Eric Alterman: How Low Can They Go? The Media's Afghan Coverage

[Moebym]

9. It's one thing to give opposing viewpoints equal airtime

It's quite another for the coverage to be overwhelmingly negative while largely shutting out one perspective.

This entire situation is much more complex, nuanced and thorny than it appears on the surface. The images coming from Afghanistan were and still are shocking and heart-rending, and most of us have been on an emotional rollercoaster these past few days, but there is plenty of blame to go around for it, and there is no easy solution no matter what anyone says.

What we need are responsible adults discussing the context and background of the conflict, not irresponsible rabble-rousers playing the most shocking clips on loop in their bid to keep our anger at a high level for views and clicks.