Decline in Iraq news may have boosted U.S. opinion | Reuters

Decline in Iraq news may have boosted U.S. opinion | Reuters: "A recent decline in U.S. news coverage from Iraq coincides with improved public opinion about the war just as the 2008 presidential campaign heads to an early showdown, a study released on Wednesday said.

The study by the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism said the volume of coverage from Iraq fell from 8 percent of all news stories in the first six months of 2007 to 5 percent between June and October due mainly to a decline in news accounts of daily attacks.

The falloff coincided with a 14 percentage point climb -- from 34 to 48 percent -- in the number of Americans who believe the U.S. military effort in Iraq is going either fairly or very well, according to Pew."

Out of sight, out of mind. This article shows how easy it is for the mass media to influence public opinion. Last night, my jaw dropped during an MSNBC report about the current unrest in Pakistan. The comment made was comparing Pakistan's attempts to return to democracy to the Democracy in Afghanistan. The anchor actually said that in Afghanistan, democracy is working, and that Pakistan should strive for that kind of progress. Meanwhile, warlords are taking back Afghanistan, including groups led by the Taliban. In addition, coalition forces are actually trying to negotiate with the Taliban. The government has almost no money for reconstruction, and other countries are not really helping in that regard. There is a lack of electricity, safe water, and sanitation facilities. Children are going to school in bombed-out buildings. Yeah, Democracy is working, according to MSNBC.