media alert

["James Daly" <james.irldaly@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

MEDIA LENS: Correcting for the distorted vision of the corporate media

May 16, 2003


MEDIA ALERT: GRIT YOUR TEETH – SURGERY IN ‘LIBERATED’ IRAQ
(the full article is archived at
http://www.MediaLens.org/alerts/index.html  )


Watching Closely?

In a recent Media Alert, ‘Killings At Falluja – The BBC Tells One Side
Of The Story’ (April 29, 2003), we reported how the BBC's lunchtime
news had devoted 3 minutes and 10 seconds to the killing of 16 and
wounding of 75 Iraqi civilian protestors by US troops in Falluja. In
those 190 seconds, the BBC repeated the claim that the US had acted in
self-defence five times. The claim made by Iraqi protestors - that the
demonstration had been peaceful and unarmed - was not mentioned. In
responding to queries from Media Lens readers, Richard Sambrook, the
BBC’s director of news, explained:

“Details of the shootings at Falluja came in during the later part of
the morning, and more information, including accounts of the events by
eyewitnesses, continued to come in throughout the day. At One O'Clock,
the primary fact was a simple one, that the Americans had killed 13
Iraqis and wounded several dozens of others.” (Forwarded to Media
Lens, May 7, 2003)

And yet, as we pointed out in our alert, at 11:41 that same morning, a
BBC Online news report had been posted on the Media Lens message board
citing a local Sunni cleric in Falluja, Kamal Shaker Mahmoud, who
said: “It was a peaceful demonstration. They did not have any weapons.
They were asking the Americans to leave the school so they could use
it.” http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2984663.stm