SCROLL FOR UPDATE:
Kudos to the S-R for continuing its series of reporting on two Idaho twins now serving in the Gulf
This is an update of my earlier post regarding:
Is the New Media forcing accountability of the MSM wire services?
I sent this email to the S-R regarding there continuing series by former S-R Reporter James Hagengruber.
Ron the Cop
*****
Kudos to Hagengruber on his embed coverage on the Marine twins from our area. This is the kind of reporting that the New/Alternative Media has been doing all along on the ground in Iraq. The MSM for a number of reasons has reported a skewed view of the war to the American people. The downside is that the enemy has at times using our media has achieved what it can’t do in head to head combat with boots on the ground – undermine the continued political support and will of the American people. This is documented at a site supported by a group of bloggers – Media Mythbusters and Blog.
The latest is the glass half full or empty with regard to reporting on the state of Muqtada al-Sadr and the Mahdi. See this latest report from AJ Strata of The Strata-Sphere below. While not in the typical journalistic prose Strata does make a point.
Ron the Cop
Marine learns deployment
offers no promise of war
James Hagengruber
Correspondent
May 11, 2008
******
Email received from AJ Strata re his new post at The Strata-Sphere:
I have never seen such blatant lies spun out of the liberal news media as
that which has greeted the news this weekend that Sadr and the Mahdi Army
are suing for peace. They are surrendering their right to have medium and
large weapons (i.e., being disarmed), Iraqi security forces will take over
control of all areas in Iraq, and only those who did not take up arms and
fight the government are free to restart their lives. There are no
concessions on the government.
Yet Time mag called this surrender a victory for Sadr! And the IHT
reports on how the locals began to turn on the Mahdi Forces, yet cannot
see who won the battle!
The big question is who controls the rogue forces of the Mahdi. If we
learn from all this that Sadr doesn’t have control of these fighters, that
someone else does, it will not be a ‘win’ for Sadr. This media myth needs
to be busted ASAP.
http://strata-sphere.com/blog
AJStrata
UPDATE I:
AJ Strata has these follow-up pieces regarding the coverage of al-Sadr:
Propaganda Runs Rampant As Iran, Islamicists And The Liberal Western Media Find Common Cause
OK, call me dense. Call me Pollyannish. Call me an optimist. I have hedged for years in calling the liberal western news media allies of the enemies of freedom and democracy. I have hinted their actions would make one wonder, but I have also given them some leeway by acknowledging that in the heat of politics one can make horrible decisions that hurt their own country and help its enemies. My example of this kind of fervent stupidity is Neville Chamberlain, who tried to appease Hitler and Nazi Germany by signing treaties that did nothing more than sanction Germany’s earliest acts of conquest and give the Nazi regime time to mass one of the most destructive military forces the world had ever seen at that time. Chamberlain was a dupe, but he was not a traitor.
Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr Has No Control Over Mahdi Militias
Posted by AJStrata on May 11th, 2008
Well, that did not take long. While Time magazine declared Sadr and his Sadrists victors in their efforts to surrender and sue for peace with the Maliki Government, I asked the core question about events in Iraq – who controls the Mahdi Army, Sadr or Iran? Well, if you go by the NY Times it clearly is not Sadr:
Truce Or No Truce With Sadrists In Iraq?
Like everything in life the surrender of the Mahdi Army to the Iraq rule of law, as defined and imposed by the duly elected government under Prime Minister Maliki, is not cut and dry – or instant. It seems the final form of the agreement was just signed by representatives from each Shiite camp – which means any side that violates the agreement will be shown to be inept, at best.
UPDATE II:
AJ Strata has this update:
the myth that Sadr City is a hot bed of Sadr support has been busted.
Found a report that one of the Iraqi divisions leading the fight against
the Iranian backed Mahdi is lead and populated by Sadr City Shiites.
Why is this not on the nightly news? (I know the answer….!)
http://strata-sphere.com/blog
AJStrata
[…] Equally as informative and a wonderful blog as well can be found at Friends of Mark Fuhrman. One of our favorites – this blog pulls no punches whatsover. Check out the posting under: Is the New Media forcing accountability of the MSM wire services? […]
[…] Friends of Mark Fuhrman wrote an interesting post today on The rise or fall of Muqtada al-Sadr as reported by the MSMHere’s a quick excerpt … bout events in Iraq – who controls the Mahdi Army, Sadr or Iran?… This is the kind of reporting that the New/Alternative Media has been doing all along on the ground in Iraq…., being disarmed), Iraqi security forces will take over control of all areas in Iraq, and only those who did not take up arms and f…Like everything in life the surrender of the Mahdi Army to the Iraq rule of law, as defined and imposed by the duly elected government under Prime Minister Maliki, i s not cut and dry – or instant…. […]