August 2003

by Kyle Smith

There has been an unfortunate trend in reporting on the people of Iraq. Iraqi civilians are being trivialized; their claims of injustice are being downplayed.

The trend is subtle and this is where the problem lies. Take for example Hamza Hendawi's July 7th article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (available online at http://www.seattlepi.com ) about house raids conducted by the US military. Who are the two Iraqis interviewed? One is a religious leader and lecturer at a university; all fine and good. The other is a retired civil servant, perhaps an educated man and good source. But . . .