Iraq war fades out as TV story

[Regis Philbin]

Not enough Americans being killed to keep the mainstream media interested anymore... :greyno:

http://www.miamiherald.com/776/story/458872.html

Iraq war fades out as TV story

Posted on Sun, Mar. 16, 2008

By DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer

NEW YORK -- Remember the war in Iraq?

The question isn't entirely facetious. The war has nearly vanished from TV screens over the past few months, replaced by stories about the fascinating presidential campaign and faltering economy.

Yet Americans continue to fight and die there, five years after the war started in March 2003.

"It's no big secret that this is a war that everyone has grown tired of," said CNN correspondent Arwa Damon, whose documentary "On Deadly Ground: The Women of Iraq" is airing several times this month. "Iraqis are aware of it. They think it's a story that people are tired of hearing about. That's what makes our job more crucial."

ABC News will draw attention to the war this week with the fifth edition of its "Where Things Stand" series, polling and interviewing Iraqis about what is happening in their country.

Statistics clearly illustrate the diminished attention. For the first 10 weeks of the year, the war accounted for 3 percent of television, newspaper and Internet stories in the Project for Excellence in Journalism's survey of news coverage. During the same period in 2007, Iraq filled 23 percent of the news hole.

[Richard Tafoya]

Actually, it's the audience that doesn't care, so news producers focus on things they do care about.

From the same article:

A week before Petraeus' testimony, Katie Couric did some of her best journalism since joining CBS, during a trip to Iraq and Syria.

Her reward? The least-watched week for the "CBS Evening News" since at least 1987, and probably long before.
Also, remember that the more people know about the day to day in Iraq, the less popular the war becomes, because a wide majority of Americans believe it's already cost too much money and too many lives.

[ConnieB]

Actually I feel it's not being reported on because there isn't enough BAD to report on....the media is all about focusing on the negative in the conflict, and not the good. Where are the stories about how cities are building up, how crops are being grown, and how the economy has turned around?????? Why didn't they report on the mall that was built on Saddam's property????? I mean there is alot of good going on, but the American people will never hear about it because the media will not report it. HEY, guess what it's going better in Iraq...lets focus on that for once. Maybe then our nations morale will change..oh wait that is what the Democrats don't want so they can take office!!!!!!

Yes, maybe the viewing numbers have gone done because Americans are sick of hearing about the negative side...so go in a different direction...show the positive happenings occuring in Iraq and I bet the numbers will go up again....

I get good reports weekly from the people I know in Iraq along with some amazing pictures.....It's too bad the media won't tell both sides of the story.

[Richard Tafoya]

Because the number of Americans that choose to read or watch those stories is very small. So if you want low TV ratings or a dive in newspaper circulation, go ahead and spend a lot of time on mall construction and school painting.

Heck, if you run with mall construction and school painting on your front page or in your newscast lede about any city in the US, people would tune out, what makes you think covering it in Iraq makes it any more precious?

[pinky]

If people want to read about the good things happening in Iraq, all they have to do is tune in to Fox News.

Since they're not doing so well in the ratings these days, it's apparent that the American people don't want to hear what the White House line is.