MEDIA BIAS COSTS SOLDIERS' LIVES

By Toby Westerman

Individuals and groups are actively working to have the U.S. lose in Iraq, while others would see an American defeat as helpful to their political interests or careers, according to retired U.S. combat pilot and former Air Force aide to U.S. president Bill Clinton,Lt. Colonel Robert "Buzz" Patterson, during an exclusive interview with International News Analysis Today.com

The lives of American soldiers are placed in greater peril, and the war in Iraq is prolonged unnecessarily, due to the distorted media reporting and partisan attacks by certain U.S. politicians, stated Patterson, author of Dereliction of Duty (2003) and Reckless Disregard (2004).

INA Today asked if the press is aiding the terrorism.

"Absolutely," Patterson responded.

Tying slanted media reporting to domestic politics, Patterson stated that, "Consciously or not, influential segments of the mainstream media advance the agenda that anything that besmirches the Bush administration is good, and if it comes at the expense of the war in Iraq - that's fine."

"The troops see that, they see that very clearly," Patterson observed.

Recently returned from visiting U.S. armed forces in Iraq, Patterson expressed to INA Today his concern about the media and political manipulation of the Iraq war. While troop morale remains high, U.S. military personnel are, nevertheless, dismayed at the image the established media convey to the American public regarding their efforts in Iraq.

Some troops believe that distorted media reporting is a greater threat to their personal safety than direct enemy attack, because the message the media give to the public encourages terror gangs to redouble their efforts, Patterson told INA Today.

Patterson noted that the troops are disturbed that positive developments, including the passage of an democratic Iraqi constitution - the first such event in that nation's 5,000 year history -- receive little attention, and are never permitted to disturb an otherwise dismal image painted by the established media journalists.

Al Qaeda carefully watches and reacts to U.S. public opinion, and considers media image an extremely important aspect of their military effort, Patterson told INA Today.

The use and manipulation of the established U.S. media has been a major tool of guerrilla efforts directed against America since the Vietnam war. Successful manipulation of the media is an essential part of any "peoples war," and there are reports that Vietnamese military and governmental authorities have passed along their experience in media-driven guerrilla warfare to Islamic terror groups.