Iraq War Reportage vs Blogs

It’s no secret that the MSM’s reportage of the War in Iraq is heavily focused on negatives, with little-to-no coverage of positive stories. Part of that, of course, is due to the very nature of the press – “if it bleeds, it leads.”

Part of it, alas, seems to be simply a refusal on the part of the MSM to give any positive notice on the off chance that doing so might – gasp – reflect well on George W. Bush, our troops or – egad – the whole concept of war as being a necessary evil.

Mark Yost wrote about this and was quickly assailed by members of his profession who took umbrage at his remarks, as Michael Fumento reports (with many additional links).

His media colleagues were merciless. “With your column, you have spat on the copy of the brave men and women who are doing their best in terrible conditions,” reporter Chuck Laszewski at the same newspaper charged in an open letter. “You have insulted them and demeaned them,” he wrote. “I am embarrassed to call you my colleague.”

Meanwhile, Michael Yon is doing tremendous work, real reportage, not from a barricade in a hotel, but embedded, with the troops, and it’s very impressive stuff. Perhaps the WH needs to find a few other reporters in the mold of the late, great Michael Kelly and David Bloom, who would consent to being embedded – so we can get a more accurate picture of both the highs and lows of our endeavor.

Meanwhile Froggy Ruminations attends the funeral of Petty Officer James E. Suh and writes a moving report, and Anthony Brown of the UK Times suggests that the left in England (and elsewhere) are “Fundamentally” useful idiots.

UPDATE: Maxed Out Mama has an excellent post on this subject.