And it surely happened in Iraq, where reporters — risking their lives to cover the deadliest conflict for journalists since World War II — have largely discredited their critics’ cries that they are reporting the carnage and chaos at the expense of the unseen good news in that country. It’s obvious who has credibility in that argument. Driven down by public gloominess about the course of the war (a new CBS/New York Times survey shows that only 39 percent now believe starting the Iraq conflict was a good decision), the president’s job-approval ratings now languish in the 30s.
Discussing those droopy numbers on ABC’s This Week, First Lady Laura Bush offered her view that the media “may be enjoying this a little bit.”
But in the spirit of what is supposed to be a checks-and-balances, conflict-laden relationship, each side should stop blaming the other for its problems and go about its work. It’s usually pretty easy to tell who’s doing the better job.
On the Web
Mark Jurkowitz's Media Log: http://www.thephoenix.com/medialog/
Nixon's Enemies List: http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Nixon's_Enemies_List
Business Week review of Spin Cycle: Inside the Clinton Propaganda Machine: http://www.businessweek.com/1998/13/b3571040.htm
Email the author
Mark Jurkowitz: mjurkowitz@phx.com
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