Anti War

Before this assignment, I honestly had never really looked at websites like Antiwar.com or The American Conservative.

When I think about news, I usually think about the major networks and websites that everyone knows.

After looking through these two sites, though, I noticed that they talk about American military involvement very differently than what I normally see.

Antiwar.com is especially direct about its position. The website supports a non-interventionist U.S. foreign policy and regularly questions American involvement in wars and conflicts around the world. 

The American Conservative also publishes writers who question American involvement in conflicts overseas and argue for more restraint in U.S. foreign policy.

What stood out to me the most was that I do not hear these kinds of arguments nearly as often in mainstream news.

Usually, coverage seems focused on what is happening in a conflict, what government officials are saying, or what the military is doing next.

There seems to be less attention given to a much bigger question: Should the United States be involved in the conflict at all?

I think part of the reason is that websites like Antiwar.com have a very specific purpose. They can focus most of their coverage on war, foreign policy, and questioning American military involvement.

Mainstream news organizations are covering hundreds of different topics every day, so strong antiwar perspectives may not receive the same amount of attention. 

At the same time, I think it is interesting that people sometimes have to actively search for these perspectives.

If someone only gets their news from major networks or whatever appears on their social media feed, they might never come across a strong antiwar argument.

That does not necessarily mean mainstream news organizations are purposely hiding these opinions.

However, it does show how much the sources we choose can influence the viewpoints we are exposed to.

Before this assignment, I probably would not have thought to search for either of these websites.

That alone says something.

There are people strongly questioning American military involvement, but their voices may not always appear in the places where most people get their news. 

I think that is why looking at different types of media is important, especially when the topic is something as serious as war.

Even if you do not agree with everything you read, hearing opinions that you normally would not come across gives you a chance to look at the issue differently.

It also gives you the opportunity to hear multiple sides and form your own opinion instead of only relying on the perspectives that are easiest to find.