The Strange Story of Nick Berg

First off, before we go anywhere else, let's get this straight - What happened to Nick Berg is one of the most horrendous things that could happen to a human being. To say that the people who killed him are animals is not even close to the mark. (not to mention being an insult to animals everywhere)

What I am finding fascinating, is the reaction of the mainstream news media, or possibly lack of reaction of the mainstream news media is more like it. And the "facts" about Nick Berg that are now leaking out and causing speculation about the man and why he was in Iraq. It is an interesting chain of events starting with the original outright horror expressed by all right minded people and progressing now into the analytical stages as the initial horror wears off.

First we have the news media. I suppose we must call them that since there is no other good descriptor coming to mind at the moment. They have their agenda and it's very clear, even to the most simple minded - they don't support any story that does not put our current government and our troops in a bad light. Period.

This is being exemplified by the fact that today - we find little or no mention of Nick Berg outside of the blogosphere. Just a headline sample (I'm not going to link to the stories, that's not the point)

From Yahoo headlines:

U.S. Tanks Thrust Into Cemetery in Iraq Holy City
Accused Soldier Reportedly Describes Abusers Laughing, Joking
Human Rights Group: Afghan Prisoners Abuse 'Systemic'

From USA Today headlines:

U.S. missed chances to stop abuses
U.S. tipped to Holocaust in '42
Lawsuits target alcohol industry

Notice - not one mention of Berg - but 3 mentions of the prisoner scandal! 3 out of 6 headlines!!! Not to mention the other one about US Tanks in a Cemetery - hint - it's very likely they had a really good reason to be there, but the tone of the headline makes it look like a bad move. (those insensitive Americans!!!)

Many people are calling on the mainstream news media to show the video, such as Rather Biased. Putting forth the argument that the video of Nick Berg's death (and some even mention Danny Pearl) is as important for people to see as the prisoner abuse photos.

I am ambivalent, I have NOT seen the video. Only the stills that John of Argghhh!!! posted yesterday. Even those make my stomach turn. But the news media's effort to squash the story may have exactly the opposite effect of what they intended. People aren't stupid, they realize there is a vast difference between abuse and a most horrific murder. The video NOT being shown may be the catalyst to make many people very angry. It may sway people who were sitting on the fence in a more conservative direction. Hard to say right now.

But the effort to discredit Nick Berg began yesterday - and I find this more interesting than anything else. Starting yesterday with Al Jezeera's vague claims that the video was not authentic. And has escalated in the last 24 hours to include stories of Mr. Berg being investigated by the FBI, his odd behavior in Iraq, his arrest by the Iraqi police, and then his disappearance after he refused US aid to get him out of the country.

Whether or not it is meant. These types of stories eventually work on people's perceptions. They begin to think... well, he brought this on himself, what was he doing, what was he thinking... I am NOT saying that this is what Paul had in mind when he posted the story, he is simply putting the information out there. Al Jezeera on the other hand, DOES have an anti-American agenda. The cumulative effect of these stories, whether intended or not, is to cast doubt on the credibility of the victim and a lessening of sympathy. It might not bother me as much, if the Iraqi prisoners were being given the same treatment - in other words, if the media was publicizing all the things they had done to end up in jail in the first place. So, once again we have a double standard at work. Not surprising at all.

In the end, regardless of any new stories about Nick Berg, the fact remains that he died in an inexcusable horrific manner. I hope that isn't forgotten in the total analysis. May the men who did this soon be roasting in hell and may the Berg family eventually find peace.

Comments

[Paul]

I am NOT saying that this is what Paul had in mind when he posted the story

For what it is worth, I had some of my own thoughts about at least one line I used.
See wizbang.

We all make decisions in life. i made one last night and I made another today.

[Teresa]

The hardest thing to do is to wrap words around a concept. I see things clearly in my head, but writing it out so it sounds coherent can be problematical. I think I got at the point I was trying to make, but I'm not sure if others will read it the way I'm thinking of it. Thus blogs are difficult in this way.

[Tammi]

This piece right here is the perfect example of why I read your site daily. You put this together wonderfully and said exactly what I and (I think) many people are saying.

It is making me crazy the way the media is spinning this, when they talk about it at all. Thank you Teresa for getting this out there.

[Teresa]

Thanks Tammi - this is actually a problem for an entire book - maybe series of books. For a blog entry - it's almost too much. Like news stories, corners are cut, nuance (sorry to use a Kerry word) is lost. That's actually why I've been putting off writing something.

[Chris Heisler]

You said in this that the media should publish all
the things that the detainees did to get into jail, but I don't think you realize that many of them didn't do anything to be put in there. That is why many of them have been released in the past week. Most of these people in jail are in there for being out past curfew or in the wrong sector of town. Now, is this how we are suppose to treat the people we are supposedly liberating? I don't think it paints America with a good, brush and for us to sweep this under the carpet would simply be a spit in the face. And another reason why the media is not talking much about Berg is because there seems to be inconsistancies with the video. First off, the US governments translation is the only translation that contains the words al quaeda. Other translations from people of middle eastern descent do not have that word in the translation, but rather a word roughly similar, but known to all arab speaking people as completely different. Next, the man who does the beheading was said to be Abu Musaf al-Zarqawi, but Colin Powell sometime ago used the fact that Zarqawi had received a prosthetic leg in an Iraqi hospital and that this was proof of sadam's al_Quaeda connection, but the man seems to maneuver fine in the video. Another reason is that the video tape is signed by Zarqawi, but why would Zarqawi make the effort to hide his face if he was just going to sign the tape. Next there is part of the video missing. It is shot by two cameras and the times don't match up. Not to mention the person that does the beheading is the person standing directly behind nick berg in a black mask, but when the head is held up the head holder suddenly changes to the man in the white mask.
Furthermore, the tone of your argument seems to be that what we are doing isn't as bad as what they are doing so it is alright for us to do it. You seem to excuse the prison guards by saying that if we could see what the prisoners did to get in there then we might look differently on the guards, but this is an ignorant argument. You can claim biasedness by the media, but don't we all remember when the media championed this war in Iraq and took all of the white house's statements and reported them as fact, when the simplest background checks on most of them would have disproved many of the lies that got us into this war in the first place. The media followed the administration into this war and is only ticked of now because they were taken for a ride and the rest of the worlds media is sitting back laughing at our media's lack of professionality.

[Teresa]

Chris - I'm going to leave this comment - but only this one. I should delete this totally since it's Memorial Day and I find this completely insulting. But I want anyone else who happens to come here and read this to see what absolute drivel some people can think up to post.

I suggest you go back to school for a course in reading comprehension - you obviously did NOT read what I wrote. And I suggest you stop thinking that the military is just out to do one big cover up. I've never gone in for conspiracy theories nor do I support the people who spout them.

Oh yeah, last of all the media NEVER supported this war. If they had, we might not have had all the trouble we've had. They've made the enemy think that if they resist enough the media will convince the American public we should cut and run. This has caused more fighting and more soldier deaths than anything else.

This is the only post I'll accept from you. Anything else will be deleted. Fair? Nope - and I don't care! It is my blog and my bandwidth. If you want to spout idiocies, get your own blog.