Page 84 - Mass Media, Mass Propoganda Examining American News in the War on Terror

74 Chapter 3

The Washington Post's accounts of the failings of pre-war reporting
continued past the paper's initial apology. In November of 2005, the paper again
defended their pre-war reporting by maintaining that "Bush and his aides had
access to much more voluminous intelligence information," than the rest of
Washington, and intelligence analysts "were not authorized to determine
whether the administration exaggerated or distorted" conclusions regarding
Saddam's possession of wMD.~~ But as Knight Ridder's reporting
demonstrated, there were alternative paradigms through which the
administration's WMD claims were reported, and could have been reported.
Contrary to the Washington Post and New York Times, Knight Ridder chose
to cite primarily from intelligence officials who were skeptical that Iraq was a
danger to the U.S. The lack of critical coverage from most mainstream papers,
then, was a product of ideology rather than pragmatism or necessity. Most
reporters and editors saw what they wanted to see when it came to the Iraqi
"threat." They envisioned a honifymgly imminent threat-a threat that was
supported more by the speculation of political leaders and high-level intelligence
officials than by the evidence to the contrary, presented by weapons inspectors
and lower-level intelligence analysts.

Notes

1. David Manning, "The Secret Downing Street Memo," Sunday Times, 1 May 2005,
http:llwww.timesonline.co.ukIarticle/0,,2087- 593607,0O.h1(3 Oct. 2005).
2. George W. Bush. "President George Bush Discusses Iraq in National Press
Conference," White House Website, 6 March 2003, http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/rele
ases/2003/03/20030306-8.html(l5 Oct. 2005).
3. Stephen J. Hedges and Mark Silva, "British Memo Reopens War Claim," Chicago
Tribune, sec. 1,17 May 2005, 1.
4. Alan Cowell, "For Blair, Iraq Issue Just Won't Go Away," New York Times, 2 May
2005,9(A).
5. Paul Krugrnan, "Staying What Course?'New York Times, 16 May 2005,21(A).
6. Bob Herbert, "Truth and Deceit," New York Times, 2 June 2005,25(A).
7. Mark Mernrnott, "'Downing Street Memo' Gets Fresh Attention, USA Today, sec. 1,
8 June 2005,8.
8. Glenn Frankel, "Blair Wins Historic Third Term," Washington Post, 6 May 2005,
1w.
9. Dana Milbank, "Seldom-Discussed Elephant Moves into Public's View,"
Washington Post 8 June 2005,14(A).
10. Michael Getler, "News Over There, but Not Here," Washington Post, 15 May
2005,6(B).
1 1. Michael Kinsley, "No Smoking Gun," Washington Post, 12 June 2005,9(B).
12. Eric Boehlert, "Bush Lied About War? Nope, No News There!" Salon.com, 9 June
2005, http://www.truthout.org!cgi-bin/artma~exec/viewWc~/38/11727/printer (25 Oct.
2005).
13. Julie Hollar and Peter Hart, "When 'Old News' Has Never Been Told," Fairness
and Accuracy in Reporting, July/August 2005, http://www.fair.org/index.php?pagec2612
(3 Nov. 2005).