NBC News: situation in Iraq is ‘civil war’
Steve Safran November 28th, 2006
NBC News has become the first network to make the editorial decision to call the battles between Shi’a and Sunni Muslims in Iraq a “civil war.” Today host Matt Lauer made the announcement Monday morning. The White House says the sectarian violence is certainly serious but is not a civil war. While some reporters at other networks have referred to the fighting as “civil war” there have been no formal announcements of editorial decisions to do so.
8 Comments Add your own
1. thecivilwarchannel | November 28th, 2006 at 7:58 am
If we’ve lost Matt Lauer, we’ve lost the country.
2. Alyssa | November 28th, 2006 at 8:05 am
I wonder how long NBC deliberated about this
3. Rob | November 28th, 2006 at 9:09 am
Gee does this make Matt Lauer the Walter Cronkite of our generation?
4. Corey Spring | November 28th, 2006 at 9:21 am
I liked Michael Ware of CNN’s take on it: “Anyone who still remains in doubt on whether this is civil war or not is suffering from the luxury of distance.”
5. thebaghdadchannel | November 28th, 2006 at 9:56 am
depends on what your definition of *is* is.
6. flotsam | November 28th, 2006 at 10:16 am
Here’s how nbc news got “there” courtesy of tvnewser:
“Civil War:” NBC Decided “Over The Weekend?”
NBC News “reached out to a variety of experts, including military experts, historians and people on the ground in Iraq, and they unanimously agreed it was an appropriate label,” spokesperson Allison Gollust tells Variety.
On the Daily Nightly, Brian Williams said the decision came after “much consultation over the weekend with our colleagues, fellow journalists, historians, analysts and members of the military, both present and former.”
7. discreet_chaos | November 28th, 2006 at 10:35 am
I declared it as such, way back on 1/27. Though, I did qualify it as being “based on ethnicity, jealousy and frustration”, but do I or any other segment of the blogosphere get any kudos or does it only count, when MSM is dragged kicking and screaming to the same conclusions?
8. Rocker | November 28th, 2006 at 12:43 pm
I’d like to know what the definition of civil war is. Certainly, it’s not of the scale of our own Civil War. Spain? Well, the army was one side there (after deposing an elected government) and the population was wholly engaged (as was the case in the U.S.)whereas in Iraq it’s hard not to feel that most of the population is held hostage in this whole situation, as opposed to willing partisans. Still, it’s probably not an “off the deep end” conclusion for NBC News to reach. Maybe “religious war” would be more accurate.
But I do think it is as much a marketing decision as an editorial one…NBC is looking to make it’s mark on the history of this whole sorry mess, which makes me a little queasy.
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