Congressman: Pull CNN From Iraq Embeds
Rep. Duncan Hunter Chastises Cable Network For Showing Video Of Snipers Firing At U.S. Troops
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U.S. ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad and U.S. military commander Gen. George Casey held a press conference to discuss strategy. CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan reports.
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Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., has objected to CNN's airing of video that shows insurgents in Iraq attacking Americans and wants the Pentagon to bar the cable network's reporters from traveling with the military in Iraq. (AP)
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"Does CNN want America to win this thing?" Rep. Duncan Hunter asked in an interview on the network Monday. In past wars, he said, the press was more pro-American.
"You can't be on both sides of the war," Hunter said.
CNN issued a statement saying the decision to air the insurgents' video was "a difficult one, but for a news organization, the right one. Our responsibility is to report the news."
In a letter released Monday, Hunter asked Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to remove CNN from the military embedding program, in which journalists spend time with combat units in Iraq.
Hunter, a staunch defender of the Bush administration and its handling of the war in Iraq, said the decision to show the video was irresponsible because it could encourage more attacks on U.S. troops.
"CNN has now served as the publicist for an enemy propaganda film featuring the killing of an American soldier," wrote Hunter, chairman of the Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives. California Republican Reps. Darrell Issa and Brian Bilbray also signed the letter.
The footage last week aired after it was obtained through a contact with an insurgent leader.
The footage does not show the actual death or wounding of any service member. In one instance, the tape shows a service member milling around a public area. A shot rings out, and the tape fades to black.
Hunter's fury over the video underscores the tightrope often walked by news media in the war. Critics of the war say Americans see very little of the daily violence in Iraq because of television's reluctance to show gory footage. Dangerous conditions also keep journalists from reporting independent of military units that provide them protection.
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See all 146 CommentsI wonder if this guy is up for re election ? And, if he really wants to protect these soldiers he'd stop sending them over there in the first place. I dont see his crooked butt over there.
TRUTH it is what is really important
There was no CNN in WWI, or in WWII-and we did just fine. This is a WAR (PEOPLE DIE IN WARS, military and civilian) that we have to win and then get our kids the hell out of there. We have to support our troops while the fighting is going on- and support them when it's over and they come home. I am so sick of the Rep/Dem *#!@ it makes me sick. Their there and there is nothing we can do about it now except try to win and get out, and hope our sons and daughters come home alive instead of a body bag.
"CNN has now served as the publicist for an enemy propaganda film featuring the killing of an American soldier," wrote Hunter,"
Hogwash. This is more d*mn spin and distraction from how bad it's gotten over there under Herr Rumsfeld's complete lack of competence in running this campaign. There are two ways to lie: By saying what is not true or by not saying what is true. This is the latter. We also have plenty of the former.
VOTE these incompetents out of office.
You have Eason Jordan (google him) a senior CNN producer claim that American troops were purposely shooting at journlists. Mr. Jordan quietly resigned before a long weekend.
Then you have Lou Dobbs, a millionaire, claims to care about "little" people but has nothing to do with them.
CNN whole programming is designed to hurt our effort on this war on terrorists because of their hate for George Bush....... this is very sad.......
Kinda like the RNC's "Vote Democrat and You Will Die" Ad which highlights quotes from bin Laden and shows clips from terrorist training videos?
That kind of propaganda?
I would believe that means this was footage NOT taken by CNN cameramen, but aquired through insurgents. The sole purpose of the tape was to increase insurgent ranks...
One would think CNN had the brains not to air an insurgent promotional tape. Guess not...
GOP brainstorm? Nope, pure CNN stupidity. How bout keep the politics where they belong... in the political forums.
The public have a right to know what is going on so they can form their own opinions - Wake up !!
"Provided" footage, photos, photo ops are for one purpose only - propaganda. No matter how the media spins it, provided material is pure propaganda.
The RNC complains about CNN using enemy propaganda, but then goes ahead and uses enemy propaganda itself.
Let CNN continue to report the facts and let me as an American with a lttle bit of education formulate my own opinions.
Every single one of these liberal "political news organziations" work very hard at "hiring" reporters and journalists like "themselves", LIBERAL AND DEMOCRATS. No one disputes this fact. What we need now is for our liberal MSM to implement ASAP "affirmative action" plans that ensure Americans are getting their "news" not "views" for folks that came from all spectrums of our political divide.
Have a nice day.......
Perception-- you don't have the slightest perception of truth and objectivity...
Vote the Republican Bums out.!!
Find someone with hate or greed in their heart and offer them a gun to get what they want. What else do they need? Bullets and then more bullets. It is a never ending circle and the only people who win are the munitions manufactures.
The Human Race is just that, One race, no matter where we live, if you are cut, you bleed red blood. We should act like the family we are.
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Not necessarily. A good journalist can put in context what is displayed, and remains in full control of the presentation, hardly functioning as a mindless replay point for propaganda. "Provided" digital material will be more suspect since its content is more easily manipulated, but whether traditional photos or digital content, acceptance and use always will be a judgment call for the professional.
Remember the bin Laden tapes are widely distributed in their general newsworthiness, and do not represent complicity with the enemy.
Finally, there is no person really knowledgeable about the Iraq war who is not aware al Jazeera is completely mobile and digital, and easily could provide real footage from any of the many Iraqi snipers roaming Baghdad.
Above all, American citizens are entitled to have all the information they can obtain about Iraq, even from a different vantage point. It is the ultimate indictment of American media if our citizens are not at least as well informed as al Jazeera audiences. One of the first and best counsels is, "Know your enemy."
To qoute an old saying. You are entitled to your own "opinion" however, you are not entitled to your own facts. I trust each of the news organizations youe mentioned. So dont try to creat strawmen here, that idea just will not fly anymore.
Yeah, we only care about American lives..... the heck with the rest of the world's poor oppressed people.......
You have a nice day as well. I hope you come
prop%u2027a%u2027gan%u2027da Pronunciation Key -
%u2013noun
1. information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.
2. the deliberate spreading of such information, rumors, etc.
3. the particular doctrines or principles propagated by an organization or movement.
jour7nal7ism
1. The collecting, writing, editing, and presenting of news or news articles in newspapers and magazines and in radio and television broadcasts.
2. Material written for publication in a newspaper or magazine or for broadcast.
3. The style of writing characteristic of material in newspapers and magazines, consisting of direct presentation of facts or occurrences with little attempt at analysis or interpretation.
4. Newspapers and magazines.
5. An academic course training students in journalism.
6. Written material of current interest or wide popular appeal
Are they people too ? How come I never see you speak of them ?
Now, I just wish the party-parroting blowhard would just be quiet. And bravo to CNN for having the guts to show the American people just the slightest bit of what is going on over there.
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