12/11/2003: Iraqis rally

[Undertoad]

Speaking of which, I got the name of the blog author wrong... it's Zeyad. Alaa is a different Iraqi blogger. There are several of them.

Not afraid of corrections

[Undertoad]

The Mercury-News covered it.

[warch]

I welcome a little good news and I want some more.

[Torrere]

Originally posted by xoxoxoBruce
The demonstrations are fact. Everyone can draw their own implications as to what they signify. So why not report facts? Isn't that what news media is supposed to do?

No. The news media is supposed to sell media to customers, stories to the people, eyeballs to advertisers, and people to politicians.

[elSicomoro]

I believe I read about the rally on MSNBC...and in Metro (yes, the free daily handed out by SEPTA here in Philadelphia). I've been mostly out of the loop this week due to work.

Ummm...Goethean, Fox News is by no means even suspected of being leftist. Quite the opposite, actually.

I'm not trying to make any excuses for the major news media, but let's be real here: good stuff on a small scale doesn't get viewers or sell papers in a time of relative calm. Now, 10,000-25,000 people is nothing to sneeze at, mind you...but that's peanuts. Get 500,000 to a million or so...THAT'S a story. Having said this, I am surprised that this didn't get more attention b/c the media seemed so hellbent on showing "good stuff" coming out of Iraq in the days leading up to the fall of Baghdad.

[GlassJaw]

Originally posted by sycamore
Now, 10,000-25,000 people is nothing to sneeze at, mind you...but that's peanuts. Get 500,000 to a million or so...THAT'S a story.

I dont know, 10-25K in a country 83% of size of California, across multiple cities, where a year ago this kind of demonstration might as well have just ended their parade in a mass grave site? Seems pretty significant to me; left, right, craniorectal, or otherwise.

Thanks to the cellar for pointing it out. Unfortunately, my tunnel vision of late caused me to miss it originally on the news.... um, yeah.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Craniorectal. Hmm.. I'm stealing that word. Thanks GlassJaw. BTW, I agree with you 100%.

[elSicomoro]

Originally posted by GlassJaw
I dont know, 10-25K in a country 83% of size of California, across multiple cities, where a year ago this kind of demonstration might as well have just ended their parade in a mass grave site? Seems pretty significant to me; left, right, craniorectal, or otherwise.

I do think it's significant as an event, or events. But we're talking about a relatively small amount of people doing a "happy feel good" thing in a country half way around the world. Joe Blow in East Bumfuck, USA could probably care less.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Syc, I think you underestimate the concern of Joe and the rest of the Bumfuckians about what's going on in Iraq. Joe may not be cognizant of all the nuances, but he knows everything going on there is important to us(U.S.) right now.

[elSicomoro]

I disagree, Bruce. I think Joe cares more about what happens to our troops, not necessarily the Iraqi people.

[xoxoxoBruce]

That's what I mean about the nuances. Joe doesn't know what's important and what's fluff, so he listens to everything about Iraq with equal interest. I guess he depends heavily on the media spin also.