Policy Research

The Magical Realism of Body Counts: How media credulity and flawed Statistics sustain a controversial policy

Muhammad Idrees Ahmad

Summary

The article examines recent trends in drone strike casualties and reporting in the media and argues that official estimates of drone strike casualties are severely and consistently under-reported. The article places the blame on official sources privilege of being treated as objective, and major media outlets strong desire to publish statistics without looking into credibility. The article continues to estimate that the majority of people killed in targeted drone strikes are civilians and children, and that the rhetoric of government officials and media outlets has been one of “extreme efficiency”. The article further estimates that it is likely that government officials and politicians believe the reports of drone efficiency perpetuated by the media.

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Policy Implications

This article can be used in examining reports and statistics about the effectiveness and outcomes of target drone strikes or similar military operations. The article calls for a more accurate reporting mechanism to be utilized to make more informed policy decisions. The article suggests that if data was more accurately presented that drone strike approval ratings would quickly diminish both among elected officials and the public. Potential policy on casualty reporting could be employed as a possible solution.