US Soldier’s Sacrifice in Afghanistan, and Pakistani media’s silence

Ernest Dempsey — Two days ago, the news of a US soldier saving the life of an Afghan child at the cost of his own made news in all major media sources. The soldier named Dennis Weichel was 29 and stationed in Laghman province. Over a week ago, he rushed to pick a girl and move her out of the way of an army vehicle that could have crushed her to death. In this attempt at saving the child’s life, Weichel was hit by the vehicle while the girl was saved by his heroic move. Weichel succumbed to the wounds sustained in the line of duty as a true soldier – one who saves innocent lives.

After the recent incident of a US soldier’s shocking killings of Afghan civilians in the war-torn country, the public outrage was given voice in an equally spirited fashion in most media sources, including Pakistani media. Hardly any newspaper or channel missed presenting the news, often repeatedly with comments. Yet, the heart-winning altruistic act of Dennis Weichel has been so shamelessly ignored in Pakistani media that its absence seems to tell more about the selectivity of reporting by these sources. But then we know how very selective they have been in the past about what to give voice and why. Ignoring the confession of a Muslim man in the Koran desecration case that resulted in a horrific incident of violence against Christians, ignoring the Muslim fundamentalists’ call to ban bible, and misrepresenting the case of dismissal of Muslim drivers in the US—all these cases, and many more, tell what a biased media does in making opinions, or strengthening prejudices and fueling hatred—to be more precise.

Electronic media in Pakistan is ravenously vocal when it comes to slamming any action of the American or NATO forces hurting a civilian in Afghanistan. However, for all heroic actions of the American or western forces in the same area, this is just the opposite—complete silence. Of course, a very meaningful silence here, for the self-interested media sources do ‘good’ job in filling colors in the pictures the fundamentalist networks drawn for the masses. And this has been so for decades. How then can they dare contradict their own agenda by showing the flip side of the coin? This tells a lot about what scale of attraction the media is on toward positive, factual reporting.

From a humanist viewpoint, Dennis Weichel truly is a martyr; for if he isn’t called that, then there never was a martyr in human history. We have heard calls for apologies on the highest political level on incidents of killings of civilians by US troops. Now is the time when Dennis Weichel should be honored as a martyr by these very heads of state and fundamentalist drama queens who pose as defenders of humanity. Likewise, now is the time for all bigoted media to open their eyes (if there are any left) and take the professional demand and moral courage to tell the stories of real heroes—heroes like Dennis Weichel. He is not one who makes a nation or a family proud, but the universal human spirit in its pure and uncorrupted state.

Media biased. But who is the “elite media?”

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Common Cause declares that the inability of the media to provide diverse viewpoints and to provide information without bias is undermining the country and making it difficult for a serious democracy.  Newt Gingrich recently declared the media to be the “liberal elite.” But is the media truly biased, and who is the "elite media?"

A Harvard study examined the media and how it may be influenced by politics and exacerbating the gridlock.  To do this researchers examined five online news sources that included wire service, cable news and blog sites to evaluate potential bias in how news is selected.  In other words, media sites receive press releases or specific news information from wire services and information from direct sources and can screen in or out what news is provided to the public.  Furthermore, media outlets decide what specific areas of the news to report and which ones to eliminate.  This is part of what is called the “gate-keeping” process.

The study looked at the media outlets reporting four months before and  three weeks after the 2006 elections.  The examination found that the wire services provided more traditional news material, directly sourced, and with less bias than the other sources that included cable news and web-based information.  They analyzed  news content from five websites: DailyKos.com, a site considered liberal, FreeRepublic.com, considered to represent conservative thought, Fox News, accused by liberals of being specifically oriented towards the conservative view, and the wire services that included the Associated Press, U.S. based,  and Reuters.com, based in the United Kingdom.

Researchers found Reuters less politically biased than the others, followed by the Associated Press.  Both appeared to bring news to the public in the traditional ways.  Web-based news was found to be specifically oriented to niche audiences,  partisanship is one of the key lines of demarcation allowing websites to attract a specific, loyal group.    In 2006 the Pew Forum found that only 12% of those seeking news turn to non-traditional news sources for it.

Despite the fact there is more bias in independent sources, there is considerable disagreement as to the severity and degree of that bias.  Media watchdog groups that include the Media Research Center (MRC), the Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA), and Fairness and Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR) all say they are objective in analyzing media content, yet they disagree on whether the media is biased and if so in what direction.  Bloggers overall were seen to be more politically oriented than other news sites, especially traditional ones, and to rely more on politics and political discussions than others.

Recent news from the Associated Press reports the meeting of Newt Gingrich with Donald Trump.  The AP press wire is reproduced in the Christian Science Monitor in an article entitled, "Newt Gingrich meets with Donald Trump, begins first ad in Iowa."  The article goes on to highlight the details of the meeting and ends by observing Dan Quayle has endorsed Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney as evidence that Romney is being supported by those in the more traditional wing of the Republican Party.

Newser describes itself as a "news curator with a kick.  Our editors hand-pick the best stories from hundreds of U.S. and International sources and summarize them into sharply written, easy-to-digest news briefs."  Newser also has a strong citizen journalism component where anyone with a pen, an attitude and the interest in writing (or rewriting by paraphrase) news stories can do so and have an audience of readers as well.  In this case Newser has its own orientation with the story entitled, "Insistent on role in GOP nomination, Trump meets with Gingrich and schedules Iowa debate."  The article ends with the reference made by Ron Paul to Donald Trump's hosting of a Republican debate that includes Gingrich, "I didn't know he had the ability to lay on hands and anoint people."

The Internet is rife with the back-and-forth tirades about the "liberal elite media," with the conservatives shouting the words in the condemnation of the press and the liberal side maintaining the press is conservative as well.    Yet what research has found is that the media is diverse, politically biased, and the degree and intention of it varies.  The citizen side of the news, the ones often occupied by those who purport to know the true needs and wishes of the people, maintain they can give the real facts.  A blog entitled "sadbastards" tells us with its massive headline, "The end of elite liberal media empires and the rise of citizen journalism" with its lead story one about John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer, informing readers in bold title that Gacy was a Democrat.

Study: media biased with crime reports

Carol Forsloff -  News media often muse over whether minorities are given equal time when victimized by crimes, especially involving women and children; and recent research verifies indeed there is racial and ethnic discrimination by the media.

Missing white women get far more attention from the media, according to research by Dr. Mia Moddy, assistant professor of journalism and media arts at Baylor University.

What the news media covers by way of stories affects the attention given by viewers and also by authorities.

Professor also declares that despite the tenet of journalism to be objective, despite journalists' good intentions, often the news is "framed" in such a way that coverage becomes magnified or minimized based on such factors as a woman's youth, beauty and occupation.

“Framing is not intentional — it’s different from ‘spin,’ where you know what you’re doing — but it’s based on your race, your gender, your values, your upbringing,” Moody said. “You cover an issue based on what you bring to the table. We just have different viewpoints."

Moody based her research on an examination of mainstream media coverage of different stories involving women and intends to do additional ones to see if the same differences occur in blogs and other new media.

“The research is ongoing,” said Moody, who has enlisted students to assist in the effort. “I don’t want to let it go.”

Moody observes that despite the media's pronouncements and self-criticism about relative ignorance of minority women who are missing, nothing much seems to have changed since the early 2000's..

The coverage during those early criticisms was dubbed “Missing White Women Syndrome” or “missing pretty girl syndrome.”   Moody said that missing women of color seldom had these headlines.

Because researchers found it impossible to include all women relevant to the study for empirical results, they focused on coverage of four of the most publicized cases between 2002 to 2005: Laci Peterson, 27, and Lori Hacking, 27, both Anglo; Tamika Huston, 24, who was African-American, and Latoyia Figueroa, also 24, who was of Hispanic and African-American descent. Huston and Figueroa were perhaps the most publicized missing minority women, researchers said.

Investigators reviewed  738 transcripts and articles from NBC and CBS television networks and articles in The Washington Post and USA Today.

The coverage of black and Latino women was also different in the actual content, with mainstream press coverage of Anglo women including interviews with friends and relatives and the personality of the missing woman.  With black and Latino women, their poor circumstances or personal difficulties were highlighted instead.


Being white and being pretty play important roles in whether a woman gets media attention when missing.  The study found Laci Peterson was the best example of that, as the attractive woman, a wonderful wife, pregnant, young and by the media put on a pedestal.

“You also don’t see much coverage of overweight women,” Moody said. “It’s nearly always about someone who’s attractive or petite. What does that say about women who are poor, unattractive or overweight? That tells us that they’re not as important.”

Moody declares it is important to study the ways individuals are portrayed by the media to increase awarenessness, and “if members of the media are aware, they can change the way they cover those groups.”

Moody said other groups often are overlooked or stereotyped in media coverage and at present is writing a book called Invisible Damsels: Media’s Framing of Women, Minorities and the Elderly.