Media Bias And A Historic Milestone

On a historic day that has seen the ratification of Iraq's constitution, the AP has decided that it would rather lead its story with an announcement that, sadly, the U.S. military's death toll has reached 2,000. One might be forgiven for assuming that the AP's decision is intended to coincide with the Left's plans to use the unfortunate death of Staff Sgt. George T. Alexander Jr. as yet another reason to protest the war.

Clearly I do not intend to diminish the significance of American deaths, but that is exactly what the AP is doing by its determination to place more emphasis on negativity than on the tremendous gains we are making in Iraq as a result of our troops' sacrifices. In the words of U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Boylan (via Michelle Malkin), "The 2,000th Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine that is killed in action is just as important as the first that died and will be just as important as the last to die in this war against terrorism and to ensure freedom for a people who have not known freedom in over two generations."

If anyone has retained doubt as to whether the AP is biased in its coverage, such feelings should dissipate immediately considering it decided to run the "2,000 deaths" lede in a story that combined reports of both this grim mark and the passage of Iraq's constitution.

See here, here, and here for more responsible reporting.