Headlines vs. Reality

Lebanese Army Pounds Palestinian Camp
Lebanese troops blasted a Palestinian refugee camp with artillery and tank fire again Monday, seeking to destroy a militant group with al-Qaida ties. The barrage smashed buildings and sent plumes of black smoke towering over the crowded camp on the Mediterranean.

The fierce, two-day battle has killed nearly 50 combatants and an unknown number of civilians, raising fears that Lebanon's worst internal violence since the 1975-1990 civil war could spread in a country with an uneasy balancing act among various sects and factions.

Full A.P. wire service article, SF Chronicle, May 21, 2007

________________________________

"Pounds" a "camp". Gee, that doesn't sound so bad. Some people got roughed up a little.

But an accurate headline would read, "Lebanese army indiscriminately slaughters civilian refugees".

And we all know that many, even most people, get their "news" from reading headlines.

"Pounds" or "Indiscriminately Slaughters". What a difference words make in what message is received.

TLC