G. Beato covers Iraqbodycount.net for Alternet and wonders why none of The Networks have taken on reporting or investigating the single greatest ramification of war - the fact that people die. As the search for weapons of mass destruction continues with no substantial results, one wonders why we were there in the first place. A frequent argument was that "once we have free reign of that country, then we'll find them! Unlike those pesky U.N. Inspectors..." And while such weapons may yet turn up, one wonders why those inspectors couldn't have been given more time, potentially sparing lives and billions of dollars. (Isn't it interesting that now the U.S. has "liberated" Iraq, it's calling on everyone else to help foot the reconstruction bill? "We kicked 'em out, you clean it up. Whether you were with us or against us, pay up!") And the U.S. certainly can't pay it. I can't help but imagine what this money could have done to the schools, where hard working long-time teachers like my mother grow ever more disgruntled with bureaucracy, shrinking budgets, and expectations of teachers to do more and more work on their own dime... sigh. In any case, a handful of volunteers doing what The Networks will not:
A project like Iraqbodycount.net was tailor-made for today's 24-hour, interactive, constantly updated news cycles - and it represented a rare opportunity for news organizations to go beyond constantly recycled newzak and Pentagon ventriloquism. The fact that no professional media outlet attempted to do what a couple dozen volunteers pulled off was not a triumph of journalistic responsibility, but rather an embarassing example of journalistic complacency. ["Down for the Count", G. Beato, Alternet 23 Apr 2003; viewed 25 Apr 2003]
Separately, we have Greg Dyke, director general of the BBC:
If Iraq proved anything, it was that the BBC cannot afford to mix patriotism and journalism. This is happening in the United States and if it continues will undermine the credibility of the US electronic news media."What credibility can our news media have when it spends more time