A “Half Empty” Media

Watching the news since U.S. occupation began in Iraq, we are led to believe that Iraq is an endless quagmire of suicide bombings, guerilla attacks and riots that end in U.S. soldiers arbitrarily firing into crowds. This just shows the media’s power to spin our view of the situation there.

Consider the following statistics—based on reports from military officials in Iraq—on the little-heard-of positive sides of the reconstruction efforts put forth on www.BrookesNews.com (Dec. 15, 2003).

Over 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens. Nearly all of Iraq’s 400 courts are functioning. All 22 universities and 43 technical institutes and colleges are open, as are nearly all primary and secondary schools. All 240 hospitals and more than 1,200 clinics are open. Teachers’ salaries are 12 to 25 times what they were under Saddam Hussein. Doctors’ salaries are at least eight times greater than they were. The clearing of 8,700 miles of Iraq’s 16,000 miles of weed-choked canals has enabled tens of thousands of farms to now be irrigated, creating more than 100,000 jobs for Iraqis. By October 2003, power generation exceeded the pre-war average. Over three quarters of pre-war telephone services and over two thirds of clean water production have been restored. Iraq has a single, unified currency for the first time in 15 years.

These are just a few items from a plenteous list.

How much more American public support would the reconstruction effort have if the media reported a more balanced view of events in Iraq?