shot of absinthe in a world of small beer.
michaeltotten.comHere’s another guy, turns out to be a “liberal” not “blinded by ideology” like Alpo:
http://www.michaeltotten.com/
There really are some out there, like Lieberman, Ed Koch, Dean Esmay, etc.
Thank you for posting this! I do feel that folks are growing so weary under the constant negative commentary from the MSM that the “leaders” (so-called) of this country just might make some headway with this whole withdrawal thing. A little truth would be so refreshing, yet you have to make an effort to get it – it won’t find you via the usual channels. Most people are unable or unwilling to do so, and so the delusion is taking hold. 🙁
BTW: I LOVE Leonard Cohen too. One time, on a second date, this guy put on a Cohen CD, the first music he played for me. I had never heard it before. Wow. I must have been impressed, because I married him!
Matt Sanchez? The gay porn star? The escort?
http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2007/03/jeff-gannon-redux.html
I’m currently in Afghanistan where I’m seeing much of the same shoddy reporting.
Almost as bad as the stuff on Joemygod.com