Hollywood does Iraq

Finally, a brainy Hollywood type has shown the grit and determination of US forces during their tours of duty in the war-ravaged land. Unsurprisingly, "Over There" is being shown on a Murdoch channel and according to Danny Schechter, "Iraqis are not humanised in the series anymore than they are in TV News. In a sense they and their country don’t exist. What's happening there is presented as if it is only by, for and about Americans."

Perhaps the makers should read Iraqi citizen and blogger Khalid Jarrar who writes of his experiences being arrested and interrogated by Iraqi security forces. All the questions, he says, were "very common in 'Saddam’s Iraq' and it’s very common in today’s Iraq."