FLOG THAT STORY -- UNTIL THERE'S A HAPPY ENDING
By Cori Dauber
Mudville Gazette points out something very important -- and quite consistent. Last summer there was one story after another about the Third Infantry Division, how long they were having to stay in Iraq, how upset the families were, and soundbite after soundbite from unhappy troops in the field. The story got intense focus.
Right up until the troops came home.
And that was that. No coverage of happy homecomings. No mention that the Division had begun to redeploy stateside, no mention when the entire Division was back in Georgia.
Hell, as far as most Americans are concerned, the entire 3rd ID is probably still in Baghdad.
The same thing happened just recently when thousands of troops had to have their tours in Iraq extended. Intense coverage, stories about the families.
Silence.
And if you haven't been waiting for a family member yourself, or waiting for word that a soldier you know has reached Germany, you no doubt still think that entire Division is patrolling the streets of Iraq.
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It isn't only that the coverage of Iraq focues on the bad news. It's that when the coverage focuses on a story that has a discrete, and positive, resolution, the happy ending somehow never seems worth reporting.
I know, I know, good news is not defined as <font color=blue>"news."<font color=black>
But for stories like this, isn't that refusing to tell the last chapter of a story? |
