Tuesday, August 22, 2006

But this isn't what MSNBC told me

Iraq security adviser says violence levels falling: "TOKYO (Reuters) - The level of violence in Baghdad has fallen sharply since July thanks to troop reinforcements and the new government's efforts to reconcile warring Shi'ites and Sunnis, Iraq's national security adviser said on Tuesday.

Mowaffaq al-Rubaie insisted that the sectarian and insurgent bloodshed that has seized Iraq was not a civil war, a description U.S. President George W. Bush's administration has strenuously avoided in the face of mounting casualties.

'This is absolutely not a civil war,' Rubaie told Reuters in an interview during a visit to Japan. 'Al Qaeda tried for that for three years and failed miserably. But it has created a crack between Shias and Sunnis.'"

4 comments:

Morgan said...

"Mowaffaq al-Rubaie insisted..."

I think this word insisted is a clear marker for the bias of the reporter. It appears frequently in articles that present no contradictory statements (searh on, e.g. Bush insisted that ), in the face of which someone could "insist", which seems to me to indicate that there the contradictory statements exist within the reporter's head.

And, for this to slip by as often as it does, inside the heads of the editors, too.

chuck said...

morgan,

It does sound like an indirect way of calling the speaker a liar. Maybe the journalists feel that part of their job is to help us understand the world, which means see it their way.

Unknown said...

chuck:

they are condescending little bastards often as not.

And I noticed the violence was down. Both for the civilians and the soldiers.

July was a bad month, maybe it even scared them.

Syl said...

Well, we've caught and killed dozens if not hundreds of the bad guys in July. That makes a big difference.

but also, it must be said, that when the Americans show up a lot of the bad guys go to ground.

That's why intelligence is so important, and having the civilian population trust you enough to give it to you.