My Response on "Conflict and Control" & "Live TV and Bloodless Deaths"

As I read the article “Conflict and Control: The War in Afghanistan and the 24-Hour News Cycle” by Kieran Baker I realized that I had a very similar view on the news of the famous skyline; The World Trade Center falling. It was a shattering feeling of helplessness and disbelief. She also describes that after The World Trade Center collapsed, news organizations immediately made their way into Pakistan. The author describes how she was able to travel to Afghanistan as part of a news crew, only to realize that the country was living in fear. The Taliban had complete control over the people. Baker brings up several points in her article. One was based on the reporters view on the event as well as the traveling for the sake of news from Hong Kong, to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Another was where she brings up the point about the security of the reporters who have traveled to Pakistan. They were brought to a hotel in which Baker describes as “an oasis within a town”. The reporters were generally not allowed to leave unless escorted with armed guards in fear of attacks from the Taliban. With the war unfolding right before her eyes she states, “…nothing compared to the deadly problems that faced journalists as they made their way towards Jalalabad after the fall of Kabul that resulted in a convoy being attacked and its occupants killed.” I liked that the article was more personal, there are not many articles based on the reporter’s point of view. I find them to be very daring and adventurous. It is quite amazing; the reporters are going to these countries where there is definite danger in search of news and something to report.

In the article “Live TV and Bloodless Deaths: War, Infotainment and 24/7 News” by Daya Kishan Thussu, Thussu focuses on the development of news. I really liked how the author gave an overview of what his article was about. It lets the reader understand and see what is expected from Thussu’s writing. When compared to Kieran Baker’s “Conflict and Control: The War in Afghanistan and the 24-Hour News Cycle”, Baker starts off his article about the 9/11 event and what happened in his own opinions. Thussu analyzes people’s dependence on news that is twenty-four hours and seven days a week. We, as Americans, are often use to the idea that we can just turn on the television and in at least one channel there would be news. Similar to Baker, Thussu’s article discusses the importance of live coverage in 9/11. He also states that due to the readers wanting 24/7 news, finding new things to report was hard to find. The reporters did not have sufficient time to acquire new reports. In his article he states, “During the events of 9/11, television networks sometimes had to resort to speculation and supposition rather than accurate reporting.” I found the writing to be quite formal; I think the author could have put in a lot more of his own views and what he would have done to make news better. 

My Response on Brazil's and China's View of the War in Iraq

I found the article “The Self-Absorbing Bully: A Brazilian View of the United States at War” by Antonio La Pastina very similar to my own views on the War in Iraq. The view of the United States taking actions to go into war with Iraq despite the disapproval from the United Nations was seen negatively. I found the passage on page 199 to be quite amusing. The President of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva states, “If there is something I admire in the United States is that they first think about themselves, secondly they think about themselves and thirdly they think about themselves. If there is any time left, they think about themselves a bit more.” Some people might disagree with his statement but I find it to be quite true. My opinion is that Americans do think a lot about themselves, as well as put their needs before others. Brazil saw the United States going into war in Iraq as a way for us to acquire their oil. I can see why they would believe that, especially since the United States did not acquire approval from the United Nations.

I found Zhou He’s article, “The Chinese Watching the Iraqi War with Shock and Awe – As a Spectacular Game” to be refreshing. The different views on how other countries saw the war as interesting. In the article it states that China was watching the “high-tech war though high tech means”. For China, they compared and contrasted the United States military and weapons to their own. The media that displayed coverages on the war in Iraq was the first time China was able to view the war unfold right in front of them, especially on television screens. This interest in the War in Iraq caused the media to cater to their nations needs increasing profits and audience.

Based on the two articles, it was stated that the two Nations: Brazil and China did not have any strong ties with Iraq nor the United States. However, they both viewed the war in two different perspectives. The Chinese saw the conflict as a modern war that unfolded right before their eyes in media, with the display of the United States & Britain using advanced technology. This fascinated them that they were able to acquire so much information about the war from the newspapers and broadcasting. The Brazilians saw the conflict as the United States bullying Iraq who was not as developed as they were. They saw the war as disrespect to the United Nations. The war lead Brazilians to be concerned about the United Nations losing control of protecting international laws. The two articles were not easy to understand especially when the authors used examples from previous wars to help the reader comprehend the article more. As a reader who does not fully understand the War in Iraq, it think the articles would have been better if the author had explained the war more explicitly as well as explain the Iraq’s view on the war."