And They Say Reporters Have No Agenda
Bookworm at Bookworm Room on Oct 08 2006 at 11:22 am | Filed under: Feature Article, Media Watch
A bomb went off in Tel Afar yesterday, but that’s not the news. From the SF Chronicle, which is reprinting a short article from the Washington Post, the lede and the first paragraph make sure we understand the real story:
2nd bombing in city Bush had touted as safe
A suicide car bomb slammed into an Iraqi army checkpoint Saturday and killed at least 14 people in Tal Afar, a northern city that President Bush has previously hailed as a symbol of security and normalcy in Iraq.
In case you didn’t get the point, three paragraphs down, the reporter, Amit Paley, spells it out:
Taken together, the attacks seemed to undercut the president’s assertion in March that residents of Tal Afar “can count on a basic level of safety and security, they can live together peacefully.”
Get it? It’s not about a bombing in Tal Afar. It’s all about Bush. Either he lied and the city was never safe. Or he was a credulous fool who stupidly thought the city was safe. Or the city was once actually safe, but through his incompetence it is no longer safe.
Tel Afar, SF Chronicle, Washington Post, Bush, Iraqi
