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TIME Magazine is the flagship property of Time-Warner, one of the world's
largest media conglomerates and owner of CNN and HBO. The latest issue of
TIME (November 6) contains a lengthy article on Iraq that is shocking for
its militarism, lack of balance, and inhumanity. It provokes not so much
anger as disgust.
For the most part, TIME has ignored Iraq during the preceding 12-months ...
a period during which:
> the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Iraq resigned and denounced
sanctions as 'genocidal',
> purposeless bombing killed scores of civilians,
> the Pope criticized the West's policies as inhumane,
> UNICEF released estimates of 500,000 excess deaths among infants/toddlers
since sanctions began,
> the Secretary General accused the U.S. and Britain of obstructing
humanitarian aid, and
> drought and hoof-and-mouth disease further ravaged the country.
This week, TIME finally paid notice to Iraq with an article summarized as
follows:
---
Four - Number of pages devoted to Iraq in the latest issue of TIME
Lead - Position of article in "World" section
2 - Reporters credited (Mark Thompson and Douglas Waller)
Many - Mentions of Saddam Hussein
1 - Large and menacing pictures of Saddam
0 - Mentions or pictures of any other Iraqi citizen
50+ - References to "bombs/jets/missiles/targets/etc."
Many - Interviews with policymakers who urge direct military action
(Lieberman, Kerrey)
0 - Interviews with policymakers who aren't actively promoting 'regime
change'
Many - Interviews with Iraqi dissidents
0 - Interviews with humanitarian workers in Iraq
1 - References to sanctions (in passing: 'helping to contain Saddam')
0 - References to humanitarian conditions in Iraq
0 - References to lingering Gulf War damage, effects of depleted
uranium
0 - References to UNICEF's '500,000 excess infant/toddler deaths'
estimate
0 - References to the concerns of Denis Halliday
0 - References to the concerns of Kofi Annan, Benon Sevan, and Hans
Von Sponeck
0 - References to the Pope's concerns, or to his upcoming visit
1 - References to oil-for-food ("... the UN's oil-for-food program is
helping Saddam stay in power.")
---
This is an ill-informed, inflammatory article that deserves universal
condemnation. Please send your complaints to letters@time.com.
Regards,
Drew Hamre
Golden Valley, MN USA
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