Barren Coverage on “Winter Soldier”
It is no secret that I have an intense hatred of mainstream media, but this article here on Democracy Now! completely validates my extreme views. The event Winter Soldier was organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War, a group organized in 2004 to order to give a voice to both active and inactive members of the military disaffected by the war. Members of the group held an open meeting to “testify” about U.S. military atrocities committed during the Iraq War. According to Democracy Now!,
Although Winter Soldier was held just outside the nation’s capital, it was almost entirely ignored by the American corporate media. A search on the Lexis database found that no major television network or cable news network even mentioned Winter Soldier over the weekend, neither did the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times or most other major newspapers in the country. The editors of the Washington Post chose to cover Winter Soldier but placed the article in the local section.
The soldiers participating in IVAW and Winter Soldier describe the breakdown of the military, corporate pillaging, healthcare crises, civilian casualties and increasing hatred and brutality during combat, among a myriad of other otherwise unreported war atrocities. Phil Donahue’s documentary Body of War is a more personal look into on disaffected Iraq War veteran and his family, and while it received good press coverage from NPR, Jim Lehrer and Democracy Now, it was also largely ignored by the mainstream media.
The stories and concerns of the group are only seen in the mainstream media during scandals like Abu Ghraib or when Amnesty International decides to showcase the conditions of Guantanamo Bay (the link here is to the Fox News Network’s story on Amnesty International’s touring program. The network doesn’t even have a story on IVAW at all. I could go on and on about the inadequacies of fair and balanced reporting, but that gets tiresome, no matter how much it continues to annoy me).
Another story on Democracy Now’s top headlines concerns the acquittal of the last Marine implicated in the Haditha massacre. As the report linked here shows, twenty four unarmed civilians, including women and children, were killed by eight Marines in what was supposedly retaliation for planting an explosive device that killed members of their company. The killings were not only improperly investigated by the army, the mainstream media has rarely provided updated reports on the trials, acquittals, etc. of the Marines.
What Democracy Now also covers, almost exclusively, is the follow up to Pat Tillman’s death. Pat Tillman, the NFL star, was shot and killed by friendly fire several years ago, although his death was originally blamed on enemy combatants. Mary Tillman, Pat’s mother, has written a book detailing military culture as well as the media spin put on Pat’s death. What is interesting about this story is not just that Tillman was an NFL star, but that his death coincided with the release of the Abu Ghraib pictures. It is Mary Tillman’s belief that the army deliberately clouded the circumstances surrounding his death in order to deflect the decreasing support of the war.
So there is an American news outlet doing some good reporting and I don’t have to be down on everyone. Yay optimism?
[Digg]
It is somewhat encouraging to note that perhaps 70% of the American people want the US out of Iraq in spite of the main stream media’s disdain for anti Iraq war coverage. As a member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, I am encouraged by our growth, both in numbers of members as well as in our political expertise. I could not have joined a more dedicated and professional organization of first-class individuals than Iraq Veterans Against the War. We are each free to work towards achieving the goals of the organization- out of Iraq, reparations to Iraqis, proper care for our returning service members- each in our own way or together as a group. This allows everyone to utilize their own particular skill or interest at whatever level works best for them; be it demonstrating locally, regional Winter Soldier testimony (as presented to a crowd of over 800 in Seattle, WA on May 31st), making speeches at events, visiting military bases to spread the word to active duty service members, or by writing articles that bring light to the real situation our soldiers and the Iraqi people are facing on a daily basis. Yes, we need main stream media coverage, the more the better. We also need the true dedication and support of political figures of all persuasions to come forward and do what is right: speak out about the lies and deceptions that got us into this illegal and immoral war, support immediate withdrawal of our troops from Iraq, demand proper care for our returning veterans including mental health care so desperately needed, stop the drum-beat of fear mongering towards the country of Iran, and support and carry forward with the articles of impeachment so no future president can scare this country into such a disaster again. Please, elected officials, listen up. Very few of you are currently paying enough attention to what the American public has asked of you. We voted in 2006 – did you not hear us? Please visit the IVAW website http://www.ivaw.org to see for yourselves what we stand for and who we are. We are sons and daughters, we are fathers and mothers, we are service members and veterans. We are the mainstream people who have chosen to speak out as a matter of conscience. Please listen to us, this is so very important. Someone’s life depends on us, all of us, and we must not fail.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you marryanns and all of the IVAW for your continuing work and struggle in voicing your opposition to the war. I am so frustrated by the lack coverage your organization receives and how this perpetuation of ignorance only serves to encourage more young men and women to sign up for a war built on lies. Please keep up the good work and I hope soon IVAW will get some real coverage and publicity so that the rest of the American public will be informed.