Reporters Say Networks Put Wars on Back Burner

[southern_belle]

A Must Read! :(

According to data compiled by Andrew Tyndall, a television consultant who monitors the three network evening newscasts, coverage of Iraq has been “massively scaled back this year.” Almost halfway into 2008, the three newscasts have shown 181 weekday minutes of Iraq coverage, compared with 1,157 minutes for all of 2007. The “CBS Evening News” has devoted the fewest minutes to Iraq, 51, versus 55 minutes on ABC’s “World News” and 74 minutes on “NBC Nightly News.” (The average evening newscast is 22 minutes long.)

CBS News no longer stations a single full-time correspondent in Iraq, where some 150,000 United States troops are deployed.

``snip``

Coverage of the war in Afghanistan has increased slightly this year, with 46 minutes of total coverage year-to-date compared with 83 minutes for all of 2007. NBC has spent 25 minutes covering Afghanistan, partly because the anchor Brian Williams visited the country earlier in the month. Through Wednesday, when an ABC correspondent was in the middle of a prolonged visit to the country, ABC had spent 13 minutes covering Afghanistan. CBS has spent eight minutes covering Afghanistan so far this year.

Both Ms. Logan and Mr. McCarthy noted that more coalition soldiers were killed in Afghanistan in May than in Iraq. No American television network has a full-time correspondent in Afghanistan, although CNN recently said it would open a bureau in Kabul.

More at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/business/media/23logan.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&oref=slogin

[bluedeminredstate]

1. Disgusting.

No full-time reporters in war zones? Unbelievable.

How many "reporters" were camped out in front of Britney's house when she was hauled away by ambulance? How many when Paris got hauled back to jail?

Truly shocking.

:banghead:

[southern_belle]

2. kicking for frustration

at the media. :rant:

[rucky]

3. Why bother?

They report what the pentagon tells them - whether they have a correspondent there or not. They may as well be standing in front of a green screen like the weatherman.