Who Has Control?

"We must remember that in time of war what is said on the enemy’s side of the front is always propaganda, and what is said on our side of the front is truth and righteousness, the cause of humanity and a crusade for peace."
— Walter Lippmann

The previous quote is a perfect example of the media's view in america during war time. In the sense that American news is real coverage of the war and the enemies is just lies that are trying to deceive the viewer, this is also known as propaganda.

According to most dictionaries propaganda is information of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular cause or point of view.

The following link provides a movie called Control room. The movie is a prime example of war propaganda from the American military, traditional us media, as well as Al Jazeera (Arabic-language news network).

http://www.noujaimfilms.com/controlroom/site/01.html

After watching this movie i asked myself:

-What should news be doing during war time.
-What is the role of media during war time.
-Should there be boundaries to the coverage, if so, what should they be?

I believe that not receiving the whole truth is the same as being lied to. According to the movie Control room, the American news is extremely good at not telling the whole story. The American media seeks out stories and events within the war and picks out what is shown to the public. Broadcasting companies are very tactical in the sense that everything broadcasted is planned and shaped so that viewers get the "right" news. Are we as viewers not get the correct information or are we just not getting enough information?
Furthermore, I find that the U.S. Military often covers merely the problems of the war and is less likely to cover the results. However, I do respect the fact that during the war in Iraq the military's primary goal is not to provide news to the press but to liberate Iraq; even tho coverage of war is provided by the military. Besides, the military seeks to put out as much information about the country without putting the troops at risk.
Be that as it may, Al Jazeera has a different perspective on war propaganda and what is broadcasted. The movie Control room showed that Al Jazeera will cover any and everything this includes showing bloody children and dead American troops, because they believe that people need to see it. According to Al Jazeera media is not supposed to be targeted and that people like victory, not justification. They want to show that war has a human cost, that people need to be educated about democracy in order to wake the world up around them. They stated that "You cannot have war without propaganda."
I found the following quote quite interesting:
"American media is like a movie, all that is left from the war is just scripts."

This made me look at news a lil closer. What am I watching? Are these things True? Am i being lied to? Is this the right information, or just not enough information? I believe that news should truth in all its entirety, this includes the good and the bad, the dead and the alive, the victories and loses. However, news is more about forming public opinions and civic support!

Personally i am tired of the media distorting and exaggerating the information broadcasted; I am tired of the media using subjectivity and inaccuracy in order to receive my support. What about you?