Every morning men and women are seen at the local coffee shop, relaxing with a hot cup of espresso and stereotypically reading the newspaper. The news media is the public’s main resource and connection to what is taking place in the rest of the world. Readers and viewers have become dependent on newspapers and television news networks to report the latest stories, controversies and updates. However, it has become increasingly difficult for viewers to believe anything they see or read. Too many stories have been revealed as spirals of deception. What happens when the world’s source for the truth starts telling lies? One event that continues to cover newspapers and TV Stations is the War on Iraq. The media has admitted to reporting false stories and facts in relation to the War on Terror. They reported what they thought would sell on the newsstands because the public was so addicted to the current events surrounding the War. Hey did find it necessary to verify any of the information because it was coming straight from President Bush. This makes it difficult for the public to remain accurately updated on what is really going with our nation. Despite their acknowledgment of their blunder and through the lack of accurate reporting on the war, the news media has become a source for deception. People are skeptical and can no longer trust what they read or see on television and in newspapers.
In his article, “Now Powell Tells Us” Robert Scheer reports how Colin Powell admitted that the media communicated to the public false information in regards to the war. Powell discusses which reports were accurate and which were not. Why did the news media feel it necessary to report inaccurate information? Why did Powell choose to reveal the information years later? So many people in the Bush administration went along with his lies that by the time they were concerned about what Bush was communicating to the public, they were in too deep. The lies kept pouring out.
The media miscommunicates so often that throughout history men and women in government positions have let out the truth to tell their story and ensure that the American public gets the information right. In his article, “The so-called Protect America Act” John Dean addresses one of the many issues that have risen within the American government. For example, his experience as White House counsel to Richard Nixon aided in his enlightening the public on how accurately issues of national security were reported. Dean admitted that part of the reason Watergate was covered up was because too many leaks were occurring and Nixon wanted to get to the bottom of it, hence the infamous tape recordings. The reason for the cover up was national security. That is similar to Bush’s decision to invoke national security after the leaks following 9/11 because he wanted access to emails and phone numbers. The media was obsessed with Watergate and exposing President Nixon that no issue of national security was going to stop them from getting a story. Information was being miscommunicated to the press. The only media to really cover Watergate were the Washington Post and CBS. The media released the Woodward and Bernstein story because they knew it would sell. They had no part in releasing the tapes as it is credited to Butterfield. The media would not get it right until the tapes were finally released and men like John Dean were forced to brake rank in order to expose the truth.
The same concerns face America today in regards to the Bush administration. First there were weapons of mass destruction that American military were working hard to find. Bush insisted that Iraq’s nuclear threat could mean catastrophe for our nation. People stayed in the comfort of their homes, locked their doors and cringed at the idea of a nuclear strike from these unsightly weapons. If it were not for the news media, the public would have never been warned. Thank goodness for FOX News. All the while, top specialists at the Department of Energy knew for a fact that idea of nuclear threat was ridiculous and far from a possibility. However, Bush and his administration stuck to their story and the media believed it because it came straight from the Head of State. This is a serious issue because the media reports anything the nation’s administration says. Ultimately, the government can make the public believe whatever they desire.
The New York Times claims it was not their fault that inaccurate stories were released. If our source for truth does not know what is going on, that leaves very few people whom we can trust. The media used to be our connection to the rest of the world but that connection is fading into a ruse that no one will take seriously. In their apology letter to the public, The New York Times allocated the blame to the failure of American intelligence. Apparently, America’s most respected intelligence agency was wrong. They did not take into account emerging evidence and failed to verify their information. They printed because the government conveyed it to be true. Their sources for information were Iraqi informants and exiles. It is clear that the editors and reporters were not doing their job. They were too intent on “rushing the scoop into the paper.” The Times also printed a story about an Iraqi defector who supposedly worked at a secret Iraqi camp where trainings in chemical and biological weapons were being conducted. None of that information was ever verified as accurate. Furthermore, the newspaper admitted that they should have presented information concerning Saddam Hussein and the quest for “A-bomb” parts more cautiously. They never followed up on the claims or took the time to verify any information.
Knowing that a very respected newspaper would print a story without checking their facts raises questions about their dedication and ability to keep the public correctly informed. Readers have every right to be skeptical of anything the news media (their source for truth) has to say. Every time they make a mistake are they going to print another apology letter and expect readers to forgive and forget? There is a clearly a problem in communication between reporters and government officials and agencies. Until this impediment in communication is solved, the news media will never be able to report accurately. If it is so complicated to trust our sources for news, people are going to have turn to other mediums and sources in order to receive sufficient updates on what is taking place in our nation and around the world. Unfortunately, all that is left is the Internet, reality TV, and the tabloids.
The news media is failing to do their job which will lead in their downfall alltogether. If they keep reporting news stories the same way they cover the War on Iraq then they are going to be viewed and criticized in the same light as tacky tabloids. Until they can prove that they are doing everything in their power to check all facts and report as accurately as possible, the public has every right to always fear deception. America should continue to think twice when they sip their cup of coffee every morning, scanning the front page of the newspaper or when they sit down in front of the televsion for the nine'o clock news.
Works Cited
“The Times and Iraq.” The New York Times. 26 May 2004.
"The Times and Iraq: A Sample of the Coverage." The New York Times.
Scheer, Robert. "Now Powell Tells Us." 2006. http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20060411_bush_leak_plame_libby_powell/
"Weapons of Mass Destruction and Other Lies, Lies, Lies.” http://youtube.com/watch?v=f-PGv3XZads
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