AP discusses two polls of Iraqi citizens that paint a far different picture than what the traditional media generally presents to us.

The article quotes directors from the polling firms involved: Richard Burkholder of Gallup and Christoph Sahm of Oxford Research International.

Sahm and Burkholder said they’ve found Iraqis have a sense of optimism about the future of their country. But they understand that nothing can be achieved until the nation is more secure.

Burkholder discussed the type of government Iraqis wanted:

“Very low down the list is an Islamic theocracy, in which mullahs and religious leaders have a lot of influence, such as in Iran.”

The polls also revealed areas where Iraqis feel the U.S.-led coalition has been successful:

“One of the things that comes up again and again as a success in the transition so far is education,” Sahm said. He also mentioned increasing trust in the Iraqi police and the new Iraqi army.

“When we see the images of war and terror on the TV screen,” Sahm said, “it’s hard to believe that behind all of this, many Iraqis are leading normal lives and going about their business.”

That’s strange. If you listen to our media, you wouldn’t think we had any successes in Iraq.

It makes you wonder: is the purpose of the media to give you an accurate view of the world? Or is it to promote a specific agenda?