Control Room (2004)

A documentary style film giving insight into the perception of the Iraq War through Al Jazeera, the most popular news source in the Arab world. The Bush administration and Pentagon officials quoted as being pro-Iraqi bias reporting and condemned for airing civilian casualities as well as American POWs.

Through all the mess that has washed along our news outlets and media sources, it’s hard to decipher what is propaganda and nationalism swaying the American opinion into going with the Administration’s goals. Who do we believe or how are we to make our own opinions if we are not given the whole story? Contrary to our conservative neighbors, the U.S. media isn’t as objective as one would like. “Fair and balanced “, is what they claim but we all know that isn’t the case.  Rather than citing sources, I will leave it up to the reader to do their own research, I am not writing this to argue anything, rather express my own thoughts on the video.

It is fact that the United States is occupying the country of Iraq. It is also fact that we went into that land under false pretenses that were told by our government like a parent lying to their children as to hide the truth. It is fact that the history of our country has done this to other people and territories with hostility and inhumanity for the bettering of our society. War is part of life and we all pay for it.

Samir Khader,  the program editor for Al Jazeera made a good point in the final minutes of “Control Room” stating something of the likes of how humans have a short memory for the victors. Ironic how Americans choose to forget so soon. Maybe because old news doesn’t keep ratings up.

I highly recommend watching this film with the fact that it is bias. It is your own knowledge and wisdom that will direct you into the truth. Why only read or listen to one side of the story when there is always two?