Paint It Black
INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY
Issues & Insights
Thursday, July 8, 2004
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Media Bias: We're looking at a Yahoo news page. The top story from Reuters is titled, "Suicide Bomber Kills Six At Iraqi Funeral." Alongside is a photo of George W. Bush (no mention in the story) grinning widely.
No wonder the president doesn't find time to read or listen to what the media say about him. The coverage has gotten so unremittingly negative that he'd be a pretty odd duck if he did.
It isn't just a Web page here and there. It's the nightly news, the weekly newsmagazines, the national newspapers, the global wire services. Even book publishers and film makers are going all-out to make him look as bad as they can. Then there's the foreign press.
It could be our imagination. But to get a better feel, we reviewed the front page of one national newspaper — the Los Angeles Times — over the last month. Below are headlines that appeared over stories related to Iraq.
Asterisks indicate page toppers. If no Iraq story appeared (as was the case after President Reagan's death and during his funeral), nothing is noted.
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June 1:"For Iraqis, a Symbol of Unkept Promises"
(about a school the coalition "promised to make
a paradise, but all they've changed is the paint.")
June 2:"Chalabi Accused of Aiding Iran Spies"
June 3:"Troops Told They Can't Leave Army"*
June 4:"CIA Director, Under Fire for Agency Lapses, Resigns"*
"Abu Ghraib Intelligence Soldier Describes Iraq
Abuse in Detail"
June 5:"Fear Enters the Pipeline of Saudi Oil Industry"
June 6:"Bush, Chirac Pledge to Cooperate on Iraq"
(subhead: "Remarks by the French
president about a chaotic occupation underscore
differences.")
June 7:"Battles Take Daily Toll in Sadr City"
June 9:"Prison Interrogators' Gloves Came Off Before
Abu Ghraib"
"U.S. Will Revise Data on Terror"
(subhead: "The State Department works to amend
its report on global attacks after critics alleged an
undercount and political manipulation.")
June 10:"A Tough Time for 'Neocons' "
(subhead: "Once, they exulted in the Iraq war. Now,
with the setbacks in the region and the Chalabi
spy probe, neoconservatives are feeling embattled")
June 11:"Going to War Not Worth It, More Voters Say"*
"NATO Not Expected to Send Force to Iraq"
June 13:"Retired Officials Say Bush Must Go"*
"Insurgents and Islam Now Rulers of Falluja"
June 14:"At Least 20 Killed in Baghdad (Car) Bombings"
June 15:"Iraq's Foreign Contractors in Cross Hairs
of Insurgents"
"Iraq Conflict Disrupts U.S. Plans for Military"
June 16:"Ex-Soldier Recalls Beating He Received in
Guantanamo Drill"
June 17:"Spy Work in Iraq Riddled by Failures"
"No Signs of Iraq-Al Qaeda Ties Found"
June 18:"Air Authorities Were In Chaos, 9/11 Panel Says"*
"FAA Staff Blindsided by Attacks"
"Iraqi Leaders Would Consider Martial Law"
"A Killing Puts Courts on Trial in Iraq"
June 19:"Radicals Kill American in Saudi Arabia"*
June 20:"2 Allies Aided Bin Laden, Say Panel Members"*
June 22:"Judge Orders Army Leaders Questioned"*
"South Koreans Weep, Wait for News of Iraq Hostage"
June 23:"South Korean Held in Iraq Is Beheaded"*
"Iraq Deal on Airline Is Probed"
(subhead: ". . . Case may reflect flaws in the
reconstruction process."
"Files Show Bush Team Torn Over POW Rules"
June 24:"Panel Faults CIA's Spying"*
June 25:"105 Killed in Attacks Across Iraq"*
June 26:"Iraq Insurgency Showing Signs of Momentum"*
June 27:"3 Turks Taken Hostage in Iraq"*
"In Darkness, Waiting For Dawn"
(subhead: "The incoming sovereign government
will need skill and luck to cure Iraq's ills, which
confounded the occupation."
June 28:"U.S. Marine Kidnapped as Attacks Surge"*
"Hand-Over Is Political Gamble for Bush"
June 29:"Iraqis Quietly Take Power After Bremer's Early Exit"*
"High Court Says Detainees Have Right to Hearing"
"Wartime President Is Again Outflanked"
June 30:"Hussein Arraignment Set; Iraq Takes Custody Today"
July 1:"Pentagon Alerted to Trouble in Ranks"
July 2:"Still Defiant, Hussein Faces Down Iraqi Judge"*
July 3:"Army Takes Its War Effort to Task"
(subhead: "Report says U.S. forces prevailed in Iraq
despite deep supply shortages and bad intelligence.")
July 4:"Group Says It Killed Marine"*
July 5:"Iraq Debates Rebel Pardon"*
"Claims of Marine's Slaying Are Denied"
July 6:"U.S. Response to Insurgency Called a Failure"*
"Doubts and Duty Tug at Marines"
July 7:"Pentagon Deputy's Probes in Iraq Weren't
Authorized, Officials Say"
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Failures, lapses, chaos, abuse, doubts, death, defeat —
day-in, day-out. Keep this coverage in mind the next time
you see a poll from the Times or anyone else noting how
the public is having second thoughts about the U.S. effort
and Bush's ability to lead it.
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