Comments on: Dispatch From Your War Correspondent Correspondent http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/ America's favorite blog Tue, 06 Jan 2009 12:45:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.11 by: t.a. http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-676 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-676 anybody who's read Pogo (and i grew up reading my dad's vast collection) would recognize how unnecessary are any conspiracty theories when human beings are just so stupid. Walt Kelly held human stupidity to be an inalienable right and a great source of amusement, one from which he earned a good living and created a classic American work of art. but i doubt he would find much humor in the current happenings; the evil underlying all the current stupidity is just so overwhelming. but stupidity it certainly is. and you are right, as is your choice of descriptive: the networks suck. they have failed as badly at their duty as has the president. it really is no laughing matter. anybody who’s read Pogo (and i grew up reading my dad’s vast collection) would recognize how unnecessary are any conspiracty theories when human beings are just so stupid. Walt Kelly held human stupidity to be an inalienable right and a great source of amusement, one from which he earned a good living and created a classic American work of art. but i doubt he would find much humor in the current happenings; the evil underlying all the current stupidity is just so overwhelming. but stupidity it certainly is.

and you are right, as is your choice of descriptive: the networks suck. they have failed as badly at their duty as has the president. it really is no laughing matter.

]]> by: fa friend http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-677 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-677 What if they just suck. Exactly. Very funny and sadly very true! What if they just suck. Exactly. Very funny and sadly very true!

]]> by: Rana http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-678 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-678 Word. (And how horrifying to have one's death aired and ignored simultaneously!) Word.

(And how horrifying to have one’s death aired and ignored simultaneously!)

]]> by: me too http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-679 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-679 ...or they're incompetent. …or they’re incompetent.

]]> by: Susan http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-680 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-680 I saw this too, late last night (2 am, 3?)on CNN, and was stunned by the sudden "panning" of the camera to the plastered wall, and then the cut feed. It was very disturbing as it seemed the only possibilities were that the cameraman was hit, or that he had dropped his camera to run elsewhere. Yet a few minutes later in the broadcast (perhaps you missed it, Adam?) Aaron Brown assured the viewers that "the cameraman is alright." He repeated it a couple of times. People often speculate on how far the reality TV trend will go. Sadly, I guess we're finding out. I saw this too, late last night (2 am, 3?)on CNN, and was stunned by the sudden “panning” of the camera to the plastered wall, and then the cut feed. It was very disturbing as it seemed the only possibilities were that the cameraman was hit, or that he had dropped his camera to run elsewhere.

Yet a few minutes later in the broadcast (perhaps you missed it, Adam?) Aaron Brown assured the viewers that “the cameraman is alright.” He repeated it a couple of times.

People often speculate on how far the reality TV trend will go. Sadly, I guess we’re finding out.

]]> by: adam http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-681 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-681 Susan - I did indeed miss that. I was probably watching MSNBC at the time, as I spent the better part of the first hour flipping back and forth trying to determine if anybody would mention it. It takes some genuine marksmanship to hit a camera on a balcony and leave the balcony intact, so I'd imagine that reports of "mortar shells" and "bombs" in connection to the camera are inaccurate. Susan - I did indeed miss that. I was probably watching MSNBC at the time, as I spent the better part of the first hour flipping back and forth trying to determine if anybody would mention it.

It takes some genuine marksmanship to hit a camera on a balcony and leave the balcony intact, so I’d imagine that reports of “mortar shells” and “bombs” in connection to the camera are inaccurate.

]]> by: Don http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-682 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-682 I saw the same thing on CNN and wondered how in the world the cameraman could be OK. I also wondered why other networks didn't seem to be mentioning it. I guess OK is in the eye of the beholder. And it's much better if the beholder's eye isn't looking into the viewfinder at the same time a missile is entering the camera lens. I saw the same thing on CNN and wondered how in the world the cameraman could be OK. I also wondered why other networks didn’t seem to be mentioning it.

I guess OK is in the eye of the beholder. And it’s much better if the beholder’s eye isn’t looking into the viewfinder at the same time a missile is entering the camera lens.

]]> by: Sue http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-683 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-683 The sad thing is, they didn't notice because the cameraman was just another Arab from Abu Dhabi TV. If it had been an American, or maybe even a British reporter, it would have been far different. They do just suck. The sad thing is, they didn’t notice because the cameraman was just another Arab from Abu Dhabi TV. If it had been an American, or maybe even a British reporter, it would have been far different. They do just suck.

]]> by: Landis http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-684 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-684 I'm not quite sure I fully understand. I don't have cable (or any local news for that matter, I only get the golf channel - go figure) so I've been a little behind in my full real reality TV consumption. My understanding from the radio was that an Al Jazeera reporter was killed by bombs from a US aircraft. And later a tank, reportedly taking small arms fire from the hotel, fired on the Palistinian Hotel where the international journalists are known to be staying - killing two more journalists. So the question: Is this Abu Dhabi cameraman, Tariq Ayoub, the one who was shooting the footage you all saw on TV and he was the one killed? So the bullets that the footage showed are what killed him? What about this air-to-surface missile that is quoted in one place and a bomb that is reported in another (both by US aircraft)? That doesn't quite sound like the same incident. Anyone with a better grasp on the multiple reports able to clear this up for me? No matter, your point is still well taken. The media sucks. But I think we've got to admit, sucking as it does, it's still better than getting all our news and reports from Sec. Rumsfeld and Co. (I'm still really surprised by people who say that the media JUST gets in the way and that we should trust our government. It's not that I don't trust our government, but they've, shall we say, misspoke a couple times in the past. Okay, it is that I don't trust my govenment....) I’m not quite sure I fully understand. I don’t have cable (or any local news for that matter, I only get the golf channel - go figure) so I’ve been a little behind in my full real reality TV consumption.

My understanding from the radio was that an Al Jazeera reporter was killed by bombs from a US aircraft. And later a tank, reportedly taking small arms fire from the hotel, fired on the Palistinian Hotel where the international journalists are known to be staying - killing two more journalists.

So the question: Is this Abu Dhabi cameraman, Tariq Ayoub, the one who was shooting the footage you all saw on TV and he was the one killed? So the bullets that the footage showed are what killed him? What about this air-to-surface missile that is quoted in one place and a bomb that is reported in another (both by US aircraft)? That doesn’t quite sound like the same incident. Anyone with a better grasp on the multiple reports able to clear this up for me?

No matter, your point is still well taken. The media sucks. But I think we’ve got to admit, sucking as it does, it’s still better than getting all our news and reports from Sec. Rumsfeld and Co.

(I’m still really surprised by people who say that the media JUST gets in the way and that we should trust our government. It’s not that I don’t trust our government, but they’ve, shall we say, misspoke a couple times in the past. Okay, it is that I don’t trust my govenment….)

]]> by: Ellen http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-685 Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://fanaticalapathy.com/2003/04/08/dispatch-from-your-war-correspondent-correspondent/#comment-685 <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/topics/article.asp?cu_no=1&item_no=2147&version=1&template_id=263&parent_id=258">Al Jazeera's take</a> (doesn't work in Netscape, but OK in IE) Al Jazeera’s take (doesn’t work in Netscape, but OK in IE)

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