Some U.S. Media Rosy on Iraq Since Handover-Experts

[Khephra]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some U.S. news outlets are treating the "transfer of power" to Iraqis as a new beginning for the country, even though the situation on the ground seems little altered, experts said on Thursday.

Since the hurried June 28 ceremony at which the United States officially handed sovereignty to an unelected interim government, the bloody insurgency convulsing the country continues to rage and U.S. forces continue to take heavy casualties.

"I've noticed a change in the U.S. coverage, perhaps reflecting the media's feeling that the transfer of power marked the beginning of a new era for Iraq," said Joseph Cirincione of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

"In general, there's been a shift in tone in the reporting that conveys a feeling of greater stability and security in Iraq than actually exists," he said.

http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=reutersEdge&storyID=5623199

[Mari333]

1. US media=whoring shills for the * administration

Corporate whores.

[Ramsey]

2. They should read the AP

Iraq Insurgency Larger Than Thought

The Iraq insurgency is far larger than the 5,000 guerrillas previously thought to be at its core, U.S. military officials say, and it's being led by well-armed Iraqi Sunnis angry at being pushed from power alongside Saddam Hussein.

Although U.S. military analysts disagree over the exact size, dozens of regional cells, often led by tribal sheiks and inspired by Sunni Muslim imams, can call upon part-time fighters to boost forces to as high as 20,000 — an estimate reflected in the insurgency's continued strength after U.S. forces killed as many as 4,000 in April alone.

[peterh]

8. Bingo….first thing I thought of also….

Yep….just a rosy picture there in Iraq….

[Media_Lies_Daily]

16. And just like military intelligence did in Vietnam, the numbers IMHO....

...are woefully underestimated. They might be safer using a number in the ballpark of 200,000 Iraqis actively involved in combat operations with millions working in the background providing logistical support to include, weapons, ammunition, food, and staging areas.

The Iraqi people aren't taking foreign occupation any better than we would.

[Cha]

3. What else is new with these reichwhores?

The US citizens Do Not get the real time coverage..what's it gonna take for the People to rebel and demand the truth from our mainstream media?

They must want bush awfully bad to win this time.

[2Design]

4. exactly....there is no change but they changed the reporting

[hansolsen]

10. Attacks still at 80% of pre handover level (just my guess from Internet)

But media reporting of violence in Iraq at 8% of pre-handover days. Again, just my rough guess, but close, I'll bet.

[daleo]

5. Maybe Fahrenheit 911 had something to do with it as well

The movie came out about the same time as the handover, but maybe this happy-happy media stuff is to counteract Micheal Moore's truth telling about Iraq.

[struggle4progress]

6. More (kablam) good news (boom) from (rattatat) Iraq! Next, at 11! eom

[geek tragedy]

7. What--the media are acting like shallow twats who are easily fooled?

I'm shocked, shocked!

[Kool Kitty]

9. geek, they are acting like shallow

twats that are easily fooled because they ARE shallow twats that are easily fooled! Thanks for making me laugh with your totally correct observation. :yourock:

[struggle4progress]

11. kick

:kick:

[hadrons]

12. any upswing in Dumbya's poll numbers can be sourced to this ....

the media likes easy, simple stories, like in 2000 when a consense was reached about Gore being a serial lair and Dumbya being a simple straight-shooter and all evidence otherwise was ignored

part of it is straight-forward shilling to their corporate masters, but part of it is that they want to believe in this transfer of power and all evidence otherwise will be ignored; this is why the election will be close; there are people who want to believe in this idiot-in-chief and all evidence otherwise will be ignored

[bushwakker]

13. 5 US servicemen killed yesterday

The handover didn't work out to well for them.

[tabasco]

14. The media apparently have "beautiful minds" like Babs Bush.

People with beautiful minds can easily overlook people getting killed. I don't see anybody getting killed - so what's all the fuss?? See...if you overlook people getting killed, Iraq is a pretty darn nice place. And reporting about such ugly things would make the beautiful mind republicans really mad because it takes away from reporting all the good things in Iraq. So the media buries the dead soldiers under Kobe, Michael, St. Ronnie, and all the other things we really care about!

[bushwakker]

17. In a sane world Bush would not even be the GOP nominee

they would have seen him for the failure he is and nominated someone else.

[Malva Zebrina]

15. Oh I see--George Bush did a good thing is where the propaganda

machine goes next eh?

Whatever happened to Charlotte Beers? What big company have we hired to send all the propaganda out of Iraq and AFganistan ? I know we have hired them. They may even be the ones responsible for the secret re-entry of our troops during the middle of the night in flag draped coffins.