There are two sides to every story, and "Control Room," the new documentary playing at the Guild, is a reminder of this.
The movie examines the media coverage of the Iraq war and follows the story of Al Jazeera, a Middle East news agency the Bush administration has called the "Mouthpiece of Osama bin Laden," according to the film.
Most of the film was shot at Central Command, or CentCom, in Qatar, 700 miles from Baghdad. CentCom is where the majority of U.S. military is stationed and the headquarters for embedded journalists, those who cover the war alongside troops. Al Jazeera shares the same building as Fox News, MSNBC, CNN and the BBC, among others.
Several members of Al Jazeera are interviewed in "Control Room," and all are cynics of the United States involvement in the war.
When Baghdad falls and the United States military topples the statue of Saddam Hussein, the reporters scrutinize the footage and conclude the U.S. military strategically placed the so-called "Iraqis" around the statue so American viewers would believe they were elated to have been liberated. An Al Jazeera producer said the men who helped topple the statue and wave their country's flag didn't have real Iraqi accents.
The footage also shows the U.S. military and American media manipulating public opinion. Donald Rumsfeld said the Iraqi people lie about the number of civilians injured due to American bombing in the film, which also points to the overexposed coverage of prisoner of war Jessica Lynch.
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At one point, an American reporter asked an Iraqi reporter if the Al Jazeera agency is unbiased. She answered by asking if any journalist practices true objectivity.
One disturbing scene shows a military spokesman holding a press conference about the infamous deck of cards with the faces of the military's most wanted men. The spokesman agreed to show reporters the cards after the conference, but footage later showed him holed up in an office, avoiding a group of irate reporters and refusing to reveal the deck of cards.
Lt. Josh Rushing, press officer for the United States military, first comes across as a fumbling, all-American, Joe-Army spokesman. Yet throughout the film, it is clear he is trying to merge the East and West's conflicting views as best he can. He is continually scrutinized by journalists and doesn't disrespect their views.
Toward the end of the film, members of Al Jazeera get word American missiles have hit their station in Baghdad along with two other Iraqi news stations. With no real explanation from American soldiers, the station's producer said they were targets because they don't report positively about the United States.
As the station deals with the death of one of its reporters, human emotion makes the political jargon and factual information personal. Suddenly, the war is real, and no matter how the media spins it, people are dying on both sides.
Al Jazeera has been criticized for showing gruesome war images of dead and injured civilians and prisoners of wars. In the film a producer said, "Rumsfeld calls this 'incitement.' I call it true journalism."
"Control Room" is perhaps better than the box office hit "Fahrenheit 9-11," because it isn't glamorized, hyped up or Americanized. It's a quiet movie that follows the lives of hardworking journalists from all sides of the spectrum, trying to be as ethical as possible under horrible circumstances.
Despite its heavy slant towards Al Jazeera, viewers of all political ideologies can benefit from "Control Room." It's a fascinating look at the media and its biases, and it's refreshing to get a first-hand look at the side most Americans don't see.
Control Room
Directed by Jehane Noujaim
Grade A
