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Foster's Daily Democrat: Tuesday, December 10, 2002 UNH analyst: Media misleading public on Iraq PORTSMOUTH Local and national news media may not be telling people the whole story about the ongoing conflict in Iraq, according to a New Hampshire professor who spoke on Monday. Joshua Meyrowitz, a media analyst and professor of communications at the University of New Hampshire, spoke to more than 250 people at the Portsmouth Unitarian Universalist Church about the power the news media has on shaping public opinion. Meyrowitz focused his discussion on the months leading up to the Gulf War and how the media transformed Saddam Hussein from a strong U.S. ally to an evil advisory. "The question is when did Saddam Hussein suddenly become so evil? Was it the killing of hundreds as an assassin for the Baath Party in the 1960ıs? No. Was it the killing of rivals in his rise to power in the 1970ıs? No. Was it his invasion of Iran or use of chemical weapons against Iranians? No. Was it his gassing of the Kurds in March of 1988? No. Was it when he decided to invade Kuwait? Thatıs when the consensus formed," Meyrowitz said. Meyrowitz also highlighted news stories that have come to light following the war with Iraq. Since the war Meyrowitz said that according to UNICEF 1.5 million Iraqis have died as a direct result of U.S. sanctions of the country. Among the stories Meyrowitz discussed was one that said that the U.S intentionally destroyed Iraqıs water supply through its sanctions of special equipment and chemicals that allowed for the treatment of the countryıs water. "One could make a good case that the U.S. has done some really bad things in Iraq," Meyrowitz said. "Ten years of sanctions has had a horrible effect on the other 23 million people that live in Iraq." While Meyrowitz focused primarily on the Gulf War he said that the media is continuing the practice of misrepresentation with the current Iraqi situation. "Itıs the same stuff, selective information... A lot of the stuff that gets printed is just lies," Meyrowitz said. "This country (Iraq) is destroyed, they really pose no threat to us." Meyrowitz said that he encourages people, particularly his critics, to search out alternative news sources in order to make educated personal decision about what news stories are factual. The lecture was hosted by Seacoast Pease Response, an organization formed in February to draw public attention to human and civil rights issues surrounding the U.S. governmentıs war on terrorism. The group will hold a peace march in Dec. 21 beginning in Market Square at 1 p.m. İ 2002 Geo. J. Foster Company For more info go to: http://www.seacoastpeaceresponse.org
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