It is nothing new. The media will always report bad news over good news. There hasn’t been any change since the start of the War in Afghanistan in 2001 and the War in Iraq in 2003. Admittedly, good news has been hard to come by for much of the past 8 years. However, within the last 2 years it can be argued that the situation in Iraq has been improving gradually, and even rapidly within the past few months.
While reports of bombings, deaths, and combat incidents are necessary in the news, I believe it is also the media’s job to cover things like entire neighborhoods being rebuilt by US forces, with crowds of ecstatic kids rushing out to greet them (this is a regular occurrence, not a fantasy). When a key suspect in a bombing is apprehended, people need to know, in order to show that the Iraqi Government is starting to come around. The problem with only negative news being reported is a distancing between people at home and the conflict (including the soldiers on the ground). With a growing negative perception of the war, people will only wish it to be over and done with without knowing the actual situation in Iraq. I think it is only fair to the troops that their good deeds and successes be publicized as well. Support for them would be maintained to a larger extent, and morale would increase. Increased morale leads to even greater successes in Iraq. It is a simple cycle, but a key component of the cycle is effectively broken when all it does is spew negative reports of suicide bombings, civilian deaths, and caskets being loaded on C-130s.
In no way am I advocating censorship of the news, or a lack of these negative reports. I am merely pushing for equal representation of the positive reports in the daily news. It is a free press, and that means it has the responsibility to report honestly and fairly.
