Untold Story: U.S. Newspapers Ignore Iraqi Civilian Deaths

[Nambe]

Pacific News Service

Most reports coming out of Iraq are built around the casualties of American soldiers in post-war attacks. Deaths and injuries among Iraqi civilians, however, rarely make it to the pages of U.S. newspapers, even when the Iraqis are killed in the same incident -- and even when major international newswires report these casualties.

In late July, for example, the major story out of Iraq was the killing of Saddam's two sons, Uday and Qusay, and his grandson, Mustapha, in a raid on a house in the city of Mosul. But Western media missed a crucial aspect of the story.

Several reports of the sons' deaths mentioned that some Iraqis celebrated the news in a traditional Iraqi way: firing guns into the air. What was missing in the coverage was that many Iraqis lost their lives in the celebrations. Al Mu'tamar newspaper, published by the Iraqi National Conference -- the closest of American allies -- quoted medical and security sources in Baghdad citing that 31 civilians were killed and 76 injured as a result of the revelry gunfire. No U.S. media reported such news.

This kind of reporting not only gives American readers and viewers an incomplete story, but also furthers the mistrust of American media that is becoming more and more pervasive worldwide. ---

[goobergunch]

1. Gee, I wonder why?

Could it be because the news people are MEDIA WHORES?

[ninkasi]

2. Ya think?

Bad enough Bush is a laughingstock abroad. Our press now holds the same dubious honor.

[goobergunch]

4. Thankfully, a local PBS has the BBC news weeknights...

unfortunately, it's at the same time as the Daily Show. :-(

[kimchi]

3. Nice summary.

I don't think the case of "revelry gunfire" is the best demonstration of covering up the news of the casualties in Iraq, so that part I just don't get.

But overall, yeah, duh, we Americans don't like hearing how we've blown others to bits in order to crank up the AC in our SUVs. If I pretend not to know about it, I won't lose any sleep. Just ask the Germans.

[Karenina]

5. Well, like, um,

who giveas a shit. Dem raghead sand nigras got it comin' for being so damn intractable anyways... Let 'em each die a thousand horrible deaths, what dey doin' on toppa rightful US Öl anyway??? Fuck 'em.

Americans have NEVER been too quick to notice the atrocities perpetrated in their names. Then they spin around, puffed up with their own distorted mythology and whine, "We're the GOOD GUYS, how DARE YOU hate us! We're gonna stomp you into the ground because WE CAN. YOU deserve it. We're GOOD, YOU'RE BAD and who the hell cares what YOU think? You kill one of US, we'll kill 50 of you. THAT'S the minimum exchange rate our fearless leader expects. He has bidness interests to protect and we be told what's good for *THEM is good for the nation. G_d said it, I believe it and that settles it. So there!"

Was für Haltestelle haben wir hier??? Meine ficken Fresse.