Why doesn't the western media show what war really looks like?

Question

All we see are talking head pundits and blathering rhetoric.
Why are the images of war so frightening to the media?
Does it scare away advertisers?
Politcal pressure?
Don't think the viewers can handle it?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAHQsGtgWQc&mode=related&search=s?

how does "defeatist rhetoric" sanitize the images of war?

Answer 1

The media in Iraq and Afghanistan are under extreme controls and are restricted by what they can film and/or report. These are rules issued by the US government and followed strictly by the US and its allies military forces.
Many journalists, TV cameramen, and news photographers would like to go out into the field and cover whatever they chose to without restrictions, something like they had in the LATER PART of the Second Indochina War (Vietnam War).

Answer 2

Because the media learned their lesson from the Viet-Nam era--If the media really expose the truth regarding the war in Iraq and Afghanistan it would indeed incite the people--out of sight, out of mind. The bodies of our fallen troops are not shown on television, not for consideration of families and the public rather a political decision--it would incite the people against this unnecessary war. I think it's an obligation for the media to stand up and report the news --the good, bad and the ugly. It's all political, it's also disgraceful and a shame....

Answer 3

Because the media would have to tell the truth (a novel concept) for all of them.

Because they really believe that they are smarter than the average American and know what is right for us to see. WRONG!!! 30-second sound bites just don't do it for me.

FCC has been proved to be spineless, so don't blame them.

Advertisers like Ford, cater to the homosexuals. Advertising dollars won't be an issue. Though it does amaze me that 10% of the population is driving the advertising economy...what happened to the other 90%?

Major media covered the Vietnam War; wait a minute....Democrats were in office. There is your answer.

Answer 4

I like the notion that people think war is beautiful and only bad guys die at the press of a button in a land far, far away. EVERYONE knows war is hell...it has been since it first reared its ugly head. But it is necessary to put an end to wholesale evil and thank God we have men and women in this country who know the dangers and volunteer anyway. What an arrogant presumption that we don't know what war looks like...we got a hell of a good look on sep. 11, 2001.

Answer 5

In the 70's the Vietnam War was brought in color to the homes of millions of viewers. It was a PR disaster.
The media, which is controlled by the conservatives, knows this and likes it as clean as possible.

Answer 6

I don't know if it's decisions made at the network levels, or "suggestions" from the administration, whether each network decided on its own or it's a consortium -- but I imagine several factors drove that decision, such as people might change the channel because they don't want to see it, or people might not be as supportive of the war if they see what it's really like. Either the networks don't believe people want real "reality tv" when it comes to war or they don't want people to see what's going on -- like the ban on taking photographs of returning caskets, remember that?

Answer 7

They are doing a good job of making it appear worse than it is by messing with the facts.

If they start showing pictures they will set a precedent that they won't want to live with later if the news is good. They are not in the good news business.

Also: If they show a dead kid who's parents haven't been notified, they couldn't handle the law suits. They would never end.

Answer 8

You are obviously too young to remember the vivid, gory, horrible images we watched on the news during the Vietnam war,

Believe me you would not want to see the carnage that war creates in terms of human suffering.

Answer 9

crimson Beatle 23, i'm guffawing at you, via fact of your stupid historic conquest checklist. the US has been in greater suitable than 50 wars on distant places soil AFTER WWII !!!! to respond to the question, the media firms and the palms manufacturers are area of the comparable monopolies and jointly they money in on war. All of those million dollar bombs that they drop over there are paid for out of taxpayers wallet, and the income is going directly to the manufacturers. the US isn't hated via the Muslim international via fact of this is "freedom". this is via fact your government has been sponsoring tyranny and oppression in Muslim international places for over 50 years now.

Answer 10

The media shows its product to non-combatants. It has to exclude parts that would offend their viewers or those viewers would watch another station. We don't have to see people blown apart to know that war is bad.