2004, USA
Documentary, History, War
Hated at home for criticizing their government, hated abroad for criticizing U.S. military objectives, Arab news channel Al Jazeera cannot win. Yet what was once a questionable network becomes quite a popular resource to its people once President Bush chooses to invade Iraq.
Director Jehane Noujaim (Startup.com) tackles the tricky gray area of media coverage as she goes behind the scenes of Al Jazeera and other networks covering the war. Egyptian born and Harvard educated, Noujaim has personally viewed both sides of the spectrum and been amazed at the startlingly different stories that arise from the same event. Patriotism clearly affects perspective -- is it possible to be objective during wartime?
Donald Rumsfeld often attacks Al Jazeera for slanting their coverage towards an anti-American view, but how different is that from the Fox News Channel providing extremely pro-American coverage? Even press officer of Central Command (Centcom) Lt. Josh Rushing concedes they are two sides of the same coin. Rushing has the stressful job of justifying the American military's actions to the media. He often appears a bit fragile after being constantly under journalistic fire, and presents his own epiphany in discovering his different reactions to seeing the bodies of dead Arabs versus those of dead American soldiers. Al Jazeera hides nothing -- not even the dead and wounded -- whereas much of the American media prefers to present more palatable shots of the war that can be watched at dinnertime.
The documentary raises the question of at what point can the military no longer present the truth: do they clearly deceive the media, or merely conceal their objectives from any possible enemies watching? Even CNN correspondent Tim Mintier notices their strategy when burying an important story concerning Baghdad while glorifying the military hero story of Jessica Lynch. When news is filtered through a government-protected location, is it possible to present a clear story?
When three Arab journalists (including one from Al Jazeera) are killed as their buildings are bombed during the attack on Baghdad, journalists from all over the world unite in sorrow and frustration. Would the U.S. military go so far to punish those that were not airing the proper message of freedom, when simpler means (cutting off radio transmission, for one) would have sufficed? So many questions are raised in the confusion of war, but there is at least one definite answer: there are no easy casualties.
Ever since Viet Nam, war has come front and center to our television sets. As horrific as war is, can we ever truly receive a balanced story from our own country's media? In viewing the pain from the other side of the battlefield, do we learn that there is more truth to be unearthed and that it was not really buried at all? If young children are shouting Bush's name, do we automatically assume they are singing his praises for the great freedom he bestowed, or do we bother to get a translator for the actual obscenities? If we fully knew both sides of the story, would we still go to war?
Perhaps these questions are reaching into this author's personal biases, but the question still remains: when pride and patriotism are at stake, is there really such a thing as a fair and balanced story?
Extras on this DVD include the movie's trailer, trailers for other Lions Gate features, and many deleted scenes.