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The Guardian editorial today ("What about the sanctions ?", 19th Feb)
says that news about the horrific suffering of the Iraqi civilian
population has left "scarcely a scratch on the media mirror". Let's not
forget though that the Guardian is part of this "media mirror". Recall
that in 1990, after the sanctions were imposed, the World
Council of Churches condemned them as unconscionable, due to their
unprecedented severity.
The editorial speaks of the "widespread evidence" of the effects of the
sanctions. This is true. It is also true that there *has* been coverage in
the Guardian over the years.
However, for the last 6 months I've been searching for any reflection of
the realities in the "quality" press (at a time when Iraq has been heavily
covered) and it's amounted to a few passing
remarks
about "punitive" sanctions and letters to the editor (which, I suspect,
are read by only
a tiny minority).
Now, more than ever, it seems to me that we should really be putting the
pressure on the print media.
Write a letter today !
Gabriel Carlyle
Magdalen College
Oxford.
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