Wednesday's Biased Item - May 2, 2007

How Often Do We Hear From the Media About These Heroes?

Excerpt

Read the excerpt below from Newsbusters.org posted by Mark Finkelstein on April 19, 2007.   Then scroll down and read "Types of Media Bias."  This post is an example of bias by STORY SELECTION and bias by OMISSION.
QUESTIONS:  
1.  How many times a week do you hear/read about a suicide bomber killing American soldiers and Iraqi civilians?
2.  How many times a week do you hear/read about the heroic act of an American soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan?
3.  Why do you think the media does not appear to make an effort to find these good news stories?

How many Americans can name one American hero from the war on terror?

During WWII and for years thereafter, I daresay virtually every American from school-age up knew of Audie Murphy and other war heroes. But while the [media] has spent incalculable resources informing Americans and the world about Abu Ghraib and Haditha, how often has the [media] told us about the new generation of heroes among our people serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere?

I'd invite people to view Heroes in the War on Terror, assembled by the Defense Department, that tells the stories of a number of our heroes. Take that of SGT Micheaux M. Sanders of Goldsboro, NC:

Sanders deployed to Iraq in 2003 in the early stages of the conflict--but it was not until April 4, 2004, that he faced his greatest challenge on the battlefield. A platoon of 20 men was trapped deep within Sadr City, which was in the midst of an uprising. Sgt. Sanders’s tank crew and two others from his unit were called to aid the rescue. The first two attempts failed, and during the second, Sgt. Sanders took a bullet through his left shoulder. Sanders waved the medics away, and instead hopped on another tank for a third rescue attempt, one which pushed through numerous firefights and impromptu roadblocks, such as burning tires and washing machines, to reach the stranded men. Sanders told the Chicago Tribune later, “All I needed was a Band-Aid.” Because Sanders’s unit had previously been scheduled for transport, the tanks were carrying a minimum load of ammunition. At one point Sanders ran out of ammo and resorted to throwing rocks and anything else he could find at the enemy. Sanders was awarded the Silver Star in October 2004.

How much [media] coverage of SGT Sanders or the other heroes depicted on the site have you seen? When will the [media] provide some balance to its coverage -- or will the focus remain those relatively very rare instances in which our troops break the rules?

Mark was in Iraq in November. Contact him at

Go to NewsBusters.org for the original posting.

Types of Media Bias

Explanation of Media Bias