Media Criticized For Uncritical Pre-War Reporting
by TChris
Reporters who attended a conference on media coverage of the war in Iraq confirmed the impression that many had before the war: "Competitive pressures and a fear of appearing unpatriotic discouraged journalists from doing more critical reporting during the run-up to the invasion."
Much of the criticism focused on a Sept. 8, 2002, New York Times article by Judith Miller and Michael Gordon, which said Iraq was importing aluminum tubes that could be used in centrifuges to enrich uranium, a critical step in making an atomic bomb.
The Times failed to consult experts who could have refuted the claim. When experts later confirmed that the tubes weren't used to make nuclear weapons, the Times buried the story.
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