Only 28 Percent of Americans Know Close to 4,000 US Troops Have Died in Iraq War

Posted by Attaturk, Firedoglake at 6:05 AM on March 13, 2008.

The occupation still rages, people still die, and $12 billion a month still gets spent over there.

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When last we actually heard any substantial news reporting about Iraq the line was about how "the surge" had reduced violence...and it's effect upon ice cream shops or some such nonsense.

That was sometime in the Fall.

And then...poof, the ~~war~~ occupation, it disappeared.

I know it's vitally important that all news be focused upon a prominent governmental office holder liking to pay for sex -- because THAT'S never happened before and all. I also know there's a Presidential Election on so it's vitally important that the candidates positions be covered for sixty seconds a day and the horse race aspect be for the remaining 23 hours, 59 minutes.

But the occupation still rages, people still die, and $12 billion a month still gets spent over there.

And yet, the occupation is not discussed...at all. And somehow the end result is this:

Twenty-eight percent of the public is aware that nearly 4,000 U.S. personnel have died in Iraq over the past five years, while nearly half thinks the death tally is 3,000 or fewer...

The survey, by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, found that public awareness of developments in the Iraq war has dropped precipitously since last summer, as the news media have paid less attention to the conflict. In earlier surveys, about half of those asked about the death tally responded correctly.

And it's really unfortunate because up until now, the media has done such a fine job on covering Iraq have they not?

After all, just a few days ago McClatchy reported the Pentagon had authorized an exhaustive study of Iraq Saddam-era documents and the report was coming out having found no relationship between his government and Al Qaeda. But then the Bush Administration decided to just be wankers and not allow the study to be released on-line (it was supposed to be released yesterday). Now, you have to actually write and ask for it and eventually they will send you a CD-ROM ["how does late January 2009 work for you?"]

I'm sure this was given a prominent mention on all of the news broadcasts last night because even our media could see what was afoot. Right?

(video posted because Juan Cole is right)

Tagged as: iraq, bush administration, media bias, us military, us troops, military casualites

Attaturk is a regular blogger for FireDogLake

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Manipulating the Public and the Press [Report this comment] Posted by: Roy Eidelson on Mar 13, 2008 5:27 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] From a psychological perspective, for over five years now the Bush administration has promoted the misguided and destructive invasion and occupation of Iraq by manipulating public sentiment and by exploiting the mainstream media to advance their efforts. I examine the warmongering appeals they have used--and how to counter them--in a 10-minute YouTube video entitled “Resisting the Drums of War” available for viewing HERE. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » mission accomplished Posted by: KaptainSpiffy » RE: mission accomplished Posted by: JSquercia » RE: Manipulating the Public and the Press Posted by: zizizzi Orders Of Magnitude [Report this comment] Posted by: QQOblivion on Mar 13, 2008 8:28 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] At least, fewer than 3000 US troops, the number of US troops many Americans THINK have died, is in the same general order of magnitude as the real number, 4000. Americans are much more clueless when it comes to estimating the number of Iraqi civilians who have died in the conflagration. Estimates put this number at more than a million, I have read. But some Americans think that only 10's of thousands, have died. (Of course, studies that attempt to estimate the number dead are of no help, since the numbers they produce vary widely.) As for the number of US troops dead, many Americans may not give a damn about brown-skinned Iraqis, but you think they would care about US troops. So why isn't the media giving the people what it wants in at least reporting US troop-deaths? Maybe someone made a call to the major media organizations asking for their "patriotic" (perhaps coerced) cooperation, in much the same way that there is a ban on photographing the caskets of dead US troops upon their return to the US. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] is 3000x the kill rate ENOUGH FOR AMERIKANS? [Report this comment] Posted by: BlueBerry PickN on Mar 13, 2008 10:11 AM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] seriously. with the Iraq deathcount reaching about 4000x the number of dead in NYC on 911... if we believe the hype... can we assume if: the number of dead soldiers divided by the 1.2M (number of estimated dead Iraqi... ) comes out in the thousands... ...that we've got ENOUGH DEAD PEOPLE to satiate the panting, misguided lust of every propagandized, red-blooded, patriotic Amerikan? seriously. Can Canadians leave Afghanistan now? ...haven't we butchered & abused enough Lives & communities? at the very least, can Canadian activists get a hand off Americans on supporting US Veteran War Resisters living in Canada? we'd appreciate some help up here... Help Canadians HELP Americans... & the innocent Iraqis & Afghans caught in the cross-fire. ~~~ Spread Love... BlueBerry Pick'n can be found @ ThisCanadian ~~~ "We, two, form a Multitude" ~ Ovid. ~~~ "Silent Freedom is Freedom Silenced" [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Whatever happened to support our troops? [Report this comment] Posted by: foreverhope on Mar 13, 2008 10:27 PM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] This isn't the only thing Americans are ignorant about. It has nothing to do with propaganda. Sure at the beginning it was ALL about hype and propaganda. We aren't SEEING the war, not any of it. Unless one is a news hound, and has the time to be one, most people barely have time to even catch the news, staying up on current events is a luxury. Hell, for some families these days buying a daily paper might be a luxury, no kidding, times are bad and getting worse by the day. Most are struggling to raise families, two parents often both working full and part-time jobs just to make the mortgage, pay for fuel, food and medical insurance. We rarely if ever see OR hear from our soldiers. We don't see or read stories about the military families that have lost loved ones, or have loved ones in combat. We sure don't see the flag-draped caskets of our soldiers, our veterans are not being heard from, their circumstances are deplorable. And of course there are the Iraqi people, and their country, and what has been done to it, creating, the worst humanitarian crisis in modern times. Humanitarian and refugee agencies around the world are stretched to breaking, but we hear nothing, nothing, nothing. So what should we do? I see I am the fifth, sixth person to comment here? That is an indication isn't it? During WWII there was a real war effort, everyone was involved in some way, everyone was truly 'vested' in the outcome. I believe the only reason the Vietnam War was brought to an end is because we SAW IT. We saw our soldiers being pulled out of rice paddies and into helicopters, we saw the flag-draped coffins, and still we only saw a small fragment of what war is. Seeing war close up a great motivator to making it end. But still, how can people in this country just forget our soldiers and veterans? I just can't understand that. If we don't watch out for them and bring them home, who will? They are on ruthless relentless tours of duty, they don't even have enough body armour and other things they really need badly. It is our sacred duty, but where are all the yellow ribbons? Where did all those American flags go, and rah rah support our troops? Why don't we hear from our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan? "Why should we hear about body bags, and deaths...I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?" ~First Lady Barbara Bush spoke these words on ABC's "Good Morning America," March 18, 2003 ************* [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

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