Informed Comment

Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion

Juan Cole is President of the Global Americana Institute

Monday, March 27, 2006

Cole on Television

I'll be interviewed in the ABC Evening News Monday evening.

Also I'll be a guest on the Lehrer Show, PBS.

posted by Juan Cole @ 3/27/2006 08:19:00 AM

3 Comments:

At 6:49 PM, Blogger Steve said...

I guess you can give them all of the "good news" in Iraq that they haven't been reporting.

 
At 6:51 PM, Blogger Don Quixote said...

Excellent! I get the Lehrer show over here (Australia); I'll be very interested to hear what you have to say.

 
At 10:44 AM, Blogger John Koch said...

Saw the interview with Yaphe. No interview found at the ABC News site. A search for "Cole" yielded nothing for 3/27.

If the US really wanted to discredit Muqtada, wouldn't it be smartest to declare him a friend, a closet convert, and announce a program of financial support? This reverse Midas touch seems to discredit dissidents elsewhere.

Interesting that ABC viewers polled concurred that Iraq coverage was too negative. Once again, Rove was ahead of the curve in sending W to the Wheeling pep rally to attack negativism in the press.

Independent of what one sees as truth in reporting, this raises a dilemma. People dislike gruesome war coverage, just as they dislike root canal, kidney stones, or migraines. Broadcast executives can hardly be blamed for fearing loss of viewers to lighter programs or Fox. People crave reassurance and humor. They want their heroes to triumph.

Imagine a televised debate between mixed nay-sayers Cole, Polk, Odom, and perhaps Raimondo, on one side; and AEI or washingtoninstitute.org cheerleaders, on the other. Trouble is, the format would not satisfy the fast pace demanded by viewers or sponsors. It would take at least 20 minute for each side to state its base case. Audiences would nod off or tune out during the counterarguments. People would be hard pressed to choose between arcane "facts" each side tries to cite. In the end, a poll of the audiences would probably reward the side that made the greatest appeal to people's basic beliefs: patriotism, liberty, the evils of terror, and loyalty to authority. The panel of critical spokespeople would leave a discordant impression and lose the poll, unless they somehow joined in advocating "something better" than the Bush policies.

A 70% "disapproval" rating of W does not necessarily translate into a 70% approval rating of an opponent.

 

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