By Lex, Posted on January 14, 2007
There are at least two narratives of importance on the war in Iraq. One tale has to do with blame-laying, fault finding and political advantage. The other has to do with America at war and the consequences of failure. One of these tales is being told by the media, while the other is being pretty much ignored.
UPI’s Pentagon reporter Pamela Hess captures the coverage gap nicely here.
It’s so much easier for us to cover this as a political horse race. It’s on the cover of “The New York Times” today, what this means for the ‘08 election. But we’re not asking the central national security question, because it seems that if as a reporter you do ask the national security question, all of a sudden you’re carrying Bush’s water. There are national security questions at stake, and we’re ignoring them and the country is getting screwed.
She’s right of course – Bush may have started this war, but the country is fighting it. He’ll be gone from office in less than two years, and the 2008 election will doubtless turn on where we are in Iraq as much as anything else. If a free press intends to live up to their responsibility to a free citizenry, they have a responsibility to open their field of view a bit, and inform the public.
