We selected this clip because it makes you reflect on the war and the measures that were taken during the War. Before watching the documentary the war was portrayed in the media as a necessity to the American people and our cause to end terrorism. After watching the documentary, No End in Sight by Charles Ferguson, it completes the pipeline of information that was not broadcasted on major US television networks. The information makes you take a step back to reanalyze the logic for the War in Iraq. The men and women that were interviewed were not paid or reporting on topics they were unfamiliar with; in fact they were the people and officials involved with the first invasion into Iraq. The documentary has entertainment value, with footage coming from behind the scenes of what it is truly like in Iraq, but it also has the power of informing and persuading the people who watch it. It does in fact offer the other side of the Iraq War story as well asinform and persuade people to be against the war or at least have all the facts. While you are watching you are bombarded with facts and information that was never released to the public before and about the ways in which the government covered up things that went wrong overseas.
A documentary tends to get to the gut of the subject to inform viewers and get them persuaded to form an opinion about a particular subject. News is covered in a quick and to the point manner. Also at times the news is based on chosen events the media wants to portray in their news story in an effort to get ratings. A documentary will attempt to gain support for particular causes by showing detailed facts. Documentaries are also used to educated viewers about important issues and really get to the heart of the subject no matter what it may be. Some may tend to be entertaining, while some may tend to be of a more graphic nature. The point about documentaries is that the viewer gets the right to decide for themselves whether or not to become involved in a movement or subject. As with the Gulf War, in the beginning there was a lot of public support because of the events of 911; as time went on a lot of public support really dissipated because of the reporting in the news and all of the controversy with President Bush. Insider views like those shown in this documentary show viewers another side they would not be able to witness with the news media.
Ashley Bridges Bianca Morin Becky Sanchez Kim McComas