Last week in section I asked if people thought that the debate currently raging over the war in Afghanistan mirrored our discussions of Iraq prior to our war there. A consensus seemed to emerge around the idea that at minimum, the press is again restricting the debate by writing off the “withdraw all troops” position. Indeed, nobody could point to an example of a mainstream media outlet giving voice to an advocate of withdrawal.
The most frequently cited reason for this phenomenon is “indexing.” Put simply, the press will not report on the argument for complete withdrawal because nobody with institutional power or the capacity to draw press attention is advocating this position.
You may or may not agree with this point just as you may agree with the idea that complete withdrawal is both a) out of the question; and b) potentially disastrous. The issue is that this perspective is quickly becoming the minority position. Indeed, a recent CNN poll found the following:
According to the poll, 59 percent of people questioned opposed sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan with 39 percent in favor. Of the 59 percent opposed, 28 percent want Washington to withdraw all U.S troops, 21 percent are calling for a partial American pullout, and 8 percent say the number of troops should remain the same.
In other words, nearly 60% oppose more troops and 49% of those want to begin some kind of withdrawal. In light of these numbers does the argument in When The Press Fails appear even more compelling? How is it that with 6 in 10 Americans opposed to the war – and a near majority of those favoring some kind of withdrawal – we are still without a credible counter-narrative to the “more troops vs. status quo” debate?
2 responses so far ↓
Mrudula Venigalla // October 27, 2009 at 6:14 pm |
I think this article from the Washington Post today is the perfect example of Bennet, Lawrence, and Livingston’s argument.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/26/AR2009102603394.html
Now that a prominent official has come out against the effort in Afghanistan, that point of view is finally acknowledged in the press.
Curt Orshoski // October 29, 2009 at 3:02 pm |
Although this government official and his point of view are certainly important, the idea of withdrawl or doing nothing to increase forces in Afghanistan seems unlikely. Until a cabinet level individual, or a commander on the ground presents that as a viable option I do not think this idea will gain much traction inside the adminstration or in the mainstream media. This gentleman’s perspective is an important first step in exposing that side of the arguement, but it is certainly still a distinct minority in terms of amount of coverage.