Listening to news this am: "Daring" israeli raid to kidnap Hezbollah

[Lerkfish]

leader.

Sorry, I don't recall which network, I was flipping around.

It got me to thinking: If Hezbollah "kidnaps" two Isreali soldiers, its a "provocation" to flatten lebanon (though personally I dont' think that was the whole reason) but even if it was.
If Isreal lands helicopters in Northern Lebanon, to kidnap a Hezbollah leader in a hospital, its "daring". Almost heroic.

My concern right here is not with either side, but with how the different sides are being framed in the media.
I've also heard news reporters refer to actions by Israel as "we" instead of "they".

Now, a lot of lebanon damage and carnage is also being reported, I'm not claiming its completely one side or another. I just find these small, subtle wordings disturbing.

[theHandpuppet]

1. Par for the course

I've also heard news reporters refer to actions by Israel as "we" instead of "they".

Wow! Where did you hear this? Unbelievable.

[Lerkfish]

2. again, I apologize.

when I watch the news on tv, I'm flipping around from msnbc through cnn through fox through cspan. They're all in a line on my cable, so I flip them in rapid succession. Why so rapid, you ask? because I have a seven year old who hears the tv and comes in and demands to see cartoonnetwork, so I speed skim the news.

sorry that I cannot remember who it was.

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. That was the whole idea behind 'embedding' reporters --

not to get solid, front-line reports, but to make the reporters identify with the forces they were with. That would automatically slant the reporting toward the troops.

I reckon if you're a reporter in northern Israel, and you are with an IDF unit looking at Katushas that 'they' are firing, your response would be they are firing at 'us'.

And, of course, if you are not a reporter and from Fox News, the 'we' is a given.

[atreides1]

4. From the AP at YahooNews

"Israeli commandos flew in by helicopter before dawn into the northern town of Baalbek, on the border with Syria, capturing five Hezbollah guerrillas and killing at least 10, said Israel's army chief, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz.

Witnesses said Israeli forces partially destroyed the Dar al-Hikma hospital in Baalbek, where chief Hezbollah spokesman Hussein Rahal said fierce fighting raged for more than one hour."

[MrPrax]

5. Alternative take on Baalbek raid...

Baalbek residents say Israeli attack like 'Apocalypse Now'

It was like Apocalypse Now,' said Ali Dandash, a resident of the eastern Lebanese town of Baalbek, describing an overnight Israeli commando raid on a hospital in the area that was run by Hezbollah militants.
....

Police present in the area said the Israelis took five Lebanese civilians with them. The police gave the names of the five captured civilians as Hassan deeb Nasrallah, Bilal Hassan Nasrallah, Ahmad Auta, Hassan Burji and Hussein Shokr. Asked if they were snatched from inside the hospital the police said, 'We have no information yet.'
....

Israeli voice messages received on Lebanese mobiles said, 'The courageous operation was meant to save our soldiers.' Lebanese security sources told dpa during the night that the aim of the Israeli offensive was to release the two captured soldiers being held by Hezbollah who they believed were inside the targeted hospital. 'Do they think we are that stupid to keep their soldiers here?' the Hezbollah official laughed.

....

Hospital sources here told dpa 11 civilians died as a result of the attack which was the first deep into central Lebanon close to the Syrian border and some 100 kilometres north of Israel.

'Most of the civilians were killed in their houses which are near the hospital,' the source said.

M&C

[theHandpuppet]

6. It was obviously the fault of the Lebanese

'Most of the civilians were killed in their houses which are near the hospital,' the source said.

It was obviously the fault of the Lebanese for putting their hospitals in civilian areas.
:sarcasm:

[MrPrax]

7. I notice that part...

Other early reports last night claimed the IDF were trapped there and had to be extracated. The Lebanese are claiming they were just Lebanese army and civillians. I guess the IDF after having it's ass kicked again, grabbed some people to make it look good.

Today Israel is trying to explain this and how Hez managed to fire off nearly 200 rockets into Israel -- inspite of a three week attack that Israel claimed has wiped out most of Hez heavy equipment.