Real war, real films, unreal press
This is a fascinating look at two new documentaries on the Iraq war that throw a spotlight on press coverage. The author not only reviews the films, but also suggests viable alternatives for Americans being force-fed by our own media.
I particularly liked this insight:
Lieutenant Rushing, who has a brilliant future as a spinner if he wants it, is smart enough to acknowledge the other side's views and then move beyond them. One of the film's most illuminating statements is his: "When I watch Al Jazeera, I can tell what they're showing and then I can tell what they're not showing by choice. Same thing when I watch Fox on the other end of the spectrum." O.K., but how are we supposed to know what's missing? Filling in the blanks is exactly what most TV viewers cannot easily do.
"Control Room" offers enough glimpses of what we don't know to induce paranoia in even the best-informed viewers. The film captures immense hostility toward American actions in Iraq, anger that existed a year ago but is just now truly registering here. And Lieutenant Rushing says that "no American connects the Palestinian issue" with the war in Iraq, but that everyone he has met in the Arab world sees them as "the exact same thing" — an eye-opening observation for most people.
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And I would hasten to add that BBC World News is available on the Web with video and sound snippets that I find particularly useful. If you have a fast connection,
"Control Room" offers enough glimpses of what we don't know to induce paranoia in even the best-informed viewers. The film captures immense hostility toward American actions in Iraq, anger that existed a year ago but is just now truly registering here. And Lieutenant Rushing says that "no American connects the Palestinian issue" with the war in Iraq, but that everyone he has met in the Arab world sees them as "the exact same thing" — an eye-opening observation for most people.">go here and choose from the "watch/listen" heaidng
