A reader writes today complaining that this headline on page 1 of today's print edition proved bias on the part of N&O editors:

"Bush: Vote won't end violence"
Subheadline: "The president offers support to Iraqis, saying 30,000 have died in the war"

"If you asked the DNC for a suggestion for a headline that had next to nothing to do with the event you were supposedly reporting on, but that could do the maximum damage to the president and our efforts in Iraq, I don't think they could come up with a better header," wrote this critic.

Hmmm. I'm having a hard time seeing this one. Here's the first paragraph of the story by Elizabeth Bumiller of The New York Times:

PHILADELPHIA — President Bush hailed Iraq's parliamentary election this week as a "remarkable event in the Arab world." But in his speech here Monday, Bush cautioned that the voting would not bring an end to violence and that Iraq was still threatened by Iran, Syria and its own religious and ethnic tensions.

The story went on to detail the elements of the president's speech and also to report on remarks by Rep. John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat and Vietnam vet who sparked a national debate by calling for a quick troop withdrawal, and Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachussetts, who spoke the same day as the president a few blocks away in Philly.

I think the headline is accurate and does a pretty good job summarizing a fairly complex story. I think the DNC would have written something like this: "Murtha, Kennedy denounce Bush."

12/13/05 at 21:45
Perhaps a clue is required for those who are incapable of distinguishing how the RED ROOSTERcrows. The story was about the elections and voting, but as usual, there was the ever present "body count". I guess i'm just surprised the author hasn't figured out how to get a comment about theTexas ANG and his DD214 into the same sentence yet, considering the oppoortunity to throw in a cheap shot or two. It would have been very much in character.

12/13/05 at 23:17
As Daryl notes, is the body count necessary? It is a raw number, presented absent of any context.

Already media outlets are saying 30,000 civilains have died, when the actual number includes police, soldiers, terrorists, and those killed by terrorists.

Lying by omission is still lying...

12/14/05 at 01:24
The wingers are always going to complain when there is a story that is not the president's current trumpeting line. The bias in this story is that the ridiculously low 30,000 fatality number is bought. More realistic estimates have the number closer to 100,000 Iraqi dead. From BBC in 10/04:

The Lancet published research by scientists from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US city of Baltimore.

They gathered data on births and deaths since January 2002 from 33 clusters of 30 households each across Iraq.

They found the relative risk, the risk of deaths from any cause, was two-and-a-half times higher for Iraqi civilians after the 2003 invasion than in the preceding 15 months.

The estimate of total deaths caused by the invasion up to 10/04:

Lancet: >100,000

12/14/05 at 05:22
Dear TarGator,

Perhaps that's the way they teach it at the Ray Nagin School of Math and Cosmetology! Democrats do seem to have that ongoing issue with being "mathematically challenged", which is now down to the point of being a "short bus" special interest program. Counting bodies or counting votes, counting days before an elction to exchange candidates, it's all more than their synapses can handle, and they just go ballistic in the effort. Go figure....

12/14/05 at 07:27
George The Coward neds no help in lookin bad!!

12/14/05 at 08:48
This knee-jerk reaction, from the original comment flies against the delussions we have been under for the past years of Bush II. A recent article in the Washington Post talked about the problem of the presidential bubble. In fact we all suffer from the bubble of mis-information that has been so effectively propogated by many outlets, it remains the over-riding responsiblility of the media, particularily the N&O to be contrarian - no matter who is in power, no matter what the position. So - I don't see any issue with the title here. 30,000 is a horrific number by any count. Admissions of how badly Iraq is really going serves us all better so we can make better decisions rather than fooling ourselves that real progress is being made.

12/14/05 at 10:11
funny how Targator trumpets a study, but only mentions the part he wants to see. The Lancet study, when properly understood by those who are sane, stated that there could be between 8K and 190,000 deaths. The Left took the supposed midpoint, and said 100K. It was a statistical study, with no definative answer.

Funny how that number has not gone up in years. I cannot believe that it has to be even brought up and discussed.

12/14/05 at 12:00
If it was you mother, brother, or daughter killed I imagine you would be more appreciative of this topic being debated.

The fact that you are horrified that we discuss our mistakes is very bothersome. I am in the military, have served in this war and will tell you honestly that these numbers are concerning, are talked about by military leaders and absolutely should be discussed by the public.

Patriotism is not just agreeing with everything your country does. Look back through history and we have made plenty of mistakes. Patriotism is standing up for what you believe in and being willing to pay the price when you are wrong. While I'm on that point, have you contacted a recruiter to express you interest in participating or is this as patriotic as we can expect you to be?

12/14/05 at 21:51

I am in the military, have served in this war and will tell you honestly that these numbers are concerning, are talked about by military leaders and absolutely should be discussed by the public.

Fact is, the military tends to support the decisions of the President and other civilian policy makers, it is after all now an all volunteer military. Not totally true, there are many reasons for joining. But to place your life on the line requires some degree of committment and support for the positions being taken. It wasn't always that way, as during the days of the draft when I first signed up with the Air Force. I served during VietNam, and left after my time was up, having gone from basic recruit to Captain. tha give me no more nor less authority to speak on the topic than anyone else, But it certainly gives me the right to be more than a little irate when someone tries to prevent me from expressing my opinion, and I feel anyone who serves also has earned that right.

That said, it is my expressed opinion that any newspaper that resorts to the tools of propaganda by interjecting opinions and flaming tidbits into the headlines for effect has relegated it most prized role, its integrity and honesty, to the lesser role of fishwrapper. By pushing the leftist mantra without end, the N&O has diminished itself. I think the pubic deserves to be better served, and I'm quite certain I've earned the right to expect it.

03/05/06 at 06:23
免费电影
幽默笑话笑话
免费激情电影
免费激情电影
美女聊天
激情聊天
言情小说
模特
性爱
情爱小说
走光
网友自拍
人体艺术
电影
笑话
图片
成人
黄色
美女
帅哥

04/20/06 at 05:05
:)

04/20/06 at 05:10
A href="http://www.cqbshop.com">

05/08/06 at 22:21
可我失去了，年少承诺的勇气
[url=http://wowgold.pk100.com.cn]wow gold[/url]
不能言说的情啊
让我到哪里去述说，去释放
[url=http://wowgold.pk100.com.cn]http://wowgold.pk100.com.cn[/url]
满身是伤痕和泪水

匆匆的匆匆的
趁着明朗的月光
[url=http://bahamascruise.xinwen365.com]bahamas cruise[/url]
再作一个不成熟的梦
那怕梦中的一切
[url=http://bahamascruise.xinwen365.com]http://bahamascruise.xinwen365.com[/url]
只是相识相知的那一瞬间

05/08/06 at 22:24


请相信这不是
对生活的奢望
[url=http://rbjy.bjerwai.com]日语[/url]
[url=http://www.globeimmi.com]移民[/url]
也不是亵读青春的美好
只是一种朦胧无耐
[url=http://rbjy.bjerwai.com]日语培训[/url]
[url=http://rbjy.bjerwai.com]日本留学[/url]
偶尔生活的涟漪
如同窗外的月光
清清淡淡

真想再次牵着你的手
飘荡在爱的蓝天
[url=http://wow.wowgoldus.com]wow gold[/url]
逝去的红颜，忧伤的双眼
[url=http://wow.wowgoldus.com]http://wow.wowgoldus.com[/url]
美丽依然可见

05/08/06 at 22:25
ddd

05/12/06 at 08:02
Hi there! Your site is cool!