Skewing the media

http://www.inform.umd.edu/News/Diamondback/archives/2003/10/15/commentary4.html

Some of you may have missed it. I don't blame you. There was barely an article in the national press this past weekend about the third anniversary of the USS Cole bombing. Maybe the media thought we didn't need to be reminded of the 17 U.S. soldiers who were killed and the 39 who were wounded on Oct. 12, 2000. After all, our troops in Iraq serve as a daily reminder. Seventeen American soldiers are killed almost every month there.

But at least the USS Cole got its share of the political and media spotlight earlier. That's because the story was compatible with a political agenda and served political goals. Search for coverage and citations of the Cole even a year after the incident and you'll find it in almost every speech calling for punishment of the perpetrators and in most articles covering the Middle East. In most cases, it is followed by a promise of the sort of "attack one American and you attack all Americans."

But we can't say that about a similar tragedy that happened about 36 years ago. The June 8, 1967, attack by Israel on the USS Liberty left 34 sailors dead and 172 wounded. The defenseless intelligence ship was sailing in international waters and had no reason to suspect the sneak attack by Israeli aircraft and motor torpedo boats. When its commanders asked for a destroyer escort, the request was rejected and the crew was assured "Sixth Fleet aircraft could be overhead in a few minutes," in the unlikely event of an accidental attack.

Why didn't our government investigate the killing of American soldiers? I guess because the tragedy couldn't be manipulated to serve any political goal.

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See www.ussliberty.org for more info on Israel's intentional attack on a defenseless American intelligence ship.

not this debate again.

I don't know if it was intentional or not. Both have question marks. But I think I can agree that the media coverage of this conflict isn't as unbiased as it's made out to be.

And, of course, American foreign policy is about as consistent as getting sixes every time you roll a die is.

For me, I do think the attack was intentional; furthermore, I think the entire episode -- with the background leading up to the event itself, the U.S. cover-up, and all the lying which has gone on ever since by ultra-nationalist partisans -- is very instructive in learning about the general nature of the U.S./Israeli relationship.

But, the fact is, some minds will be open to it, and others will not. That's the way it goes.