Nasiriyah isn’t Normandy. But CNN’s breathless coverage and bold-face headlines certainly evoke a sentimental connection between the recent battle at Nasiriyah and the epochal landing during World War II. In an effort to stir patriotism and boost ratings, media outlets across the United States have sensationalized, glamorized and cheapened the very real dangers that accompany armed conflict.

Each cable news outlet, along with the major networks, coined a “war with Iraq” catchphrase months before the event even happened, such as “Showdown with Saddam.” “Target: Iraq.” and “Showdown with Iraq.”

In doing this, the media have conditioned the American people for war — for a chest-thumping, all-American victory over Iraq. The inevitable casualties were treated as only remote possibilities. The entire conflict, from stalwart war journalists to 24-hour color-coded terror alerts, almost seems like a farce.

Everyone seemed a little too eager to jump on the continual coverage bandwagon, a little too eager to secure their spot as the network that people turn to for news about Iraq.

Television media coverage of the U.S.-led Iraqi conflict has from the very start valued colorful graphics and cheap theme music over substantial debate and in-depth coverage.

In-depth, by the way, doesn’t mean putting cameras on tanks or a running clock on the bottom of the screen, marking the passage of time between Bush’s ultimatum to Saddam and the start of the conflict.

This is war, folks — or at the bare minimum, a deadly “police action.” Not a video game, not a trip down nostalgia lane. People are dying, and will continue to die. That’s how it works. Journalists need to report on bombings, hostages, presidential press conferences and myriad other events, but they need to do so in an objective way, informing without sensationalizing. No “Operation Iraqi Freedom” taglines are necessary, nor are impressive graphics for “drama.”

And maybe we don’t need total immersion. Or at least not the kind that details each sandstorm with eye-catching graphics. Keep the conflict in perspective, focusing not only on the individual actions but the worldwide ramifications of the sight of U.S. troops marching towards Baghdad.

This conflict is being watched on television all over the world. Al-Jazeera, the Qatar-based TV news network, has shown video of what are believed to be American prisoners, and Iraqi vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan has referred to the video when claiming that Iraq is winning the war.

CNN and its compatriots would do well to remember the power of television news to shape ideas and attitudes towards world events.

Editorial Board: Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Ayrel Clark, Charlie Weaver, Katie List