News or Propaganda

Please don't tell me that you are that ignorant? In war the objective is to destroy all command and control centers. The Ministry of Information was being used to give military directions to those units not having any kind of military communication hardware. It is amazing how you conspiracy theorist guys are so cynical. Put yourself in the place of the commanding general and see how you would run this war. I venture to say you would not like what you would have to do to be victorious. War is hell plain and simple. Live with it.

 

Getting back to american combat experience, 99% of all senior oficers and NCO's have no combat experience. (most vietnam vets are long retired, with the exception of a few high ranking generals & colonels) Just because you served in Gulf War 1 (where 99.9% of the troops neither saw an enemy soldier nor fired their weapon at anything more than a pop-up target) Kosovo, Panama, Etc...does not make you a combat "vet", they may have the combat patches, campaign medals, and CIB's on their uniform, but they have the same "combat" experience as a basic recruit.

 

Problem with site that day, mass producing my post

[ 09. April 2003, 08:59 AM: Message edited by: Kampfgruppe - von Root ]

 

[ 09. April 2003, 08:58 AM: Message edited by: Kampfgruppe - von Root ]

 

[ 09. April 2003, 08:57 AM: Message edited by: Kampfgruppe - von Root ]

 

From what I have seen, the military has no clue about what they are doing. I also question what we are seeing. I have finally dropped watching it. When you here that a city has been taken 12-14 times, makes you think. I am very disappointed in how the information is being presented and in how the military command is dealing with it.

 

the media coverage and their analysists suck ! Period ! The FFZ is all about opinions this past week and going strong. Unless we have coverage from those in command in the front lines then we are at a loss, and even then look how bloody big Iraq is ! What are people thinking that the Coalition is going to have voictory in 3 weeks time ? Too many logistics guys. Been stated that there are problems with everyones hopes built up with an example of Basrah, taken as mentioned how many times ? what is that doing for the moral of the Coalition families ? not much in my eyes.....this is going to take time and we have to leave it at that.

E

 

[ 16. September 2003, 10:04 PM: Message edited by: Crapgame ]

 

Sorry Crap game, Burrel is talking rubbbish.

If he wants subserviant embedded journos and a public to believe the offiial line beuase he likes it that way..It aint going to happen.

There are obvioualy concerns with security issues and journos and rest of media have to be controlled where allied lives are concerned..There is no excuse for placing troops in danger by a stupid media type...We saw that with the Falklands war at Goose Green.

But if the militiary as in the examples we saw early on in this war want reporting of a high standard then they have to stop telling the rubbish as for example they did in the first few days of this war..Um Quasar taken, in control, how many times the military said this is debatable now...And cut to embedded journo....iM outside Um Quasar and it certainly has not been taken...If The Group commander wants propoganda spouting journos who will say whatever he wants them to, there are plenty of those in the UK and elswehere..Perhaps they should set up a better interviewing system...Gauge who will do as they want rather than tell it as they see it with their own eyes...

Ark Royal..The boys and girls are angry about the fact the BBC keep stating the helo crash was caused by bad maintainance....The jury is out on that one..They however have a BBC journo on board ship, and many of them are telling him its not the BBC reporters they have a problem with or the reports on the ground. Its the fact they have suffered a personal loss and no one knows why yet and the BBC should back off on the poor maintanance story until facts are known..

BBC and Sky journalists in Baghdad have done an amazing job in bringing us pictures mainly without personal comment, at a risk to their lives..although well paid I bet..Andd I for one dont believe anything most journos say anyway...However neiter do I think the Group Captain can have it all his own way when he has used the same media he critisises as a tool of his own.

The uprising in Basra..designed to cause an uprising, never happened but he wanted that story front page and six oclock news...

Media manipulation is a tool the military use..If it does not go their way and media start questioning then we now get the line that they are against us and easily fooled..well he should know..hes done enough fooling them himself and others too.

I find it also quite suprising your report comes from the Daily Telegraph...Bit like me quoting from the Daily Mirror here too If I was to.

Its a game, both parties seem to cry like babies into their milk bottles when they have a problem

Nothing new there then.

 

I began watching the news whenever I could, the footage has been great admittedly but I grow more and more irritated by the commentary. A lot of the journalists appear to have little knowledge of what is going on and the commentary we get is spur of the moment stuff, there is little considered commentary of any value. At the same time people who actually know their stuff (e.g. John Keegan) are coming off badly because they try to look at the war with a knowledge of history. The reports by the journalists tell us very little and the min reason we are getting the coverage we are getting is because the news companies are vieing for awards. It is sensationalist and tells us little. A few examples, I wont give the sources because I cant remember them:

'We are retreating, nor rapidly but we are running away very fast' Well that tells you a lot, why not just wait a while and then we could know why they are running, what they are running from and when they stopped. As it is all I know is that a bunch of soldiers ran away at some point.

'This artillery bombardment is of unprecedented scale' So it was greater than the 2266 guns firing on the Ypres salient for over a week in May 1917? How about the 6600 German guns supporting the Kaiser Schlact?

'This war is almost too big to comprehend' So what would you make of the 110 Allied and 100 German divisions on the western front in WW1 (1915)? So what about the 900 Russian divisions on the eastern front in WW2 or the 500 German?

I can't think of any more off the top of my head, I could flick over to the news and wait 5 minutes and find a couple but there is a good episode of andreomeda on.

 

On that note, I hear the Iraqi information minister has OFFICIALLY taken the day off today....

Sorry I cant help it, the guy has kept me amused through all this...From telling us Americans what Americans...to going to top of Palestine hotel...Looking toward 2 American vehicles by Tigris and telling gathered reportes its a good thing now they are trapped..His mouth quivvering all the time as if about to burst into laughter..

I think this may show one of the differences in USA and Brits, lots in common but still lots of differencces....Think quite a few Brits thought the guy was hillarious...made us laugh, where as our States cousing probably got more infuriated by the day with his appearances...???

Tried to find out about the guy, hes not goody two shoes by any means, started off as English teacher, given job in Bathe party of taking over media organs on rise of Sadman..been foreign minister, ambassador round few states and UN as well...

Apparantly a bit of a bully...has to be if he got on in the party...trying to see if hes done any nasty stuff too, hope he hasnt...

Hope hes nice and early tomorrow at his office for work...Maybe he should take a few more days off...Walks into his office..sees US GI sitting at his desk...Ha Infedel...Now I have you just where I want you...you are trapped..surrender at once..

 

remember urgh, it's a Hollywood movie. Wonder what he will have to say about the toppling of the big ugly iron saddam statue that got toppled. I luved the locals hitting the piece of junk with their shoes and then hauling the thing-head- around the local road loop.......

I actually hope the info minister does a TV interview again and the Coalition nab him on the spot with a hang-mans nouse.....

E

 

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[ 27. March 2004, 04:54 PM: Message edited by: C.Evans ]

 

I don't think there was anyone not laughing at that. I found the report of the toppeling statue funny, all the build up and so on, 200 people watched the ugly bronze monstrosity fall half way then get torn apart. I think the most symbolic bit about it was the large hard shell with nothing inside but 2 poles. Much like the regieme really.

 

You mean that that Al Sahaf information guy was for real?

I thought he came straight out of Comedy Central...He was trying out for Saterday Night Live, wasn't he!?

I am sure he is going to be the benchmark for stand up comedians to come....for a long time...

 

Yeah, the guy was very funny.

He kept on saying that no American was in Baghdad and at the same time you heard artillery and gunshots between the Iraqi's and the Americans.

Also they would be burried in their tanks, while everyone knew that it would be a rather easy victory.

 

LOL! Urqh, you crack me up everytime...

Seriously though, that guy could actually have been a SNL joke...amazing really...

Of course, so could the British official explaining it was okay to show Iraqi prisoners on TV, because thay had surrendered voluntarily, while the Coalition POWs could not be shown, since they did not do so voluntarily. Uhhh...okay...