Posted by Brian Dooley on 03/28/07 22:44

On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 12:54:24 +1200, "Jas" <jasmin1@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>Iraq and the Media: A Critical Timeline
>
>March 19, 2007
>
>It's hardly controversial to suggest that the mainstream media's performance
>in the lead-up to the Iraq War was a disaster. In retrospect, many
>journalists and pundits wish they had been more skeptical of the White
>House's claims about Iraq, particularly its allegations about weapons of
>mass destruction. At the same time, though, media apologists suggest that
>the press could not have done much better, since "everyone" was in agreement
>on the intelligence regarding Iraq's weapons threat. This was never the
>case. Critical journalists and analysts raised serious questions at the time
>about what the White House was saying. Often, however, their warnings were
>ignored by the bulk of the corporate press.
>
>This timeline is an attempt to recall some of the worst moments in
>journalism, from the fall of 2002 and into the early weeks of the Iraq War.
>It is not an exhaustive catalog, but a useful reference point for
>understanding the media's performance. The timeline also points to missed
>opportunities, when courageous journalistsworking inside the mainstream and
>the alternative mediauncovered stories that should have made the front pages
>of daily newspapers, or provided fodder for TV talk shows. By reading
>mainstream media critically and tuning into the alternative press, citizens
>can see that the notion that "everyone" was wrong about Iraq wasand isjust
>another deception.
>
>
>The full timeline can be read here:
>
>http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3062
>
What does this tell us except that the American press is as
straight as a cork screw.
--

Brian Dooley

Wellington New Zealand

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