Why does the media keep playing the game of: "We don't know why no one talks about it?" They drop all coverage of an issue and then they're surprised that the public's not following the issue. That's what happened Friday on The Diane Rehm Show (NPR) when a caller raised the issue of the Iraq War. Gordon Lubold, no longer with The Christian Science Monitor and now with Politico, declared:
Well I don't disagree but it's just that you are not hearing that as part of the conversation. Even the veterans who are running for seats in the House are not -- that's not resonating. People are not paying attention to the fact -- And this is different from two years ago, uh, when the surge in Iraq was-was topic A and everybody wanted to weigh in about it. It's just not as much of an issue.
"It's just not as much of an issue." The Iraq War vanished from TV. Most newspaper no longer have even a one-person Baghdad bureau. But somehow, Lubold wants you to know, the public just stopped thinking about the Iraq War.
How strange that is? That the media creates a vacuum and, after time, the public goes along?
Not strange at all.
In fact, it's so 'normal' that PEW has pretty much given up on their annual 'there's less Iraq War coverage' piece.
The only withdrawal from Iraq has been the western media.
That's both shameful and telling.
Before the next Gordon Lubold wants to blame the people of the United States, they might need to examine their own profession and its increasing lack of Iraq War coverage.