Page 191 - The CNN Effect in Action - How the News Media Pushed the West toward War ini Kosovo

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THE CNN EFFECT IN ACTION
of the first comments supporting intervention, Congressman David
Bonior of Michigan brought up Racak, stating,
On the 15th of January, at Racak, Serbian special police shot at least 15
ethnic Albanians including elderly people and children . . . Why would
Milosevic do anything but stall, not agree to a peace agreement, if the
United States Congress says in a vote later today, if this rule passes, that
we, in fact, will not deploy troops? We will be giving him the green
98
light, and we will be seeing more Racaks.
Later in the session, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas
made an emotional appeal in favor of intervention, describing how
the American people had been touched by the plight and suffering of the
Kosovo Albanians:
There is not one that has not watched the bloodshed, has seen the
reports of massacres, seen the untold graves that have been discovered,
there is not one American that does not realize that we hold a very priv-
ileged position in this world. It is one where others look to
us . . . Despite the seriousness of this conflict there are those who
oppose the use of troops. I wonder if those who are opposed to the use
of troops are paying attention to the daily reports of atrocities, as some
2,000 people have been killed. 99
Many of the images and stories from television also went beyond
the collective atrocities and attempted to emotionally connect with
the Kosovo Albanians, making them easier to understand and relate to
for the average Westerner. Florida congressman Alcee Hastings
described one such example:
Last night on ABC News, seven little boys stood without their mother
and father in Kosovo who had done nothing but go somewhere to look
for food. I stand here to say that I am committed with those seven chil-
dren in the hopes that somewhere along the way we can provide what
is necessary for peace and stability through our efforts in the NATO
alliance to ensure that they grow up and, yes, become just as free as all
of us in this great country. 100
At 10 pm, after a full day of debate, a vote was taken in the House of
Representatives that passed Concurrent Resolution 42 in support of
U.S. peacekeepers in Kosovo: 218 in favor, 205 against, 10 abstentions.
In the Senate, the major debate on the question of supporting
Kosovo military intervention occurred on March 23, literally hours