AMosely

Since my DSL connection was down last night and I was all caught up on my DVR programs, I decided to actually watch live cable television. Since I'd already seen the documentary on Hamas being shown on Discovery/Times, I made my way over to the cable news networks to see what they were saying about the current Israeli war.

MSNBC was doing some kind of hour-long reality investigation into LA street life. I was not very surprised to find Fox's O'Reilley not yapping about the war, but instead choosing to harp on easy targets like the military funeral protesters and child molesters. CNN was the only network I found that was actively covering the war, and actually has correspondents on the border and in Lebanon.

They have a whole crew of guys in Beiruit who are doing what I thought was a good job of documenting the conflict. I saw a rather surreal clip of them being led through parts of southern Lebanon (Hezbollah controlled) by Hezbollah 'representatives' (teenagers on mopeds). They were unarmed, and dressed like kids. The streets and buildings were completely deserted. The tour guides kept pointing out civilian buildings that had been bombed, yet there was a lack of personal effects in the rubble - mostly papers, desk furniture - office equipment. Lastly, there was a staged show of ambulances, where they had a bunch of ambulances lined up, ready to make a show for the press. While the organized, on-message propaganda is certainly worth noticing, it's also worth understanding how Hezbollah is really using the entire conflict as propaganda. This is an obnoxious group, and Israel is going to have to work very carefully and very hard to eliminate them.

CNN also had reporters talking to all sorts of civilians - Lebanese refugees, Palistinians, Israeli Jews and Israeli Arabs - all of them saying that this is a ridiculous conflict, and Hezbollah needs to go, and they hope it is over soon so that once again people can attempt to lead normal, peaceful lives there.

I flipped back over to the other networks during commercials. Fox had shifted to Britt Hume, who was covering the war from his news desk, with his normal commentators, full of theories about Syria, Iran and the like. Fox had one correspondent in their Jerusalem office that had trouble pronouncing the names of Israeli and Lebanese towns. MSNBC had switched to 'Countdown,' Olberman was not at the desk, which made me care even less about the pre-scripted attacks on everything.

So, kudos to CNN for actually putting reporters on the ground over there. It's good to see a cable news network that's willing to put reporters into conflicts even when there is no American military to protect them (though the Navy was responsible for flying them in by helicopter).

Faultline

Very interesting. I'd love to see what Al-Jazeera is showing? Maybe when I get home I can find some video somewhere.

__________________

CingularDuality

Ugh, I saw a clip like this on CNN last week and it disgusted me. The terrorist kept pointing out how the Israelis are "only attacking civilians" and was ordering the CNN cameraman to shoot here and shoot there. I understand that concessions sometimes have to be made by reporters in order to get close to the real story, but when they aired that, they went too far.

__________________

Become a supporting member!

Buy a Tactical Duck!
Take the world's smallest political quiz! "I was touched by His Noodly Appendage."
TacticalGamer TX LAN/BBQ Veteran:

leejo

Even the UN is going after Hezbollah's shameless use of civilians as cover and their cynical use of their civilian deaths as a tool with which to flog Israel. Hezbollah, I think it's fair to say, seeks maximum civilian death on both sides.

FWIW I've seen some of Fox's coverage and I don't think you got a good sample AMosely. Their anchor has been doing live broadcasts from Hiafa since shortly after the rockets started coming in, and they have several reporters on the border and at various places in and around Israel and Lebannon, including Beirut.

If you're gonna get mad at Fox for showing O'Reilly, be sure to tune in when Larry King has the mic and see what deep insight he's shedding on important matters.

AMosely

Yeah I probably didn't. My sample was totally random. I was just really surprised at the attention CNN is giving it, and thought I'd point it out.

I couldn't agree more. I hate CNN for this total waste of breath, but I know why they keep him - he has a huge long term following, so they keep him for ratings. Many of these regular viewers must not hear very well. Larry King has lost his insight, and his marbles. I wonder how many newer viewers tune in just for laughs - sortof like Charles Grodin's long-gone MSNBC show, or Will Ferrell's impersonation of Harry Caray doing a talk show. "It's a simple question, Doctor - would you eat the moon if it were made out of cheese."

leejo

LOL! Save me Tom Cruise!!!

leejo

More on the CNN coverage mentioned earlier: http://newsbusters.org/node/6552

Faultline

Don't forget John Edwards repeated appearances. That guy is a waste.

__________________

Rincewind

You beat me to it leejo. damn you.

__________________
~~ Veritas simplex oratio est ~~
No matter how far a wizard goes, he will always come back for his hat. --T. Pratchett

<---- You know you're getting old when you rely on your forum meta-data to remind you how old you are.

Required Reading for all TG sandboxers

Switchcraft

I'm visiting parents this week...they have one of the cable news networks on and the narrator fro some story is saying that hezbollah has forbidden any of the networks from showing them firing rockets into the civilian areas of Israel if they wish to remain able to broadcast from Lebanon.

It's sad, really. I think if any of these networks had principles, they would refuse the order, and if need be, withdraw from Lebanon. There's simply no reason to give them them the biased coverage they're asking for.

WhiskeySix

sure there is...

__________________




PoE2 Version 2.5 Overview | Get started with PoE2 (for free!)

Switchcraft

LOL, that reminds me...

Just over a minute into this report on NBC, their reporter, trying to show the damage done by Israel to the infrasturcture of Lebanon, shows a scene from their "financial district."

They give you a great close-up of the counterfeit US money that was evidently being printed there.

leejo

Oh that's awesome Switchcraft. Good eye!

Switchcraft

Well, I wouldn't have seen it except for the inflation post that was elsewhere in the Sandbox...at the time, I looked up the US Mint and discovered you can buy sheets of US currency (at increased cost) as a novelty.

There's just no way that a bank in Lebanon has sheets of $100 bills...I don't even tink they were green, but I can't rely on internet video for color coorectness.

leejo

Who said that's a bank? All we know is what the guy on TV said, and we've already seen how Hezbollah is controlling that. For all we know that was Hassan Nasrallah's personal rumpus room.