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NYT Gaga Over U.S. Attack on Taliban

Opinion, Politics, That Washington   February 13, 2010 at 12:39 pm Josh Feit

The flood of NYT coverage about the U.S./British/Afghan assault on the Taliban stronghold today is a bit naively glorified.

I know it’s President Obama’s war now, so the NYT is into it. But try to calm down guys.

From Dexter Filkins’ lead piece:

American soldiers said Saturday that firefights with the Taliban began sporadically but grew more frequent and more intense as the day went on. Late in the afternoon, insurgents and a company of Marines fought a two-hour gun battle at Marja’s northern edge. It ended when the Marines dropped a 500-pound bomb on the Taliban’s position.

And here’s the lead from C.J. Chivers’ accomapnaying essay:

MARJA, Afghanistan — The helicopters landed before dawn Saturday in a poppy field beside a row of mud-walled compounds. The Marines ran into the darkness and crouched through the rotor-whipped dust as their aircraft lifted away.

For the Marines of Company K, Third Battalion, Sixth Marines, the assault into the last large Taliban stronghold in Helmand Province was beginning. For almost all of them, this was to be their first taste of war. And an afternoon of small-arms combat was ahead.
Where’s the news reporter’s detachment? Or more important, cynicism?


  • IMFletch

    Looks fine to me. Both examples seem to be descriptions of what happened. I assume the reporters were there for the events. If not, I get the cynicism remark. That said, I think we should be there, so we're probably looking at this through different lenses. Can you be more specific about what you object to here?

  • Josh Feit

    I think we should be there too. So, you're wrong about the “different lenses.”
    I thought the write ups were heroic and breathless, though.

  • IMFletch

    My bad. And I think I get what you're saying now. Thanks.

  • Trevor

    I know. It's almost like Sandeep wrote it or something!

  • Josh Feit

    Lucky for antiwar folks that Sandeep writes occasional editorials for the Cola and not front-page news stories for the NYT then.

  • steller

    I don't get where you're coming from. I thought this was a fairly straightforward description of what was going on. It's a war where people will be killed. And much is at stake in this particular battle. So I would think it inappropriate to write it up in the hum-drum tone you seem to be recommending.

  • Josh Feit

    Since when is a little cynicism hum-drum.

  • RC

    I read Filkins' book, The Forever War, and the tone of his reporting in contrast to that book is notable. I would definitely characterize the lead piece as “detached” and “matter of fact” in comparison to his other writing, which by the way is excellent.

  • steller

    I used “hum drum” as the opposite of the supposed “heroic” and “breathless” qualities you criticized. I don't look for cynicism from reporters, especially in war. I look for clear-eyed reporting that understands the gravity and complexity of the situation as well as the human side of it.

  • gloomy gus

    I was left a little puzzled by the reporting this morning too. It reminds me of the unique power of “The Hurt Locker”. By willfully refusing to draw back from the close-up view, the you-are-there excitement of battle got amped up quite a bit.

    While that dramatic strategy left me almost unwillingly riveted at the movies, I was uneasy to see it employed by a favorite newspaper during wartime. I hope future reporting brings more light than heat.

  • misha

    I would be interested in the other side of the story, “Central Asian subsistence farmers get first taste of genocide”.

  • Josh Feit

    I'll adjust that: Skepticism … which I think would have helped ratchet down the “breathless” reporting.

  • http://yrihf.com/ jabailo

    Bush. Right as always.

  • http://www.google.com/profiles/Communicate.with.Mike Mr. Baker

    Hey, maybe Josh should “embed” with the armed forces when they invade a talaban stronghold and see if his reporting is different.

    I am sure Josh would be keeping it real.

    Or maybe some blogger on the other side of the world might bitch about
    the tone of his reporting, who knows?

    Go for it Josh, show us how it's done.

  • http://www.google.com/profiles/Communicate.with.Mike Mr. Baker

    Bush hit his head choking on a pretzel, it was all magic after that.

  • Montanapup

    I dont think this is glorifying at all. In fact, I feel this is EXACTLY what is missing in America. The war goes on like some sort of video game that can be picked up and played with at will. Americans need to see this more. The new generation isnt invested at all cause someone else is over there fighting something the previous administration started and couldnt finish. Unless this become more prominent and personal, it wont mean a damn thing.