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The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

The Student News Site of Palo Alto High School

The Paly Voice

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Think of the children

At this point in time, it is quite obvious to many that media coverage of the "new war" is one-sided and somewhat irresponsible — at best. When casualty figures reflect only one side, or when media members bypass military safety (and as a result get shot at) to get a story, you know there’s something wrong.

The idea that only half the story is reaching the American public is very disturbing to me. It is even more frightening, when I imagine the millions of Americans who sit in front of the TV daily, rooting for "our boys over there" without even an afterthought to the dead belonging to the opposition. Logically, in order to win, someone has to lose. What about those who lost? Just imagine the number of war widows and orphaned children, who suffer because their husband or father was an Iraqi soldier.

On a deeper level, what about the civilians who died or were severely wounded in our bombings? Bush claims that civilians are to be spared in our "takeover," but clearly it’s too late for many. Recently, I discussed this topic with a friend of mine. The following is a quote from that individual, and is based upon information obtained from a Time magazine article.

"A young boy was in his home last week. He was with his family trying to live a normal life, but all he could think about [were] the American bombs dropping from the sky. And then, all of sudden, one hit his house. Not only were his 14 family members killed, but he has no arms and 3rd degree burns all over his body. He [lies] in Kuwait city after being rushed there by helicopter, and wonders, what’s the point to stay alive? And all the American media can think about is 8 POWs who went to Iraq thinking they would die and were saved. Where’s the sympathy for the 1000’s of people who have been killed innocently? If 14 Americans were killed by a bomb, how many weeks, months, years, would we sympathize for them?"

Well said. However, as the information about the Iraqi boy was derived from a media story, it can be concluded that there are a few, however lacking, sources which understand the importance of showing the whole picture. It is now, with enthusiasm, that I urge others with the ability to report a broader picture to do so. I applaud the journalists who already do, just as I applaud citizens, such as the German doctor Norbert Vollertsen, who was exiled from North Korea after exposing government secrets such as "state-sponsored genocide" or a nationwide famine, for seeking truth.

While a few of my classmates, one in particular, have already voiced concerns for the skewed images of war, I encourage others who share these concerns, to do so. Ignorance is bliss, but consider who it is you are ignoring.

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