CNN and the US: At Cross Purposes
As far as I can tell and from what I read, CNN comes across to anyone who supports the war in Iraq, President Bush and conservative issues as biased - against the US.
Those of us who support the war and Bush, feel that highlighting and dwelling only on flaws works against the cause. It's not that flaws don't exist. Of COURSE they do. It's just that a difficult war is not winnable unless the majority of the population supports it. Some of us wonder: What are the consequences if the US throws in the towel in Iraq? How will it affect the Iraqis? The Middle East situation? The efficacy of the US in fighting terrorism and Islamofascism? The entire world?
But CNN has different priorites. It wants to be the World's News Source. It's good for their business to be watched by many. It's part of their sales pitch that they connect the entire world. When CNN first began and for many years after, it was fantastic. It's very easy to take it for granted now, but the ability to access news from all over the world 24 hours a day was quite a thing at the time.
It all worked fine when little nitpicks and gripes of others against the US were only little nitpicks and gripes. We heard it when they said they thought we had no culture, that we were unsophisicated, over-religious, fast food-gobbling, gas-guzzlers. We heard it when they said that globalization, Disney and McDonalds were the ruination of the world.
But it didn't matter. We could shrug it off. They only people who seemed to care were the stupid conservatives - they and their incessant flag-waving and patriotism. Kind of an embarrassment, really. Perhaps Europe was right about us - Middle American flag wavers were kind of bumpkin-like. The real coolness came from the big city multi-culturalist anomie centers. Oh, the drama of being alienated. The boredom of keeping your doors unlocked and having potluck dinners with the neighbors. Bowling, for gawd's sake.
Perhaps it should have mattered to us more. Perhaps we should have answered back and attempted to sell ourselves better, and should have tried harder to drive home the point that Middle America was our backbone, and also served as the deeply hidden, humble and silent backbone of world freedom.
But, we thought that everyone loved us anyway, and that it didn't matter. They loved our rock and roll and blue jeans and movies and our American dollars - didn't they? Middle America? Who gave a damn?
This fine kettle of fish developed teeth and came back to bite us right in the ass. We can't fight an effective war with the world looking down on us. And we certainly can't convince them to stop looking down on us while a chunk of our citizens not only agrees with them, but does so through its media mouthpieces - like CNN.
Oh, CNN and the majority of liberal news sources do it very subtly and politely. And they can turn around and say, "Anti-American? Who? US?" with big puppydog Anderson Cooper eyes. But the fact is, they are not with us.
Yet, CNN has a point - they exist to report the news. And they have a financial and self-protecting interest to be perceived as "unbiased."
But what they and every Western media outlet and reporter might want to ask themselves is this: What happens to them and their ideas and their freedom and their sophistication if the West - supported and defended ONLY by US military and coalition forces - should lose.
Please note: No one is forcing CNN at gun point to change their reporting. No one is being thrown in prison. No lives are being threatened.
But the questions should be asked: What is the role of the media in wartime? How do changes in technology and worldwide communications affect their role?
Does CNN owe the US anything?
If the media helps the enemy, do they become the enemy?
See:
Lawmakers Fault CNN for Sniper Video
Hunter asks Blitzer, “Does CNN want America to win this thing?”
My Friend's Son was Killed in Iraq
Follow-up questions for Byron Calame
and the Times' Bush-bashing allies
Oh, Did I Say That My Country Was Arrogant and Stupid? Gee, Sorry About That ...
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