In The Interest Of A Balanced Media

Friday, April 30, 2004

In The Interest Of A Balanced Media

By Rob on April 30, 2004 at 10:04 am

Nothing like a little satire to bring the absurdity of an issue into the spotlight.

From Scrappleface:

Koppel to Read Names of Saddam's Victims

ABC-TV journalist Ted Koppel, who caused a firestorm of controversy with his plan to read the names of U.S. troops killed in Iraq, today announced that in the interest of balance and fairness next week he will read another list on his show, Nightline.

"I would never want anyone to accuse me of bias. After all, I'm a journalist, devoted to accurately portraying world events," said Mr. Koppel. "So, next week I will read the list of Iraqis who were raped, tortured and killed by Saddam Hussein's regime after President George H.W. Bush declared victory in the Gulf War on February 28, 1991."

Mr. Koppel said next week's Nightline will be a "special extended episode starting Friday and running non-stop until the day I retire from ABC."

Comments

Here is what I don’t get---how can it be heroic to die for your country, but necessary to be shipped home in a silence and secrecy generally associated with sahme? Shouldn’t we be proud of the sacrifice these men and women made, and read their names like an honor roll?

Perhaps the White House thinks if we see too many dead bodies, we’ll start to ask questions---like “what did they die FOR?” Are they afraid of the answer?

Don Myers on April 30, 2004 at 01:05 pm

Rob
18086 comments
Send a private message

I don’t equate respect of the privacy of these soldiers and their families with shame. Let the families and loved ones of the fallen soldiers decide when and how they’d like their loved ones to be remebered.

Ted Koppel and Nightline are trying to take the scarifice of these soldiers and use it to their own political and monetary gain. That is sickening. The lives of these soldiers are not public domain.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs: