[CanYoAssDigIt] Fwd: Counting Iraqi Casualties

FAIR is another good source of accurate information, one I neglected
to mention last message. In their current communique, they critique
the way the media in this country has ignored Iraqi casualties (until
Bush responded to the issue) and now they can talk about them - but in
terms of explaining, apologizing for, finessing, supporting, and
rationalizing Bush's statements. For example: "On NPR's Morning
Edition (12/13/05), Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution
said, 'I give Mr. Bush credit for having given some information, and
it shows that he's conscious of this very human toll of the war, so I
think it was a good thing that he responded.'"

Did anybody hear that program? Did they throw him the usual
puffballs? Did you know that interview subjects on NPR submit a list
of the questions they want asked of them? That is why the interviews
are rarely challenging, why their answers are so glib, and why the NPR
interviewers sometimes sound as if they are thinking about doing their
laundry while they conduct the interview. They probably are.

The "This American Life" segment they reference sounds interesting.
Did anybody hear that? I was about to give NPR some kudos, but
suddenly realised that program is not an NPR program, but is a
production of PRI and Chicago Public Radio.

KUOW does well to go outside of NPR to get programming - Democracy
Now! would be a valuable addition to their programming.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: FAIR <fair@fair.org>
Date: Dec 16, 2005 12:09 PM
Subject: Counting Iraqi Casualties
To: matt.mattlove1@gmail.com
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=2778

Media Advisory

Counting Iraqi Casualties
Why didn't the press ask?

12/16/05

Throughout the Iraq War, the mainstream media have shown little
interest in documenting or quantifying the suffering of Iraqis. But a
recent comment by George W. Bush provoked an unexpected round of
discussion of the topic.

At the close of a public event on December 12, Bush took questions
from the audience. And the very first question was unusually direct:

"I'd like to know the approximate total of Iraqis who have been
killed. And by Iraqis, I include civilians, military police,
insurgents, translators."

Bush's response: "How many Iraqi citizens have died in this war? I
would say 30,000, more or less, have died as a result of the initial
incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis."

Suddenly, major newspapers and broadcast outlets were engaged in an
unexpected discussion about the human toll of the war for Iraqis.
Reporters began to cite Iraq Body Count's tally of civilian deaths as
a possible source for Bush's claim (USA Today, 12/14/05; CNN,
12/12/05).

Often overlooked was the fact that Iraq Body Count's research is
limited to civilian deaths--not including insurgents or security
forces, as asked by the questioner--and only those civilian deaths
that were reported by the media. The resulting total, as the group
acknowledges on its website, is therefore a low estimate: "It is
likely that many if not most civilian casualties will go unreported by
the media."

A more scientific survey of total civilian deaths in Iraq that was
published in the British medical journal The Lancet (10/29/04)
suggested a much higher death toll of 100,000. But as FAIR pointed out
in a March 21, 2005 Action Alert, media discussions of Iraqi
casualties have tended to avoid or dismiss that higher estimate. The
Lancet study was largely ignored by the mainstream press when it was
released (This American Life, 10/28/05) and remains largely outside
the realm of discussion a year later.

Some in the media seemed eager to congratulate Bush for even
addressing the issue. On NPR's Morning Edition (12/13/05), Michael
O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution said, "I give Mr. Bush credit
for having given some information, and it shows that he's conscious of
this very human toll of the war, so I think it was a good thing that
he responded."

ABC reporter Claire Shipman (12/13/05) was also impressed,
acknowledging that while "getting specific like that about extremely
murky casualty figures can be a no-win political proposition," it
could prove beneficial to Bush: "Now some have suggested it's a
healthy sign that the president was so willing to get specific about
the number of Iraqi dead, that it shows how closely he's following the
cost of the war." Shipman went on to add: "So far, civilian casualties
in Iraq don't at all approach those of the other big wars of the last
century."

But the most interesting and perhaps obvious aspect of this incident
has gone largely untouched: Why haven't reporters asked Bush this
question yet? White House spokesman Scott McLellan has rarely had to
answer questions about Iraqi deaths during his regular press briefings
(a few exceptions have come from syndicated columnist Helen Thomas and
progressive journalist Russell Mokhiber).

As media reports have suggested, the White House is not eager to talk
about the deaths caused by its Iraq policy. But neither, it seems, is
the press corps.
****

For many years Tom Tomorrow's cartoons have taken aim at the
absurdities of our political system and the corporate media. For only
$15, you can order "The Wrath of Sparky," "Penguin Soup for the Soul,"
and "When Penguins Attack."

Naomi Klein on torture, Eric Boehlert on Sami al-Arian (12/16/05-12/22/05)


Feel free to respond to FAIR ( fair@fair.org ). We can't reply to
everything, but we will look at each message. We especially appreciate
documented examples of media bias or censorship. And please send
copies of your correspondence with media outlets, including any
responses, to fair@fair.org.
________________________________

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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