Iraq War Casualty Count

In The New York Times, Katharine Q. Seelye examines how U.S. media presented the news of 2,000 American troops killed in Iraq. She writes:

When the death toll of Americans in Iraq reached 1,000 back in September 2004, The Omaha World-Herald ran a respectful article in a single column down the right side of its front page. "A grisly milestone reached in Iraq," read the headline.

Last week, by contrast, when the roster of American dead reached 2,000, The World-Herald displayed that stark number in large type at the center of its front page, above an article and three photographs showing the war's human toll, including a bank of tombstones.

Other papers, too, that had dutifully acknowledged the first 1,000 dead seemed to give greater emotional weight to the loss of the second 1,000. Single columns gave way to feature layouts. Roll calls of names were supplemented with pictures, ages and hometowns. Elaborate graphics and maps charted the who, when, where and how. Writers wrestled with the why.

Seelye suggests that the difference in the media's approach to the milestone of 2,000 dead is also the result of political factors. When the 1,000 mark was passed, many in the media were being fairly restrained in their coverage of Iraq War casualties. And, Seelye writes, "That restraint may have been intensified because the 1,000th death came during an election season." Now, however, with the Bush administration facing political adversity, and with polls showing diminished public support for the war, news media are showing less restraint. Seelye writes:

The 2,000 mark also came as the war and other problems have left Mr. Bush at the nadir of his popularity. Editors and media specialists said these factors helped make the press a little more sure-footed as it paused last week to examine the war and its human costs.

Related: Several web sites maintain lists of U.S. Casualties in Iraq. One of the most useful for reporters is GlobalSecurity.org. Their database not only provides name, age, rank, unit, and date of death for each soldier killed, but also links to the DoD press release announcing the death, as well as to the DoD statement detailing the incident that led to the death. GlobalSecurity.org also has a "Notes on Casualties in Iraq" page that explains how they compile their database and explores some of the difficulties involved in pinpointing the number of casualties.

Another useful site is the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count (ICCC), which provides a query-able database as well as a list of troops who have died after leaving Iraq. According to the site, as of Oct. 26, 2005, 71 U.S. soldiers have died subsequent to their evacuation to Germany or the U.S.

South Asia Quake Update

So far, 54,000 are confirmed dead from the South Asia Earthquake; some estimates put the eventual toll as high as 80,000. (See this Los Angeles Times report.) As many as 3 million remain homeless.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warns that thousands more may die this winter if more aid is not provided. In its latest situation report (PDF), the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that:

85% of the affected population lost their homes in the earthquake. Approximately 55% have lost an immediate family member, 19% a next of kin and 9% have lost the family head.

Reporters have described overwhelming devastation. The BBC's Andrew North, in a "Reporter's Diary" posted on the BBC web site, tells of a desperate scene in Balakot, Pakistan, in the days after the quake:

Suddenly, I'm surrounded. Men who've just buried their loved ones. They're angry, some crying. One man shouting almost in my face. Where is the government, where is the army? They're doing nothing, nothing. His voice gets louder and closer. The others join in, in broken English. No help, nothing. They condemn the Pakistani leader, General Pervez Musharraf.

I feel helpless. I'm just a journalist, I tell them. You must tell the world, they say. I feel a little shaken as I head back down the hill to our campsite.

NBC News correspondent Jim Maceda wrote in a first-person story nearly two weeks ago:

quite few of us, it seems, are still scratching our collective heads, sensing we've just covered something unique — even those of us who "do" disasters for a living — are not yet able to nail down what made it so.

...

It looked, and smelled, like a war zone just after battle. But the people were still here, amassed and dazed, in the streets. It was as if, warned of impending house-to-house combat, 100,000 of Muzaffarabad's city folk chose to stay and watch, rather than run for their lives.

Take the New Orleans death toll and multiply it by 50.

For more, visit the BBC's "South Asia Quake" page.

Exiled Journalists in Europe

The MediaWise Trust, a UK-based media ethics charity, has released its report on "Exiled Journalists in Europe." The report describes some of the work being done to help journalists who flee persecution and go to Europe to re-establish themselves, and highlights gaps in provision.

The report examines the situation in 11 countries - Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK - with statistics and stories about what is being done by non-governmental organisations and media unions. It also contains recommendations about how media organisations, voluntary groups and government agencies could make a difference.

The report notes that

increasing numbers of those facing oppression and persecution find that they have no option but to flee their home and seek asylum in a safer country. This is not a new phenomenon, but all the indications are that the situation is worsening. There are no precise figures for the number of journalists forced into exile around the world, but in the UK alone the Exiled Journalists' Network set up by the MediaWise RAM Project has 156 members, and RSF is in touch with at least 73 journalists who have sought asylum in France.

Click here to read the report.