One news organization that didn't buy in to that particular line of bullshit was the McClatchy Company. When the whole "let's invade Iraq!" deal started to gain momentum, McClatchy's reporters did something that you rarely see anymore -- they actually did some investigation. And their sources at the Pentagon and at CIA basically told them that Iraq and Saddam posed no threat to anyone.
So that's what they reported during the run-up to the Iraq Debacle, and now they are being punished for it (from Editor & Publisher):
Staffers at McClatchy's Washington, D.C., Bureau -- one of the few major news outlets skeptical of intelligence reports during the run-up to the war in Iraq -- claims it is now being punished for that coverage.I know Congress has its plate pretty full these days, but I'd love to see an investigation with regard to Corporate Media's role in causing the U.S. to invade a country that posed no threat to us or anyone else.
Bureau Chief John Walcott and current and former McClatchy Pentagon correspondents say they have not been allowed on the Defense Secretary's plane for at least three years, claiming the news company is being retaliated against for its reporting.
"It is because our coverage of Iraq policy has been quite critical," Walcott told E&P. He added, "I think the idea of public officials barring coverage by people they've decided they don't like is at best unprofessional, at worst undemocratic and petty." * * *
Before the Iraq Debacle comes to an end, it will probably cost this country about $2 trillion and God knows how many lives. Needless to say, America cannot afford many more mistakes like that one, and the Press should be playing a huge role in stopping disasters like the Iraq Catastrophe before they start, not cheerleading them on.
And by the way, you really got to love this.
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