>You didn't state these as "impressions". You stated:
>
>"I had NO idea at all that there were some 25 targets across several cities and towns and that somewhere between 2,500 - 4,000 Panamanians were killed and that over 20,000 were left homeless because their homes were deliberately burned (whole city blocks in the capital). I had no idea that the U.S. military have excavated and filled mass graves around the country."

Those weren't "impressions" - they were stated in the program I saw.
The 25 targets came from the lips of a U.S. General ("Southern Command", I think, was his purview).
The death counts were from several international committee reports shown, like the United Nations, Human Rights League and such.
I don't remember where the 20,000 number (homeless) came from.
Footage of the other stuff was shown, claiming to be what I stated.

To reiterate: my "impressions" had to do only and specifically with how I had perceived that war during and since, BASED ON media reports and governmental officials speaking (President Bush (1st), Pentagon Press Officers, CBS/NBC/ABC News, local newspapers here, etc.).
The program last night was the first I had seen to change that perception.

>
>as if they were somehow fact.

Some were undoubtedly FACT. Some, likely, was hearsay, or possibly fabrication. Regardless, they gave ME a far different picture of the event that I previously held.



>
>
>>>What makes that TV show more credible than what the press reported?
>>
>>I gave my impressions, totally derived from what was reported, in the second paragraph of my original.
>>
>>My point was that my perception was way way way off-base. Even if the program was 'loaded' the other way, I have sufficient confidence in my own reasoning to know that the truth is somewhere between the two.
>>
>>To answer youur question more directly, there was footage of different city block razed by fire. There was footage of many cars crushed (apparently by tanks or other large objects) with bodies still in them. There was footage of bodies in plastic bags being taken fom dug-up works. There was footage of natives still living in a hanger fully a year after it was all over. In all cases there were natives describing things relevant to the footage.
>>
>>I guess, too, the Gulf War "incident" of babies in incubators being thrown to the floor by Iraqi troops came to mind as I watched. That "incident" was later exposed to be a PR coup by a firm hired by the Kuwaitis and the girl who testified to Congress who "witnessed" the incident was shown to be no where near Kuwait at the time.
>>
>>I hope that clarifies it for you.
>>
>>
>>>
>>>>Last night I watched a TV show titled "Panama - the deception". It was about government and press (mainly U.S., but others too) statements and coverage during that war.
>>>>
>>>>I must say that, until seeing it, I personally had always viewed the Panama "war" as a small action where U.S. forces left a near-by base and surrounded Noriega and waited for him to cave to ultra-loud music. In other words, I had understood exactly what it was desired that I understand by 'the powers that be'.
>>>>
>>>>I had NO idea at all that there were some 25 targets across several cities and towns and that somewhere between 2,500 - 4,000 Panamanians were killed and that over 20,000 were left homeless because their homes were deliberately burned (whole city blocks in the capital). I had no idea that the U.S. military have excavated and filled mass graves around the country. I had no idea that thousands were arrested and detained for months (some over a year) without representation of any kind, mostly on the say-so of the puppet leadership that was installed by the U.S. BEFORE the military fired its first shot.
>>>>
>>>>All in all it served to remind me that, especially when it comes to war, neither governments nor the press can be trusted. The documentary did point out that the press was very very tightly constrained by the military (which was totally unknown at the time by viewers/readers like me), much as we later witnessed in the Gulf War.
>>>>
>>>>Makes one wonder what the REAL story is behind Iraq (the story leading to the action in Panama was very "interesting", to be sure) and what calamities are in store for the people of Iraq.