The Evil Taliban Strikes Again!

On Friday two U.S. sailors “went missing,”,were “captured,” or were “abducted,” depending on which news source you chose to read. These two Americans were dressed as civilians, driving an SUV, in the dangerous area of Logar Province south of Kabul, when the Taliban got to them. According to the New York Times, LA Times, USA Today, and CNN a Taliban spokesperson claims that one of the men have been killed in a firefight between the two groups, while the other man is being held captive by the Taliban. BBC is the only news source that states “the Taliban claims could not be verified.”

According to all sources, a manhunt is in effect for these men, offering $20,000 for any information leading to the location of these men. There are posters at checkpoints with the pictures of these men, radio broadcasts going out, and searches by military helicopters are in effect. According to BBC local official Din Mohammed Darwish both men had survived the gunfight, and were being held in Logar province. While according to CNN, the New York Times, and LA Times, Darwish said that one of the men was in fact killed, and his body was found in the Patanak Mountains of Chark district.

The Taliban abducted only two other men during the war: Bowe Bergdahl of Idaho who was captured in June 2009, and New York Times reporter David Rohde was also kidnapped but escaped after seven months. The New York Times were subjective, and did include the kidnapping of David Rohde in their article.

All the news sources are writing about the facts, and nothing else. They all comment on how 56 American troops have died this past month in Afghanistan, which is close to the count last month (60). During the midst of this abduction, 5 soldiers have been killed in a Taliban bombing. This death toll has been the largest in the nine year war, giving readers a chance to look at the totality of the war and its destruction. CNN, and the LA Times are the only ones that wrote, “the thoughts and prayers of our entire Navy go out to the missing sailors serving in Afghanistan and their families," said Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of U.S. naval operations. They are trying to convey emotional response in their readers.

Because I found these news stories online, there were many links surrounding them. For instance, link on USA Today’s Article read, “Doubts about U.S. tactics shadow war in Afghanistan.” This made me explore the other sites for similar titles. On BBC I found an article stating how “Clinton defends US Strategy in Afghanistan.” These media sources are not dictating our thoughts, like the direct effects model proposes, however they are telling us what to think about, as the agenda-setting theory states. They want us to think about Obama’s war policies and how he plans to sends more troops into Afghanistan.

Another advantage to finding these articles online was that they were constantly being updated. Under the titles, it specifically says when it has been updated. CNN and the New York Times seemed to have the scoop, updating their articles more frequently, disclosing more information on the breaking news.

Works Cited

"Afghan Manhunt for Missing US Servicemen." BBC News. 25 July 2010. Web. 25 July 2010. .

King, Laura. "5 US Troops Killed, 2 Missing in Afghanistan." Los Angeles Times. 24 July 2010. Web. 25 July 2010. .

Mati, Matiullah. "Local Officials: 1 of 2 Abducted U.S. Service Members Killed." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Web. 25 July 2010. .

Oppel, Richard, and Alissa Rubin. "Search Widens for US Sailors in Afghanistan." New York Times. 25 July 2010. Web. 25 July 2010. .

"Taliban: 1 U.S. Sailor Dead, Another Captured after Ambush." USA Today. Web. .