This Is Why I Started War News Updates (WNU Editor)

In U.S., Confidence In Newspapers, TV News Remains A Rarity -- Gallop

No more than 25% say they have a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in either.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans continue to express near-record-low confidence in newspapers and television news -- with no more than 25% of Americans saying they have a "great deal" or "quite a lot" of confidence in either. These views have hardly budged since falling more than 10 percentage points from 2003-2007.

The findings are from Gallup's annual Confidence in Institutions survey, which found the military faring best and Congress faring worst of 16 institutions tested. Americans' confidence in newspapers and television news is on par with Americans' lackluster confidence in banks and slightly better than their dismal rating of Health Management Organizations and big business.

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My Comment: In the past our media fed us the news from only a few sources .... i.e. AP, Reuters, The New York Times, etc.. Today .... we truly live in an information age in which the consumer can access hundreds .... if not thousands .... of sources of information. In my case, I was always frustrated with what I was reading in the mainstream U.S. press, and what I was discovering in blogs and in the international press. I noticed right away that the mainstream media in the U.S. had (has) a nasty habit of ignoring stories that does not fit into their own agenda and/or viewpoint .... hence .... the stories that they published are usually inadequate and/or missing key facts and information. Case in point .... when Newsweek was given the Monica Lewinsky story that outlined her affair with President Clinton ... they choose to bury it as a non-story. The website Drudge Report had an opposite point of view towards this story .... as well as the millions who choose to go to his website to read about the scandal. Who was right in the end .... well .... Newweek was sold for $1 last week, and the Drudge Report is still growing strong after 10 years.

In my case, I was frustrated with the war coverage in Iraq. The major U.S. networks, major newspapers, and many in the Washington political community were outlining and broadcasting the failure of U.S. military strategy in Iraq .... but what I was reading in many milblogs and the foreign media .... I was discovering the exact opposite. Hence .... War News Updates was born.

As editor of this blog, I try my best to bring both sides of the story .... and to not do the same mistakes that our main stream institutions have a consistent habit of doing. I know that I sometimes fail .... I do have my own biases .... but I try my best to keep an open mind and to be fair when I link to a story. In the end .... I always know that I am learning something .... and I hope that you .... the reader .... are also getting the same experience.

In the next few weeks there are going to be some major changes to War News Updates. I am going to be maintaining this blog in its current form, but most of my energy will be directed at a website that will be covering wars/intelligence/military manners in a format that will be like the Drudge Report. I first mentioned this new website at the beginning of July, and we are now at the stage of testing a beta version of what I want. I am very excited with this new project, and I know that it will become the "go to place" for readers who wish to get information on conflict/military/intelligence matters. Until then .... any feedback from you ... the reader ... will be appreciated.