ABC. CBS. NBC. CNN. Time. Newsweek. The New York Times. The Los Angeles Times. The Washington Post. The leaders of the "mainstream" media have committed themselves to a relentless drumbeat of negativity concerning the war in Iraq, due to the ideological difference the vast majority of their journalists have with a Republican President as well as most Americans. The 2004 State of the News Media report found that 34% of national journalists consider themselves Liberals, while only 7% described themselves as Conservatives. That's nearly five times as many self-described Liberals in the media as Conservatives. Among the general American populace, 33% describe themselves as Conservatives, while only 20% think of themselves as Liberal.
Though almost no one actually likes wars, they occasionally become necessary, and our finest men and women are called to fight them. Liberals as a group consistently seek to avoid war at any cost whatsoever. They have been extremely vocal in their opposition to what they call President Bush's "adventure" in Iraq, since before the first soldier stepped over the border. They consistently seek to portray the conflict as something President Bush started for personal reasons, against the wishes of most Americans. In fact, Congress voted to give the President the authority to use military force in Iraq and the vast majority of the American people -- 72% according to an ABC News poll -- were behind the President when the fighting began in Iraq. Liberals -- especially those dominating the media -- did not approve the war, however, and have spared no opportunity to remind us of their position... and convince us that it was the position of most Americans as well. They also want us to believe that there was no Coalition of the Willing; that America fought Saddam alone, against the wishes of the entire world. In reality, it was only Saddam's trading partners France, Germany, Russia and China that were against us... but to Liberals, France and Germany ARE the world.
The media has the power to decide what stories from Iraq are reported, and how. If it weren't for smaller news outlets and the Internet, few of us would even realise that we are being deliberately and systematically robbed of Iraq war heroes. Few of us would realise how many people of how many nations are with us in this war, and how well they are doing in our common fight against terrorism.
The New York Times will probably never report the story of Corporal Samuel Toloza, one of 380 soldiers from El Salvador, which was carried in the Washington Times. Corporal Toloza, out of ammunition, bravely defended fallen members of his unit from Iraqi insurgents. He charged the enemy, armed only with a knife. "One of his friends was dead, 12 others lay wounded and the four soldiers still left standing were surrounded and out of ammunition. So Salvadoran Cpl. Samuel Toloza said a prayer, whipped out his knife and charged the Iraqi gunmen." The Iraqis broke, and more Coalition troops arrived before they could regroup. Phil Kosnett, who heads the CPA in Najaf, has nominated six El Salvadorans for the Bronze Star. "These guys are punching way above their weight," Kosnett said. "They're probably the bravest and most professional troops I've every worked with." Yet their story is almost completely buried by the mainstream media's endless liturgy of doom, gloom and quagmire.You will probably never see the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders mentioned on ABC, CBS or NBC. When attacked by over 100 of Moqtada al-Sadr's so-called militia (in reality a gang of thugs with a religious motif), the 20 or so soldiers fixed bayonets and mounted a 19th-century style charge. Taking only three casualties, the Scots captured or killed 35 of the enemy. No American media outlet saw fit to even mention this action, except those who carry Mark Steyn's opinion column. Not one seems to have thought of the Highlanders' action as newsworthy.
Last but certainly not least, no major media outlet seems to have reported the brave self-sacrifice of Marine Corporal Jason Dunham except The Wall Street Journal. When a would-be terrorist captured during a traffic stop dropped a live grenade, Cpl. Dunham apparently pulled off his helmet and slammed it down on the grenade, covering it with his own body. He saved not only two nearby fellow Marines, but any civilians in the other cars in line as well. Lt. Col. Lopez has recommended Cpl. Dunham for the Congressional Medal of Honor. "His personal action was far beyond the call of duty and saved the lives of his fellow Marines," he wrote. The last Medals of Honor were awarded to the two Army Delta Force soldiers who gave their lives to protect a downed helicopter pilot in Somalia in 1993.
Why are the majority of news outlets ignoring these stories of bravery, honor, and self-sacrifice? Soldiers are only newsworthy, it seems, when their deaths can be used to turn popular opinion against President Bush and/or the liberation of Iraq. What right do "journalists" have to rob us of our heroes just to serve their anti-war, anti-Bush agenda... and still call themselves neutral? It's long past time to see through the lies and look at the mainstream media for what it really is.
UPDATE: Another hero ignored by the media, Marine Captain Brian R. Chontosh, recieved a well-deserved Navy Cross for "extraordinary heroism" for his actions in Iraq. He saved his platoon from being trapped in a kill zone by what has been characterised as a "ferocious" and "audacious" attack. When he ran out of ammunition for his rifle and pistol, he picked up two of the enemy's rifles and used them, and finally cleared the enemy using one of their own dropped RPGs. All in all, he killed twenty of the enemy and saved the lives of his fellow Marines. The media's stark refusal to report this incredible tale is an insult to every American.
Thanks to Claudia at Freedom of Thought for finding this story.
