Get Ready For It
When the 2,000th American serviceman is killed in Iraq, there will be a flood of "Bush Lied They Died" commentary, and the Associated Press is doing its part. I'm scrolling the AP wire tonight, and I see that the organization already has moved at least a half dozen stories, and many pictures, to be released in time with the 2,000th casuality. All of them are about death, loss, funerals, mourning. Certainly that's part of the story. Is it the whole story? Did these men and women all die for the nothing that AP apparently presumes they gave their lives for?
Here's a typical header on one of the embargoed stories:
Here's the editors note on the overall package:
The names of the stories will answer most of your questions about the slant of where this is going: "Names of Love," "Citizen Soldiers," "First-Person Memories," "Telling Their Stories," "By the Numbers," "Mood of the Troops," "Colliding Goals."
Here's a typical header on one of the embargoed stories:
BC-2000 Fallen-Citizen Soldiers, HFR,1262
HOLD FOR RELEASE
Two years into Iraq war, National Guard deaths silenced a state
Eds: This story, part of a package marking the 2000th death among U.S. military personnel in Iraq, is written for release when that number is reached; the AP continuously updates the casualty toll and will advise when the package is released.
Here's the editors note on the overall package:
The AP is moving a package of stories, photos, graphics and online presentations to mark the 2,000th U.S. military death in Iraq.
With material from U.S. bureaus, Iraq and Washington, the package examines some of the troops who died and the effects on their families and hometowns, the mood of the troops now in Iraq, and what may lie ahead.
We also have transmitted the full list of the U.S. deaths, and will retransmit the biographical capsules and photos that have moved since Memorial Day. (Those capsules and photos move monthly, and the most recent sets are retransmitted to mark particular milestones or holidays.)
Most of the package moved Friday, Oct. 21, on a strict HOLD FOR RELEASE basis. The material MUST be held for use when the 2,000 mark is reached. The stories will be updated as needed after the 2,000th death is reported.
Some of the material will move after Friday.
To give you some perspective, the number of U.S. deaths, including five military civilians, reached 1,992 on Oct. 21, up from 1,970 on Oct. 15, 1,952 on Oct. 8 and 1,935 on Oct. 1.
The names of the stories will answer most of your questions about the slant of where this is going: "Names of Love," "Citizen Soldiers," "First-Person Memories," "Telling Their Stories," "By the Numbers," "Mood of the Troops," "Colliding Goals."
