Opinion: Media’s Crime of Omission on Afghanistan Exit is Reprehensible

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:38 pm

The media, mainstream media at least, has done a disservice to Americans and the world over the way they reported America ending a two decade-long war against a nation that did nothing to America. Part and parcel of the media’s job is reporting accurately what happens no matter what the issue, but in the case of America’s exit from Afghanistan, they have failed miserably.

Unlike the previous administration, it is not this author’s contention that the media is reporting fake news, but they are definitely not reporting all the news and it appears the crime of omission was, and still is, deliberate and with malice aforethought – because they all know the facts and circumstances surrounding the end of the Afghanistan War.

The preponderance of Americans wanted to see an end to the Afghanistan war, of that there is little doubt. Only the military industrial complex investors lusted for a permanent conflict in that country; selling weapons of war is big business and makes wealthy investors much wealthier. But that is not the focus of the piece; the media’s crime of omission in its reporting on the end of the war is.

To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.

The mainstream media are just as guilty of omitting the facts about the end of the Afghan war as Trump is guilty of surrendering to the Taliban and setting up a no-win situation for America – something Republicans critical of President Biden’s “exit strategy” are well aware of. In fact,  Republicans celebrated Trump’s surrender to the Taliban. and were furious the exit did not happen sooner.

The media has not made an issue about why the Taliban had little trouble taking over the country in record time, or that Trump “negotiated” the release of 5,000 of the Taliban’s best fighters including the men who are in charge today in exchange for a three month truce and peaceful transfer of power. That part of the negotiation proved to  be a deadly and monumental bust.

They also are not reporting that Trump purposely left the legitimate Afghan government out of the “negotiated” surrender, or that Trump and Mike Pompeo proudly stated that upon America’s exit the Taliban would be in charge and take over the government.

And regarding Trump’s so-called expertise at negotiations, the media has not reported that in exchange for handing control of the country to the Taliban, the Islamic leaders promised they would not allow extremist groups like Al Qaeda or ISIS to find safe have within their borders. That part of the negotiation proved to be a disaster when an ISIS suicided bomber detonated an explosive device killing 13 American soldiers.

The media is not reporting that around  June 26 of this year Trump actually bragged that the deal he made with the Taliban made it impossible for President Biden to reverse course. And because he had released 5,000 of the Taliban’s best fighters and leaders, he was explicit in predicting the collapse of the Afghan government as the American’s were preparing to complete their departure.

And regarding that “frantic” rush to get Americans and their Afghan helpers out, the media is not reporting that the Biden Administration tried in vain to “convince” all Americans to exit Afghanistan as far back as the middle of May.

As reported in the New York Times: “On April 27, the [U.S.] embassy ordered nearly 3,000 members of its staff to depart, and on May 15, officials sent the latest in a series of warnings to Americans in the country strongly suggesting that U.S. citizens make plans to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible.’” (author bold)

Of course that never happened and those U.S. citizens’ reluctance to follow a “strong suggestion from their government contributed to the last minute rush to evacuate American citizens. It was a Herculean task to get 123,000 or so Americans out of the country, but that feat was accomplished amid all manner of negative media coverage accusing the Biden Administration of poor planning.

No small part of the media’s malfeasance in reporting is not clarifying to their respective audiences that Republicans are dirty two-faced hypocrites for condemning President Biden’s handling of a pre-planned cluster-flop orchestrated by Trump a year ago. Republicans were aware of the intimate details of Trump’s capitulation to an extremist group like the Taliban and boasted his administration’s surrender on the official RNC page. They may have removed the damning indictment, but everybody and their pet monkey knows they were thrilled that their demigod had negotiated a surrender to an extremist religious sect.

It is really unclear why the media has abdicated their duty to report accurately about America’s exit from a 20-year war.  It is also suspicious that they are handing Republicans who know President Biden was stuck in a no-win situation contrived by Trump a means of defaming the President.

It certainly appears that main stream media are a partisan cabal, and their crime of omission in reporting on America’s exit from Afghanistan is beyond reprehensible. Now it is clear why the media treated Trump with such a high degree of deference and adulation – they are right-wing partisan hacks.


Copyright PoliticusUSA LLC 2008-2023