Seriously: You couldn't make this stuff up - Currents - reality television program of United States military personnel in Afghanistan - Brief Article

New Internationalist, April, 2002

'Reality' TV

Two of the world's worst things -- the 'war on terror', and 'reality television' -- are coming together in a new Pentagon-Hollywood collaboration. ABC -- a US TV 'news' network owned by Disney -- is getting priveleged access to us troops on the ground in Afghanistan and elsewhere in order to produce reality TV show, Profiles from the Front Line, 'the compelling personal stories of us military men and women who bear the burden of this fighting,' with the 'unparalleled support and cooperation of the Defense Department,' according to an ABC news release.

But the us military is getting flak for favouring entertainment producers such as Jerry Bruckheimer over news journalists. Bruckheimer produced both Black Hawk Down, a revisionist film about the heroic US effort in Somalia in 1993, and Pearl Harbor with US military co-operation. Bruckheimer says the reality TV 'war on terror' show will be 'saluting our military' and be 'very patriotic' in tone.

But to paraphrase TS Eliot, human kind may not be able to bear much of this kind of reality. One reviewer of Pearl Harbor reported that the film was so bad he emitted involuntary yelps of incredulous dismay at five minute periods throughout the showing. Another reported that audiences began siding with the Japanese midway through the film.

More television diplomacy

Meanwhile, children have been gathering useful lessons on conflict resolution from US kids TV programme Sesame Street. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan appared on the show, successfully mediating a dispute among the muppets who were fighting over whose turn it was to sing the alphabet song. His diplomatic skills to the fore, Annan urged Elmo, Grover and the other characters to sing the song together.

We cannot confirm reports from the White House alleging that George Bush vetoed the decision and insisted on singing the alphabet song all by himself.