Iraq and the Media?...

[manike]

I know this is off topic and may not be relevant and it is another thread on the Iraq conflict. Sorry about that. It's affecting us all right now and I have friends out there (who I have played ball with so maybe that makes it relevant )

But I have to come out and get something of my chest.

Our media is giving live pictures showing the B52's getting ready to fly and taking off for Iraq.

So why would Saddam need radar? He just needs a sympathiser watching TV and telling him the B52's are coming, hunker down in 5 hours time...

We lost Bin Laden, because some idiot in America answering media questions let slip that they were listening to his telephone conversations...

I know it's their job, and I understand the clamour for information, but if it's going to hamper the efforts or our chances of finishing this swiftly, I'd rather they just STFU and told us afterwards.

Oh and we are being 'fed' live pictures of a nice sunny spot in Baghdad where normality seems to reign, I just feel that I am being fed propoganda to make it seems like we aren't inflicting casualties or disrupting Iraq, which we must obviously be doing. I'm sure there are bits of baghdad which are now just rubble and on fire, but we only get to see those at night?

I know they are trying to run this war with minimum casualties, but currently our media seem to be giving away information, and supplying us with nice propoganda so that we can pretend war isn't so bad and go on about our lives.

Maybe I am on my own here, but it all feels very surreal, and parts of this portrayal stink.

Oh and both sides are accusing each other of propoganda wars... what a suprise. It's one of the most important fights in war. Ultimately the winners will write the history.

 

[manike]

BTW, the Iraqi interior minister just came on telly... Nice nickel plated Kalashnikov with folding stock and satin stained woodwork... who said it was only paintballer's that customise their kit

Shame about the drab green bullet proof vest, geeze doesn't he realise he needs to come out of the woods?

 

[JTHM]

Originally posted by manike
IMaybe I am on my own here, but it all feels very surreal, and parts of this portrayal stink.

You're far from alone on this. Like the late great Sam Kinison said back during the gulf war, " Iraq fires off a scud, then they turn on CNN to see where it hits".

 

[Tyger]

The desire for information is sometimes outweighed by the need for secrecy. CNN routinely steps over that line.

Keep in mind that the military minds know that these yahoos are out there. And I'm willing ot bet they're using THEM as much as they think they're using hte military.

Manike : It's all misinformation and lies. Don't believe the hype. More is going on than CNN reports, and don't be shocked when word gets out that CNN was fed bad or wrong information to throw the "bad guys" off.

-Tyger

 

[Buddha 3]

Controlling the information that reaches the public has become a huge deal for any military, ever since Vietnam proved that a war can be won during "news at night". After it was all over the North Vietnamese admitted that if the US would have held on about a year longer, they would have been forced to cease hostilities, because they simply could no longer sustain the casualties the US was inflicting. But Joe Avarage saw the footage of people getting torched with napalm, and young boys being shot to sh*t, and thought "sod that, not in my name", and the war was lost, because there was no longer a platform to support it.
Desert Storm was quite the opposite. All they showed you were surreal night scenes in black and green of some fireworks going off, plus footage of high tech bombs flying down some chimneystack. They did not show the two M2 drivers that were decapitated when they're vehicles were struck by anti tank fire during the opening hours of the ground offensive. They did not show you the paratroopers killing sleeping Iraqi soldiers in their bunkers, because the paratroopers didn't have the means to process POW's. And to be honest, if I were running a war, I would not allow such news and imagery either.
So yes, you are being bamboozled. What you are allowed to see is very tightly controlled. Saddam wants you to see "imperialist warcrimes", the other side wants you to see a clean war in which nobody dies.
Why do you think the coalition made Basra such an important city to liberate? Tactically it could simply be bypassed. It poses no threat, but the coalition knows that it's full of Shiites, who are most likely to welcome them as liberators. And showing dancing crowds throwing flowers at the troops is a way to say "look, we're doing the right thing". Saddam knows this, which is why he ordered most of the people out of the city. A desolate place, with ominous, abandoned streets and burning oil wells in the background is a far less happy thing to show...

Do what your sig says: Don't believe the hype.

 

[manike]

Can the military and government control our media to that extent?

I believe yes, but only in part. I believe some of it is tightly controlled but not all or they wouldn't have given away some of the stuff they do and made such almighty f^%& ups.

This whole thing of using long range camera's showing B52's taking off just kinda bugs me.

Maybe it is a ploy and counter ruse. Maybe.

Trouble is you get to the point, where what do you believe? It's sick but I've even started questioning whether our first casualties truely were a flying accident or that's a cover up to make us continue feeling infallible. I hate myself for even thinking that, but I've never been one for believing everything without needing to question it and be provided proof.

Are we all just part of the Matrix?

I'd try and get out, but I don't do pills. Just adrenalin and alchohol

I guess, I'm just glad to have somewhere to discuss this. It's affecting me more than I thought it would. I think I was rather younger and more innocent when the first Gulf War happened.

I just want to see as few people killed as possible. It's bad knowing I have friends out there, let alone for those guys and their families. But I do believe that Saddam needs to be stopped.

I think we are doing the right thing. I'd just rather it felt more 'honest' and 'open'.

 

[Flash-Bugout]

I remember reading somewhere either last week, ro the week before, that all journalists had been warned that they were only to use comms equipment that was given to them (and therefore controlled) by the US - any "unregistered" comms equipment would be fired upon as an enemy military installation, because it might be a radar station, SAM site, etc etc.

Now if that doesn't tell you a lot about how much you can trust the BS we're being fed, I dunno what would!

 

[Richard Kirke (DUPS Rocket) UK]

Propaganda War?

Oh we're fighting one alright. Along with the bombs the USAF is dropping leaflets...

We're jamming Saddam Hussien's broadcasts and broadcasting our own Anti-Saddam broadcasts.

They actually have built aircraft specifically FOR this stuff! Speaking as a little "in the know" over this whole affair (my father is in the British Army and specialised in electronic warfare at one time) I know that a great deal of the stuff we are being told is so ill informed that is doesn't have to be wrong to be completely useless.

Richard

P.s. has anyone ever seen the channel 5 news graphics? You could do better with some £1-shop toys...

 

[ices]

Called PHYOPS peeps-look it up.

And as for this bin laden thing.

It was the yanks fault for letting him slip.
An sas sabre team had him within their grasp until they were told by some US top brass that it was to be the Marines who shall capture him.

The marines were sent in after the entire area was bombed by
B-52's etc.

Something like 45mins-1hour, possibly more i forgot.

I also hear Bin laden is trapped in this mountain hide-away with the SAS, SBS and US marines onto him.
They have a media black-out over it.

weeeeeeee hes goin down

 

[Buddha 3]

Bin Laden:
I think that's a case of don't believe whatever it is they're saying, too much is riding on him.
If he's dead/captured: It would mean a major victory, but a lot of people would also start demanding a major cutdown in military activity.
If he's alive: Well, it gives less scrupulous people agreat reason to wage war on pretty much everybody that could remotely be linked to Osama....
If Osama is dead, I don't think we'll hear about it until after a certain number of countries have been dealt with.