I just run over your article .It is very interesting.thank you for sharing.

I just run over your article .It is very interesting.thank you for sharing.

Off subject, but:
As I read a story with the headline "Al-Qaeda 'certain' to attack U.S. within months" (washingtonpost.com), it struck me that we never hear statements about homeland security and what part we citizens play in it from the mayors of our cities across this country.
Since every terrorist attack aimed at us, so far, has taken place in a city, shouldn't we consider our cities the front line in our defense against terrorism ?
Why aren't the mayors of America showing the citizens of their cities that they are aware of the dangers of a terrorist attack and giving us level-headed updates and game plans that are not based on panic, but on well thought out organization and common sense ?
The reality of the situation is, the biggest target of terrorism is a small attention span.

I just watched the report on 'Buying the War' and was really taken aback by it. A question that I've had on my mind for some time with regards to journalism, and which I know is one of the fundamental questions in the field, is, is there really such thing as objectivity in journalism? Furthermore, it seems from this report that much of the information conveyed by journalists of the major newspapers is tweaked, doctored and sometimes even manufactured by those journalists or their sources. Is this not in some way the equivalent of an athlete fixing a game or using performance-enhancement drugs? I know this matter raises many moral and ethical issues, but should it not raise a legal one as well? Surely the manufacturing of information leads to far more than an interesting story, and can have massive public ramifications as seen in the report above. By manufacturing information, the people responsible are also manufacturing truth. People have put a lot of faith in their elected officials and the press, and for them to take such gross advantage of that faith and good-will, it should call into question the legality of their actions. Should it not?

Thank you Bill for a thoughtful program with Greenpeace and Friends.They are dedicated activists, who are trying to hold back the tide of environmental disaster. I wish the supported Nader and hope that they will in 2012.Pinning hopes onto a celebrity culture is unfortunately doomed to failure.Obama used the special interests to get elected.

Great story - Look at what the Media has done with the World Trade Center debacle. It points to these Arab Fanatics when if you were to spend any thoughtful time looking at the facts at AE911.com you would find that these 3 buildings could only have come done in the manner that they did by internal explosions with the chemical Thermonite.

Our media will not allow the possibility of such questions to be given an inch of space for the public to examine.

Barring all politics, there is no possible explanation for the fast, and ordered descent of all 3 steel structured buildings on 911 than by internal explosions. The physics of this occuring are impossible to avoid. Yet the 911 commission completely avoided ever asking this question.

No steel structured buildings have ever been brought down by fire through out the entire planet yet on 9-11 in NY 3 buildings came down in a perfect descent similar to so many buildings we see on video being demolished with high explosives. How is this possible ? That question has not been allowed to be asked in any "public " debate.
If it was found by examination that all 3 buildings were destroyed by internal-pre-installed explosives our purpose for war and the billions we spend each month would necessarily have to end.
This cannot ever be allowed the light of day !

Was the Tim Russert interview/transcript edited?

Bill Moyers rocks. Long may he live and may he keep exposing the crooks for who they are. It's great that PBS carries both NOW, that Moyers started, and his current show. I appreciate having these alternatives on the air. To me, those programs speak more truth to power than the NewsHour.

I was motivated to write this partly in hopes that my posting will push the ignorant Nazi-like anti-Jewish racism of JDee's comment off this page.

BUYING THE WAR, by BILL MOYERS

The video Buying the War is worth watching because it exposes how corrupt the media is.

Bill Moyers was skating on thin ice when he produced Buying the War. I think PBS is the only media network that has been willing to air this video.

Buying the War documents how the corporations that own the major Media networks acted in collusion with WE the government of the USA, in order to trick WE the people of the USA into supporting the invasion of Iraq after the 911 atrocity.

Buying the War begins with Bush admitting to the entire press corps that the press conference was scripted and staged. The reporters laughed but continued to pretend that the press conference was the real thing anyway. Everyone present knew that everyone in the room was part of a farce, and that the purpose of the entire press conference was to fool the American public, so that it would support the invasion of Iraq.

Buying the War failed to mention that WE the US government invaded Iraq because both WE the US government and our media are in the hands of Jews. If Buying the War had revealed THIS unpleasantry, Moyers' career would have been ruined forever of course. Not even PBS would have aired his documentary. Moyers would have had to get on his knees and beg forgiveness like Trent Lott did, not that any Jew would have ever forgiven him. Moyers' skillfully avoided this pitfall by blaming the government for manipulating the owners of the media, instead of the other way round. Moyers is a Texan who is good at playing chicken and swerving just in time. Congratulations, Bill, even if you are a liberal.

Because of this perilous subject (the credibility of the mainstream media), Moyers had difficulty finding insiders who were willing to be interviewed for this Buying the War documentary.

Those whom Moyers did interview were so good that they barely cracked a liar's smile as they went along with Moyers' deceptive coverup. I admired their acting skills and ability to look each other in the face knowingly without outright laughing at each other.

Dan Rather has over 25 years experience as a reporter, so was able to go along with Moyers' ruse perfectly. Reckless Rather skated about as breathtakingly close to the truth (that Jews own most of the media) as any reporter could, without being edited out of the video.

Dan Rather might still be mad at his former Jewish bosses, but knows that if he mentioned that they are Jews, he might be committed to an insane asylum and never heard from again. Rather is a good Texas boy, but has not forgotten being beaten to a pulp by mystery men.

Buying the War is a convincing cover up of the role Jews played in engineering the invasion of Iraq. It makes both Bill Moyers and PBS look like daring heroes who exposed the bad guys, although they actually did the opposite. If you want to know who your real masters are, then ask who it is that cannot be criticized.

Both Moyers and PBS are in the pockets of Jews, and push the agenda of the Jews, just like most of the rest of the media, of course.

As much as I enjoy watching Nova, Nature, Frontline and scientific and historical programs, I do not donate to PBS because I do not want to fund its hate inciting and racist anti-White Black History Month and Holocau$t propaganda.

I suspect that professional propagandists admire Buying the War for its skillful propaganda, since few Americans will ever see through Moyers' subterfuge.

Information about Buying the War is at http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/watch.html

The transcript of Buying the War can be read at http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/transcript1.html

The video (and audio for dial-up access) of Buying the War can be seen at http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/vi...id_btw1-1.html

If you want to watch Buying the War on your TV, I think it will be aired several more times during PBS' March, 2008 fund raising campaign.

Democracy Now of Feb. 29th(archive available) in a interview with Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz and Harvard economist Linda Bilmes reports that the actual costs of the occupation of Iraq have now topped THREE TRILLION DOLLARS with about 4,000 U.S. personnel killed and at least 60,000 permanently injured (excluding residual PTSD cases).
Due to these facts I'm not too worried about Prince Harry Snowden (nee Hewitt) who is a billion-heir and will not be affected by our taxation slavery. People who go to war must accept the likely prospects, as do those of us who exercise our rights via civil disobedience. Armed Forces personnel, before you return to combat in these criminal actions please consider conscientious objection or sanctuary outside our country until we depose the fascists. Thank you

John Prine wrote 35 years ago "A flag decal won't get you into heaven anymore" but in 2002 if you didn't wave hard enough, you were voted from office, ostracized as soft on terrorism, and agin' us. There were visionaries protesting, but alas they were and are marginalized and many remain outside mainstream media.

Keep Bill Moyers on the air no matter what else is on PBS, even if he's all that's left. He is the only truth-in-news we can absolutely count on in my country, anymore. I say mine because I am a Vet. Especially, thank you Mr. Moyers for "Buying the War"!
CounselorDave

From the NY Times:

Q. 2. The Democrats seem intent on pushing into the history of how we went to war and some want to prove "He lied and people died." Will the history support that or some more complicated plot where Hussein actually fooled our intelligence services with a clever deception program? Should the Democrats be careful? - gmasters

A. This is the other half of the WMD fiasco: much of the world, including congressional Democrats, European intelligence services, and United Nations agencies, believed that Saddam had some WMDs -- at least, chemical weapons stockpiles and a biological program. This was far less than the administration was claiming before the war; there's a world of difference between chemical stockpiles and a nuclear program capable of producing a bomb within a year or two. But it was grounds for some worry. According to the report of Charles Duelfer and the Iraq Survey Group, Saddam himself created the illusion that he had some capabilities in order to keep his old enemy Iran at bay; in the madhouse logic of his last years, he was lying to his generals and being lied to by his scientists. He played cat and mouse with the inspectors when they return in late 2002. In this and other ways, Saddam brought about his own downfall. As for the Democrats, some of them also have themselves to blame because they failed to look closely at the caveats buried in the October 2002 National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq. At the same time, they had less access to intelligence than the President and his top officials.

msussman - 1:38 PM ET November 25, 2005 (#119 of 130)
Mick Sussman, Books Producer, The New York Times on the Web

saw the report and admire its earnest workmanlike approach. I now know that the administration did make mistakes. Though I am still confused about weapons of mass destruction. Has we not gone to war and had we relaxed the sanctions, could they have recreated the weapons they once had? I think so.

But this could have been done to Roosevelt after WWII and some here have said so. This report misses one important question: Was Iraq a danger? If it was, and if it was "unfinished business" with UN resolutions to enforce, did we pick the best of several bad paths? How can we know that not doing anything would have had better results? And, now we are in a difficult situation will quitting be the best way out?

Thank you for this careful, detailed, and bone-chilling report on the march to war. The story reveals a particularly black and incestuous cabal between the media, including the so-called establishment press, the cable news programs, the Adminstration, and many Democrats (not just Republicans) in the Congress. The result is the worst foreign policy disaster in American history. The tragedy is that noone is being held accountable. Leading Democrats including Hillary Clinton and John Kerry have really dirty hands, Quislings that they are, they obviously traded integrity and a duty to question the Administration's motives for political expediency. The story explains why the Democrats have not moved to impeach George Bush and Dick Cheney. If leading the nation to war under false pretenses doesn't constitute abuse of power (high crimes and misdeamnors), I don't know what does.

Keep up the good work.

Why did Bush want to go to war in Iraq?

While one can only agree with the facts shared in "Buying the War", which I have just seen on rebroadcast, the program failed to mention that it was not just the conglomerate owned media that let the country down, but PBS itself in 2002/2003 was also heavily favoring the administrations position. After watching every program of Charlie Rose for years, I stopped watching in disgust as he only gave token audience to opponents of the invasion. So while the main media certainly has blood on their hands, lets not forget that the hands of PBS journalists are also sullied.

I will admit, as a thinking American, as soon as the White House began talking about invading Iraq I questioned why. By avoiding US common media I did not get "sucked" into the hype Bush was pushing. I, too, feel that it was pushed by corporate greed for Iraq's oil - just look at who supported it the most and their corporate ties. I always wondered why the US media toed the Bush line while the rest of the world knew the truth. Pity the countries that Bush dragged into his personal vendetta and pursuant of shared corporate wealth. Now I understand perfectly why, everytime Nixon was on the air my mother turned it off. I too cannot stand to hear any more lies out of Bush's mouth. Kudo's to the reporters who tried to tell the truth despite a hurricane of brown nosing reporters. Now I not only have no faith in my government - but none in media. A real true American always questions when they are being asked to die or send loved ones to die for their country. My heart goes out in compassion for all the wasted lives caused by this.

007 9 30
“In the Democratic Presidential debate none of them would commit to taking American troops out of
Iraq in the first terms of their administration, if they should win. That would mean American troops in Iraq
until at least 2013”. In a bushels of rotten apples which one would you pick?
To stop the autocratic “arrogant elitist ruling class” regime is to “AMEND the constitution”, for
ALL the issues should be and MUST be placed on the ballot, in the hands of “the people to express their will ”!
The Congress, Senate , states and others no longer represent “the majority people and their will”.
Laws legislated by the congress, states and local government, funds earmark for wars, bridges to nowhere,
social, economic, and educations development shall and MUST be placed on the ballot for “the people to
express their will”.
To “stop the war or military expansion” it should be in “the will of the people”. To the extend
possible - Expend the “EMPIRE” by SOCIAL, ECONOMIC and FINANCIAL AID”.
Chris

Let's ask, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? Okay? It will go much farther than "why". And to rephrase the last post to WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON? for the question "why" has been impossible to answer by anyone.

A JOURNALIST WOULD DO WELL TO ASK: WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?

And can bet the answers will not come from any journalist with access to the White House. Curious--the much touted fear of a journalist not having access! (The real stories are to be found in the mid level people, says Tim Russet)

And the Knight Ridder guys are like Hoffman and Redford.

Better to in fear of reporting lies. A journalist lies, people die.

It's sad.

Sympathies to the reporters who may feel responsible for this war. But isn't war is a racket, a game? It's been going on thousands of years.

Well, one can make up for it. Ask WHAT IS GOING ON?

And WRITE POETRY! See the Robert Bly webcast with Bill Moyers. Read Kabir! Rilke! Rumi! Life is too short to live in a lie without knowing it.

Peace y'all
(Thank you)

Good show, but it does not ask ask why the USA went into Iraq? And why hasn't any reporter, to date, answered this question? Here is another chance for journalists to save face.

Most ALL informed citizens know the questions: Is it a corporate motivated war? Is it personal power? Is it privatization of Iraq? Is it oil? Did it turn out to be bad business?

The evidence was cooked, this is clear. What was the motivation then, and the motivation now for continuing the war?

JOURNALISTS! GET BUSY!

IS ANYONE ON THIS QUESTION?

Finding out WHY may possibly give the clue to the appropriate resolution of this dreadful conflict. And at least, provide some badly needed honesty...beyond the bull.

(Thank you)

DLH's posting on 08/28/07 raises interesting questions. To build on his thoughts, I believe we, as the collective citizenry, would be wise to explore in broad terms, the underlying push toward war in the wake of 911. As a possibility, might it be that we are all responsible in some sense, by needing & wanting a scapegoat to exact our rage and powerlessness on that fateful day of national trauma? Certainly, Saddam Hussein provided a welcome target, given his bravado in attempting to frustrate the United States over many years.

Why did we fight this war? I imagine there are multiple layers; involving preserving the flow of oil, fanatical thinking on the part of neoconservatives, establishing military bases in Iraq, among other questionable goals. However, what concerns me most is what this war informs us of our national psyche, then and now. Do we have the capacity and the will to fully accept responsibility for what we have sown?

I would welcome an exploration on Bill Moyer's Journal, including a wide variety of commentators from different walks of life and experience.

The "reason" bush invaded Iraq has to do with him taking orders from his illumanotti masters. They own both the republican & democratic parties. That's why nothing ever gets done.

The theme of "Buying the War" seems to be how most of the country was largely "bamboozled" into supporting the Bush administration's agenda for the war in Iraq. The media, including the New York Times, Frontline and Oprah, was convinced into not only going along with it, but into actually playing cheerleader for that same agenda. The exceptions mentioned in the piece were some folks at Knight-Ridder (reporters Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel) and Ted Kennedy, both of whom were virtually ignored, despite convincing arguments disputing the claims of the administration. All of this is good stuff to bring up.

But some of the reporting in "Buying the War" doesn't go quite far enough. The question remains, if the issue of WMDs and a link between Al-Qaeda and Iraq was knowingly false from the beginning, as to why the Bush administration invaded Iraq in the first place. Moyers doesn't ask that question, nor has the media explored this issue in a serious way. Further, one has to question why the media adopted the posture of support for the government that it did. Why did it not play its proper role, reporting the facts and pointing out when the facts don't make sense? We hear pundits say that they are allowed to say whatever they wanted, that no one compels them to say something or to hold back, but I find no convincing explanation in any of their remarks. It makes me wonder if these people are being disingenuous, or if they simply fail to understand their own motives. We hear tantalizingly of how Donahue's producers were ordered to produce two conservative commentators for every liberal one, but we don't hear who ordered it, nor do we hear about the author of the famous menu.

Perhaps most importantly, we don't hear the question addressed of whether or not this was really an aberration on the part of the media. Was it a structural flaw? What institutional pressures are operating on the industry, and where do these pressures originate? I see nothing to reassure me that this kind of reporting will not happen again; indeed, it could be happening now. Are reporters and editors, excepting a few mavericks, simply following to a set way to do their jobs, and responding to the influence of a kind of "corporate culture?" How does this culture and its mores influence accuracy in reporting (as evidently it does)? Does the press have a structural role in supporting the foundations of the elite institutions of society, even as it challenges them on the surface? Are most media participants largely ignorant of the context and nature of their distorted stories, much as some members of the administration seem to be? Do they continue to dispense further propaganda, perhaps some of them unknowingly? Is nothing really off limits in reporting? What are the controls, the influences, the institutional stresses? It seems obvious that they exist.

I heard no satisfactory answers to these questions. "Buying the War" should be only the first page of an investigative journal on the 4th estate and the government.

Based on Jonathan Landay's & Warren Strobel's contacts with intelligence officials, the known public evidence, and their experience, I am interested in their assessment of what we knew or should have known about the existance of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, or lack there-of, in the final month/weeks leading up to the war. As a follow-up, why, in their opinion, did the political opposition, the Democratic Party, fail to educate thenseleves and/or confront the Administration's case for war?

Thank you Bill Moyers for providing a platform for researching the inside story of this tremendous tragedy.

Great program! Thanks for the outstanding report. The fact of having this kind of report is the reason why I have such respect for American constitution. After living in 3 countries and spending the last 10 years in the US, I truly come to love this great nation, the more I learn about it. One thing I admire most of this country is people's relentless drive and ability to resolve problems when we see it. I hope we continue to find the truth and solution to this problem we have because this is what's important for our future. God bless America.

When are we going to quit worrying about what the rest of the world thinks considering the UN wanted Saddam in power so they can make money off him? The UN is the most corrupt organization ever and no one seeems to care about the Oil For Food scandal, which happens to be probably the biggest scandal ever. Entire countries keeping a dictator in power to make money and get oil while knowingly letting Iraqis starve and die from easily curable diseases. What's your excuse for that for the world? And please stop with this media friendly Bush conspiracy. It's stupid. Anyone who believes the media was behind Bush in anything doesn't think with a head void of toxins. We took down a dictator who was committing atrocity after atrocity. Anyone who thinks we're doing the same should just move out of the country and be with the rest of the world. Go to your Utopia.

Thanks for again airing The Bill Moyers Journal film "The Buying of the War." I was able to send the people on my e-mail list the PBS link that will allow them to view this excellent report. I personally find it very stressful to know that our Government and the US press are such a bad examples for the rest of the World. This has left a "bad taste" in my mouth and we should all be ashamed of our leadership (all branches)for the path they have lead us down. I don't know what we can do to regain the respect of the rest of the World, but I do know that we need to apology and pay for all of the distruction and death we have caused because of our own ignorance. We have to be a better role model in this world of ours.

My wife and I are average people. Most of our time is consumed by work in order to keep our home and cars paid for and maintained. We've spent our lives raising children and getting by. In know way are we as educated as the politicians that have been hired to work for us but we knew from September 11th that it didn't make sense to spend the resources and time to go after Sadaam. My mother mother in law with her tenth grade education could see throuh the insanity enough to wonder why the citizens of the United States were allowing the media present such a one sided view.It seems that the the American people have been more than happy to hear about enemies such as Sadaam, Brittany Speares and Paris Hilton.

Just to add to John Bain's remarks (August 10, 2007 12:48), Saddam's WMD were disproved long before Bush cherry picked the intelligence. The 36 lies that led to war: http://traprockpeace.org/ios030711.html

But Saddam was going to nuke us - IMMEDIATELY!! That is why we could not wait. We could not finish the war in Afghanistan!! We could not devote our resources to killing bin Laden! NO!! The smoking gun was going to become a mushroom cloud! NOW! Not later - NOW!! He had drones ready to attack us from the ocean!!
Oh BROTHER!! What a crock. And all bought and paid for by the marketing of the administration.
Now we are arming Saudi Arabia when most of those who attacked us on 9/11 were Saudis!
Rice says it is because the region has become unstable because of increasing Iran influence. She LEAVES OUT THAT THE INVASION OF IRAQ AND HOW IT WAS HANDLED AFTERWARD IS THE REASON FOR THE INCREASED INSTABILITY!
So they will arm the Saudis to stabilize what they destabilized? Pretty dumb...

What I can't believe is how everyone fell for all of this to begin with. I mean we already fell for the Nazi "war machine" we helped create with the help of the jews. We armed Hitler just so we would have an excuse to create an atomic bomb, again with the help of jews. We fell for it during WWI, too. We killed the archduke Ferdinand by not getting involved in European affairs. We sank the Lusitania by standing still. But our history books lie to our kids and provide a great tool of ill-education. Just read at www.threeworldwars.com. The evidence is all there man. Just because I smoke a lot of herb and take peyote like in a daily ritual it makes me more keen on these things than the sheep that is America. The real enemy is the right-wing christian fanatics who want to kill everyone and make their own fascist christian state called the United Christians of America. The jews are already helping them out. Just because they don't believe in the same exact religion, they are brothers in arms. I really hope us dopers along with Hollywood decides to stand up before it's too late. The jews are coming, just like how they told us the commies were coming (I do want communism by the way). Oh, the reason why we went into Vietnam isn't because we wanted to keep them from turning into a communistic state, but we wanted to turn in into the first christian fascist state with Pat Robertson as it's dictator. This stuff is all true, man. Freedom rock!
I am having a meeting in San Fran (where else) on the corner of Haight-Ashbury. Anyone interested in joining, plan a trip for Jan 1st, 2008. We will take this country which is rightfully ours and clean any remnant of judaism or christianity from this land. Who's with me?

What I can't believe is how everyone fell for all of this to begin with. I mean we already fell for the Nazi "war machine" we helped create with the help of the jews. We armed Hitler just so we would have an excuse to create an atomic bomb, again with the help of jews. We fell for it during WWI, too. We killed the archduke Ferdinand by not getting involved in European affairs. We sank the Lusitania by standing still. But our history books lie to our kids and provide a great tool of ill-education. Just read at www.threeworldwars.com. The evidence is all there man. Just because I smoke a lot of herb and take peyote like in a daily ritual it makes me more keen on these things than the sheep that is America. The real enemy is the right-wing christian fanatics who want to kill everyone and make their own fascist christian state called the United Christians of America. The jews are already helping them out. Just because they don't believe in the same exact religion, they are brothers in arms. I really hope us dopers along with Hollywood decides to stand up before it's too late. The jews are coming, just like how they told us the commies were coming (I do want communism by the way). Oh, the reason why we went into Vietnam isn't because we wanted to keep them from turning into a communistic state, but we wanted to turn in into the first christian fascist state with Pat Robertson as it's dictator. This stuff is all true, man. Freedom rock!
I am having a meeting in San Fran (where else) on the corner of Haight-Ashbury. Anyone interested in joining, plan a trip for Jan 1st, 2008. We will take this country which is rightfully ours and clean any remnant of judaism or christianity from this land. Who's with me?

Journalists may have been
largely remiss with regard to administration propaganda on the war, but some consumers of the "news" were not fooled. Here is a letter
to the editor I published four years ago:

Apologize and leave

America’s justifications for meddling in Iraq have included Iraq’s
invasion of Kuwait (historically a part of Iraq), Iraq’s certain possession
of weapons of mass destruction, the need to win Iraqi freedom and,
most recently, the putative concentration of terrorists in Iraq, this
representing an opportunity to eliminate international terrorism once
and for all on Iraqi, rather than on American, soil.

Do we know—other than via President Bush and his advisors—that
Islamist terrorists are in fact concentrated in Iraq? Wouldn’t common
sense require that this be corroborated by experts with no political ax to
grind?

Enough. The administration would do well to beat its breast and offer a mea culpa to Iraq and to the world. The occupying forces are morally obligated to help pick up the pieces resulting from Iraq’s so-called liberation. They should then leave and mind their own business.

– Ferdinand Gajewski,Ph.D.,
Westfield
(Letter to the editor, the [Newark, NJ] Star Ledger, November 5, 2003.)

I hate BUSH!!! I really don't, just seeing if this one would get through. Bet it does.

Like I said, KOO-KOO

Like I said, KOO-KOO

The fascinating thing about this report was how effective the packaging and marketing of this was done. If there is a significant percentage of people that still believe the "control freak" dictator would partner up with elements that could destabilize his own grip on his country, that is testament to how well it was marketed to the public. It was sole as an IMMINENT AND IMMEDIATE THREAT - so much so that inspections could not be allowed to finish. This was the "tipping-point" argument that forced the "Now, not later" into the equation.

It also shows what happens when you let the Nixon Administration back into power. All the agents from previous administrations will always be lurking in the background to return, so be mindful of that when voting.
The news media decries that they lose viewer-ship, and yet they provide nothing of worth to watch, and anchor it with "news-readers", not hardened journalists. We will let them spiral into an oblivion of accountant red-ink.
Thanks for a critical look at how the media works.
Now if they can just keep breaking the middle class and dumbing down the education system, they can stifle future critics.

I'm a conservative who opposed the invasion of Iraq from the beginning. Years ago in grad school I studied Islam and learned all about the differences between Shia and Sunni. Unfortunately none of our decision makers seemed to know about these differences. The whole process was driven by ignorance and fear. One of the most interesting aspects of the Moyers report was how what is normally regarded as liberal media---the New York Times, Vanity Fair, CBS News, the New Yorker---went along with all the propaganda and rationalizations for the invasion. It's further evidence of how the majority in our society, both of Left and Right, lost their heads in the wake of 9/11.

The reason for my repost is I was attempting to bring some balance. Now it's three against two thousand.

Funny you didn't put up my post so I will write it again with the best of my memory. Weird that among the hundreds of posts that there are only a couple that attempt to dispute Moyers' reporting.
This was yet another Moyers hit piece that only put up facts that he liked and put up none of the facts that he didn't like. Where was Moyers' accusation that Clinton, Putin, Chirac, and many other people who aren't in Bush's pocket said that there were WMD's? Am I supposed to believe that the media was Bush's right hand man? Are you kidding me? What are you smoking? I know you can get left wingers to believe this because they just eat these conspiracies up, but give me a break. Media being Bush friendly, that's a punchline without the joke.
Moyers brought up about how Powell was trustworthy BEFORE his presentation to the UN, but there was very little as to what he presented. I wonder why that was. There was NOTHING about the audio tape US intelligence got with a conversation between an Iraqi general and colonel where they were talking about "cleaning up" things and hiding before the UN inspectors showed up the next day. Where was that? What were they hiding or cleaning? Where was this report? Moyers can't dispute this so therefore he didn't put it in his report, that's why. It also shows the Iraqis were being tipped off on UN inspections since they were supposed to be surprise and unfettered inspections. Explain that one to me.
Why was there no reporting about our IMBEDDED reporters entering an abandoned Iraqi army barracks stockpiled with chemical/biological suits, masks, and cyringes. Did they think we were gonna use chemical/biological weapons on them? I know the left wingers might say "yeah exactly", but please, anyone with a clear head knows why they had them.
Where was the report from the Battle of Baghdad where there were reports of traces of mustard and sarin gas found in the Tigris River? Hmm? Perhaps the Tigris makes those naturally.
What about the +500 canisters of mustard gas we have collected. I know they say they weren't weapons grade anymore, but I don't recall anyone volunteering on having the contents poured onto their hands.
Reading from most of these posts it's easy to see who this story was aimed at... left wing nuts. You can dismiss me by thinking I'm a republican or a Bush man, which I am neither. I vote right down the middle. Truth is this report only showed what Moyers wanted to show, which is typically his style. Even the PBS president has said PBS has been biased in the past. When you present facts only that help the reporter's feelings, but don't report on facts that contradict the reporter's feelings, that's called BIAS. No wonder the old guard of the media is failing. Americans have smartened up to their bias and have gone elsewhere.
Having Dan Rather on was the icing of the left-wing cake. This is the same guy who put up false documents about Bush fifty days before the '04 election because he felt the story itself was true. Great journalism. This is the same guy who when reporting that former Clinton Security Adviser Sandy Berger was caught stuffing the highest of classified documents down his pants and socks pertaining to Bin Laden just before the 9/11 commission made the story more about the timing of the release of the story. He's a complete joke.
I bet Moyers' next piece will be about the 9/11 conspiracy that will have such hardened Bush supporters as Martin Sheen, Charlie Sheen, Rosie O'Donnell, and Thierry Meyssan. I'm sure Dan Rather will give his helping hand as well. From all the left wing nuts I've seen post on here, people are just dying for that report too.
The left wing loons are almost exactly like the KKK (which I was referring to in my 2nd post about preameriKKKan, but humorously didn't post my first writing). Think about it. They huddle within their own masses. They think "the government" is after them. They blame the US government and jews for everything. Everything is a conspiracy. Heck, they're one in the same. Only difference is instead of talking about blacks, homosexuals, and jews, the left wingers talk about "republicans", "Foxnews", and well.... jews.
I really think the left wing nuts wake up each morning and just can't wait to gather together with friends and talk about Bush, Foxnews, and republicans because I've seen it done. No wonder why the very day after 9/11 people were already protesting a war. Instead of calling up friends and consoling eachother, the left wing loons were planning protests. "This is just like back in the 60's maaaaan."
Dismiss me all you want, but I'm not the one who thinks everything is a conspiracy or that the media loves Bush. That takes some special herb to make someone think that's correct.
Moyers had his run when his reporting went unopposed and not scrutinized, but that time is over. Reporting half the story is in Moyers' DNA.
One more question... if Bush is such an idiot as most left wingers claim he is, then how did he supposedly "fool" you into believing him in his case for war?

Thank you very much for your show. Other media outlets should be ashamed to call them journalists. Any high school newspaper reporter could have done a better job. Your show Mr. Moyers highlights the need for Broadcasters using the "Public" Airwaves represent the Public interest and they should not be receiving license renewals when they do not represent the public interest. The FCC and the Citizens of America do not appreciate this bias in the media and we now see the result of this. Enforce the Constitution's First Ammendment for Free Speech and the Constitution in its full language. Do you think what happened to Phil Donahue and Rosie is based upon similar reasons?

I feel ashamed to say I was duped as well. What should the American people do? Where do we go from here? I've never believed everything I hear on the news, but how are people who are not reporters suppose to sift through the trash that is the media and this administration?

Dear Mr. Moyers,

I thank you for your piece on the failings of the media.

I have lived in mainland China for more than four years, and am quite used to the Chinese Communist Party's "He said she said" brand of journalism. Every night the news is "Hu Jintao said..." 'Wen Jiabao said..." etc and then they call that a news broadcast.

Needless to say, every time I return home from China, I am appalled anew that the Washington Post and New York Times, among others who find it suitable to criticize the lack of freedoms in China, participate in this very same form of lazy and subservient journalism that is, in fact, best described as government propaganda.

The again, I am sure if we looked closely at the Post and the Times critiques of China's journalistic practices, we just might find that it is yet another "he said she said piece."

Keep up the pressure,

Best,

Eric M.

How can we start to get more accurate information when it comes to reports in the mainstream media for the actual numbers of people protesting the current administration and this ill fated war that was started on total lies and deception?
Todays headlines read
"Several hundred gather to protest Bush"
About 600 protesters gathered at a demonstration outside a college campus while President George W. Bush gave the commencement speech at the school Saturday afternoon.
http://www.jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/042807/D8OPTBJ04.shtml
I can only assume that this probably means that thousands gathered to protest.
Why?
Well the media has done an excellent job of collaborating with the Bush regime and keeping these facts out of the public spotlight.
On January, 27,07 the Mall in DC was overflowing with war protesters and there was almost no coverage in the mainstream media... no visually effective photos from the air (please no excuses for this atrocity...look at the coverage of the average celebrity wedding.)and the media continued to report tens of thousands, when in reality it was closer to one million.
When I flew out of DC that night and saw a measly clip on CNN in the airport, only showing a small handful of people,with tears in my eyes and pain in my heart, I took solace in knowing that on Monday, I could get an accurate report on Democracy Now.
Sadly the average person is not aware of Democracy Now, or who Amy Goodman is.
It also is apparent that our mainstream media here has little problem reporting and showing foreign rallies and protests when they benefit our war mongering administration.
The PEOPLE can not demand to know what they are not even aware of.
I heard again and again on that day in Jan,07 "I thought I was the only one who felt this damn angry about this administration, and this war."
Our media also failed to report that there was another overwhelming demand roaring through the crowds that day...
Lets' Impeach the President!!!

I have read comments here at random, and Don't think I can add anything but I am glad you're back, and thanks for an eye opening and enlightening report. What ever happened to syndication and exchange agreements?

Mr. Moyers,

Welcome back; I have always admired your penchance for non-truncated facts that yield a fair and balanced view towards a truth. I have appreciated your lucid commentaries throughout the years. You seem to always enable the opportunity for citizens to gain a view outside a pre-determined box that is ordinarily established by mainstream VOX POX entertainment - so called 'news'.

Thanks also to Mr. Landay and Mr. Strobel for persistence to the truth and the former Knight Ridder Company that supported their investigative tracking.

Mr. Moyers, I am resubmitting this because there is a possiblity that my former statement was not published because something I said may not have been clearly defined, I was aiming for brevity. I will state it again: My thoughts are that you should do a documentary on Sophistry, tying back into Protagorus and Gorgias in Plato. It would be an excellent supplementary to your great work in 'Buying the War' and give some of the public a clear view on how the 'selling out' of the mainstream journalism can happen.

I look forward to your continued commentaries. Thank-you for being here in this world, you are a gift.

Thank you Mr. Moyers, for this enlightening program with Landay and Strobel.

I also want to thank Thomas L, who posted above with a link to the post-gulf war "oral history" interview with Cheney, that showed he must have known what would happen in Iraq if we invaded. He thought the risk was too high in 91. Did Chaney change? Something did.

It seems very clear now that this was, as T. Kennedy said, "cooked up in Texas" before the election, and was not a response to 9-11. Yet, the cooks knew what they were doing--they knew what would likely happen.

The question on my mind now is "why did they do it anyway?" Can we get to the point where we can say more than just, "oil?" What happened in the 90's that made the terrible consequences in Iraq an acceptable price?

It has to be something about the security of the Kuwait operations. All I can say is that I want to know what this is about--what's going on here? Cheney had to be thinking, "chaos is better than. . ." Well, better than what?

One of the K-R reporters asked what was behind the need to sell the war?

The answer is the existence of a unitary, read "imperial," presidency. No one, not even George Tenet - longtime Director of the CIA, could tell the President something that Tenet felt the President would not want to hear.

This isn't the first time a civil servant shirked their duty by not speaking truth. But it may be the time when the consequences were the most dire.

That the American public and its media institutions fell under the spell of advertising witchcraft should make every patriot stand up and head out the door with pitchforks and broomsticks.

Great thanks to you all; Landay, Strobel, and Moyers ---- let's see if the American people now start developing a real appetite for the truth, now that you guys have given them a taste?

The most amazing and audacious thing about this 2008 presidential campaign is the mainstream media’s assumption that the vast majority of the average, humane, ‘working class’ Americans will actually listen to their pompous BS about who we should be excited about among the field of pro-corporate, pro-war, and pro-imperialist candidates that the ruling-class Empire behind this façade of “Vichy America” has thrown against the wall for us to waste our votes on once again.

After seeing the Bill Moyers’ special on “Buying the War”, and seeing this exact same gaggle of pompous and arrogant MSM shills lying us into the disastrous imperial oil-war in Iraq, do they really think that we would trust this pack of media shills and airheads to now be telling us who the best and approved candidates are for continuing to run the deadly ruling-elite scam that our government has become?

Hell, does everyone think we are as stupid as Charlie Brown waiting for Lucy to pull away the football for the umpteenth time? After seeing Moyers' expose on the ruling class Empire's lies and the fawning media parroting of their lies that led to massive financial and person deaths in their imperial Iraq oil-war, do they think we are stupid enough to be listening to the exact same media idiots and pimps about who we should be excited about in the 2008 presidential campaign 'show'?

If the mainstream media was either so stupid and naïve, or (more likely) so complicitous and shilling that they blew smoke up our collective ‘working class’ arses, as Moyers so compelling demonstrated, then why the hell would we ever believe these exact same MSM bastards again? And why on earth would we be listening to them about something as important as the last semi-democratic presidential vote that we may ever have?

The vast majority of the average, humane, and real 'working class' in what's left of our country are finally starting to realize that they have been hosed and screwed by the ruling class Empire and its pompous, sycophant media whores. Average Americans now are beginning to know that the only thing this arrogant elitist "ruling class" Empire is ever going to do is to pervert and 'game' the political system, the economic system, and the media system to screw the majority. Hell, that's the friggin raison d'tat of ruling class Empires --- always has been, and always will be (if we don't stop them).

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you, Bill Moyers, the Knight-Ridder reporters and their bosses for being authentic reporters, eschewing the "news entertainment" venue for probing for the facts. Whatever happened to going beyond the Who? the What? and the Where? to the When? the Why? and the How???

I, as many previous bloggers have reported, have lost friends in passionately demanding answers before supporting a war that could take my son or his friends' lives. I could not get them to understand that I cried every single morning over each death as it was reported. I can barely stand to see their faces, their names, their ages as they scroll down my tv screen. It is simply unbelievable to me that any American can see this as necessary and just. I have never been so ashamed of being an American, seen as so cold-heartedly willing to sacrifice our young men and women without asking the appropriate caretaking questions that were our duty to ask. We, the American people, are to blame for this war.

I had that problem as well, Jon Roberts. They didn't put my first post up either and I didn't break any rules. I also pointed out how funny it is that among the hundreds of posts on here, only a couple were critical of Moyers. Perhaps this post is supposed to be in the same fashion as Moyers' reporting... only showing what they like and dismissing everything they don't.

I sent in a long response critical of Democrat operative Bill Moyers's revisionist history of the pre-war debate and you guys won't put it up. Just supposed to be one long hallelujah chorus I guess. Change the Post a Comment section title to "If you want to say something good about Moyers". If you want to be critical of him, without profanity, there is a .1% chance your post might make it in. Thanks for keeping independent.

Bob is right about the anti-semitism. I did point out that anti-semitism, while it may used to have been a problem with the right is now a big problem with the left. Israel and the US is blamed for everything under the sun. That old hatred of the jews is making a strong comeback and will only get worse. No one on the loony left will talk about how Israel is the only democrazy flourishing in the Middle East or that even the Palestinians have more freedom in Israel than arabs do in their own countries. A lot of you have shown your true colors. When people think of the horrors of WWII and think about how people could have done such a thing to the jews, one doesn't need a trained eye to see that in this time and even among your posts how it can easily happen again.

Hello Folks,

Your program certainly stirred up a hornet's nest !! Feels good seeing all us Red Blooded American's lettin' it all hang out. This country needs alot more of that ALOT ! Anyone listening?

I watched and chuckled sadly last night at how NOT ONE of those politicians vying for our coveted Presidency had the GUTS to say that THEY BLEW IT TOO !!

Don't just hold Bush accountable but MAKE your own constituency COME CLEAN !!

Hillary Clinton represents New York for goodness sakes and why wasn't she raising these same questions ?
Where was Nancy Pelosi then ?
What about ALL the other politicians that are supposed to do their OWN HOMEWORK.

These are the folks who failed miserably !!

If you want to play the Blame game look at the folks running for office and ask yourself...

Where was their scrutiny at the most important point in our Nation's recent past ??

Get tough people as that is the only way we will get the cream to rise to the top !!

Best to you ALL and thanks to PBS for at least caring enough in their hearts to try and shed some light on this.

~Rob in NY

PS I gotta say though many of the comments here regarding Jewish lobbyists have alot to do with why Hillary and the like let the proverbial wind blow them that way !!

Mr. Landay and Mr. Strobel,
Thank you for your determination and integrity during what was and is a time of xenophobia and nationalistic fury in this country.
I have one question from the show. It was mentioned who owns FOX news, and I doubt that anyone was surprised to find out it was a republican; however, there was a lot of criticism of the NY Times and Washington Post and some hinting of corporate pressure at CNN for "unpatriotic" news, yet there was no mention of the inner workings of these news corps. I think it is at least as relevent as knowing who owns/runs FOX, as these media outlets are widely considered "newspapers of record" in this country with some level of objectivity.
Thank you again for your great work.

Ryan in RI

Thanks very much for being a competent journalist in search of the truth and having the courage to speak the truth. Anxiously awaiting your weekly program. Thank you. Keep it up! Laura

Moyers, Landay and Sobel,
Bravo! Keep it coming. I would hope that more Americans simply begin to ask questions and not take mainstream press or networks as gospel. As your special pointed out, information can be very circular, with the source quoting the media as the source. Whew! Though much of the neo-con websites are scary, I feel I must read all points of view and not dismiss anything. Americans need to stop being spoon-fed and start thinking for themselves. That is your homework for the rest of your life, people. Begin to think, read and analyze for yourselves. Listen, and be calm. I only hope that the next President restores this country's honor and dignity in the world, that the last 6 years have been destroyed by this administration. Re Patriotism, no political party or group have a hold on that! The days of Love it or Leave It should have been long gone. But the patriot police are at it again. Stirring fear and paranoi. I need only read some of the postings above to feel the bigotry, anti-semitism and just plain bad-temperedness going around. Anyway, keep up the great journalism. We need it.

I applaud your efforts to put a dent in the political black arts of spreading propaganda (that is lies and half truths).

1. Has anyone who, in fact, did challenge Bush's black flag patriotism, in the end, suffer any type of retribution besides Phil Donahue?

2. Okay, we all know now(with the exception of those who live in the koolade village) that the war was fermented out of some rotten information and presented with some very clever timing, but what does that mean for the American press in the future? Are there any real changes coming from the Capital press corp or will it be more of the same? To tell you the truth, for me, the changes have been mostly cosmetic.

And 3, I have been aware of the superior reporting by Knight Ridder for the past three years and, because I live in Yuma, Arizona with no appreciably skeptical or questioning source of news, I sought out Knight Ridder on the internet without success. Do you now have an internet site that anyone can hook up with?

K-R and Bill Moyers describe how important it is to be skeptical of almost everything mainstream press and networks provide. Information is circular, citing each other as confirmation...? I am afraid Americans are so dependent on mainstream media that they will not look into opposing views through books, legal docs, etc. We are a spoon fed nation. And after reading "some" of the writings/blogs above, I still see so much hatred and bigotry, the very ilk that neo-cons and others can get into lock-step; remember America Love it or Leave it - this splitting of ideas that places one side as anti-American and un-patriotic unless they too fall into step. My hope is we can get through this administration without another disastrous mistake....like nuking Iran. Please, let's get some statesmanship and diplomats back out into the world as this planet cannot take too much more of a pounding.

Great program.
As a Canadian I am thankful we did not follow the US into Iraq. Now we find ourselves in Afghanistan and asking why.
I greatly respect the US people for their freedom to get dissenting views and facts out in the open as evidenced on your show.
I hope you can keep this up. Chalmers Johnson's books could prove a good source for followup.

Dear Mr. Landay, dear Mr. Strobel,

I found it telling that your excellent work got public recognition in the wake of David Halberstam's untimely death.
I very much hope that you and your organisation will get the credit for upholding the standards of decent journalism set by Halberstam and others also outside of PBS and its excellent programs.
With all the tradition of reporting in the Viet Nam era, it frightens me that little of it seems to be left nowadays. And it is ironic that what might have shielded you from the errors others committed has been the lack of access to the big shots that might have forced you to do the legwork - no offense intended!
As Europeans, we probably only got to the other point of view because there was so much prejudice (justified, alas!) against the Bush administration. Basically, we have got the same problem over here: He said , she said, and what is the infotainment value of the news snippet.
However, it really shook us when jingoism and one-sidedness spilled over from the "fair-and-balanced" to the other networks - sorry, we do not get hold so easily of your papers over here.
I very much hope that the change of ownership of your organisation to McClatchy will not affect the standard of qualilty set by your work.
The day of reckoning for all of us on the left will come when you go after our pet politicians or projects with the same diligence as you did against those we do not like anyway.
May be I won't remember then my pious words of today but somehow I feel you will do your job.
Chapeau!
Augo Knoke

Bill,
You're special was truly amazing and only confirmed what I have always believed. if this doesn't do it for the remaining 29%, I don't know what will. I am amazed at how easily America gives up it's young people. It's been 4 years and only now, after over 3,000 dead Americans (young ones,)is the greater majority finally asking some questions. We have given up our young in Iraq, we give up our young to school shootings (has Virginia changed it's laws on purchasing a gun yet?). Parent's ask tougher questions when their' teen is asked to a party than when they are told by the government to go into a war. I don't have kids, but if I did, you can rest assured I would want a lot of answers, and I would need to believe in the reasons before i sent my kid off to be a bullet catcher for this sorry excuse for a president. And when, when, is the mainstream media going to grow a pair and hold this administrations' feet to the fire on this. They had 32 kids who were killed in the news for a week, a week, talking about what bright futures they had...what about the futures of the dead and wounded soldiers in this war?

I'm so glad I saw this documentary and found some real reporting. McClatchy news is going on my bookmarks bar ahead of the Boston globe and the NY Times. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Buying the War was simply incredible. Thank you so much for the program. Keep up the good work!

Nice to see Moyer back, but what is this documentary telling us? Zilch! Nada!

Its a day late, and over 3300 soldiers short!

The media can now redeem itself by investigating the Missing Email. This will definitely tell the story, and then some, about how these rotten and ugly people in the dirty White House, for the last 6+ years, have ruined this country across the board - all in the name of Greed and Power.

Interesting... I posted a link to this page on a comments section of CBS news. They deleted the entire blog!

I wonder what they are afraid of.

So much for 1st Amendment rights!

Thank God for Bill Moyers! A voice of reason. Now I have a better understanding about our media response after 9/11. On 9/11, we all knew that our country would have to take some sort of action. Osama Bin Laden had been a thorn in our side for some years. Knowing that he was responsible, I and I'm sure most Americans presumed that our military would immediately go into Afghanistan. Then began all this propoganda about Iraq ???!! What the heck did Saddam Hussein have to do with 9/11? Regardless of whether he had WMD or not. Wasn't the 9/11 attack the issue? Apparently not. The American people were looking for some type of vengeance and were willing to accept anything the Bush administration told them. It's taken 5 years for the people to realize how badly they were misled. It's unfortunate.

From my perspective all I see is a ever increasing decline of standards in America. This exceptional documentary is yet another warning sign of how this nation is on the brink of mental and moral collapse.

Fortunately I was one of the lucky ones who saw the evidence for what it was, a charade by the administration to enter into a war for political gain. It's been hard these last five years knowing what a crock the so called war is while friends and neighbors lapped it all up.

The sad part is that even though these idiots at the top are likely to be ousted next year the replacements, in there own way probably won’t be much better. It seems the only idea the leading Dem’s can come up with is that of running away from Iraq. While I'm all for bringing the troops home I do believe it's slightly more complex now the genie is out of the bottle. I think the only candidate that seems to have somewhat a head on his shoulders is Joe Biden but I don't know much about him.

Personally I think we should pull out immediately but leave a peacekeeping force in Baghdad, at the oil platforms and on the borders. Along with this we should go hog wild and pump the rest of the $123bn into job programs, network and lifestyle infrastructure to get the poor Iraqi's back on their feet. My theory is that if every Iraqi has a nice HD theater system with 24 hour CNN and Fox News they might become as docile as we are.

Is there any chance that Landy and Strobel want to run for office? They would certainly receive my vote.

Now that's journalism worthy of getting off the couch and jumping on-line!

Thank you all so much,
PBS-KETC St. Louis Viewer

Bill,
keep up the good work. I look forward to watching more of your shows in this format on the internet.

Thomas

who is this speaking?
"the idea of going into Baghdad for example or trying to topple the regime wasn't anything I was enthusiastic about. I felt there was a real danger here that you would get bogged down in a long drawn out conflict, that this was a dangerous difficult part of the world, if you recall we were all worried about the possibility of Iraq coming apart, the Iranians restarting the conflict that they'd had in the eight year bloody war with the Iranians and the Iraqis over eastern Iraq. We had concerns about the Kurds in the north, the Turks get very nervous every time we start to talk about an independent Kurdistan."
"Now you can say well you should have gone to Baghdad and gotten Saddam, I don't think so I think if we had done that we would have been bogged down there for a very long period of time with the real possibility we might not have succeeded."

see
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gulf/oral/cheney/2.html
yep, old dick cheney. he sure was smart back in '89.
what happened?

Could the press please tell me: Does Bush ever listen to shows like this? Does he ever read the papers, news magazines, or other publications, books on Iraq, etc. to get even an inkling of what the public is thinking of his administration? I really think he could be on another planet...we see him on tv dancing with bongo drums at the White House, read how he still backs his old chum the AJ, gives no credence to the Congress. I really don't understand the man. How can he be so 'out of it,' when it comes to the majority opinions of the people? I would really like to know.

It appears. as long as there is PBS there
will always be Bill Moyers. You can't
get rid of him and his clan.
PBS is this apostate's "crysal cathedral".

San Diego

America after the great show Bill Moyers did with
" Buying the War " we need to go to the streets and protest. And do everything we can to hold those responsable for this outrage done to us and our great solders to task. How many more must die?? Call your House and congress members tell them we need to stop the Bush administration.
How much more lies must we take from them. Do we not remember how they Trashed President Clinton for lying about his affair.. "What was their ponishment to him? Impeachment

This is what TV should be about a thought provoking thorough review that stimulated me to think about these issues. I must admit that in the busy world we are often in I do not have the time to listen/read this type of journalism enough. After tonight you have stimulated me to do a better job. Keep it up and how do we get more of the Knight Ridder news?

There were those of us who wondered, during the run-up, how Iraq could have resumed ANY weapons development program while under UN inspection, NSA survelliance and a rigidly enforced "no-fly" zone over much of the country. It just didn't seem plausible. So why weren't the people with direct, first hand knowledge appearing on TV or the newspapers?

Mr. Moyers gave us all the answers to that question last night and those answers were ugly and shameful. American journalism, print and electronic, failed utterly to perform their role in our democracy.

Thank you very much for showing us the true cowardly face of Washington.

Mainstream stories: http://www.killtown.911review.org/911smokingguns.html

Full timeline: http://www.killtown.911review.org/oddities.html

Another goodie: http://www.killtown.911review.org/aids.html

Dear Mr. Moyers,

I'm a long-time fan, but this is the first time I've written about a piece you've done.

I heard about "Buying the War" on Thom Hartmann's radio show and set my TiVo.

WOW! This piece was TRULY amazing! Thank you.

I remember the lead-up to the war. I was one of the 100K+ protesters in Washington that cold day in the January before we invaded.

Why? I didn't have access to a Knight-Ridder newspaper - I live in the suburbs of Washington, DC.

Friends with clearances assured me that the reasons were clear and right for going to war.

Yet, I never believed them.

Why?

At that time, I rode the train to my job in downtown DC every day. I read the Washington Post every day.

Yet, I never believed our reasons for going to war.

Why?

There was Hans Blix, and he found *nothing*! There were our own US inspectors, and they found *nothing*!

I just had this sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that we were going to Iraq no matter the facts.

It was all there for us to see - regardless of friends with Top Secret clearances who assured us otherwise and regardless of our access to Knight-Ridder.

We could clearly see that facts were not going to get in the road of this administration. We could clearly see that diplomacy would not be given any chance.

So, please know that we were not all fooled!

- Pat

I am not an avid blogger. But Moyer's show was so exemplary I had to write. What strikes me when reading alot of these people's blogs - is how much anti-semitism is still roaring out there. It really is terrifying.

Thanks again for a great show, Bill.

Who were the coalition of interests who conspired to invade Iraq?
1. armaments industry and all those from big to small who derive jobs/income from it.
2. Oil industry
3. Israel and its Likud minded supporters.(.code word "neocons")
It seems that the first two groups have profited immensely from the endeavor. Oil is now selling at 50 dollars a barrel. The war business is booming.
Israel is much worse off.

Mr. Moyers, thanks for the program. You did a very good job. The MSM dropped the ball because they wanted that next "big story" coming from the mouths of the lying conservanazi republikans.

I see you have shaken the idiot tree and a few conservanazi goons fell out and left their insults here.
Again, keep up the good work.

To question a corrupt government not support it's illegal actions, is patriotic.

When all opposition is shouted down by the conservanazis, a corrupt and incompetent power like bu$h remains.

BUCK FUSH!

So, what about this impeachment thing? Are we supposed to be serious about the so-called rule of law? Or is this just a fancy way of doing a smack-down of the media?

I don't think so. I love Bill Moyers. But unless I am going crazy and there is some kind of mass delusion, where is the justice in all of this? I don't want just a chastened media. I want a chastened government.

Then again, it's like that old fox and hen thing, isn't it?

A great piece and long overdue. As a Canadian how loves her cousins to the south, I have been heartsick at what Bush and his neo-con posse have been doing. Please do a follow up and explore this issue, particularly the link between business / media / goverment. There is much, much more here. Can you also address who is benefiting financially from the war in Iraq. That might give us a clue as to why the Bushies really invaded the country. Continue the great work.

It's so wonderful to see Mr. Moyers back on PBS. “Buying the War” is an excellent documentary.

Bill Moyers’ career is truly an inspiration to us all. (from Joseph Campbell to the state of Medicine, to politics)

Thank you so much for being there!

Those who posted negativelly against Bill have to be the very ones he lambasted

Thank you so much for your great reporting about the runup to the Iraq war.

I hope you're still investigating what the Bush administration really did to sell the war to the American people. While I think it's important that the MSM takes a huge rap for their propagandizing for Bush, I also think we must find out why the administration wanted this war, exactly how they manipulated intelligence information, and if they made any promises to news corporations, like tax cuts, etc., to get them to do their bidding. I also want to know exactly who has profited from this war.
I have a basic belief that people generally do what they want to do, especially if they have the power to do it. So far, death, destruction and destabilization of Iraq and the entire Middle East are the only things that have been accomplished. And that makes me wonder why the Bush administration wanted it.

Dear Mr. Landay and Mr. Strobel,

Thank you so much for your dedication to the truth. You are truly what every journalist should be.

I have some thoughts that I would like to share with you. I hope you can take the time to answer my questions.

Do you believe that the media failed to investigate the events of 9/11 just as it failed to investigate the claims about Hussein and Iraq? Did the media, as well as the public, simply accept what the government told them? The government, who led a controversial and arguably incomplete investigation into the events leading up to and of that day?

How many journalists have read the 9/11 Commission? Why has no one reported on such interview's as Charlie Gibson's with Marlene Cruz, a carpenter who survived explosions in the basement of one of the World Trade Towers? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSGZYP--wz0

Why would the administration fail to do a proper investigation of 9/11 if we are under the threat that they repeatedly tell us we are? Why would they turn the focus to Saddam, with intentionally fabricated and unreliable knowledge, if we had truly been attacked by Al Qaeda? This administration has removed our rights granted in the First Amendment by the Patriot Act, they have taken away Habeas Corpus through the Military Commissions Act, they have moved toward martial law in the John Warner Defense Act and they have repeatedly engaged in torture and extradition, all in the name of National Security and the prevention of 9/11 attacks. Yet, right after 9/11, they set out against a man they knew had nothing to do with the attacks of that day. Osama bin Laden, isn't even wanted by the FBI for the attacks of 9/11...he is wanted for other crimes and acts of terrorism.

I believe our media did not just fail us on the coverage leading up to the war and throughout the war, but they have failed us by never questioning the events of 9/11. It is not crazy. It is not unpatriotic. 9/11 was the catalyst for the "war on terror" and it is a day that the administration continues to relentlessly mention and use in attempts to frighten us into submission. They are constantly reminding us, because they want us to feel that questioning the events of that day is unpatriotic and an insult to not just the victims but our country as a whole. However, the most patriotic thing we can do is to take a stand, research this most significant and painful day, and expose to the world, the holes in the story that have not been filed and the questions that remain unanswered.

A very well researched timeline of events can be found at wanttoknow.info and http://www.911pressfortruth.com/timeline.

Thank you for your courage and your time,
Alicia Roldan

Great to see the reasoning, competence and humanity of Bill Moyers back along with the shows reporters who really search for the truth and have integrity.

I have been a fan of Thomas Friedman for a long time, thus I was very disenchanted to learn he refrained from participating in "Buying the War". Why?

Thank you for another brilliant report and thank you for having the courage to try to rescue journalism from what's it's become.

I'm also a skeptic and I won't buy any of this story until I hear it from a more reliable source than the Obnoxious Bill Moyers.

I Think that it's about time that all American Politicians and journalist take a course in middle eastern history. I'm really tired of hearing Imbeciles like Hagel, Kucinich, Murtha and Kerry inventing absurd Vietnam analogies. These people are so naive that they don’t even know that they are studying the wrong war. We baby boomers need to get over our mid-life crises and learn about the grown up world of the 21st century.

Doug

Knight Ridder reporters are unsung heroes... if only the Fairness Doctrine was in place when they were trying to get the truth out, then hundreds of thousands of lives would have been saved!

Knight Ridder needs to report on PNAC. They are the American version of Al Qaeda , and Cheney is their OBL. They are funded the same way as Al Qaeda too, by money funneled primarily through three "charity foundations" into PNAC racketeering organization.

Please , Knight Ridder, do a 90-minute investigative report for PBS about PNAC !

Thank you Mr Bill Moyers for coming back to PBS and for this excellent expose on the Media during the lead up to the Iraq War. I hope this will be replayed in my area for the people who don't have a computer. This is "must See TV"

I truly believe if the coverage of the protest had been televised there would of been more opposition to the war. Just due to the facts of the previous gulf war. Anyone who understood any of the outcome of that conflict would have by logic knew that iraq was left with nothing to work with in the way of nuclear anything. Not only that it was not bio or nuclear terrorism that took down the twin tours. Bush had to find a way to go after Saddam because he threatened his father's life. Not forgetting the bully type mentallity that Bush Jr. has. The People of this country are not dumb they are intelligent enough to figure things out if the press had just truly given us the facts. We as a society due rely on the media to give us the facts because we do know the politicians give us such rederict that we need the press to a balane of honesty and not bologna.
I think the media forgot as well as the government that there still is a middle class with intellegence.

Your investigative report was excellent but only further bolsters my resentment for the current adminstration and the media, except the few who want to bring the truth to light such as yourself. And that brings us to another point that you haven't directly made but gets right to the root of the problem. Your show is on PBS. Not CBS, NBC, or any of the major networks. As a result, only a small percentage of the people who really need the truth actually get it. Keep up the good work and I'll do my part to spread the word.

Another excellent work by Mr.Moyers.

Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel have shown more courage and truthfulness in their research than Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein did in the 1970s. I have begun to breathe a little deeper tonight after viewing Bill Moyer's Journal. These last 6 years have been so crazy and layered with lies & deception. I have felt that we, as a nation, had lost our capacity to root out the evils of neo-conservatism shored up by a complicit corporate media. We all know now to skeptically read the NY Times, Washington Post and the Wallstreet Journal. If we speak up, the Bush-Media cabal may be stopped in further launching their traitorous long range "Plan for America." The big mass media conglomerates are clearly linked to selling trusting Americans the Iraq War and the conservative dogma - it was, as I feared, a corporate, fascist spin machine – hell bent on flinging hate and fear upon every American. Now we know of this tragic plague of deception – conceived in the White House and directly linked to our airwaves & newspapers. Beginning tonight, let's have the media compete for our redemption. Vote by viewing only sources that are credible & proven - and for me that only includes Link Network with Amy Goodman, Air America and Keith Olbermann (only) on MSNBC. Happily NOW I can add Maclatchy Newspapers and PBS' Bill Moyers to my favorites. You are true Americans in the tradition of our founders. Many thanks for your excellent work! Jim O'Connell, Minneapolis

Mr. Moyers: I heard about your program while watching Bill Maher's Real Time Show. I live in Atlanta, GA. For some reason, neither of the two PBS stations in Atlanta aired your program - they chose to air some old rock and roll repeat programs. In a very perverse way - I think that act alone proves your point.

I valued last night's program on the media's role in the run up to the invasion of Iraq. As a former newspaper reporter (in a long-ago era), I was left feeling, however, that there needs to be a Part II to expose what is going on higher up the food chain in both print and tv ... in particular, for all news media, the editorial meetings where the decisions are made about page one (and the rest of the pages), about what stories get run, get re-written, get killed, get assigned. The implicit and/or explicit role of the publishers and the owners also needs to be brought to light. That is, how does the influence flow from someone like a Murdoch or owner(s) of the Washington Post (etc., etc.)?

Thank you for this fine piece of journalism, and please do not let Bill OReilly and his goons pesture you. Bill uses fear and intimidation much like President Bush does to get his points across. Fight back.

I have no question. I have only frustration and near complete disrespect for those in the media and the many politicians who joined in on the pre-war cheerleading for whatever reasons. Certainly this cheerleading was based on little fact. The standard line heard over and over of, "everyone believed Iraq had WMD's" ignores people like me who read newspapers and watched and listened to a variety of news sources each day. I possessed no secret information to lead me to this conclusion. Personally, and objectively, I'd say that I was about 80% sure there were no WMD's. Maybe people who didn't watch or listen to news or didn't read newspapers can make the legitimate case that they were snowed by the Bush PR campaign for war. That number most certainly far exceeds the majority of the public, but I do not blame this group. But those in the media or political business have no excuse. Surely not reporters of any professional quality, and certainly not ANY politicians can offer this excuse today. These people jumped on the Bush bandwagon for several reasons: fear for their jobs, fear of the next election, or because they may have been hired Bush PR guns. Least likely, it was because of complete ignorance. The Bush PR machine back then was a steamroller, which threatened one way or another to take out any politician or reporter not playing with their team. Most reporters and politicians knew that the wrong position regarding the war could mean the end of their careers. To be clear, it was suicide to question the whole WMD argument in the US in the lead up to war. Those of us who did were ignored or looked upon as stooges.
In hindsight, I suspect that the people who actually turned out to be the real stooges, the reporters and politicians blindly supporting the war back then, are still too scared to admit their ignorance. I suspect that the most guilty of those leading us into this bogus war (our president and company) will never face a shred of responsibility or punishment for what I am at least 80% sure today was NOT an innocent mistake...they knew!
I am sick beyond words at this probability.
I would hope that one day the knowing media could gather up enough gumption to really go after the root cause of this disaster.

Wow, this is great information. I wish I would have known about this sooner.

To all involved in the making of "Buying the War":

While it saddens me that the MSM has seen fit to become "cheerleaders" for BushCo. instead of reporting truth to the American people, I am beyond happy for journalists like Bill Moyers, Jonathan Landay and Warren Stobel who are out there doing the work the MSM refuses to do.

America needs the TRUTH; America NEEDS MOYER.

Respectfully,
Veronica Feinstein

Superb piece of journalism. My gratitude for your return to speaking for those of us who are voiceless. Now, can we have a similar expose on the current attempt, by many of the same egregious manipulators, to sell us a war on Iran?

Have to agree with Jim Miller and many other comments made here along the lines of why the Bush administration wanted to invade Iraq. You see many news analyses in the press but rarely do you see a news analysis addressing this question. The focus on "mismanaging" the war also avoids this whole issue. What does it mean to "win" in Iraq? Exactly what's the goal: a client state guaranteed to be pro-U.S.? control of the oil fields and leverage over nations that need Middle East oil? a boondoggle for the military-industrial-petroleum complex? defeating the Vietnam syndrome? all of the above? We know it's not about democracy. Given the number of democracies we've overthrown, it couldn't possibly be about democracy.

I stand corrected. Maybe you will post the the following:

Is it unpatriotic to ask questions? Why are we really at war? With such good investigation, we might find corrupt government at its best.

Bill, why have you not touched on these questions as:

CNN released footage of the Sheraton Hotel security camera showing that a plane did not strike the pentagon, but rather a missle? Why won't CNN air it? They released it on the internet on an early Sat. morning last year. Is this a game? If this is false, let's debunk it.

Why did the owner of WTC #7, Larry Silverstein, purchase the twin towers in July '01 along with a $5.5 billion insurance policy extending coverage for damage arising from terrorism?

Who is David Rockefeller? What is Skull & Bones & the Bohemian Grove?

Websites? loosechange911.com
and
prisonplanet.com

Rose O'Donell was really let go because she refused to back down from debating the government's involvment in 9/11?

Why did the BBC report WTC #7 falling 20 minutes before it really fell? Who knew what when? Who planned what, why?

Who is Alex Jones?

What is the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)? Trilateral Commission?

What did the demolition compounds of Thermite/Thermate have to do with the three buildings destruction?

When does theory become fact?

Who is bold enough to address these questions?

The Bible tells us to pray for our leaders. We can also expect accountability.

Shall our indpendent networks tow the goverment's line? Shall America be distracted with Brittany Spears, American Idol and other useless news & programs while tantamount questions of national security go unanswered?

Are the networks controlled by certain foundations that they fear to touch the subject of 9/11?

This appears to be way over party politics. Talk about Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld all day long, but never address 9/11.

Excellent investigative reporting searches out truth. That is what made America the greatest nation on earth.

Can anyone assist here?

Thanks very much for an excellent show!!! Appreciate your tenacity, integrity, and courage to speak the truth. Thank you. America needs you!!!

Missed the showing last night but just finished watching on my computer // wanted to say thanks for an honest look into how mainstream media participated in falsehoods leading us to war -- sad, but true. Now if only you would investigate 9/11 and the many unanswered questions in that mess alone. I am one of the so-called conspiracy 'nuts' that believes 9/11 and our own government (a rogue element operating from within) was linked in more ways than any 19 Arab terrorist could ever hope to be. WTC-7 and the near 2-hour stand down of military fighter jet aircraft are but two issues in this regard.

Thanks for the coverage regarding media participation (or lack of it) -- your presentation was outstanding.

I cannot believe there hasn't been a sequel to "All the President's Men". I am sure it would make one hell of a movie.

Well ~ apparently my blogg of query regarding the other reasons we're at war, has stepped on some toes. As of 4/14/07, 4:15pm, it has not been posted. I wonder why PBS will only give a wink to 9/11? Why are they censoring a blogg that falls within the purview of an acceptable commentary of possibly relevant material?

A great program. I was surprised that it was suggested that the level of press coverage had fallen below the norm during the Bush administration. This has been the norm all the way back to FDR. Landay and Strobel are as unusual as Woodward and Bernstein

Funny you didn't put up my post so I will write it again with the best of my memory. Weird that among the hundreds of posts that there are only a couple that attempt to dispute Moyers' reporting.
This was yet another Moyers hit piece that only put up facts that he liked and put up none of the facts that he didn't like. Where was Moyers' accusation that Clinton, Putin, Chirac, and many other people who aren't in Bush's pocket said that there were WMD's? Am I supposed to believe that the media was Bush's right hand man? Are you kidding me? What are you smoking? I know you can get left wingers to believe this because they just eat these conspiracies up, but give me a break. Media being Bush friendly, that's a punchline without the joke.
Moyers brought up about how Powell was trustworthy BEFORE his presentation to the UN, but there was very little as to what he presented. I wonder why that was. There was NOTHING about the audio tape US intelligence got with a conversation between an Iraqi general and colonel where they were talking about "cleaning up" things and hiding before the UN inspectors showed up the next day. Where was that? What were they hiding or cleaning? Where was this report? Moyers can't dispute this so therefore he didn't put it in his report, that's why. It also shows the Iraqis were being tipped off on UN inspections since they were supposed to be surprise and unfettered inspections. Explain that one to me.
Why was there no reporting about our IMBEDDED reporters entering an abandoned Iraqi army barracks stockpiled with chemical/biological suits, masks, and cyringes. Did they think we were gonna use chemical/biological weapons on them? I know the left wingers might say "yeah exactly", but please, anyone with a clear head knows why they had them.
Where was the report from the Battle of Baghdad where there were reports of traces of mustard and sarin gas found in the Tigris River? Hmm? Perhaps the Tigris makes those naturally.
What about the +500 canisters of mustard gas we have collected. I know they say they weren't weapons grade anymore, but I don't recall anyone volunteering on having the contents poured onto their hands.
Reading from most of these posts it's easy to see who this story was aimed at... left wing nuts. You can dismiss me by thinking I'm a republican or a Bush man, which I am neither. I vote right down the middle. Truth is this report only showed what Moyers wanted to show, which is typically his style. Even the PBS president has said PBS has been biased in the past. When you present facts only that help the reporter's feelings, but don't report on facts that contradict the reporter's feelings, that's called BIAS. No wonder the old guard of the media is failing. Americans have smartened up to their bias and have gone elsewhere.
Having Dan Rather on was the icing of the left-wing cake. This is the same guy who put up false documents about Bush fifty days before the '04 election because he felt the story itself was true. Great journalism. This is the same guy who when reporting that former Clinton Security Adviser Sandy Berger was caught stuffing the highest of classified documents down his pants and socks pertaining to Bin Laden just before the 9/11 commission made the story more about the timing of the release of the story. He's a complete joke.
I bet Moyers' next piece will be about the 9/11 conspiracy that will have such hardened Bush supporters as Martin Sheen, Charlie Sheen, Rosie O'Donnell, and Thierry Meyssan. I'm sure Dan Rather will give his helping hand as well. From all the left wing nuts I've seen post on here, people are just dying for that report too.
The left wing loons are almost exactly like the KKK (which I was referring to in my 2nd post about preameriKKKan, but humorously didn't post my first writing). Think about it. They huddle within their own masses. They think "the government" is after them. They blame the US government and jews for everything. Everything is a conspiracy. Heck, they're one in the same. Only difference is instead of talking about blacks, homosexuals, and jews, the left wingers talk about "republicans", "Foxnews", and well.... jews.
I really think the left wing nuts wake up each morning and just can't wait to gather together with friends and talk about Bush, Foxnews, and republicans because I've seen it done. No wonder why the very day after 9/11 people were already protesting a war. Instead of calling up friends and consoling eachother, the left wing loons were planning protests. "This is just like back in the 60's maaaaan."
Dismiss me all you want, but I'm not the one who thinks everything is a conspiracy or that the media loves Bush. That takes some special herb to make someone think that's correct.
Moyers had his run when his reporting went unopposed and not scrutinized, but that time is over. Reporting half the story is in Moyers' DNA.
One more question... if Bush is such an idiot as most left wingers claim he is, then how did he supposedly "fool" you into believing him in his case for war?

A great program. I was surprised that it was suggested that the press had failed. The performance of the press during the Bush administration was typical of its performance all the way back to FDR.
Landy & Strobel were as uncommon as Woodward and Bernstein.

mr moyers

first I have been (and still am) a long time fan

of yours going back to the your days as a

commentator at cbs

that having been said I have to say that,

reguarding your documentary "buying the war" I am

disapointed

while it was "good", in these times, in today's

context, good is not good enough

it was informative but did not come close to

conveying the level of importance and urgency of

crisis that we face today

the subject matter of your show is not about any

"ordinary" concern or problem

it is about the group consciousness process that

has been successfully hijacked by nothing short of

criminals

even if you give them the benifit of doubt and say

that their motivations are pure and idealogical

this does not take away from the fact they are

willing to perform criminal even treasonous acts

to achieve their ends

you only imply things that need to be stated

outright, such as: the commercial journalistic

process is systemically broken AND advise people

to look for other avenues in finding out the facts

(or to develop those avenues)

even if advising is beyond the scope of what a

purly objective journalist should do these these

are not ordinary issues

in effect you give mainstream journalist as "pass"

without properly challenging their integrity

in this context, at this level of importance it's

laughable to here people who make a substantial

income make excuses that they would risk their

"professional reputation" or that they may even

loose their jobs

if "journalist" let this kind of thing happen

without proper challenge we, as a whole, will

loose far, far more

at this point we don't have the government

imprisoning or killing journalist for writing

their point of view -- or do we? -- I can't say,

who can when so much power is centralized and used

in secrecy

the point is that we are being lead down the road

to becoming a true fascist state and the type of

people doing this (this goes beyond the current

adminstration -- wake up) do not stop their effort

by simply embarrassing them with the truth

if things are to change we have to cross the line

into activist journalism, journalism which not

only exposes but challenges ALL of us as a 

people to become creative in our civil duites

i'm sorry to say your report falls far short of

this mark

Excellent program Bill Moyers. Great reporting - glad to see you back on PBS. Your report makes me even more furious with this administration and their pro-war propaganda. Our young American soldiers sacrificed their lives for nothing. As Robert Kennedy Jr. said so eloquently, “For two weeks after 9/11, there were spontaneous candlelight vigils in Tehran, initiated by Muslims who loved our country. It took more than 200 years of disciplined, visioniary leadership by Republican and Democratic presidents to build these huge reservoirs of public love. We were the most beloved nation on the face of the earth. And today-in six short years, through monumental incompetence and arrogance, this White House has absolutley drained that reservoir dry. America has become the most hated nation on earth. There are five billion people who either fear or just don't know what to think about the US. For me that's the most bitter pill to swallow.”
What a terrible waste!

From the L A Times

McClatchy net income drops 67%

The next story they should do is how the Newspaper Industry fraudulently reported inflated circulation numbers for years

Then jump to exactly WHY Google's model is successful. Advertiser's had been getting screwed for soooo long the backlash and resentment is an Ocean deep !!

People now have a choice to Advertise elsewhere and guess what they LOVE it !! Trackable return on investment not smoke and mirrors.

The entire foundation of the Newspaper business is one colossal SHAM which has now come home to roost.

Let's see thm follow on with coverage on THAAAAT !!

That would take BALLS of some alloy metal that has not been invented yet !

My last post - the Blog manager's are thrilled about that I'm sure

~Rob in Ny

Thanks Bill for pursuing the truth and the big powerful media sources who kowtow to the almighty dollar over objective journalism!

Why did they refuse to question the Bush administration's arguments for going to war with Iraq ? Corporate moguls own these papers and did not want to lose corporate business, wanted to appease Jewish concerns about preserving the state of Israel, and did not want to appear unpatriotic.

The Bush Administration was unsuccessful in eradicating Al Quaeda and needed to justify their invasion of Iraq so they tried to make the terrorist connection. The Bush/Cheney case for war with Iraq was developed long before 9/11. It offered them an opportunity to secure our oil interests in the Middle East given the instability in the region. All their corporate friends also benefitted like Exxon-Mobil and Haliburton.

We no longer have democracy in this country, it is an oligarchy. We don't have a free press they are beholden to corporate interests and shareholders. It is time for us to take our country back and regain a democratic system.

Much of what Bill Moyers reported is criticism of the media. Thus do not expect the media to spread his words very far. While our troops show great courage, few print and broadcast journalists will ever say: "We are responsible for what happened. We are very sorry." Cowards all!
They are like a smoke detector with no battery.

I had been aware of background events in Afghanistan in the days before 9/11, and gasped the day after when Bush administration representatives went on CNN and tied the WTC attacks to Iraq. It was through that prism that I questioned every piece of drum-beating propaganda in the following months. I'm no expert, but if I could recognize the propaganda for what it was and call bullsh*t, why couldn't Rather, Jennings, & Wolf, et al?

Thanks for your bravery and backbone in reporting the information you were getting, and to your editors and publishers for having the courage to run what was counter to everything the mainstream media was putting in our faces, daily. I only wish more editors had had the courage to run it.

The report was good except for the ommission of the influence that American Jews and Israel itself had in the push for war. Unfortunately, until Americans hear the truth, these same poeople will push us into a war with Iran very shortly.

Get some balls and tell the whole story. Oh, I forgot, you don't want to bite the hand that feeds you.

The power of the media can not be underestimated. Like Spiderman...with great power comes great responsibility. I commend the Knight Ridder reporters for keeping their nose to the ground and not getting swept up with the ongoing "war" propaganda. From day one I knew this war in Iraq was not right. What bothers me is why the American masses couldn't see past the smoke & mirrors. Excellent report Bill Moyers!

Thank you Mr. Moyer for your insightful documentary. However, AIPAC wasn't mentioned for their part in this mess.

This Blog is amteur hour

Posts are constantly rearranged when you refresh

It's 98% pandering to the creators and I bet this doesn't make it to the Blog anyway.

Good grief. The media at their best I guess !!

You all are being left in the dust by the internet society that has already had the torch passed to it and accepted it and are running, running, running with it !!

Good Luck and Good Riddance

Rob in Ny

Alot of American's were smart back then., and even instinctively aware (along with just about a first grader's logic), That's why there were huge protests which went pretty much unreported.

That being said.. atleast all of this is now being officially recorded, and publicly "discussed", Maybe that will be effective in some way. At one time in this country..,exposure such as this had some actual effectiveness. I pray all hope is not lost.

I haven't been able to watch the program all the way through, as of yet.

So far, it seems, there were alot of clarified facts..,
people pinned down..,
like tails on donkey's. This is expected to feel reassuring.

However.., it's just moving the food around the plate.., but noone's eating.

The most striking.., frightening snippet.., I was able to catch.., was the 60 minute reporter stating "We had to present it lightly.., make light of it."

That was all I had to hear.

Rather than this new acceptance of light hearted presentations.., what really needed to happen.., and still needs to happen.., to really effectively pull the weed from the root-
(meaning.., to literally save the authenticity.., integrity.., and literal value.. of this very country..,)

What needs to happen is a forceful ruthless demand for accounting.., and the
confident belief in your country to expect it. Not to sit by and watch fellow journalists get shredded.., and thrown into the waste bin.

I know having this responsibility is scary. I know the greatest wish is that someonelse had it. Who wants to step up in this way? Noone, of course. Everyone wishes we could trust the authenticity of people in authority. The alternative burden is too heavy. However.., this is the position you journalist's are in. Everyone has their different positions.
We.., as a people are not used to needing to organize.., or having had to in a long time. Something like this can not be tackled by a lone ranger. Divided we fall (that division is what's counted on.., for most descrepencies to pass through detectors). Trust.., that unity can move a mountain.., and then go move it! Thanks! Call me when it's done! (Just kidding.., Im tryin to do my part in my neighborhood)-

The jist of all Im saying is..
I've seen alot of this show.., but

now..

What are we going to do about it?
Make light of it?
Like the 60 minute reporter opted for?

Maybe that will solve it.

Thanks Bill..
You.. are the greatest!
PS.. It was so good to see Dan Rather again! Welcome home Dan! I hope you come back!

In an earlier post, I suggested we read alternative media. I forgot to mention that may become more difficult starting on July 15th.

Earlier this year, the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC) rejected a postal rate increase plan offered by the U.S. Postal Service. Instead they opted to implement a complicated plan submitted by one of the media giants. Under the original plan, all publishers would have a mostly equal increase (approx. 12 percent) in the cost for mailing their publications. The new plan overturned this level playing field to favor large, ad-heavy magazines at the expense of smaller publications. It penalizes thousands of small- to medium-sized outlets with disproportionately higher rates while locking in privileges for bigger companies.

Stand up for independent media: send a letter to congress and the postal service here — http://action.freepress.net/campaign/postal

I sell food products to restaurants in Chicago, did not graduate from college and never even attempted a New York Times’ crossword puzzle. In other words, I’m your basic dipsh**; yet here I was throwing shoes and other objects at my TV four-plus years ago every time some idiot was on talking up the reasons we HAD to invade Iraq.

If a Homer-brained guy like me could see the bull these people spewed, why couldn’t the Ivy-schooled journalist unearth the truth? Why didn’t the people who had the power and ability to question and fact-find do their goddamned job!

From Bill Moyers Journal "Buying the War” – Knight-Ridder’s NORM SOLOMON: "These were supposed to be the most discerning, sophisticated journalists in the country writing this stuff, and they were totally bamboozled."

Shame on you, American Press, with the exception of the Knight Ridder team.

Great job Bill Moyers.

Bill's program had a lot of valid information but all this information had been in the Internet blogs for years. One great omission was AIPAC's and Israel's contribution to the deception. Another was the fact that Jewish neocons were some 90% of the deception team--both in the government and in the media (NY Times, Wash Post, Wall St. Journal...)

Thank you for the program. It is very important and I hope you will run it as many times as possible. The way the media was used in the run up to the invasion was a lot like gaslighting. How could one trust one's own research when the front pages kept publishing misleading stories?

Thanks Bill Moyer,Knight-Ridder and Dan Rather(whom I feel is another victim of Bushes war).This documentary should be required viewing for journalist students.Do you think it could be shown on cspan sometime in the near future?Maybe we bloggers could push for additional showings from other sourses.

Interesting report. Here's what I take from it. What motivated the media to not get the word out was its agenda- to make money which means print/broadcast that which sells and not to print that which does not sell. What sells- responding to public fear.

The Gov desire after 9/11 -Not to let another destructive event like 9/11 happen again. One Gov solution- get rid of Sadam. (other motivations may be possible). The media responded to greatest public fear of another 9/11 and turned a blind eye to our rightful fear of government's hidden agenda.

In the Moyer’s 25 April report I again see the media agenda - make money/increase viewership by responding to public fear. Now it’s focused on the fear of government.hidden agendas.

Report approach- present the government as manipulative and critic the media for not reporting about manipulative government. There was no stated reason why the viewers should now trust the media and no explanation of this reports agenda.

If this sounds cynical its because what I didn't see in this report were clear statement of the reports agenda. Why should any one believe in a media (left or right) that has failed in the past to get to and report the truth. Credibility has to be earned and only by stating you agenda and proving it in a convincing way can it be achieved. Blindly trusting either the government or the media because they respond to our most current worst fear is not the answer.

We long ago concluded that we had to get our national news from alternative sources. That said, we deeply appreciate Bill Moyers, PBS, and all who interviewed for the show airing the truth in national media. If it had been FOX, we would have expected to see and hear spins on the show in the news the next day, keeping it out in the "public". This show was clearly news-worthy in itself, but what do we see and hear today about it? Nothing. PBS, please re-run this show ASAP and often.

Thanks for a great documentary. And thanks to the real journalists, like Landay and Strobel, who stood as an example to the profession of what it can be. Thanks to the government officials who did speak out to tell us what they knew ahead of time.

And to the devil with those dishonorable people who lied then and continue to lie now.

Mr. Moyers,

Thank you so much. You are a king among men.

All U.S. wars over the past century were preceded by a carefully planned and executed campaign of deception that involves (1) censorship of key facts followed by (2) injection of false information (propaganda) via the media. American journalists and media executives have always played a central role in this sordid process. The Iraq war is just the latest example.

Ever since President Wilson hired progressive journalist George Creel to sell Americans on World War I, the close working relationship between the national media and the war planners has grown ever closer and more efficient.

Do not be fooled into thinking this happens by accident or from incompetence.

Just remember that during war the first casualty is always the truth.

Terry Hansen
author of 'The Missing Times'

Good program but for those of us who go to alternative news sources like Democracy Now!, FAIR, Pacifica Radio and so on, this was old news.

The best thing you could do is ask PBS and NPR to add Democracy Now! to their regular schedule of programs.

Then perhaps this society might become a bit more media literate.

I agree with Maggie Bott - kudos to the Knight Ridder boys for getting it right, but for Canadians and, I imagine, others, this was an obvious load of BS from the beginning.

So while statements such as Tim Russert's 'I wish my phone would have rung' may be sadly telling (you're a reporter, you idiot), I think we also need to examine why so many Americans, politicians included, allowed themselves to be misled by 'the powers that be.' If the rest of the world could discern the deception, why not you?

And let us neither forget that Americans re-elected Mr. Bush nearly 20 months after the invasion of Iraq, when it was more than apparent that they had been sold a bill of goods.

I don't, therefore, really buy the whole 'woe is the media-betricked me' image. People get the media, government, and society that they deserve.

OIL, OIL, OIL......

This program's presentation of the facts makes sense to me.
I'm convinced that most media orgs were either compliant or negligent in their reporting on this issue. However, there's no excuse for how the American public benignly accepted the irrational case made by the Bush admin for attacking Iraq. A minimal effort would've allowed us to see through it all but we didn't do it. Worse, we didn't want to do it. We wanted revenge for 9/11 and we wanted it fast and against the easiest target we could find. And we still don't have the guts to put our foot down forcefully enough to stop the madness.
Shame on all of us.

Another thing...If this blog is screened for hurtful and malicious comments, how come the comments about "zionist conspiracy" nonsense was not removed? Also, how come there are no opposite points of view about the program? I could not find a single posting not praising the program. Nice diversity!!

Nearly everything the administration said or did with respect to the Iraq war falls apart when confronted with a simple aphorism:

The wisdom to act is not wisdom in the actions chosen.

What made this war, at this time, in this way, THE way to proceed after 9/11, and against Islamic radicalism? No one, in my experience, has made any of the sorry lot of clowns who drove the Iraq war forward address that simple question.

Whenever they are confronted, they invoke a need to be strong and resolute. Arguabley one of the most significant lessons of the 20th century was that it is quite as deadly to be foolish (WWI, Vietnam)as it is to be weak and irresolute (fascism and WWII).

Fighting wars in a world with WMD's takes on the aspect of striking matches in a dynamite factory. You may get away with it for a while, but if ISN'T a good idea.

I am a Foreign in this country (from Brazil) and getting through this war has been very painful. I have never believed in this adminstration's case for the war against Iraq. First WMD and then free the Iraq people! The few articles I could find that raised questions against the war always seemed founded in actual facts. I thank you for doing objective journalism. I do believe the American press has blood in its hand for its courdice and for being part of the Administration's propaganda machine.

Regina Sant'Anna

As many others who watched "Buying the War" last night, I am left with the question: Why? Why did Bush do this? And how, as a human being, could he have done it? Why did he and so many others lie to America? I want to know why and I want all Americans -- and the whole world -- to know why. I think it must be recognized, however, that not all Americans want to know why; some don't even want to acknowledge that the lies even occurred. I know many right-wing (read: religious) Americans who still insist Bush is doing God's work, that the WMD were there -- maybe just hidden in the desert or something; that only left-wing, unpatriotic liberals would even consider not supporting the Commander in Chief. (Even when Bush was first elected, I shuddered at the notion of this cowardly man as Commander in Chief of our armed forces.) I am now more cynical than ever about our politicians, the so-called servants of the people. The huge danger now, it would appear, is that we all know we can't believe anything we're told -- so we may find ourselves unwilling to support a TRUE threat to our country. Has this nation ever been at a more dangerous (and depressing) crossroads? Is there any hope for a better future for our grandchildren? I am one depressed grandmother.

I was inspired that Bill took on this issue. I was also so impressed and inspired by the two journalists from Knight Ridder. Thank you so much gentlemen. Your courage is worthy of some sort of award and we average Americans owe you an enormous amount of gratitude. You stand honest in the face of powerful people bent on hate and destruction of our way of life and I’m not taking about the terrorists of the world. I’m talking about the big-bucks conservative talk show hosts and pundits who so easily influence the less informed and historical lacking amongst us. I went to bed last night thinking it might make a difference.

Then I turned on the morning news and watched as our media had on guest after guest using the same language as the people exposed as liars in Bill's program. So does it matter? It’s a sad state of affairs. Will the media ever go back to being a pillar instead of being a sound box that regurgitates the company line? All the cable news shows still refer to the war as a "war on terror" when, in fact, anyone who has spent anytime looking into it or even simply watching Bill's show should know that we are being sold a bill of goods and our media is the lackey middleman. There a few people left in the profession of journalism that shouldn’t feel the shame that they so rightfully deserve.

I urge the brave journalists out there to stand up and speak the truth. Please know that there is a silent majority out here that wait to support you when the un-American Rush’s, O'Reilly’s, Hannity’s and their mislead minions come screaming for your heads.

If you want to know why the media was mute, you need to google The Money Masters pt1 & 2
Also: Freedom to Fascism

RON PAUL for President!

Good doc, but too little, far too late. Watching the American news media from Canada during that period we were repeatedly amazed, disgusted, frightened, at the lack of response to what seemed very clearly to be straight lies emanting from the White House. The interviews in the doc basically say "oops we made a mistake". But for virtually everyone to have decided NOT to report on the real story, something else was going on. It appears now and appeared at the time that the US was in a very serious state of mass delusion. Scary when you think about it.

I also thought Bill Moyers, though usually a good interviewer, was even now making some of the very same mistakes that he was critiquing. He was quite hard on Peter Beinart, certainly with good reason, but very easy on Dan Rather who should simply be ashamed of himself. Why the tough posture on Beinart, and easy posture on Rather, who without doubt was infintely more influential than Beinart in shaping the mass story.

I expect more from Moyers.

A big "thank you" to Bill Moyers for this excellent program.

Truth brings clarity, cleansing and potential healing. But the tougher part is doing the homework to honestly face ourselves and name our own fears in order to experience our own healing, and ultimately our healing as a people. As long as we cover up our fears with military might, greed, arrogance, and violence for that illusion of security, we will continue down a path to ultimate self-destruction.

We need those who are ready and willing to keep asking the deeper questions in order for truth to shine. To Bill Moyers and others, keep up the courage!

Congratulations on outstanding work.

Do you think the economics of reporting (eg. the buyout of Knight-Ridder by McClatchy) has contributed to the dearth of truly "investigative" reporting...and if so, what trends do you see for the future of journalism?

Had the media told the truth, it wouldn't have made any difference. Remember that the media DID tell the truth about the UN WMD inspectors, by continually reporting that inspectors were on the ground for four months before the war began, and that no hint of WMDs had been found.

That was enough evidence that WMDs did not exist. The media didn't hide the news about the inspectors; it was in every newspaper. So we can't blame the war on the media. It's to be blamed on the Bush administration lies, and the gullibility of everyone who read about the UN inspectors.

Several posts here have said "I believed the media." Then why didn't you believe the media when they reported that no WMDs were found in the four months before Bush attacked Iraq? That should have opened your eyes...

Well Done, I just watched the show and it was the first primetime tv critique of Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL) that I've seen.
It was interesting to hear the CEO of CNN say that they were snapped into line by FOX's aggressive reporting tactics. To examing this fear more closely I'd recommend the documentary 'Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism'
Also I recently saw the documentary 'Iraq for $ale' and would recommend it if you liked this. Keep digging KR! Moyers Thank you.

Mr Moyers,
You are definately the
best damned investigative
reporter that we have in
this country.Thanks for
coming back to PBS.
Ivan Dixon

Great reporting on a topic full of revealing insight on what has happened in the 21st century to America. The person who commented that we Americans have allowed ourselves to be mere Consumers. Living our lives in America for the next consumer sale looking for the next material thing.

It is sad to know that so many of our fellow Americans have had their lives changed forever due to the actions of a single individual, President Bush (43). I have been saiding for years that as Americans we should demand a creation of a basic aptitude test so we can judge whether or not a person is fit to be President of the United States. It would call the Presidental Aptitude Test or PAT. If, such a test had been in place our current president would had failed the Foreign Affairs section.

I would lke to see Bill Moyers produce & broadcast a comprehensive program on what are the essential qualifications for the job position classified as United States President other than age, place of birth etc.

Scott Ridder on MSNBC Hardball got me thinking that maybe this case for war was BS. Immediately I found the writings of Knight Ridders guys and others overseas that made it abundently clear that we were being sensationalized by the mainsteam media and forced into war. Knowing that our case for war was BS, when the moment came to enter Iraq I heard on the radio while driving and felt sick to my stomach, literally.

There are two basic questions I would love to see you explore.

1) Why the white house was in such a frenzy to go to war.

2) Why was the media complicit. You showed that they were complicit and incompetent, even fraudulent, but the issue of why was only touched on. That could be a whole other show.

Thanks so much sir.... about time someone put together a piece like this.. DO NOT STOP HERE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!

Excellent program. Lets hope the lessons learned resonate with more in the mainstream.

Your hard work is appreciated.

Great show, thanks to KR for sticking with their investigations. Another reason, as if we needed one, to stay away from network and Beltway sources. Thanks also to Moyers for a good summary of what we as a nation purchased from Bush. The only element missing was the linkage between Likud/AIPAC and the neocons.

This is the only place in broadcast journalism where we were going to see this truth. Spectacular show...please repeat it. I feel like crying. How can this administration be punished for their criminal deceit, the disaster they were determined to initiate, and the lives of 3000 dead young Americans which they wasted without purpose or mercy?

Excellent piece! This needs to be put on mainstream media outlets. Unfortunately, not enough people watch PBS.

If we can put this on a internet media outlet like youtube, it will spread like wild fire!

Mr. Landay and Mr. Strobel, I would like to contribute a gazillion dollars (it'll take me awhile to get it together) to the journalism schools that produced such exceptional reporters. Thanks for your skepticism and persistence. I think just for the heck of it I'm going to give Tim Russert a call so he can continue to pretend he's a real journlist.

Thanks for the informative program. Please do a repeat of it and a follow-up. Kudos to Landay and Strobel.

I think that a list of all the reporters and pundits that were clearly in the pockets of the administration and right wing extremists and did their bidding should be distributed and protests mounted to have these people fired - not for expressing their opinions, but for deliberately misleading the public by presenting biased "opinions" as verified "facts". After all, people such as Don Imus and Dan Rather, were severely punished for their on-air missives, even though as bad as these were, no one died as a result; while tens of thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands maimed as a result of what the pro-war reporters and pundits said prior to entry into the war - and they still have their jobs. What kind of justice is that?

I also believe that what people like Perle, Kristol, Safire, Will and others said in order to help sell this despicable war, should be LOUDLY repeated every single week (and placed prominently on YouTube) until this disastrous war ends! They should be publicly humiliated at every opportunity in the same way that they threatened to humiliate and punish those few brave souls that questioned the basis for the war. Why are they being let off the hook and, worse yet, rewarded for what they did? Rather than still drawing big salaries for continuing to regularly dish out more of this kind of "crap" that passes for journalism, they should probably be cleaning latrines somewhere - how about in Iraq?

Perhaps there should be boycotts organized against the various news organizations that still employ these people. Let's start with Fox news and ABC news!

And please feel free to forward this comment to all of the (IMO) aforementioned "incompetent scumbags".

The Truth Seeker

P.S. Why not also post the entire program on YouTube because many young people don't watch PBS and its important for them to learn about this?

Four days after 9/11, I found myself yelling, "Dammit, stop telling me how to feel!" at my TV at the sight of yet another hyper-patriotic commerical. I needed only four days to realize that the media's reaction to 9/11 had the makings of a vast right-wing conspiracy. The firing of a reporter who questioned Bush's whereabouts, plus CNN's policy of prefacing reporting of the invasion of Afghanistan with reminders that "they" had killed "us," confirmed my supicions.

I took out my frustration on the Internet, where I found out that the bin Laden and Bush families have been doing business together for years and that Osama got his basic training from the CIA. I knew I was on to something, and have gotten the bulk of my news from the Internet ever since, with the help of political message boards and the birth of the blogosphere.

My only regret is that the anthrax attacks on the media wasn't mentioned--fear of an envelope containing powder may have done as much to intimidate reporters as fear of an envelope containing a pink slip. Aside from that, I didn't really learn anything "new" from the show--except how it feels to see the investment I made in journalistic integrity six years ago turn into a jackpot!

Watched the exceptional program on the lead up to the Iraq war... Excellent! I have wondered over these months if Bill Moyers accepts the official version of the events of 9/11? I am not a particularly paranoid person, BUT, upon close observation, there is no way for me to buy the original story. It clearly was not the work of extremists with box cutters! Are there any plans to examine 9/11 in future programs?

GREAT WORK! Please keep it up - we need you, Bill!

There seems to be a happy coincidence developing, which one might even attribute to the passing spirit of humanist, Kurt Vonnegut.

At the exact same time Bill Moyers' "Buying the War" and many other Internet-based truths are revealing the corrupt and lying corporate media and quickly escalating the public awareness that the elite, corporate media is guilty of abusing average ‘working class' Americans --- “treating them like a rich kid’s Christmas toys”; Dennis Kucinich, with his populist/progressive courage to attack the Bush Empire and Cheney with impeachable offenses against the American people, is likewise revealing the corrupt and lying corporate political scam that has allowed our democracy to be stolen by a guileful global corporate elite Empire hiding behind this crooked façade of “Vichy America”.

The American 'working class', which is the vast majority, is starting to “See Clearly Now” (as the song goes) how they have been abused and lied to and they will turn against this corporate Empire controlled political scam and corporate controlled media scam with a vengeance.

Hopefully, with your efforts both the corporate elite political structure and the corporate corrupt media structure will fall FAST and HARD.

My question involves the proper stance for a reporter who is reporting a speech about Iraq by a political figure like Sen. Lieberman. I have in mind the frequent reference to "the enemy" who must be "defeated." The hearer is meant to imagine Al-Quada as "the enemy" when in fact the action proposed by the speaker will involve Al-Quada only very little or not at all. For example, the "surge" is justified as crucial to defeating the "enemy" without mentioning that the violence in Baghdad is attributable primarily to a civil war. In that civil war, who is the "enemy?" The Shias? The Sunis? Obviously, neither, yet the speaker has not wanted the listener to focus on the ambiguity of his speech. May the "reporter" do that? If so in what context? May a reporter's "comments" be included in a front page article or must they be in an op-ed type piece. Thanks for a great program. I have ordered the DVD.

Mr Moyers,

You are a great American.

Thank You !

Terrific journalism...happy to see Bill back.
Nothing was mentioned about the handling of the pre-war information by PBS "News Hour." Was it similarly cowed by public opinion and the Republican administration? Oddly enough, the internet seems to have hampered my take on the war. Before connecting to the internet, I listened constantly to NPR. However, once I was connected to the web, I devoured the Wash. Post and the NYT--neither of which displayed much critical thinking. Add Tom Friedman columns and Powell's UN appearance to the mix and who was I to question their conclusions. Since the awards, I have added McClatchy to my bookmarks and read BEFORE the other two. I couldn't wait to see Landay, Strobel & Walcott last night! Koodoos to Dan, Bob,& Tim for appearing.

Let me echo the "thanks" for terrific reporting. If only other news organizations had followed your lead, America obviously wouldn't be in the position we are.

My question would be, where are the series of stories indicating who is benefiting from this war. It's obvious that we're not in this war for the reasons given -- so the only other explanation is that there is a powerful cabal that wanted this war for reasons I would expect revolve around money.

From the oil fields of Iraq to the gas pipeline in Afghanistan.
From the military industrial complex to the contractors working to 'rebuild' Iraq.
With a trillion dollars up for grabs, those with the political, business and personal connections have surely made a killin' (pun intended).

With that much money and so many mouths at the trough there must be some trail that leads back to the pockets of many of the biggest war-hawks (chicken-hawks).

All necessary sources should be devoted to tracking down the connections and following the money to those who have increased their wealth at the cost of tens of thousands lives.

Finally the masses get a good summary of how the military-industrial complex/neocons highjacked America.

I say hang em high. And clean house and senate. Is this a form of government deserving to be a model for any country?
Not.

Many people outside the Beltway were skeptical about the WMDs because it was obvious they were a pretext for the invasion of Iraq. The real reason for the invasion had been calculated by the neo-cons when they took the plan to to Clinton and Israel. Even after no WMDs were found, the neo-cons, said, "So what? The real reason for the invasion was to change the Middle East. What was alarming was that so many pundits, and columnists played the game about intelligence on WMDs instead of using elementary political skepticism. The war was already planned. Finding an plausible excuse in WMDs was clearly an excercise in mollifying public opinion. The undertold story is how the neo-cons brought this off.

WOW!! I was, at least as a bar going 20 - 21 year old at the time(2002-2003), sucked in hook, line, & sinker to the evidence furnished me by the news media.

As a younger person, I never really though to challenge what the major media channels were reporting, how could I have been so wrong.

I know wonder, as this continues to happen, what/who to believe and trust, where to get my information, and if anybody may be held accountable for their actions.

I just saw a piece on my local public station yesterday, here in Chicago, about the possible/probable corruption of media and the negativity that media consolidation would bring. This was a speech by John Nichols given to the League of Women Voters. I feel that, maybe not in whole but at least in part, their may be a connection with those views and the misrepresentation given by many news media groups in this country.

I've always taken most things with a grain of salt, but recently have begun to be much more interested in this whole field and have now raised a serious eyebrow very high as to what has and is going on.

-Christian Anderson 24
Chicago, IL

So glad to have Bill Moyers back on PBS. My question: would it really have made any difference to have honest, objective, fact-finding reporting during the run-up to the war, given the rubber-stamp Republican congress which refused to scrutinize any administration policies?

Bush should be impeached and then tried as a mass murderer. Rove should be drawn and quartered for enableing the
the murders. The neo-cons should all
be droped off in Bagdad to be properly
welcomed with flowers and candy.

Thanks for your good work.

And the Washington Post still doesn't understand why I canceled by subscription after 30 years. Maybe this will finally sink into their thick neocon-apologist skulls, and they will realize that the W. Post has become just another propaganda arm of the fascist Bush administration. They probably don't even care anymore.

Thank you for an excellent report - that makes me even madder than I was before about the war and the way we chose to go to war. I am now even more mad that most of the media so miserably shirked their duty and responsibility to "tell the truth".

What can a citizen do to press the media - especially TV - to ask, and keep asking the tough questions until they are honestly satisfied themselves that they are reporting the truth? I pick on TV because I know there are many young people (under 40) who only get their news from TV and the web. I greatly appreciate your reporting, but I do not recall that much of what the two featured Knight Ridder reporters wrote made it to the front page of our local Knight Ridder paper - The Charlotte Observer.

How can we hold/ encourage/make/etc. journalist seek a truth that they believe as individual contentious reporters? How can we impact their corporate superiors to allow and support their reporters in their quest for truth? I want the unvarnished truth - good, bad or indifferent. I thought that is what good reporting was supposed to be about.

If it is possible one might interpret this mess with a positive attitude. No one with a half a brain will ever believe anything said by Bush, Bush, Bush, Cheney, Rumsfield, Libby, Pearle, Krystal, etc,etc again. These are the so called military authorities who let Bin Laden get away.
JimO

Thank you all for your journalism excellence.
Was there a reason you didn't address why the Bush Administration have pratically given up on it's goal of finding Osama bin Laden?

Great program Bill Moyers!!

Now people know why I have referred to the news media as "The News Media corpSE. They are dead from the neck up.

Thank-you Reuters and Bill Moyers for slamming the "LAPDOGS" that did not do their jobs!

John Walcott, Jonathan Landay, Warren Strobel are today's Ben Bradley, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein!!

How ironic that C-Span did not have Walcott, Landay or Strobel on their morning program this morning after Moyer's show aired, yet they did have warmonger Bill Kristol on instead! Proof we still have a lapdog media corpSE! They haven't learned a damn thing!!

It was good (and sad) to see all of that info in one place. Two caveats: hindsight is (or more easily can be) 20/20, and much of that info was available before the war, but only if you went beyond mainstream media. Relying solely on newspapers, major newsweeklies, and networks and cable news outlets is (and obviously was) a recipe for disaster.

We all should be grateful for "Buying the War." But we should resolve to read alternate sources from now on: there are many weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly magazines and journals that tell it like it is, as well as alternate sources on the Web.

Now what? I think two of the most compelling questions are: "How do we extricate ourselves from a war we never should have started in the first place, in a way that doesn't make what we've already made worse, even more so?" and "Shouldn't those who lied to us to sell the war be punished?"

Thank you for maintaining your professionalism and integrity though this darkness of our history.

GREAT REPORTING!!!!!!!!! It is a shame that it came to late for the Iraq people and the American soldiers who gave their life for nothing. Our moral standards have lowered a lot since Watergate. To think that a president was forced to resign for that!!!! Chenney, Bush and Rumsfeld are war criminals.

That's the how, what about the why?

In 2002 I knew the rationale for war was a pack of lies. The war protesters saw through Colin Powell's UN speech, and all the other transparent pro-war propaganda.

Let's talk about the question Moyers never even raised: Why did the war happen?

James Bamford was on the show. He has a theory, explained in his book. His book was featured, but not his theory. Bamford says we went to war for Israel. He makes a good case. Worth a look, maybe? The connection between the neo-Cons and Zionism is both undeniable and unmentionable.

Michael Klare, not on the show, says we did it for the oil: "Blood for Oil." Pretty obvious on the face of it. I don't remember hearing the word "oil" on the Moyers show.

A third explanation is what I call "Legionnaires' Disease," the tendency for a wartime president to have dictatorial power, and hence the temptation to create a war to get that power. This was covered indirectly, but America's love of war, which makes it possible, was not. If the country has had enough peace, and is ready for the next war, the lies that get us into it don't have to be very convincing. The just have to be quotable.

Handy acronym: OIL. Oil, Israel, and Legionnaires' Disease. Interlocking causal factors. Notice that weapons of mass destruction and terrorism don't count. They were merely the sales pitch, and once the war started they were no longer needed. But unless we understand the real reasons for the war, we will never have a clue about how to get out of it.

Next time, let's do some digging. Tell us something we don't already know.

Thank you for an excellent report - that makes me even madder than I was before about the war and the way we chose to go to war. I am now even more mad that most of the media so miserably shirked their duty and responsibility to "tell the truth".

What can a citizen do to press the media - especially TV - to ask, and keep asking the tough questions until they are honestly satisfied themselves that they are reporting the truth? I pick on TV because I know there are many young people (under 40) who only get their news from TV and the web. I greatly appreciate your reporting, but I do not recall that much of what the two featured Knight Ridder reporters wrote made it to the front page of our local Knight Ridder paper - The Charlotte Observer.

How can we hold/ encourage/make/etc. journalist seek a truth that they believe as individual contientious reporters? How can we impact their corporate superiors to allow and support their reporters in their quest for truth? I want the unvarnished truth - good, bad or indifferent. I thought that is what good reporting was supposed to be about.

Sincerely, John Highfill

That's the how, what about the why?

In 2002 I knew the rationale for war was a pack of lies. The war protesters saw through Colin Powell's UN speech, and all the other transparent pro-war propaganda.

Let's talk about the question Moyers never even raised: Why did the war happen?

James Bamford was on the show. He has a theory, explained in his book. His book was featured, but not his theory. Bamford says we went to war for Israel. He makes a good case. Worth a look, maybe? The connection between the neo-Cons and Zionism is both undeniable and unmentionable.

Michael Klare, not on the show, says we did it for the oil: "Blood for Oil." Pretty obvious on the face of it. I don't remember hearing the word "oil" on the Moyers show.

A third explanation is what I call "Legionnaires' Disease," the tendency for a wartime president to have dictatorial power, and hence the temptation to create a war to get that power. This was covered indirectly, but America's love of war, which makes it possible, was not. If the country has had enough peace, and is ready for the next war, the lies that get us into it don't have to be very convincing. The just have to be quotable.

Handy acronym: OIL. Oil, Israel, and Legionnaires' Disease. Interlocking causal factors. Notice that weapons of mass destruction and terrorism don't count. They were merely the sales pitch, and once the war started they were no longer needed. But unless we understand the real reasons for the war, we will never have a clue about how to get out of it.

Next time, let's do some digging. Tell us something we don't already know.

Moyers had one glaring error in the program.

He fell for a media-perpetuated lie himself, when he stated that the UN inspectors were ejected from Iraq by Saddam in 1998. They were actually removed at the request of Clinton for their protection from his December 1998 bombing of Iraq.

What a great show.

For folks asking "why" this whole thing was pulled: Look at this story about a defense contractor, David L. Brooks, who threw a $10 million Bat Mitzvah for his daughter in 2005 with Aerosmith, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, Kenny G, 50 Cent and others performing:

http://www.gnn.tv/articles/1915/50_Cent_the_War_Profiteer_and_the_10_million_Bat_Mitzvah

http://digg.com/business_finance/Ben_Stein_Digests_Our_Terrifically_Broken_Economy

http://www.defamer.com/hollywood/50-cent/multiple-bullet-wounds-hold-spoiled-jewish-girls-in-rapture-140134.php

There is BIG MONEY in WAR folks ...

Thanks for exposing the salivating neocons and the pliant press in the period between 9-11 and the start of Bush's war.

Tim Russert is a Republican megaphone, and "Meet the Press" is really "Meet the Russert."

Russert tried to blame others for his lazy reporting of questionable pre-war intelligence. During he show, he even blamed the public for NOT making his phone ring. Excuse us: You're the reporter. Why didn't you pick up the phone, call your mid-level sources and report on their doubts instead of being spoon-fed by Cheney?

Glad Bill Moyers is back on PBS. Really glad.

A very nice job. But there's another story that's getting exactly the same treatment: Global Warming. Iraq War skeptics were branded unpatriotic and couldn't get ink. Global warming skeptics are labeled stupid, and they can't get ink either.

Like the Iraq War, if you dig beneath the surface, the claims don't make sense, and there is hardly a consensus on the anthropogenic causes of global warming. But try finding any of that in the media. It's not there.

People belive in Global Warming because they want to believe in it, just like people believed Saddam Hussein was behind 9/11 because they wanted to believe that. As H.L. Menken noted almost a century ago, "There is always a well-known solution to every human problem--neat, plausible, and wrong.

Mr. Moyers, where were you five years ago, when the Iraq War fraud was being perpetrated? And will you similalry wait until a time when it is safe to investigate The Selling of Global Warming?

Before Bush Sr., Iraq had one of the highest standards of living in the world - higher than that of the USA. Every citizen received FREE health care, education (including university) and there were no taxes. Now the people have no or little food, electricity or running water, functional hospitals or schools.

GOD BLESS AMERICA for bringing democracy to Iraq.

Like a surprisingly tiny fraction of all the commenters, I am wondering why -- if you could do the expose that you just did -- why you can't cover the evidence of official complicity in 9/11? There is a mountain of it, as you certainly should know by now. Do you really want to go down in history as being "not as bad as most of the mass media"?

We're about to go to war with Iran, unless the military disobeys (as it should). Aren't you participating in an even worse example of the same kind of cover-up as with Iraq, by being silent about the 9/11 evidence?

Here's the tip of the iceberg, with NO DOUBT about the facts (unlike with WMDs):

- Dozens of specific warnings that were ignored, and FBI field requests for investigations quashed by Washington superiors

- No response to the excessive put options the week before on AA, United and other affected companies, which are watched in real time by the national security apparatus

- Total violations of standard operating procedure in hijackings

- Three different stories told by the Pentagon as to why no interceptions

- $ Millions in hush money to the families so they won't sue (which would allow them subpoena power) or talk to the media (listen to the ones who didn't take it)

- THREE unprecedented engineering failures in one day and no serious, scientifically valid investigation -- none at all for 411 days, and that one horribly compromised with conflicts of interest. The "failures" exhibited most of the features of controlled demolition, which are not seen except in cases of controlled demolition. Al Qaeda lacked access to the Towers and WTC 7 to plant explosives.

All this and much more at 911Research, Crossing the Rubicon, and The 9-11 Commission Report: Omissions and Distortions.

See also http://journalof911studies.com, where my commentary has just been published on one of the few debates ever between two experts on opposite sides of the real 9/11 issue: Who really had the motive, means, and opportunity to conduct the attacks _the way they were carried out_? Not al Qaeda.

I would like to commend you on such a fine piece of journalism. Hopefully, this report will stimulate and encourage a re-evaluation on the part of all legitimate media agencies of their mission as important agents in the system of checks and balances that sustain any democracy to prevent such a chronic case of reporting laziness and complicity with ill-conceived government policies and plans from happening in the future. I believe that most TV networks in North America have cynically morphed from journalistic entities into entertainment tabloids that have lost sight of the real purpose of their existence. The fact that it was PBS that began the dialogue on this issue is a sign of hope and reinforces again why public broadcasting is so important in a democracy. Thank God for PBS and the CBC in Canada.

Three comments in response to an excellent and long-overdue report:

1) Bill Moyers ought to know about selling ill-conceived warfare. I wish he'd express some regret for the blood on his own hands over Johnson's Vietnam.

2) The reason America swallowed this deception is that Bush/Rove are experts at pandering to the moronic majority. Remember, the average IQ is 100; that means a large number of people are easily fooled. (Madison Ave knows this, which is why TV journalism is so pathetically bad.)

3) As Bush/Rove have now learned, you can't fool all the people forever. Eventually your own hubris will catch up with you. Too bad it had to cost more than $1 trillion and countless lives. What a terrible waste!!!

Regards,
MTB

As usual great reporting. This piece left me with two questions that I hope Bill and his team will be following up on.

Why - if the administration knew the information was faulty at best and worked so hard to market the war, what was the real reason behind it. Was it related to the secret energy meetings Cheney held early in the administration.

What next - the administration clearly mislead the american public and the world to engage in an unlawful war. What should become of the architects of this disaster? Are they less than war criminals? Shouldn't this be of primamry importance to the media and people that were used and mislead?

WHY?
Bush said: "After all he is the guy who threatened to kill my dad"
Bush wants to be a "War President"

Then there is religion: People need someone to trust, someone to talk to who does not look down on them and scold them, so they invented god and his disciples.
Religious people need someone. Like Jim Jones, Applewhite, Robertson, Baker, Falwell, Moon, and it is no surprise that the religious right flourishes.
They gave them Bush, and people flocked to Bush who listens to a higher father than Bush 41.

It is a shame. Religion should be something good for people, but the current leaders are all corrupt, Phelps, Falwell, Robertson, Perkins and all the others who want to make the US into a christian country. They claim that this country was founded on Judeo Christian doctrine, which is huey. They claim that freedom of /from religion gives them the right to diplay their beliefs anywhere they please. The Constitution also provides for my pursuit of happiness. Am I allowed to display my sexual perversions anywhere I choose? People are free to exercise their religion, not ANYWHERE they choose, just ANYHOW they choose, in the appropriate venue.

Gentlemen,

Thanks for your fine reporting and your continued patriotic efforts.

It seems clear that much of the reluctance of the main stream media to aggressively question the administration’s case for war was a fear of being perceived as un-patriotic and un-American. In other words the coverage was driven by business decisions; by a fear of losing viewers or readers. Clearly one would hope that a responsible media would serve the public rather than patronize it. But doesn’t the public share some of the responsibility?

It would be so much easier for each of us to forgo our own responsibility if we could believe that as a nation we were duped by an administration that had we only known was dishonest (or at the very least misleading) we would have acted differently. We would individually and collectively have no responsibility for the actions of our leaders, we would be absolved. It’s the position the Democrats have taken…..”If I had only known then what I know now, I would not have voted to authorize”, as if that should absolve them of their opposition responsibilities.

The truth is for all of us who cared to be reasonably informed and who wanted to form an objective opinion there was more than sufficient evidence in the public domain to harbor at least a healthy degree of skepticism, if not of the need for invasion then of its timing. There was always reason to question whether the real impetus for invasion was imminent threat, to wonder whether the nation was engaged in a sufficient conversation, whether it was even in engaged in the right conversation. No matter how you slice it this was always a war of choice. We as a nation that far too often craves tabloid histrionics to illuminating journalism, that en masse responds to emotionally charged invective and eschews reasoned discourse, that seeks immediate gratification in personal and public life, that covets easy answers to complex problems in particular if no personal sacrifice is required, went along for the ride.

It is good to finally see the media (at least Bill Moyers and PBS) take a look at the role it played in selling this war. We can hope that this kind of self examination reveals the mistakes made and the lessons to be learned. But I have my doubts that similar fiascos can be avoided if the public does not engage in some manner the same sort of exercise. Yes, as a nation we were sold a bill of goods but only because we allowed that to happen. I hope this country takes ownership of its complicity, painful though that might be, and learns the lesson that collectively we bear much responsibility for the invasion; those who bought it all, those who acquiesced, those who had doubts and didn’t speak loudly enough. Some bear more responsibility than others but as a group we should be accountable. It was our choice, we were the empowerers.

It’s really rather scary to contemplate what might be possible when the manipulators and the manipulated are so in tune. Will we as a people learn from our collective mistake?

How in the world that freak got elected to a second term behind homophobia preached in pulpits I don't know, but, if the bible-thumping folks are crazy enough to elect that clown to a second term, they're crazier than Al Qaeda in my book.... WAY crazier ...

I don't really know how we're even still talking about these nuts. They faked the evidence for the war, they outted Plame, they even called Kerry a COWARD for his performance in Vietnam (!!), they've created crazy stories about heroic deaths of our children--when they were killed by our own bullets, etc., etc., etc. They've LIED AT EVERY POSSIBLE TURN TO GET WHAT THEY WANTED. They should have been nothing more than a faint skid mark on the seat of a forgotten pair of the country's underpants by now. What is the problem here?! Arrest these fools, try them for treason and let Pelosi do what she can to put this mess back together and apologize to the rest of the world. WHY would anybody LISTEN to that ADMINISTRATION ANYMORE?!? THEY WILL JUST LIE ABOUT EVERYTHING AND ANTHING. DOES ANYBODY NOT UNDERSTAND THAT?! HAS ANYBODY MISSED THAT ELEMENT OF THEIR M.O?

Honestly, what is everybody waiting for? If I run down to 7-11 and steal a bag of Gummi Bears, I'll be in handcuffs within seconds in this fabulously paranoid police state we have now. What would Bush have to do to get the cuffs slapped on his silly ass!?!? He's lied to everybody about everything and killed tens of thousands of people!!!! Sheeesh..... if they can run the whole country into war on cooked up baloney over a few months, we should be able to lock them up within an hour or two, right ..? We really should do something before they vanish in the night to shack up with Osama on his yacht in Marina del Rey ...

Great Show! Great Reporting. I'm still left with the question of "Why?". The Administration lied, they manipulated intelligence reports, they exaggerated threats, they spun every fact like a top. For What Purpose? Why did they want to go to war with Iraq so badly? Anyone?

As a graduate of Soviet Studies and International Affairs, I watched in disbelief and dismay as I saw the American administration use the tried and true tactics of dictators to deceive the public.

My distress was caused not so much by the behaviour of the administration, but by the fact that Americans swallowed the propaganda they were fed without question and vilified anyone who dared suggest that perhaps what they were hearing might not be the truth.

If, in the 21st century, with all the technology available to people and with, supposedly, the benefit of history to teach us, people are still willing to turn over their brains to 'authority' and refuse to question people in power, I fear humans will never get any smarter.

What do you think is needed to educate people about the dangers of putting their faith in politicians?

Is the lack of international affairs reporting and education the reason nobody noticed that Bush & Co. were using some of the favourite strategies of the worst dictators to deceive the public into turning over their faith and their children to support a reprehensible action?

When people resort to arguments like 'un-American' to cow and shame and scare protestors, who will stand up to them?

In short, what can be done to ensure that no lying, miserable, deceitful individuals are permitted to insinuate themselves into the leadership of the most powerful nation on the planet and rule unchecked?

We are lucky, I think, that this bunch didn't begin WW3 or a nuclear conflict. Next time we may not be so lucky. Can a 'next time' be prevented?

I am thrilled to have Bill Moyers back with some honest reporting. THANKS!!

My questions:

1)It was great to see the lies
presented so clearly. What I really want to know is why??
Why do they want so badly to
go into Iraq, to let so many
of our brave soldiers die ..for what reasons?? Does anyone know these people well enough to get the true story of why they set up this lie of manipulation?
I would like to see a complete
program on this issue. I do not
want to wait for the books on this 10 years from now.

2) Are not their lies like Watergate or worse - since this cost so many lives? And, if so,
then is this not cause for impeachment - same fate as
Nixon?

3) Why do so many people seem to lie for the Bush administration, then they are caught in the lies but the
administration does not take
responsibility? The Bush administration seems to ruined
the reputation of so many
people - yet these people continue to lie for him/them.

4) The way the Bush administration makes decisions - using dishonesty & manipulation - is like a dictatorship. Yet ironically he is
supposedly concerned with setting up democracy in other
countries.

5) This is an out there question: What has happened to our reporting? I am fifty, the tail end of the hippies - we were not afraid to speak the truth. Are the journalist younger and buying into
the fears and the conformity?
Although a number of the
journalist and reporters
interviewed were older,
where does this fear of
the president come from??????
Sucking up to someone?
Why the fear of truth?
Why the fear of honesty?
Why the fear of doing their
real job - fear of losing their job?
There seems to be a grave
lack of integrity in so much
of what is going on.

Like one journalist said. we
are doing our soldiers a favor
by finding the truth not
following blindly.

Thanks for a great documentary on the complicity of the press in the Iraq war. But they are still doing it! In today's Washington Post David Broder chastises Rep. Harry Reid for saying that the Iraq war is lost, something most Americans recognize. In addition, the U.N. report that says the "surge" has failed, issued yesterday, is reported far into the first section and, in fact, ignores that part of the report and concentrates on the human rights violations in Irag that were a less important part of the report. More than ever, it is imperative that the American people be informed and vigilant. We can no longer count on the corporate press to keep us informed.

Students of history will realize that the majority ALWAYS wins. When the USA becomes unwilling or unable to help Israel, the Palestinians will finally get their home back. The USA is often the only supporter of Israel as can be seen whenever there is a UN resolution against Israel. The USA is just delaying the inevitable.

For those Christian zionists who believe that killing Arabs and suppressing/occupying people is acceptable so that Jesus can return, they are more delusional than the Jew zionist in Israel (who are keeping dual citizenships) thinking that when Israel is returned to the Palestinians, Americans will actually allow them to move to the USA.

Jesus preached peace, Bush and the zionists spread war and oppression - they'd be the most surprised and dismayed if Jesus was to return.

Before You Comment - Read About The Upcoming Assignment Of DC's New Duo.

It is the most damaging story to the Bush adminstration that only The Lone Star Iconoclast, a newspaper just outside W's ranch in Crawford, TX, had the courage to put it in print.

The story needs the talent, contacts, sources, and resources of this new team that Mr. Moyers so brilliantly put forth.

The title of the story is
"Is it high treason or just a simple case of dereliction of duty?"

You can reach the story by clicking my name below or this link

http://www.lonestaricon.com/absolutenm/anmviewer.asp?a=1043&z=103

I am sure you are all with me in wishing this new team the best of luck.

Well Well. PBS has resurected the old Anarchist, Moyer to whine about Irag & Republicans. He is irrelevant & so is the hit piece. As a taxpayer paying for this, over at the home of "Limosine liberals",I demand equal time for a Republican Response to this foolishness, brought to us by Mr moyers & his Texas buddy Dan, I'd rather not! BEPR

After watching the program, I have some questions:

1. How can Bill Moyers use Dan Rather as a source after he retired in disgrace after using forged documents in attempt to swing the 2004 election?

2. How can Phil Donahue complain about being taken off the air when his ratings were so bad? Was it George Bush's fault he lost his daytime show years ago? How about the love fest show he had with the Soviet 'journalist' in the 1980s? Phil's 15 minutes ended in about 1978.

3. Why wasn't Scott Ritter's used more? Could it be that this personal life is, how do you say, controversial? I won't go into detail.

4. Do any of you actually believe that the O'Reilly Factor is more influential than the New York Times? I don't remember their cheerleading about going to war.

5. Why did Moyers' leave out the 23 reasons to invade Iraq that the Bush Administration brought to Congress? I was not just WMD. He ignored the twelve years of the real run-up to the war, including the Clinton era's law for regime change.

What remains is that this was taxpayer left wing propaganda

Many answers, to so many of the questions and even more questions not posted here, can be found in Richard Heinberg's book "Powerdown". As for those who have their doubts to the validity of this program "Selling the War", answers to your questions are also in that book. The worst thing about the book is that not everyone is reading it. It is not a good bedtime story, but does have a realistic plan to save what is left of this society. When will this truth be told and accepted?

Since my post was not printed when sent last night after the broadcast, I repeat: God bless you Bill Moyer, for your courage in exposing the cabal that initiated the preemptive invasion of a sovereign nation, kill its leader and sons. There will be some raised blood pressures Thursday morning!

I cannot help but comment on the apparent justification that Clay Cralle posted. Sadam Hussain could have been taken care of in other ways. What makes Clay think that America is the supreme ruler of the world?

Hussain was busy feathering his nest. Yes he was brutal to the Kurds and he squelched rebelion. That is no justification to destroy the country, we simply do not have that right or authority. We have done much more harm than good.

If Canadians were assulting the government in the US do you not think US would retaliate in kind. Wake up.

Democracy and liberation are a farse that this county will pay for in generations to come. You don't have the right to obligate my childrens children just to impose your will. I'm offended when lies are OK and this war is compared to WWII. Lets have continued debate Clay here and now.

Toby S.

This documentary sure shows how the press was incahoots with the administration and accepted its lies!

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/allcomments?pid=189752&rpg=3#pid190231

I find it ironic that people who defend their country against an occupying army are labeled "terrorists". American history is full of "terrorists" who fought the British for their independence. Also why is it that when an American says, "Give me liberty or give me death", he's a patriot and a hero, but when other people feel that way they're suicidal terrorists? Before many Iraqis die, I'm sure they also say "I regret I have but one life to give for my country". Nelson Mandela was also a "terrorist" for fighting an oppressive, racist regime.

I initially blamed Bush and Blair for the atrocities and murders in Iraq, but when their people re-elected them after seeing what was being done, I realized that the majority of the American and British are either racists, stupid or indifferent - they have blood on their hands too.

bill crystal cha llenged bill moyer to a debate on cspans washington journal this morning

Thanks for your great, skeptical journalism (not just "reporting"). We used to read your stories in The Philadelphia Inquirer, when it was part of Knight-Ridder, but since being sold to a local real-estate developer they mainly rely on the wire services for national news.

The two of you remind me of I.F. Stone; I'm currently reading Myra MacPherson's recent biography of him, "All Governments Lie!". Like you, he also questioned the stories that were spoonfed to the press corps, and did his own independent research and digging. His columns at the time on the Korean War were either ignored or ridiculed, but eventually proved prescient, like yours on the Iraq War buildup.

On the one hand, it's depressing that we are just as ill-served by the media as we were 50 years ago. On the other hand, it's encouraging that we still produce journalists like you, and Bill Moyers, and Amy Goodman, who, in the spirit of Stone, try to do more. What suggestions do you have for enabling more true reporting to help lift the fog from the government's spin machine?

Why could Bill Moyers make a documentary about the Iraq War without mentioning AIPAC, the Jewish neocons and the Christian Zionists? It was AIPAC, the Israeli Intelligence, and the Jewish Zionists in the administraion who were primarily responsible for feeding false intelligence to our government leaders. The Zionist cabal used the ignorant Christian-Zionist masses as accomplices.

Why would Bill neglect any mention of these facts? Fear of the Jews is still a powerful motive dominating the American media and Washington.

Thank you very much for yesterday’s documentary.

One issue that was not discussed on the program was the role and influence of the foreign media. Did/do American journals read the front pages of Canadian and British papers? This might be effective in counteracting group think the next time.

Best regards,
Sean

Why hasn't anyone publicly come out and said who owns the Washington Post and New York Times and where their loyalties lie.....ie. pro-Israeli. That's what this was truly all about...America sacrificing their boys and girls so Israel can stay top dog....Its a shame how everyone was manipulated into this....Watch the same thing happen with Iran

Although web sites like cursor.org have been following this story daily, for years, it's good to see it reported on PBS.

Great story! Perhaps one of your next episodes can focus on how every US administration finds some excuse to bomb some other country - usually in the Middle East. Little wonder many countries now feel that they'll have no security from US WMD until they get their own nuclear weapons - it worked for the USSR, China, India, Pakistan and North Korea. If Iraq had nuclear weapons, the USA wouldn't have been able to kill so many of her people, destroy the country and put their own corporations in charge of Iraqi oil.

Bush is a monster for being responsible for the deaths of over 150 000 Iragis since the occupation began, but when Madelaine Albright (another zionist Jew) was asked if it was acceptable that more than 500 000 Iraqi children have died from lack of food and medicine under Clinton's sanctions, she said "Yes!"

The USA Government is the largest and most dangerous terrorist organization in the world and US policy is doing more to spread "terrorism" than any other organization's policies.

I hope Marvin Kalb sees your doc. He was in Canada the other day on TV Ontario bragging that American journalists are beacons of professionalism to the rest of the world. Now I don't mind when Muhammad Ali says he is the greatest because I think he might have a point there but Kalbs arrogance was excruciating to watch!

Iraq War longer than it took to defeat Germany? That war was fought in an era when there were fewer restrictions on how this country would fight a war. Germany was DEMOLISHED.... there was much less regard for collateral damage (civilians and infrastructure).

Further, at that time we were at war with an entire country, it's government and it's citizens. With Iraq, our enemy was only the leaders of the government. Our goal was to free the citizens of a tyrannical leader and his cronies.

Now our battle is against terrorists, thugs, criminals, organized crime and opportunists. Just before the war Saddam emptied his prisons. Imagine what the U.S. would be like if we suddenly opened the gates to every prison. Then add the chaos of one of the most corrupt governments on Earth being ousted.

It's ironic how biased and one sided this report was considering it was supposedly reporting about biased reporting.

I heard a historian say once, and I completely agree, that the problem with history is that it's not possible to know where the paths that were not taken would have led.

I'd like to see reporting and / or posts commenting on where people think the world would be now, if we and our allies had NOT acted. In other words, not acting is a choice in and of itself. What ramifications would THAT have had?

Also, an earlier post mentioned that "That no one, not one, reported on the message of Scott Ritter that there were “no WMD's” found in that country” in the time between 9-11 and the war.

That is not correct. Bill O'Reilly did interview Scott Ritter on his show before the war.

If President Bush lied, so did former President Clinton, his wife, Putin and many other foreign leaders. They all said that WMD were in Iraq. Keep in mind there have been jet fighter planes found buried in the Iraqi desert. Further, in the first Gulf War Saddam had his pilots fly nearly his entire air force to Iran, his bitter enemy.

Everyone knows Iraq had WMD at least in it's past due to their USE, Saddam would not allow the U.N. to inspect for them properly without restrictions and interference, he violated the U.N. resolutions numerous times and on top of that he violated the cease fire he agreed to after the first Gulf War.

Bill,
What?! - You make a show about our sold-out politicians, sold-out media and the intimidation of journalists, reporters and our elected officials... AND NO MENTION OF *AIPAC???! (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee) -- A you serious??? -- Sorry buddy, you to are a sell out. Do you think things will change or get better by keeping that dangerous and disgraceful organization around??? WHY DO YOU PROTECT THEM? (Lying by OMISSION)... sigh...

The program raises the question, if the press got the important story of going to war wrong, what else have they gotten wrong?

As long as the press is coming clean will Bill Moyer's ask Walter Pincus what he witnessed on the evening of July 20, 1993? Will the Knight Ridder reporters interview Patrick Knowlton and assistant U.S. attorney Miquel Rodriguez?

Thank you,
Thomas

This was a great report about what went wrong with our news reporting! Thanks for presenting it and thanks for those two great reporters for doing their job the old fashioned way.

I hope the story becomes more widely understood by the American public. However, without any big corporation "pushing" the story (because it is in very few peoples' financial interest to "push" it), the story will not get the circulation that it deserves.
It is clear that the Bush administration has once again demonstrated the effectiveness of the "big lie" theory.

Thanks again for your great work.

Craig Stickler

This was a great report about what went wrong with our news reporting! Thanks for presenting it and thanks for those two great reporters for doing their job the old fashioned way.

I hope the story becomes more widely understood by the American public. However, without any big corporation "pushing" the story (because it is in very few peoples' financial interest to "push" it), the story will not get the circulation that it deserves.
It is clear that the Bush administration has once again demonstrated the effectiveness of the "big lie" theory.

Thanks again for your great work.

Craig Stickler

The silver lining here is that now even more of the US public sees the mainstream media for the propaganda tools that they are. This is not a new role for them, simply one that has increased over time. The difference today is that the US has reached such an advanced stage of imperialism that their role can no longer be hidden from all but the most inobservant. I look forward to more loyal dissent from Moyers, McClatchy, et al, but I have no illusions that they will express truly oppositional views. For that we must look to the independent voices on the internet.

Why didn't we all scream at the top of our lungs? We we too busy worrying about being a consumer... getting the hottest new purse and shoes to match, buying the newest video game from Wal*Mart, playing our weekly games of golf! Were we so busy being consumers that we missed all the warning signs!

I feel so guilty for not realizing the warning signs and believing the crap Bush and his cronies fed us every day. As a college student at the time, it was hard to discern fact from fiction when the NYT was pushing the propaganda and encouraging everyone to jump on the bandwagon. Even my professors swore by that paper. Is it cliche to say we'll "never forget" or that we'll learn from our mistakes?

Thank you for your efforts. You left a paper trail to prove that not every American was brain dead for the past six years.

Thanks also to Bill Moyers for daring to be different and document one of the darkest times in U.S. history.

By the way, Donuhue wasn't the only journalist to get a pink slip for being "different." Bill Maher also got the ax when he said something that Ari Fleischer didn't like... He was deemed unpatriotric and banished to HBO (which isn't the worst place on earth to be. haha)

Keep up the good work. The world needs more journalists like you -- reporters who fight the system and don't back down to business strategies put in place by upper management. You see this happening at the local stations all the way to the big networks. It's not journalism anymore, it's business.

BRAVO!

Galena
Miami, FL

Thank you for your dedication. There were people around the country who were scratching their heads and saying "Wait a minute." You were not alone in your assessment of the governments approach to Iraq. Thousands of people demonstated in D.C. during the re-election. See the documentary After Shock.
Thank you again and again for being out there fighting the tide and taking a stand. You speak for many many more than you know.
nora

Bill,

Thank you for delivering a thought provoking message. I also believe this should be rerun on primetime. It is one of the most important messages for all Americans.

I believe when those who buy our media outlets (newspapers, TV and radio) there needs to be oversight. These our means by which most get their news. If people in power use the media to sell a product or a position, it should be known to the viewer, listener or reader. For example, like they do with infomercials. Leaking information to the press and then coming on "Meet the Press" and quoting the newspaper story is a planned attempt to mislead the people. It's dirty and underhanded. Scheming like criminals to steal something.

Using fear is also a tool in the GOP and the Bush Administration. Guiliani tried using that in a speech the other day. He said basically Americans would be in for more terrorism under Democrats. Well, let's see...who was in leadership when 9/11 happened...it wasn't the Democrats. Keith Obermann called him on it last night on Countdown. I recommend folks read his statement for themselves. It's time to stand up to bullies and those who want to use fear and distort the truth. We need good journalist to dig and research. Lazy reporting gets you only part of the story. It's also dangerous.

Thanks Bill and all those reporters who seek the truth. That's what open government is about. We need to shed some light on those who operate behind closed doors and pass bills in the dark of night. I also recommend folks use various news sources. Get more than one prospective. And don't be afraid to ask questions!!

Thank you for a very important program. Ever since reading A.J. Liebling's "The Press" in high school, I've been impressed with the urgent need for an independent press in our democracy. As others have said, it was clear from 2002 on, when many of us had read what Scott Ritter and the UN inspectors had to say about WMD, that prominent news outlets in this country were colluding with the Bush administration and that we'd go to war on the basis of propaganda. It's heartening to know that you at Knight-Ridder were doing the real work of looking for evidence. I agree with others, though, that the laziness and lack of attention to Bush's claims about other matters were evident before Iraq. I too would point to the high-fallutin claims of Bush's education record in Texas. I'm one of many who know that high test scores and low dropout rates were fabricated for political ends, yet questioning of these claims came late in the game, and now we have a national education law - "No Child Left Behind" - that is largely modeled on Bush's education law in Texas. We have yet to see the full fall out from this, but it is disaster in the making.

So my question: If the corporate structure of the media and the careerism of its reporters are at the root of the problem, how come PBS itself (I'm sorry to say) seems to fall into the same trap of bringing on "experts" like William Kristol and rarely giving real dissenters (and I don't mean Democrats) adequate air time. My disappointment with PBS came one night when I couldn't sleep a couple years ago and turned on the TV only to see Gwen Ifill interviewing Condi Rice as if it were an infomercial for the Bush Iraq policy -- virtually unlimited time, no challenging, and all on the deck of a destroyer. There's a lot about corporate structure that pushes the mainstream media to the right, but why did PBS have to follow the crowd too?

Bill, Jonathan and Warren, Thank you so much for last nights show. It is very encouraging to know that there were people out there who were asking the right questions, it is also a relief to me to know I wasn't losing my mind, the Emperor really wasn't wearing any clothes. When will you start a piece that exams the Mental Status of the current administration including those who have already jumped ship. No one doubts that Seung-Hui Cho was mentally ill for his harrassment and then murder of 33 innocents. How could anyone not question the mental status of people who lie repeatedly, show no regard for human life and place there agenda above all others?

Oustanding! Great program! Thanks for shining the light on an otherwise dark period in the history of this country. Great reporting! Congratulations to the Knight Ridder folks for not "drinking the Kook Aid"! Renews my faith in Public Broadcasting.

Dear Mr. Landay and Mr. Strobel,
I’ve never seen a busier blog, ever. No doubt you’re overwhelmed with all the comments, as am I. The server was so busy that I finally gave up trying to post my comment last night after 3 hours of constant activity. Exemplary credit goes to each and every person who helped in this project! It’s amazing what the truth does to people.

At this point in the thread I guess I’m only echoing the same sentiment of many others. Here is my comment and question: I was MORTIFIED to hear Walter Pinkus of the Washington Post recall that 1981 was when the press allowed the Dems to take over THEIR truth seeking responsibilities. Shouldn't you guys and every other journalist be SHOUTING from every rooftop EVERY DAY AND NIGHT, FROM THIS POINT ON, in order to sort out what has become a puzzle, wrapped in a riddle, rolled up in an enigma? Shouldn't we declare this a public emergency right away?! Won’t things only get worse if this nightmare continues to be even slightly downplayed? I stress the importance of this because we’re talking about trying to peel off the layers of a two decade old propaganda onion! I’d appreciate your candor and THANK YOU for your work.

What was easy to see, between 9/11 and the beginning of the Iraq War, was White House spin. Most media was eagerly adding to the spin. Spin doesn't look like or smell like truth. I don't like to hear the excuse, "I didn't know then". I think most of us knew then ... that pro-war fever had overtaken television.
Of course, it is terribly important to have facts, too. Thanks you, Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel, for finding those facts!

I'm glad to see that Journalism is not dead and that reporting is still happening. I look forward to more great inspiring and educational programing. In regards to "Buying the war" I wish our Congress could take a lesson on how Propaganda works and how easily it can convince you to Buy a soda or buy a car or buy the lies of an administrations hell bent on making money for their corporations. I look forward to more of Bill Moyers and wish you all the luck.

The integrity and tenacity of your instincts, intellect and reporting are an inspiration and the truest form of patriotism. The fact that it has taken all these years for this story to be told nationally is simply criminal. While there were journalistic pieces that reinforced the cautious suspicions many of us had about making war on Iraq, they were few and far between.

Media giantism and the corporate imperative which mandated news programs be profitable were the death knell for the free press. How sad to see Dan Rather's forced transformation from a journalist to a capitalist with only the best of intentions.

I am reminded of the words of Joseph Pulitzer which can be found on www.pulitzer.org:

"In May 1904, writing in The North American Review in support of his proposal for the founding of a school of journalism, Pulitzer summarized his credo: "Our Republic and its press will rise or fall together. An able, disinterested, public-spirited press, with trained intelligence to know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public virtue without which popular government is a sham and a mockery. A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself. The power to mould the future of the Republic will be in the hands of the journalists of future generations."

Many of us were wondering what became of the free press. It's good to know it's alive and well, although clearly in need of nurturing. Congratulations to Knight Ridder for staying true to the calling. Thank god for Bill Moyers and PBS. My sincere gratitude to you all.

Mr. Moyers, I wanted to extend my deeply felt appreciation for everything you do for our country.
Mr. Landry and Mr. Strobel are exceptional journalists. I admire that they kept digging for the facts while others were being intimidated and called 'unpatriotic'.
Those who buckled under the intense pressure of the GOP propaganda should not feel shame...they should feel the outrage that the rest of us feel for this betrayal of our great nation.
Please continue your great works.

Thank you Bill Moyers and all who produced this enlightening ninety minutes of superb television. I look forward to watching your new series every week.

Since our government and its enablers, the lapdog press, used fear and lies and threats to achieve a political goal, spilling much American blood in the pursuit of power, does that not make them terrorists?

As millions of well-meaning, patriotic Americans wake up to the ugly realities we face today they may ask themselves: How could I have been so deceived?. This program is their answer.

I have noticed for some time (and increasing post Imus) there has been an visable fear running through the worst of right wing pundits. One example is the attacks on the watchdog website Media Matters.

So welcome back to the fray. Looks like alot of people want to hear what you want to say. Thanks for everything you do.

The way the media handled the whole thing reminds me of the power of hysteria in "The Crucible" or even the feckless nature of opponents of Joe McCarthy.

This was brilliant reporting; I relished every minute of the restrained and accurate journalism, especially since, in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, the superpatriots still seem to intimidate most of us.

Keep up the good work! You guys are my heroes.

Thank you so much for sticking with it and doing real reporting. My husband and I have been following this since the summer before we invaded. We noticed that international newspapers (asian) were beginning to speculate that the US was planning to invade Iraq at least 3-6 months before Bush's announcement. Friends in India were also proposing this and we were so taken by surprise. How does this work? it makes me feel so naive. and now, were they trying to build a similar case for Iran?

A thank you to reporters who asked the tough questions and dug for answers. It was shocking to see Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather and other TV news bigwigs put on army jackets and rush to the desert for great video backdrops and puff pieces with generals and the troops. Brokaw in particular displayed unseemly, wide-eyed eagerness to please as he interviewed top military & government officials.
Since any administration has the power to refuse to answer a reporter's questions, possibly causing the loss of posting to Washington or even a job, doesn't the White House press corps generally just parrot the administration line? (I could name names.)
Also a THANK YOU to Bill Moyers for his lifetime of service to our country. From service in government in the Johnson days through years of thought-provoking writing and broadcasting on a wide variety of issues, you have aided our understanding of ourselves, our country and our world. It has been a priceless service and you deserve our deepest gratitude. Thank you very much.

Thank you for your efforts. They did not go unnoticed. I remember reading many of your stories and wondering the very same thing.

Two important points I wish this documentary addressed.

1. In the documentary, Mr. Moyers talks about the UN Inspectors leaving Iraq in 1998. His wording seemed to reflect the "conventional wisdom" pressed hard by neo-conservatives that Saddam kicked the inspectors out, which was not the case at all. In fact, it was President Clinton who ordered them out after the Americans were discovered to be spying on Iraq. I wonder why this bit of information was not disclosed in this documentary. It shows that this failure on the part of the media was certainly around from even before 9/11.

2. Colin Powell stated in February 2001 in a press conference with the Egyptian foreign minister that sanctions in Iraq worked and that Saddam was not really a threat. His own words:

We had a good discussion, the Foreign Minister and I and the President and I, had a good discussion about the nature of the sanctions — the fact that the sanctions exist — not for the purpose of hurting the Iraqi people, but for the purpose of keeping in check Saddam Hussein’s ambitions toward developing weapons of mass destruction. We should constantly be reviewing our policies, constantly be looking at those sanctions to make sure that they are directed toward that purpose. That purpose is every bit as important now as it was ten years ago when we began it. And frankly they have worked. He has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors. So in effect, our policies have strengthened the security of the neighbors of Iraq…

I was disappointed that this bit of information was also not present in the documentary. Ms. Rice also said something to the same effect in the summer of 2001 (all of course before the paradigm-shifting 9/11, as Donald Rumsfeld liked to point out often).

Otherwise, I appreciate greatly the efforts of Mr. Moyers and all those who participated with him in shedding more light on one of our darkest hours.

20/20 hindsight ??

"Another " ??? attack by that madman ??

Do you still think Saddam attacked the US ... ?? Ever ???

Either you are one of the early risers out of the Karl Rove hit machine -- or you have bought the big lie that even Dick Cheney is still telling today, that there was some link between Iraq and 9/11 ...

Mr. Landry and Mr. Strobel-

Kudos to you both (and to Mr. Moyers)! Please accept my grateful thanks for your distinguished efforts to seek out and tell the truth to your readers during our nation's run up to this long, deadly and shameful war. You both deserve the Presidential Medal for Freedom, NOT William Safire.

I cannot fully articulate my personal anger nor my crushed spirit of citizenship as a result of the lies and deceptions of both this administration and the abetting hand of most of the American corporate media in creating this unprovoked and futile war.

I am a high school English teacher. One of my classes focuses on the media--Media Literacy. What advice might you offer me and my 17 year-old students--or any news consumers--as we try to sort through the thicket of misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda that seems to be at the heart of much of today's news?

Thank you again for the honor you have shone on your profession. Please keep telling us the truth.

Richard Kuhnen, an American Citizen

I am profoundly grateful for your courage. Separating from the "pack" is one or the hardest things for any human being to do. This program, and your commitment to truth, renew my hope in the possibility of democracy for our country. Frances Moore Lappe

After watching tonight's show, I remembered my own feelings, and opinions and observations of the run-up to the war. It reminded me of all the anger I experienced, the feelings of helplessness, and disbelief while I watched the administration spin their lies. That was when I felt we could still change the world. If we all stayed informed of each day's events surely the truth would win, hands down. But, the truth didn't win. The lies won so I turned away, the damage was done. It was too late to sing out what was true about Iraq. Tonight I realized, it's not too late. I can see that the world is a different place from where we were in 2002. Surely Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condi Rice, and their minnions and believers have no real place in our future and their legacies look bleaker than ever. Thank you for chronicling this riveting piece of our country's history in such a powerful and indeliable way and being the voice of truth - it was not in vain.

Mr. Landry and Mr. Strobel-

Kudos to you both (and to Mr. Moyers)! Please accept my grateful thanks for your distinguished efforts to seek out and tell the truth to your readers during our nation's run up to this long, deadly and shameful war. You both deserve the Presidential Medal for Freedom, NOT William Safire.

I cannot fully articulate my personal anger nor my crushed spirit of citizenship as a result of the lies and deceptions of both this administration and the abetting hand of most of the American corporate media in creating this unprovoked and futile war.

I am a high school English teacher. One of my classes focuses on the media--Media Literacy. What advice might you offer me and my 17 year-old students--or any news consumers--as we try to sort through the thicket of misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda that seems to be at the heart of much of today's news?

Thank you again for the honor you have shone on your profession. Please keep telling us the truth.

Richard Kuhnen, an American Citizen

This was an excellent documentary. But the reason the press was docile happened a long time
ago.

Mr. Moyers?

http://karws.gso.uri.edu/JFK/the_critics/griffith/Press_and_assassinatio n.html

THE PRESS AND THE JFK ASSASSINATION

If any large element of our news industry, such as NEWSWEEK, or NBC, or CNN, for example, decided to conduct a thorough, objective review of the JFK assassination, significant and historic progress could be made in the case. The single-bullet theory could be disposed of in relatively short order. At least some of the photographic evidence could be properly examined. The acoustical evidence could be thoroughly evaluated. Many of the numerous surviving witnesses could be interviewed. Previous interviews with important witnesses could be analyzed with voice stress analysis. Credible leads developed by private researchers could be pursued. The unlikelihood of the theory that Oswald fired all the shots could be further established. The specious stories of several surviving members of the Dallas Police Department could be subjected to the scrutiny and analysis with which they should have been examined long ago. In fact, ALL of these things could have been done years ago, and the network or newspaper that did it would have had an historic, major news scoop, a scoop worth millions and millions of dollars for years to come.

JFK assassination documentaries continue to be of high interest. Indeed, in the last four years alone major news outlets have broadcast or published several "investigative reports" on the case. Tragically, however, without exception these "reports" were error-filled, superficial defenses of the lone-gunman theory. In some instances, it appeared that the journalists who wrote the reports made no effort whatsoever to study scholarly works critical of the lone-assassin scenario.

Why is this still happening? Why does our news industry seem almost incapable of giving the American people the truth about the assassination? Most journalists are liberal, according to media surveys. If so, why aren't they interested in seeing to it that the public gets the real story about President Kennedy's death? Why do they seem so intent on defending the essential elements of the Warren Commission's version of the shooting? Why do they continue to defend the single-bullet theory, in spite of the massive and growing evidence that the theory is not only invalid but impossible? Why won't they give this evidence a fair hearing?

I think we might find the answers to some of these questions by reviewing previous analyses of the press's treatment of the assassination.

Jim Garrison:

During my flight back to New Orleans I found myself reflecting on the mind-set of Carson and the NBC attorney who had debriefed me. They were unnerved by my viewpoint, I realized, not so much because it differed from their own but because I was explicitly advocating the existence of a CONSPIRACY in President Kennedy's assassination. I recalled the thinly veiled contempt of the attorneys whenever they touched upon the concept of a conspiracy. I felt as if I were a German citizen back in the mid-1930s who had publicly questioned Adolf Hitler's sanity and was being given the obligatory questioning before being shipped away to a mental institution. I remembered that Carson himself had nearly come unglued during the heat of our argument as I zeroed in on the idea that a conspiracy had occurred.

Why was it, I asked myself, that these people at the very heart of the New York media industry were so allergic to the very concept of conspiracy? What was it that was so inconceivable, that was so utterly unthinkable about the idea of a conspiracy?

Then, perhaps for the first time, I realized what it was that petrified these people, that froze their brains into gridlock. To acknowledge that an organized conspiracy had occurred was to recognize that it had been done for a purpose--to change government policy. Having told the world for so many years how wonderful we all were, here in the greatest country in the world, the media people were not willing to admit that our national leader could be removed in such a brutal fashion in order to change government policy. . . . That just could not be. Therefore, in their minds, the assassination had to be a random event, the work of a deranged loner. (Garrison, ON THE TRAIL OF THE ASSASSINS, New York: Warner Books, 1988, pp. 248-249)

Carl Oglesby:

A reporter for one of the big outlets chanced one day to be the only one of the major media people at the Assassinations Committee's hearings to get the real point of what had happened that day. Chairman Stokes had presented a major blast at the FBI and raised the question of FBI co-responsibility in [Dr. Martin Luther] King's death. It was a dramatic moment. Stokes is a fine speaker, he cared a lot about what he was saying, and his statement was well conceived and written. The reporter who picked up on it had caught a strong story, clearly the lead of the day. And all the other majors missed it.

The reporter came in the hearing room smoldering the next day, slouched in his place muttering darkly about getting chewed out by his boss. Chewed out? For what? For that story about Stokes' speech on the FBI, he said. But that was a great story, nobody else got it. That's the point, he said. Why? Because my bosses say that if the rest of the press didn't get it, too, it must not have happened, and it looks bad when one of says something so different from the rest.

What an educational exchange! One had heard things about "scoops" and journalistic courage, and now it turned out that the real key to success in the big time was something else. You had to know how to run with the pack, because what the "news" actually was, boiled down, was the collective opinion of this same pack. If the pack thinks JFK was killed by a lone nut, then anybody who thinks something else must be another one.

How often on the lecture circuit in the old days the Warren critic would hear someone say that if any of these doubts were actually valid, and if there was anything at all to the monstrous idea that the President was killed by a conspiracy, then surely by now our bright , ambitious people of the media would already have found out all about it and won Pulitzers, like Woodward and Bernstein. Since there are no Woodward and Bernstein of the JFK assassination issue--and no Pulitzers--there must actually be no issue.

All ye who have ever thought that particular thought, take heed and ponder this tale of the bright, ambitious reporter who got rebuked for his scoop, while the ones with the blandest and emptiest impressions of what happened that day in the hearing room cruised on through their career without a ripple. Pack journalism is, to our mind, a very special problem in the conspiracy cases because pack journalists are so timid and vicious. As other interviews make clear, there are many faults to find with the HSCA's hearings. But their performance was a hundred times in front of the mainstream media in terms of curiosity, investigative vigor, and courage to face tough possibilities.

If the press had reported each day on the actual contributions the committee was making instead of constantly blunting everything that said conspiracy and overplaying everything that said relax, then the 80 percent of us who today sense conspiracy in the JFK death would be not only more numerous, but also more aroused and more insistent that the whole truth be found. (Oglesby, THE JFK ASSASSINATION: THE FACTS AND THE THEORIES, New York: Signet, 1992, pp. 173- 175)

In 1993 major newspapers and magazines across America refused to publish two Associated Press and Reuters wire stories on Dr. David Mantik's historic discoveries concerning evidence of tampering in the autopsy x-rays at the National Archives. In fact, to my knowledge, not a single major newspaper or magazine carried the wire stories. Why? (The wire stories can be seen in the appendices to Harrison Livingstone's recent book KILLING KENNEDY AND THE HOAX OF THE CENTURY.) The wire stories contained other important information as well. Why weren't they published? They were certainly newsworthy and credible, and were definitely important and of high interest. So why weren't they published? It's worth noting that this occurred at the same time the press was giving glowing reviews to Gerald Posner's badly flawed defense of the Warren Commission, CASE CLOSED.

There have been several historic, crucial revelations to emerge from previously sealed files recently released by the Assassination Records Review Board. Why haven't these important new disclosures been reported by the press?

Could this have anything to do with the many reports of CIA and FBI influence on the press? In 1977, for example, information surfaced indicating that a number of journalists and news managers at major media outlets had either received payment from the CIA and/or were "cooperating" with the CIA. Dr. Gary Aguilar summarizes some of what was learned from the disclosed information about the press and the CIA:

Not only did journalists, representing THE NY TIMES, ABC, NBC, CBS, Scripps Howard, UPI, AP, Hearst, Reuters, Bill Moyers, Paley, etc., "associate" with the CIA, they recruited for the CIA, gave CIA agents false credentials as journalists, and planted false information with foreign officials--and with the American public as well of course. Over 200 journalists had signed secrecy agreements with the CIA (THE NY TIMES "Sulzberger" for only one notable example), or had "employment contracts." (Aguilar, "The CIA and the Media," Journalism Forum, CompuServe, February 24, 1996)

The COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW cogently argued,

If even one American overseas carrying a press card is a paid informer for the CIA, then all Americans with those credentials are suspect. . . . If the crisis of confidence faced by the news business--along with the government--is to be overcome, journalists must be willing to focus on themselves the same spotlight they so relentlessly train on others. . . . When it was reported . . . that newsmen themselves were on the payroll of the CIA, the story caused a brief stir, and then was dropped. (As quoted in Aguilar, "The CIA and the Media")

In recent months there have been additional reports that press personnel--journalists and news managers--continue to "cooperate" in various ways and to varying degrees with the CIA. How extensive is this "cooperation"? What exactly does it involve? Are there journalists who are accepting cash payment from the CIA? Are there news managers who are doing so? Has the CIA planted agents, or does it have paid operatives, in the press? These are matters that need to be thoroughly investigated by Congress.

It's also known that in the 1960s the FBI had what it considered to be "friendly assets" in the press. Does the FBI still have "friendly assets" in the press? If so, are any of these persons receiving payment or other favors from the FBI? These, too, are matters that need to be considered by a Congressional investigation.

What can be done about the press's poor handling of the case? For starters, we must realize and take advantage of the fact that the emergence of the e-mail and online newsgroups and web pages affords the opportunity to literally bypass the press to a certain extent. Additionally, we can seek to educate journalists about the assassination. It couldn't hurt to periodically e-mail credible research articles and letters to the editor on the case to major news outlets, such as CBS, NBC, ABC, NEWSWEEK, US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT, and so forth. Some of those articles just might get read by someone, and that someone just might start to take a more critical look at the lone-gunman scenario or at least be more open to considering evidence that points to a conspiracy. We should also attempt to work with local media outlets, such as our local newspapers and TV stations. Many times local journalists are much more open to persuasion and substantive dialogue than are their counterparts at the major media outlets. Finally, we should attempt to educate our friends, family, and neighbors about the evidence of conspiracy in the assassination. Education is the key.

There is some cause to hope that the situation is improving. The A&E Network, for example, has aired two informative documentaries on the case which contain a great deal of evidence of conspiracy and which strongly challenge the Warren Commission's version of the shooting. The 1992 documentary THE JFK CONSPIRACY, hosted by James Earl Jones and produced by All-American Television, has been shown on dozens of local cable outlets across the country. In 1992 ABC's "20/20" program aired an informative, well-done segment on Dr. Charles Crenshaw's revelations about President Kennedy's wounds. Thanks to the emergence of cable TV, credible documentaries and other programs presenting evidence of conspiracy have been aired in virtually every part of the country in recent years. This is a healthy, long-overdue development. But the major news outlets, such as CBS, NBC, NEWSWEEK, TIME, THE WASHINGTON POST, etc., continue to advance the lone-gunman theory and to dismiss or ignore the growing evidence that President Kennedy was killed by a conspiracy.

Mike Griffith

Back to Michael T. Griffith

I believe responsibility can be shared even down to the local level. We let lies be portraid as truth at all levels of government.

Putting pressure on local media to report fabrications or injustice needs to be every honest citizens' responsibility.

We reap what we sow. Are we really any better than them if we allow serial lies in our own community?

Bill, this show needs to be rerun in prime time.
Don't let them intimidate you...I'm sure they will try.

It appears to me that 20/20 hindsight is always better. In 2003 it was safer to go after Saddam than to do nothing an risk another attack by that type of mad dictators.

When I think of the Iraq war, I always harken back to the UN inspectors. When the inspectors, after a vigorous and well done search, failed to find what the Bush administration were claiming as solid evidence, the Bush administration went after their reputation. Now, they could have turned more evidence to the inspectors, but that didn't happen. I knew then something was wrong, despite all the speeches from Bush. Knowing a little history about the Gulf of Tonkin resolution, also added to my skepticism. And although I am not a big Ted Kennedy fan, his speech certainly rang true. I hope that in the future, we as a nation will learn to be more skeptical, especially when dealing ideologues who run the country.

Some where above the question of motive was raised. I have made a fairly detailed study of the oil business over the last year or so and much of this has the smell of petroleum. Note where Bush and Cheney come from.

The best part, I thought, was the interview of these two young reporters. I felt proud of them, as if they were my own sons. 9/11 was not the scariest time. The buildup to the Gulf War was the scariest time I ever experienced in America. Until we came to the buildup to invading Iraq. I knew you guys were doing your best. Thank you.

Greg Jackson
No trying to knock off 41 isn't an "ACT OF WAR"
Did you mention that Saddam attacked U.S. & British forces while we, for over 10 years flew strafing runs and military strikes from the AIR IN IRAQ?????
If the situation was reversed.; (I KNOW THIS REQUIRES USING YOUR BRAIN) - If IRAQ & IRAN were running 24-7 sorties over the United States...for more than 10 years, do you think we, you, or I would stand still and not attack them....so don't act like they did something outrageous. We were playing military police from the air over the top 1/3 and bottom 1/3 of the country, in order to protect the Kurds & Shiites that we had promised (under G.H.W.Bush that if they rose up against Saddam, that we would support them) we all but left them to the slaughter.
WHY? Because we allowed Saddam to use helicopters ((thanks General Norman S.- in the "Peace Talks" decision Norm made to grant them this right)) Saddam proceeded to use his air firepower to put down the Shiite rebellions that we had promised to help. OOPS! Not as big as Secretary of State Jim Baker (not to be confused with Jim from Curious George's Jim)...told his Iraqi counterpart that the U.S. would not be involved if IRAQ intended to RE-ACQUIRE KUWAIT. As the IRAQI minister of Defense had in a PUBLIC MEETING WITH BAKER!!!!! BIG OOPS!
Months later, after Margaret Thatcher Prime Minister (U.K.) tells the world we can not stand for this and George H.W. Bush 41 Realizes that KUWAIT is on Saddam's shit list for underselling OPEC prices of oil to the US & BRITAIN.... OOPS! Now, something that could have been diverted AVOIDED BY WORDS, by Secretary Baker simply telling SADDAM (YES, WE DO CARE, and WILL CARE IF YOU INVADE KUWAIT)....
THEN WE’d GO BACK TO a time when 95 % of AMERICANS don’t know the name IRAQ and are NOT ABLE TO POINT TO IT ON A MAP, OH YEAH ITS MORE LIKE 80% and it is HAPPENING RIGH NOW IN THIS COUNTRY!!!
THERE IS NEVER ENOUGH MONEY TO SPEND ON EDUCATION THOUGH ....meanwhile we spend 50% of our FEDERAL TAX DOLLARS SO THAT THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL-CONGRESSIONAL-COMPLEX can build such STELLAR (get it) Projects as Star Wars II, III, & IV. AT COSTS OF MERE TRILLIONS 10, 20, 30...
What does the administration care that it doesn't work, even WHEN WE CHEAT AND TELL IT WHICH MISSLE IT SHOULD HIT! It isn't their money, it isn't our money, it belongs to CHINA, JAPAN, AND BRITAIN. AND IT BELONGS TO OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN. Remember those “TAX CUTS” ….YUP, LOANS FROM CHINA, JAPAN, & BRITAIN, WHAT’s the interest on a tax cut? FRAKIN STUPID!
WE NOW HAVE SOOO MUCH MONEY LOANED TO AMERICA THAT THE US DOLLAR HAS NEVER BEEN WEAKER... DON'T WORRY THOUGH...ALL SMILES BECAUSE WE KICK A$$ AND TAKE NAMES….
EXCEPT…when it comes to a gorilla – protracted-occupational-war in WHICH WE ARE ALLOWING THOSE WHO WISH TO, TO HAVE LIVE TARGET PRACTICE ON OUR BROTHERS SISTERS EVERY ONE AROUND THE WORLD KNOWS AND ARE IMPROVING THEIR TACTICS AND ARE LEARNING TO DO THINGS LIKE SHAPE IEDs so that EVEN OUR STRONGEST ARMOURED VEHICLES CANNOT WITH STAND A SHAPED IED ATTACK.
BUT THANKS, its good to know that there are still COOL AID DRINKERS!

I really wish people had looked into this issue the same way Lisa Finnegan did in her book "No Questions Asked : News Coverage Since 9/11".
She wrote the book for over 3 years ago when most reporters where either quiet about the subject or were supporting the administration's views.

She spend a year to document the failure of the US media and her book is an excellent example of the history of the media coverage since the attacks of 9/11.

You can find more information about the book at:

http://www.noquestionsasked.org/

Or ask your library to order it:
No Questions Asked : News Coverage Since 9/11
by Lisa Finnegan foreword by Norman Solomon

ISBN : 0-275-99335-3

/Malcom

Didn't the congressional resolution say something about waiting for the UN inspectors to finish their jobs? I remember seeing them make a mad dash to get out of Iraq the day before the bombings. So...they weren't finished, and I think that should exonerate all the democrats who "voted for" the war.

Congratulations on putting together this wonderful show. I have sent the link to the online video to several people, and I intend to watch it again myself. I have felt that in these last few years, the media just kind of looked the other way, at the very least, as we were pushed toward this war. As you showed, it was really worse than that as many in the media seemed to join in the effort to move toward war. They were too credulous, and the Administration took advantage of that weakness. I really appreciated your short reference to Sen. Kennedy's opposing view and how it was really given short shrift at the time. I did not know about the Knight-Ridder reporters and their work before seeing your program, so I really feel that I learned something by watching. I teach a US Government course at a community college, and I will definitely use this program in the future with my students. Thank you, Bill Moyers. May you and your blog inspire new thinkers and helpful people on this earth. We need to move beyond this horrible time in our history, but there were many people hurt by this war and there is no way to bring back the dead.

Why were/are so many in Journalism afraid of the Bush regime? Are we under a government of, by and for the corporations? We appreciate knowing that what we sensed was the case back in 2002 and 2003 -that we were being hoodwinked by this administration- was actually the fact of the matter; small consolation today. But now we know there are fact-diggers and fact-reporters still doing their jobs. Turns out, we need to be doing our own research and voicing our beliefs. Freedom is fought for here at home as well. Thank you for the reminder.

The more I read of history through the ages the more I'm convinced that American Democracy is an anomaly.

The history of civilization has predominantly been a story of the strong dominating and exploiting the weak -- a human twist on classic Darwinism. In the natural world the weakest of a species simply doesn't survive. Humanity on the other hand has learned to force its weak to serve the need of the strong to grow stronger.

What we're seeing take place in media, politics and corporations is the next chapter in this "evolution". The weak had their day in the sun in America, realizing unprecedented rights in employment, living standards, freedom of speech, and social welfare that drove the strong crazy.

Now the strong are fighting back. But instead of using obvious strong-arm tactics like physical slavery they're trying to do it subtly within the institutions we've grown to trust.

They're slowly replacing our sources of hard truth with sexier, sensationalistic "news" propagated by pretty personalities like Katy Coric. They hope to seduce us away from caring about uncomfortable truths.

In politics the Bushies played the American voters for the fools they surely are, spinning them into submission with fear-mongering, distortions, lies and appeals to the ultimate achilles heel -- religion.

Behind it all are the overlords of corporations, the real power. By its very definition a corporation exists to keep growing, keep increasing profits. And when corporations are headed by ego maniacs addicted to their own success and to the continuing confirmation of their superiority they'll do anything they can get away with to increase their power. So when corporations see government as an obstacle to growth they seek to overcome that obstacle by changing government to be more pliable. Thus corporate financial support for Bush and the corporate media manipulation that put him in power.

Which lead us to the Iraq question. Why takeover Iraq? It's the oil, stupid. Corporations know oil is a finite resource they need desperately. When their access to that resource was threatened by a bunch of primitive religious fanatics, corporations put Bush up to trying to seize control of a country with some of the largest oil reserves in the world.

Hate to say it but the democracy we've known and loved is an endangered species. The powerful will reshape it into something more in tune with their "glorification of the fittest" philosophy.

But don't feel too bad. Corporate ego-maniacs will continue charging down the global warming road. Then Mother Nature will show them convincingly who is really superior.

How is it that even I, with limited political experience, knew this was a terrible idea from the beginning and so many politicians and journalists did not? I wrote to public officials prior to the invasion begging them not to procede. I continue to write begging them to withdraw. What else can we do? 23 photos of dead soldiers on the News Hour last night. So tragic. How can we make this stop????

How is it that even I, with limited political experience, knew this was a terrible idea from the beginning and so many politicians and journalists did not? I wrote to public officials prior to the invasion begging them not to procede. I continue to write begging them to withdraw. What else can we do? 23 photos of dead soldiers on the News Hour last night. So tragic. How can we make this stop????

Thank you SO much, Bill Moyers, for returning - and reminding reporters of their jobs. I do hope that (the weak-kneed) executives of TV and newspaper organizations watch and re-watch the show and actually have discussions about it. It is mind-boggling that a nation such as ours can have the press controlled and media executives in fear of their positions. This is America, for goodness sake! Now, hopefully, reporters will take the Knight Ridder model and actually follow the truth, think about it analytically, AND write or report it so that the current and future adminstrations will not continue to undermine our democracy.

Thank you for your work.

1. Why was the fact that Powell read a plagiarized document at the UN not front page news and damning to the administration?! That is unbelievable.

2. Was there any reporting about the possible struggles between Sunni and Shia after Saddam's removal? How could this not have been a major discussion in the media?

A potential civil war (insurgency/power struggle) must have been discussed in the Pentagon. Would we still have gone ahead if the public knew of the chances?

3. It's not too late for good reporting at this point forward. What do the REAL SOURCES envision as possible outcomes if we stay, or leave Iraq?

4. Being that in hindsight, the current civil war (insurgency) is such an obvious possible result of ousting Saddam, is the chaos in Iraq serving anyone? Could this have been a desired outcome?

Or maybe, the government new of this possibility and decided even this worst case outcome was preferable to leaving Saddam in power? What do you think?

Personally, I didn't buy the government's sell of connections to Al Quaeda. I thought it was the neocon adgenda from pre 9-11. However, I still got swept up in the pulse of fear of mushroom clouds. For some reason, I just didn't believe the UN inspectors knew everything, even though they probably had more factual intelligence than our government.

In addition, I swooned to the call of being a liberator, to help these people live in a democratic country, out from under the murderer Saddam.

However, it's wrong that the media wasn't leading the debate about a possible civil war outcome. This, in addition to faulty WMD intelligence, means we were duped.

I know this insurgency is a tragedy, but I can't help but wonder, is the potential over the long run in the Middle East for change still there, even if we lose?

Is the democratic way of life, separation of Religion-State at all appealing to the people of the Middle East, Or is America and the democratic world worse off?

Please continue on the independent path and let us know. I'll be reading.

Hello, I am 28 and live in Wisconsin. I thoroughly enjoyed this report and am very happy to have been directed to it by a frend. Perhaps the PBS web site can offer us a way to download these? Keep up the good work at any rate, I've bookmarked the location and do plan to return for future broadcasts.

Aaron

Kudos for serious reporting. Yes, I am impressed by your dogged research and jounalistic integrity, yet since there are only two of you, it speaks volumes about the shocking state of mainstream American journalism. I stopped trusting it during the Vietnam war, and have never be given a reason to trust it again. Just look at Central America during the Reagan administration, Iran Contra, and American journalism's always woeful and biased coverage of the Palestinian/ Israeli conflict. I have found it better to read foreign languages and papers to stay informed. On Iraq Juan Cole's blog is invaluable as is listening to Democracy Now! When journalism becomes a megaphone for the rich and powerful, it abdicates its democratic responsibility.

I was thinking in the extended interview between Mr. Moyers and Mr. Rather, "One lying reporter talking to another lying reporter." Mr. Moyer made much of a 'neo-con' member of the Bush administration leaving the White House for a job in the media as a commentator. Funny, he failed to mention a better known member of the Johnson Administration who left the White House to do exactly the same thing. He failed to mention Mr. Rather's disgrace at destroying his career at CBS while reporting fraudulent lies as the truth. Why should I be surprised? Mr. Moyers began his program with the assertion the Saddam Hussien had never once attacked America. That is a bald face lie! Saddam began violating the cease fire from the first Gulf War almost immediately. Attacking American and coalition forces and allies and attempting to assassinate former President Bush. ALL were acts of war against the United States. Saddam was the subject of dozens of U.N. resolutions passed against him. The last one declaring it was "his final chance." Mr. Bush, unlike many, meant it. Mr. Moyers presentation was pure left propaganda. But then he has been a master of it, ever since that war in the 60's that he defended.

Dear My American Citizens;

I was wrong, I lied, I intended to take us to war, because...

Signed,
George Walker Bush jr.
President of the United States.

(I just wanted to make sure that King George COULD, IF HE WANTED TO, begin to revive the Christian tradition of Truth-Telling. I mean he's getting older, and if there is an after life, they have to be stoking the coals in anticipation). SMELLS LIKE CHICKEN-HAWKS WHAT's for DINNER!
Hell I'll kick in $2.50 for some starter-lighter fluid!

BILL MOYERS; pray that B
ush never wants to pin a medal of freedom on him, or we are all in trouble!

MOYERS! IN 2008!
Fmr. Knight-Ridder guys as initial cabinet appointments. Zabigniew Brazinski...Ralph Nader.
Jon Stewart/Bill Maher\Stephen Colbert Secretaries of REALITY!

If Saddam had deliverable WMD's at the time of the invasion, this would have placed Israel at extraordiny risk. Therefore, the Bush administration would have almost certainly discussed its strategic plans with the Israelis prior to the invasion. Doesn't this suggest that both Israel and the Bush administration knew that Saddam did not have WMDs before going to war

At this point, we should go deeper in the intellectualizing of our awakening concerning the war. If the Bush administration would be willing to falslify data and lie about conditions in Iraq; in order to convince the misinformed american citizenry go to war: is it also feasible, that they planned and carried out the attacks of september 11, 2001?

I was introduced to Bill Moyers through an interview he did with Robert Bly. Since then, I've enjoyed other interviews and books he's written. I've found him intelligent and thoughtful in his interviews and his willingness to take on topics other shy away from. I'll never forget Bush's ranting about Iraq that sounded like nothing so much as Kruschev (sp?) banging his shoe on the podium at the United Nations. Since then, I've found his entire justification of the war in Iraq to be one lie after another, and it seems to me we've even forgotten what prompted the whole thing in our passion to be right, or proud, or stay the course, or whatever you want to call it. I think we are hearing some truth come out about Bush's war. Welcome back, Bill!

I am a high school journalism teacher in south central Pennsylvania (we’re three years in operation now and just picked up our first state awards this year). I have three words posted at the back and front of my classroom: Truthful, Accurate, Fair. I am tempted to subscript beneath them: Landay, Strobel, Walcott. Thank you for thinking beyond public sentiments and private doubts to keep the straight story. It lives only as vividly as those who write it. Long live Knight-Ridder and the best of luck to you!

What can high school journalists take from this? Any inspirations or comments I can take to my students?

I would like for Jonathan or Warren to contact me if they wish. I have well in excess of 500 hrs. research into the events of 9/11 and the path from that day leading to our occupation of the ME. I would like to make these resources available to anyone interested. These resources consist of ~40 GB of data, most of which is available to anyone. I can simply provide my bookmarks to that data or, if requested, copies of it.

Its called follow the leader, and leaders have been conning the peasants since the beginning of time. The techniques have become more complex but the motives are the same.

I applaud the efforts of everyone involved in this production and the excellent journalistic skills of the young guys at Knight Ridder. It is peoples like this who do the research, to back up their arguments against powerful leaders that have led to improvements in civilizations, like the Thomas Pane’s of our past.

I look forward to watching your future shows.

How can this:

"I was somewhat mystified by Tim Russert being on your program because he is nothing more than a Republican and a Republican mouthpiece who should be working for Fox News as shoyld Joe Scarborough, Tucker Carlson, Chris Matthews and Glenn Beck. All birds of a feather who can speak the truth and will never do so."

... and this:

"Bill, you, Amy Goodman at democracynow.org, Keith Olbermann, Lou Dobbs and Jack Rafferty and the knight-Ridder/McClatchy News reporters, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Phil Donohue do/did the best work and are the most credible journalists, as was David Halberstam, recently deceased and a loss to all. Although he said no, if we could just get Phil Donohue back America would be much better served."

... be in the same, single posting purporting to call for BALANCE in the media? How is it balance to want one group of reporters of a particular political persuasion banished into Foxland, but, call for more of another group, of another political persuasion?

If you want balance, CALL for balance.

who took down the towers?

been reading your stuff in the Fresno Bee (which we buy for local weather and fish wrap) for some time -- and were amazed at your coverage; in fact, could hardly believe that some fiesty little hole-in-the-wall gang could regularly outgun NYT, WaPo, WSJ and others (which we see each day online) and have begun going online to your Wash Bureau (what's with your odd 'realcities.com' address?) BEFORE WaPo.

you guys look younger than we figured -- thought you in Sy Hersh, Murray Waas and Pincus demographics, but here's looking at you - attaboys, sic 'em!

We never understood why 80% of folk in this cowtipping county actually went along with bush admin iraq gag - NEVER saw any 'cuban missiles in silos' hard evidence and for last decade everyone knew what neocon weasels said they would do to iraq if they got the chance; oh well.

btw - don't let go of that libby-rove-wilson forged yellowcake story too soon; would seem that pulling on this particular string CAN STLL unravel whole web of knowingly deceptive phoney iraq wolf cries.

Even if never able to find who actually commissioned forged documents (oh sure, the SISMI; but why and WHO encouraged them to do so?) there is a clear trail of what bush admin did with the forged information -- AFTER the CIA rejected it several times, AFTER Gen Carlton Fulford (who went to Niger before Wilson) rejected it, AFTER French rejected it several times (and sent team to Niger), AFTER the State Dept INR and UN raised questions.

And notice that CIA never formally vetted the info - only a new WINPAC unit guy who previously associated with Cheney's crowd before being sent to CIA said it was 'OK' to use -- AFTER a White House request he do so. And why did Bush cite a 'british source' for the yellowcake story when the brits got it from the same italian source the US did (and before the brits)?

The whole White House Iraq Group (rove-libby-cheney-hadley etc) gets tied into the Wilson smear -- hadley smells particularly dirty after he 'forgot' to tell rice that CIA said to pull yellowcake story from bush State of Union speech.

This fabricated yellowcake document and bush admin's subsequent uses of it ties in the whole gang -- and yet remains mystery never fully resolved in public: who forged; why; why was this suspect data used by bushies after disclaimers from everyone (and UN able to prove it was a forgery within 24 hours of their receipt); why libby and hadley try to make Powell use this story at UN; why the White House full court press to discredit small potatoes like the Wilsons; what did fitzgerald uncover in 2 year investigation -- but not use in his limited libby perjury case?

good hunting; and congrats again on your whipping the much larger NYT and WaPo dogs; guess it's not always the size of the dog in the fight, eh?

Dear Bill,
I'm glad you are back at PBS on a more permanent but independant basis.
Thanks so much for the report you did last night on why the media bought the war.
There were two reasons they bought the war, namely they were intimidated by the Bushie Republican Party and it is journalism on the cheap as Dan Rather said. ie. it s=costs money to do real reporting and dig for the facts or at least the inconsistencies and report such.
I was somewhat mystified by Tim Russert being on your program because he is nothing more than a Republican and a Republican mouthpiece who should be working for Fox News as shoyld Joe Scarborough, Tucker Carlson, Chris Matthews and Glenn Beck. All birds of a feather who can speak the truth and will never do so.
Your report was excellent. I knew before the war that there were no WMDs'because Hans Blix and his team of investigtive scientists said so as did the american team sent there by Bush himself. That was good enough for me. From that time on the rest was all nothing but phoney lies.
The intel lies were manufactured by Cheney and John Bolton.
The entire Bush admin. should be put in jail or better yet executed for the war crimes they committed.

Bill, you, Amy Goodman at democracynow.org, Keith Olbermann, Lou Dobbs and Jack Rafferty and the knight-Ridder/McClatchy News reporters, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Phil Donohue do/did the best work and are the most credible journalists, as was David Halberstam, recently deceased and a loss to all.
Although he said no, if we could just get Phil Donohue back America would be much better served.

The MSM has rendered itself as useless as Fox News. They have rendered themselves irrelevant. If they want to make a comeback they had better return to honest journalism. If not, they are useless and may be gone or largely disregarded as is Fox News.

Bill, keep up the good work.
Pray for peace

Jonathan & Warren thank you and Knight Ridder for looking out for us. All odds was stacked against your company but yet your story is being told. Thank you Bill; we can change the direction these neo-cons have taken us.

Thankyou for a wonderful program. I, along with many others who have blogged, opposed the Iraq war from the start. I also recall listening to a Democracy Now broadcast the morning after Colin Powell gave his speech to the UN - and they, in the hour they had, factually refuted every claim that he made! The information, as you said in the show, WAS AVAILABLE.

So, again, why did the American media, the 'opposition' in government, and most of the people, buy the case for war?

I believe that it was because, for the government in particular, but also for those people who most strongly identified with 'America, right or wrong', it wasn't about facts, it was about 'America Under Attack', as one of the media outlets identified.

When a group you identify with strongly is 'Under Attack', you react viscerally - not rationally. And that's where the opposition to the war got it wrong. We should have packaged our message viscerally, we should have recognized that the bias of the population was for 'defense of our primary identity group (America)' and found ways to demonstrate viscerally that war would hurt us.

To: JimT
I wore the uniform for 11 years and 2 tours in Viet Nam. I defended in part the freedom of speach. I won't shut up and I won't let you shut anyone up.

Thank you for the great piece!

Please let these Knight Ridder reporters be the men to bring down these smug ivy punks who have used homophobia, flag waving, religious double talk and every other ancient moral sack of manure in the book to throw $trillions to a small network of military industrialists--while killing scores of Iraqis and Americans along the way.

I marched in protest of the war many times--WE WERE NOT AFRAID!!! NBC's military GE ties are somewhat understandable in a stretch, but how in the world was EVERY MEDIA OUTLET terrified of ghosts from the McCarthy era?

I never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but I now see EXACTLY how Adolph Hitler was able to murder millions of Jews while a split Germany simply stood around in the corner.

If Clinton could be impeached for indiscretions with a consenting female of legal age, shouldn't the entire Bush administration should be executed with broomsticks on the White House lawn for tricking the county into war?

Had the media done its job, the blogosphere would be nothing more than a big, wonky chat room.

The Beltway press should have remembered that politics is their subject, not their profession.

The Washington press corps, feared by successive administrations, are now despised -- ugly pets to be kicked into the back room when company shows up.

It is no wonder the administration issues platitudes and lies with casual ease. No one in the press stopped them for six years, and it's not for certain that the new Congress can, either.

Worse, now too many in the media are long since too compromised to back down; keeping to the talking points is now no longer easy, but necessary for their reputations, their careers and, perhaps for some, even their need to retain legal counsel.

It would have been so much better for everyone, for the media to have just done its job. However, perhaps I am being naive. Perhaps we all were. Perhaps, in truth, the media did its job, as the media has done its job in numerous 20th century situations, where what the government said, what the ruling party said, and what the press said were harmonious.

But that's not patriotism. That's tyranny, no matter what you call it, it's bad, it's not America, and it's good to see that Americans, true and blue, are remembering their voices, and making their wishes heard, whether the sad, beaten, compromised and despised media covers the renaissance or not.

Thanks for doing this program Mr. Moyers. I hope it makes a difference.

Wonderful to have you back Bill. It's especially pleasing to see the results of what real investigative reporting can accomplish in lieu of choir boys and girls singing for the priest. The story behind the story is always the essence of good creditable reporting. Print media should nurture a few new Jack Andersons, Woodward and Bernsteins. Michael Moore tried gallantly, with "Fahrenheit 9/11," to give us reason to question our war involvement. The movie "Why We Fight" also caused many to raise some eyebrows. I thought both of these film efforts sought to get us back to some sound inductive and deductive reasoning. Obviously, neither had the effect on the overall public that I thought they would. Consequently, I am definitely looking forward to your upcoming features.

Thanks again for returning to PBS on a regular basis, and giving us the benefit of your experience and insight.

So, what now? We should apologize to Iraq immediately. Write them a check for the damage we caused and leave. But, of course, as an African-American I know we won't do this. This war will forever be a stain on our nation's honor

I did enjoy the special, and it made a lot of very strong, salient points about the news coverage leading up to the beginning of the Iraq war.

And yet, I was also a bit dismayed to see some reporting of mine essentially credited (weirdly enough) to the NY Times.

I wrote a series of pieces in 2003 about Phil Donahue's exit from MSNBC, and it was reporting that was way out ahead of the mainstream press. The pieces were referenced in everything from Vanity Fair on down, and the general facts of the articles (which were built around a series of internal memos I had obtained from MSNBC), were mentioned not just in the final version of the film, but in many of the reviews.

And yet, imagine my surprise to see the incident described as "memos being leaked to a blogger," while a shot of a NY Times article is shown. Followed by a clip of Donahue mentioning that he first found out about it by reading the NY Times.

While that may be true, the entire coverage of the memos by the Times was a mention (in passing) of my reporting and my web site.

Now, it's not as if the Moyers folks didn't understand the distinction. I spoke to one of the producers several times at length about the memos and the background behind them.

Yeah, it might not seem important to most people, but I spent a couple of hundred hours working on those pieces, and it kills me to see the Times get credit for the work.

Rick Ellis

Bill Moyers, it's about time someone out in the open media created a real "reality" show, most of the time I see things like this I figure it was from the BBC or someone else outside our walls.

"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it."
- Mark Twain

PR Firms=Propaganda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rPQCPwdwHQ

America: Freedom to Fascism
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4312730277175242198&q=america

Money Masters Part 1
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8753934454816686947&q=money+masters

911 Mysteries
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6708190071483512003&q=911+mysteries&hl=en

Terrorstorm
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=786048453686176230&q=terrorstorm&hl=en

----------------------------
Col. Robert Bowman, PhD, U.S. Air Force (ret) – Director of Advanced Space Programs Development under Presidents Ford and Carter. U.S. Air Force fighter pilot with over 100 combat missions. (PhD in Aeronautics and Nuclear Engineering, Cal Tech). Former Head of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering and Assistant Dean at the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology. Also taught Mathematics and English at the University of Southern California, the University of Maryland, and Phillips University.
See him talk ...."their conviction, their removal from office and their incarceration for a very long time"
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6900065571556128674

Senior Military, Intelligence, Law Enforcement,
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I can understand some of the anger directed at the so-called "mainstream media," most of whose members did fail to ask such vitally important questions. But why is there not similar anger directed at the administration? Dan Rather is precisely on pointe: Bush, Powell, Rumsfeld, et al. stood up and lied to the people they were meant to represent. Not only did we, the people, believe their lies, we supported them, and gave Bush & Co. another term.

Bill welcome back!. Gentlemen, John and Warren, nice start. But, there is so much more left to do!

You must penetrate the story far enough to uncover the administration's motivation behind the war.

You must reveal the conncetion behind the executives in the mainstream media who propagandize news coverage in support of the administration.

And, we need your insight into how even in the light of facts about the lies and deception that led us to this point, the House vote over the war appropriations bill can still be so close (218 - 208) suggesting that there is still significant popular support for this travesty.

While you have our appreciation for a beginning, you have not yet won back our trust. That will not come until the job is truly done.

Regards,
Mark Dawes

IMPEACH! - Why are we not having this discussion?

Mr. Moyers and Mr. Landay and Mr. Stroebel:

Thank you for tonight's much-needed story revealing the role of journalists from the mainstream powerhouses who covered the Iraq War.

It demonstrated in great detail the extent of the complicit and direct involvement of reporters who were covering the events leading up to the Iraq War and who were apparently working as an intended or unintended arm of the Bush administration.

One question that I have is why did it take so long for this piece to come forward. Could it be that the political winds are slowly shifting so that the press now feels comfortable/safe enough to begin making critiques against the current administration as well as itself?

One aspect that came out is how much the press tailors its reporting to not only the administration but also to the leadership/owners of its own papers. Whatever happened to the concept of a free and unbiased press -- the fourth estate increasingly sounds like it reflects the needs and interests of power institutions --corporate leadership and their sponsors, the government hierarchy -- and do not seem to represent the interests of the everyday person, the people that go to war to defend this country for presumably the right to speak out and ask critical questions.

For whatever the rationale, each of the reporters or political/press pundits in your video -- Bill Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, William Safire, Richard Pearle, Judith Miller, Peter Beinhart, etc. -- were wanting the US government to invade Iraq. I think that much can be learned through a critical analysis that sheds light on why these and other reporters seemed to favor and advocate for the invasion of Iraq. The show tonight described some of the key players and their actions; however, it did not go into a more thorough analysis as to what were the reporters' motivations.

Viewing the unique role played by the investigative reporters -- Landay and Stroebel -- reminded me of the Woodward and Bernstein team that uncovered the Watergate scandal -- however, these are different times and instead of being hailed as heroes the reporters from Knight Ridder were not given any significant national airing.

Perhaps the press itself needs to step back and look from within itself and re-establish standards on the way it covers stories that have huge impacts on people.

When you hear the reporters speak as if they are the authorities on WMD or military strategies or political movements the public is given a false impression and may believe that these reports/news' statements are factual when in fact they are just opinions -- highly subjective and biased statements -- that are too closely aligned with the administration's positions and publicity machine.

One can also conclude that the administration was able to get its messages out, uncritically challenged, because of the near collapse of the Democratic opposition and the so-called liberal press.

While the Fox news station increased its core audience, the other more liberal outlets, such as CNN and MSNBC, until recently, seemed to have lost their critical focus or lacked the courage to critically provide alternative reporting on the events of the day. The show implies that this occurred because these stations were being called unpatriotic. Also implied in the story is that the press was not so much concerned about being called unpatriotic as it was preoccupied in losing its viewership and the commercial sponsors. There needs to be more separation between the press and the commercial sponsors.

Until the other news outlets can get their act together, programs such as the Moyers Journal and other programs on PBS will need to provide the balance that has been lost in the reporting of the daily news events.

Hopefully Moyers' piercing questioning of the reporters and the courageous investigative reporting by Landay and Stroebel will set a lasting example to the rest of the press.

Another viewer commented, after viewing your program tonight, that ‘America seems intent on exporting democracy and denying it to its own people.’

Once again thank you for your reporting.

A concerned viewer.

I talk to a lot of people regularly, and test the water continually (regarding how they feel about social/political affairs, etc.).

My sense is: people are disgusted with the present state affairs, are feeling VERY disempowerd by their "leaders" on Capital Hill, and want something VERY different from them- NOW!

I really believe we should: abolish the electoral college (after the 2000 election that should have been a top priority, considering it's results), change the 2-party system to something resembling what other European countries are presently doing (multiple "parties"), hold national elections/referendums regularly- as needs be (as, obviously, we should be doing NOW), streamline the government, and take a good look at the Constitution (aka- our bible), and see where it needs improvement, based on life in the modern age, VS. 1776- and take big $$$ out of politics- by the time these guys get into office, they're beholding to so many special interests, they're virtually prostitutes after that- just to start.

Also, perhaps we should create a new law that states that if you want to run for president, you can't be allowed (and then we could have a national referendum to come up with some creative ideas of who would make a "good leader" for our country).

Personally, I think Nancy Pelosi is someone I can trust. She's the only person who's grounded in reality, has the best interest of the American nation at heart, truly feels what the "average person" is going through, and can stand up to George "W" and tell him face-to-face that he's full of sh*t.

I'd like to begin a groundswell of attention among people, to influence Ms. Pelosi to consider a run for the #1 position of leadership, where her consiousness could be most useful.

Either that, or Christopher Walken and Mr."T"- what a great combo that would make, eh?

But really, I think it's time we look at who we're electing into leadership positions. We need more "regular" people in Washington, and NOT lawyers! (Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer, and one of the best presidents I've seen in the past 44 years.)

Plus they should not be lifetime politicians, but should honor themselves and the rest of the country by limiting their term in office to ONE term.

My 2 cents.

-DM

PS- and let's impeach the bastards, and set some basic standards of behavior, that will begin to restore this country's repsect in the world community once again

Bill & Company - thank you for putting this information out there in a more public forum. More questions linger, however. We feel like "they" have stolen not only our vote and voice, they have stolen our country and are systematically dismantling our constitution and democracy. What blather to keep repeating that our troops are "fighting for our freedom and democracy" while some in our government work to take away basic freedoms such as Habeas Corpus, a woman's right to choose, freedom of speech and even our votes.

Could an argument be made that our country is being controlled by a powerful few? Should our concerns lie in the fact that our government/country is being taken over from within? We now have legalized or sanctioned torture, control and manipulation of the news media, private armies such as Blackwater that our government is using (shades of Hitler's SS men?), and the predominance of the blind faith-based, right-wing, religious fanatics and more heinous acts that we don't have the time/space to address here.

Where are the checks and balances to prevent the hijacking of our government by the elitist few or special interest groups and the global corporatization of our planet for the benefit of a few?

The big question: How to we get our country back? In the past, Americans could always be counted on to stand up and do the right thing. True Americans are not the liars, the torturers, the thiefs of democracy! The current administration has failed us miserably. True Americans are supposed to stand for the least among us as well as the best. Where is our moral compass? We've lost it and we desperately need it back. Those in power now (both parties, same coin - different sides) have failed us and continue to fail us.

Although it gets harder every day, we have not given up hope. We want to leave a better world for our children and grandchildren and endeavor to make it so. With the help of programs like this, and the brave actions of men and women unafraid to shine the light in those scary dark spaces, we envision a better world.

i have been reading these responses with what most of you seem to have also experienced here... optomism. that is untill i realized that sadly like everything else that i see or read that makes sense to me, it is entirely a matter of preaching to the choir.
all of the responses i have read have been amazingly eloquent and heartfelt, what seems to be missing is the mean spirited rightwing post.
did this show really change anyone's mind?

It wasn't Bush, Cheney or Powell that convinced me that war was necessary with Iraq. It was Ted Koppel, Tom Friedman and Wolf Blitzer. I took their reports at face value, looked at their graphics and was convinced by their analyses that Saddam had the capacity to use WMDs against the USA.

The Bush administration went to war with Iraq because public opinion allowed it. Pre-war public opinion was shaped by the media.

If Bill Moyers wants to make things right, he has the perfect opportunity. The media is now trying to sell us on a new war with Iran--over WMDs! But why do I get the feeling that the media, PBS included, is conditioning me for a "300"-style clash against Iran?

Knight Ridder is no more. It will not be around to do any basic fact-checking before the next war. The company was liquidated under the directive of one man, Bruce Sherman, a billionaire financier and ardent supporter of Israel. One man has the power and influence to dissolve a profitable company with a long history and thousands of employees. Funny how that works. Yet somehow the Sulzbergers, Grahams and Bancrofts know how to avoid Tony Ridder's fate.

Bill Moyers thinks the Bush administration sold the media on the war with Iraq. But it was the media that sold me on it. And it's the media that's trying to sell me on the next war with Iran.

I get the feeling that I'll have to wait until our troops are in harm's way in Iran before Bill Moyers will do another vague after-the-fact documentary full of mea culpas from media people, who after beating the war drums from their national platforms, are dumbfounded on why politicians followed public opinion.

IDF Brigadier General Oded Tira: "President Bush lacks the political power to attack Iran. As an American strike in Iran is essential for our existence, we must help him pave the way by lobbying the Democratic Party (which is conducting itself foolishly) and US newspaper editors."

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3346275,00.html

I too can only shake my head in disbelief at how this generation's Woodward & Bernstein fared in trying to expose this scandal (of far greater magnitude). And also agree that unfortunately, just like the Kennedy assasination, we will never know the truth behind 9/11.

If an ordinary Joe like myself knew this war was built on one humongous pack o' lies (thanks in large part to the revelations of one gung ho Republican Marine Scott Ritter), how could all those university trained professionals not have the slightest goddang clue!?!

Article I, Section 9 of the U.S. Constitution says: "The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it."

Is the invasion done?

Who will tell the prisoners in Guantanamo or those victims of extraordinary rendition?

NOTE: The prohibition doesn't say "U.S. Citizens" or only on U.S. soil. It says in the most general terms "The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended..."

Folks, that means anywhere, anytime, for anybody.

Maybe someone should tell Scalia and his lapdog Thomas...

Thank you Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel.
Back in the mid 1960s, I came to the US to write about US industry with nearly 20 years background in manufacturing in Europe. I became suspicious that investment badly needed by US industry was being diverted to the Vietnam war while the American public was being mislead by highly inaccurate Washington statistics on the age of American industrial equipment. They stated that little investment was needed because US equipment was very new by international standards. I was able to research the figures with the assistance of economist Harold Barger at Columbia and found that Washington was issuing grossly misleading statistics about the age of US industrial equipment. The 1960s, however, despite the war, was a period of great euphoria and I had difficulty getting my findings published, even though Barger allowed me to quote his approval.

Few of the readers of this blog will know the McGraw-Hill journal, “American Machinist”. It has published some of America’s most important industrial writing soon after the Civil War. Its editor, the late Anderson Ashburn looked at my findings, commented, ”this must be published” and presented it as a handsome Special Report (‘Can the U.S. stay competitive?’, American Machinist Special Report, no. 644, July 27, 1970) I received a lot of approving mail, including from respected economists and leading academics. The campaign to get US industry not to invest stopped immediately but it was too late. The booming 1960s American economy crashed into the no growth 1970s. A legacy of grossly overage industrial equipment played a major part in opening up the American market to foreign competition. The US economy did not recover for decades.

In my view, one of the saddest sequels was the history of this self deception by Washington was immediately swept under the rug. No one learned from the debacle: no one learned how vulnerable Washington is to self deception. There is surely a strong parallel to what happened in the run up to the Iraq war. In both cases a trusting public and a trusting press allowed a Washington that did not want to hear about reality, mislead itself.
Copies of ‘Can the U.S. stay competitive?’, American Machinist Special Report, no. 644, July 27, 1970 can be found at:http://www.puritangift.com/articles_hopper.html I have a smaller file available by email.
Further information on this forgotten economic debacle is in:
THE PURITAN GIFT: Triumph, Collapse and Revival of an American Dream
Kenneth Hopper & William Hopper, I.B. Tauris, 2007 p 203-207 “Capital Expenditure and the So-Called Experts”

I just want to comment on the irony of this insightful program being hosted by Bill Moyers. Moyers was the press secretary charged with selling the press that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. This was done before Jack Ruby's connection to Oswald had even been investigated. This was done before the FBI had even read the autopsy report to see if it was
possible for Oswald to have fired all the shots. Perhaps in future episodes Moyers will be more candid about his own experience in propagating fiction to the Washington Press Corps. The man knows of what he speaks.

Bennie Beaver been dropping too many bennies..

Great reporting except it is a little late...
A new topic I wish Mr. Moyers,Mr. Landay & Mr. Strobel would investigate and report on is the truth behind 9/11. The public at large still can't accept the fact that our own government caused, or at the very least facilitated the crimes of 9/11. Until we the people know how far our government has gone to control our collective mind we will remain imprisioned in the illusion of freedom. Please investigate 9/11 and set us free...

Way back in 2002, I knew the Bush administration was lying about it's reasons to go to war. I knew Iraq had no WMDs. I knew the real reasons why the US went to war in Iraq, namely, the control of world oil resources and the protection of Israel.

How did I know all this? Well I simply looked for the facts on the Internet. I was reading newspapers from the the UK, France, China, India, Russia, Israel, Middle East (probably a dozen other countries) and oh yes, one or two sources from the US.

The world has changed, the US is not the only game in town. Also, I would rank the american news media as among the worst of the lot!

Excellent report, Mr. Moyers! One oversight, however. I am always baffled that NBC is not more widely criticized given they are owned by a defense contractor (General Electric, of course). It seems obvious that the profit motive for America going to war could have played a role in the firing of war skeptic Phil Donahue and also in offering their flagship news show, Meet the Press, to VP Cheney in making the strongest (but false) case for war. After all, who is the primary advertiser on Meet the Press? Fellow defense contractor, Boeing! Boeing is literally the partner of General Electric in defense contracting - they buy the engines General Electric makes for military planes. While Fox receives widespread criticism for their ties to the Republican Party (and righly so), why is NBC given a free pass for their more profitable military ties?

"Buying the War?" Where are the voices of those who really "Bought it?"

I'm waiting for the day when "Duh!b'ya, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, Perle, Wolfowitz, and company, are tried as war criminals -- Then sent to Iraq for the Iraqi executioners to miscalculate their weight...

Now, that is not a happy thought, but a JUST one..

Someone at PBS knew what they were doing when they recently reran "All the President's Men," the 1976 movie dramatizing Woodward and Bernstein's heroics in uncovering the Watergate scandal 25 years ago. Today, thanks to Bill Moyers, we know we had Knight Ridder's Landay and Strobel performing a similar role during the 2002/2003 prewar frenzy.

OK, Landay and Strobel's reports were largely ignored by leading papers and TV networks, and they couldn't stop the war from occurring. But, is that so different from what Woodward and Bernstein experienced? Remember, their reports were also ignored by the other news media, for month after grinding month. Richard Nixon won reelection during the course of their reporting. That must have been a low and lonely hour.

But, finally the Watergate revelations reached a critical mass and the rest of the 1970s media jumped on the bandwagon, eventually leading to Nixon's resignation in the face of impeachment.

Yes, newspapers and networks today are more venal than their 1970s counterparts—as Tom Tomorrow reminds us in his April 17 cartoon http://www.workingforchange.com/comic.cfm?itemid=22246
—but we may yet see the worm turn. Scooter Libby is convicted. Dennis Kucinich has filed articles of impeachment against Vice President Cheney. Nancy Pelosi and Democratic committee chairs are sending out the subpoenas, and offering immunity to the little fish for their testimony. Bill Moyers has presented a glorious documentary revealing our current crop of sycophantic reporters in all their ignominy, perhaps sparking some pangs of conscience and a new resolve.

So, keep it up, Landay and Strobel, and we may yet see Bush resign or be impeached. One day you too could be immortalized in books and movies, and be the inspiration for a new generation of muckraking journalists. We're going to need them.

What about Helen Thomas? I was disappointed that she got swept away so easily? What is the national media doing to prevent this from happening again? Are they just in awe ?

Why did we go to war?
Profits

It is so good to have Bill Moyers back on the air! I literally cried when he left, knowing that one of the best had gone. Welcome back, Bill! We missed you!

Thank you to Bill Moyers. Welcome back, sir. You have been sorely missed. When I tuned in tonight I was under the misconception that this was a one-time show. I was thrilled to hear that you will be on every week.

I also want to give a heartfelt thank you to the Knight Ridder reporters. You guys are my new heroes.

Finally, thank you to PBS for airing this (at least in my area). It is good to know that there is at least one television station I can still turn to for true investigative journalism.

As a registered independent, it was obvious that there were not WMD's. This was obvious in 2002. I am not a journalist. I read and I listen. What I read was not adding up to what I was listening to. What I was listened to was not adding up to what I read. 'Why do people want to believe that they can trust their government? By trusting, you get Vietnam, you get Iraq etc. All one has to do is read and read both sides of the coin. Common sense will then prevail if you have it. As citizens it is evident that we have no control as individuals or as a group what are government does in our name. Thank you Bill Moyers for producing this program. What I don't understand is why Bush and Company are not in jail yet? We are on our own folks....We are the government so make it happen.

This documentry got my blood boiling. Back in 1990 when George Sr. was pitching the first gulf war to the public my mother, a lifelong critic of the media, told me point blank that he obviously hired a PRfirm.

"Oh mom that's so cynical" I replied. That's just not possible with a free press. Then after the war was over 60 minutes did a story where they found out - guess what? George Bush hired a PR firm to "sell" the war. I remember thinking as I watched the report "Oh and you just figured that out now?" Of course the press knew it was a snow job, they just didn't have the nerve to say so and like this time, detractors were silenced.

So when George Jr. started selling the second war with it's slogan "Weapons of mass destruction" I knew it was another PR job. I knew then Saddam didn't have any, it seemed obvious. Did the press convienently forget that the US was on daily bombing runs over Iraq since the gulf war? I think the military would have noticed something then.

The media is either stupid or lying ( or both) if they expect us to believe they were duped and didn't know the truth about how the war was pushed on us when simple so called ignorant folks like me knew it was a lie. They should be ashamed of themselves. As a freelance writer I was thinking of getting back into journalism but I see it doesn't exist for real investigators.

Isn't it curious how Judith Miller keeps popping up in connection to the Bush Administration? Robert Novak revealed Palme's name and nothing happens to him but Judith Miller- who didn't write a word on the subject- went to jail on contmept charges in a challenge to the first amendment and it turns out she was working for the Bush administration. Hmmm.

I applaud the work of Bill Moyers, who neo cons tried to silence by trying to influence PBS to "get rid " of him.

My faith in the media was shaky before now I know not to trust it.

I seem to recall a multitude of lawmakers, journalists, and members of the public asking for PROOF of Bush's WMD claims when they were being posited. I also remember northward of 70% of Americans polled saying they thought we should wait for the UN inspectors to finish their work (estimated at about 3 additional months) before invading Iraq.

The issue on the eve of war was whether to allow inspections to continue or RUSH to war.

The fact is, the majority of Americans wanted inspections to continue, and Bush defied the American people and rushed to war anyway.

In helping manufacture the slim margin of consent required to allow such a crime to take place places the pro-war members of the press you profile not in a position of passive acquiescence before a bullying White House, but one of active conspiracy with fascist propagandists.

Though it is unfashionable, it must be said that the American press in this period went the way of the Soviet and Nazi press, and their transgression was not one of simple meekness, but of willful participation in tyranny.

My only hope is that there is an adequate reexamination of the facts to expose those involved in the campaign of disinformation waged against the American people, a project which your show has done a good job of advanced. As a true patriot, I thank you.

Perhaps if the American public can come to grips with the lies that were foisted upon us, we will finally send the criminals responsible into the exile they so richly deserve.

Perhaps then we can get back to the business of real democracy in this great land.

Do you see a large difference between print (ink/digital) and the TV culture in regards to reporting inside and outside of the beltway?

Going forward, do you have a sense that the DC/beltway reporters "learned their lesson"? If not now, then ever? What impact, if any, do you see in the reporting community?

Can there be a return of "just the facts journalism" or are we too far down the road of the punditry culture?

This was a great episode that I hope is widely seen.

Stay skeptical.

George W. Bush = The King George we never had.

Or wanted.

Pacifica news had many of the counter-arguements and critics of the war the whole time. Too bad more people don't hear it.

I am overwhelmed to see the amount of replys here! I was hoping for this kind of response! I just hope the rest of America has an opportunity to see this show. All I can say is we as americans have to let OUR representatives know that this President and all of his kronies must be IMPEACHED! We have the lies on tape!let's round them all up and throw them back in their faces! The Founders of our Constitution stated that if a President lies to congress He can be Impeached. That he has done.
Mr. Moyers, I congratulate you on this show! Please keep up the great work!

the post from "preameriKKKan" proves my point from my last post, which I would be a tad bit surprised if it's posted

I just wanted to say that this program has come at a very important time in my life. I was in high school when all of these things were happening, sadly this means I really wasn't paying that much attention to the big issues. My perception of 9/11 and all that surrounded it was painted by what little I saw on the news and then polished off with the ever growing opinions of my hometown (opinions generated from the media).
At that point in my life I didn't see why I would need to question. Maybe it was that I still didn't fully understand politics, maybe it was adolecent apathy, or maybe it was a mixture of both as well as a very strong feeling of comfort in my personal life. I had a boyfriend, I was doing well enough in school, I had fun in my free time, those were/are my freedoms as an American--why would I want to disturb that peace?
It sounds horrible, and it is. I can't say that other people feel this way. I believe that they do (conciously or not), especially people of my generation. We are reeping the benefits of the struggles our parents went through to provide a better life for us.
I could go on, but what I really want to say is that we NEED these reminders to keep us questioning, to stir up the calm and comfortable/sheltered lives we have establashed for ourselves. We can't become sheep.

Because I watch PBS Newshour, BBC News, Charlie Rose and use the internet in place of newspapers, I was aware of the flaws in the administration's case for the war in Iraq. The steamroller propaganda effort to label anyone who questioned the need for war was obvious. The disagreement of the majority of our allies with the need to invade Iraq was another red flag. Why is there no discussion of the reasons we did not continue on to Baghdad during the first Gulf War? The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a lengthy multiple day story addressing this issue. Many television news shows had detailed explanations of why we were not invading Iraq. Then Secretary of Defense, Dick Cheney was a spokesman for why we should not remove Saddham Hussein from power. Several years ago, a cable show ran an interview with Mr. Cheney as part of a program on their best shows on their tenth anniversary. How did we allow the administration to frame the issue so there was no discussion of these concerns? Why didn't the Democrats (especially John Kerry) make use of the Cheney interview in 2004?

While this program describes the misinformation and propaganda engine that took us to war, THIS PROGRAM FAILS TO ADDRESS THE MYTH AND PROPAGANDA THAT PERPETUATES THE BELIEF THAT WE ARE STILL AT WAR. Why are we still calling the situation in Irag a war?

In fact, Bush himself declared the end of hostilities in 2003. Since then we have been an occupational force persiding over reconstruction (which obviously has gone bad).
Consequently, the administration continues to define the nature of the debate and the press and public (including Bill Moyers as far as I can tell) continue to follow the administration's lead.

Why is this important? The power of a war time president is far greater than otherwise. War always threatens the fabric of democracy. It's far easier to suspend our liberties during "war" than at any other time.

The quality of the special report is very good. I taped the program for a specific purpose of informing certain people that they have been deceived and misled because of partisan politics.

I would consider myself a true conservative, but because of the horrific consequences of the war and the repugnant attitude of the belligerent partisan politics, I am now unaffiliated with Republican Party and have been a registered Libertarian since.

I was one of the protesters who demonstrated against America's war on Iraq in Salt Lake City February 2003.

I was one of the protesters who demonstrated against America's continuous occupation of Iraq as unjust policy in Salt Lake City March 2004.

Both times I carried a self-made cartoon poster depicting the rich fat cat from Disney cartoon Rescue Rangers smoking a cigar amid gold bags and piles of greenbacks with the black bold words above "GREED IS GOOD".

I consider any person who unapologetically and jingoistically supports Iraq war and the continuous campaign of the War on Terror while the accused leader Osama is somehow not pursued with intensity -- unjust as it is now -- a neoconservative.

I knew the truth about the media lies and have preferred political/current affairs blogs over published mainstream and even alternative newspapers and television news. I've had enough of the mainstream press; they have already discredited themselves and it shows in declining newspaper circulations.

Propaganda may be powerful and persuasive but its effect never last long and the truth of the reality emerges that tell a different story.

I have included in my link a photographic slideshow on America's future new war that I fear will fare even worse than 'post-war' Iraq crisis in devastating consequences.

Mission is NOT accomplished as Bush preemptively claims in the spectacular show of propaganda landing on an aircraft carrier not long after the beginning of the Iraq war.

It comes with irony that former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger had said "The real distinction is between those who adapt their purposes to reality and those who seek to mold reality in the light of their purposes."

In other words, neoconservative pundits and deciders are incapable of accepting the brutal reality contrary to their fantasy of conquering the Middle East and Central Asia to accomplish the principles as explained in the documents developed by Project for the New American Century ("Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for a New Century") and The Institute for Advanced Strategic and Political Studies ("A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm").

Only sensible decision in pursuing peace by stronger diplomatic relations while not being loyal to another particular state (you will know what state I refer to) that does America's bidding will resolve the pressing international issues and make world peace the ultimate accomplishment as President Kennedy articulated in his inaugural address.

And it was President Kennedy's rational decision to deal with USSR diplomatically that prevented the catastrophic consequence of an all-out nuclear warfare when the Cuban Missile Crisis surfaced. The world was close to the point of no return at that time and the human civilization cannot afford the new crisis that will severely affect the world as we know it.

This is why George W Bush and Richard B Cheney deserve impeachment and high-level officials (current and former involved in the Iraq war II campaign) prosecuted for treason to the Constitution and America's sovereignty & welfare for lying the nation into unnecessary wars that serve the agenda which do not benefit America and the world in any way, shape or form!

Things started to go wrong in journalism when television networks stopped treating their news divisions as a public service and started employing these divisions as profit centers. Once the pursuit of ratings and advertising dollars entered the picture, objectivity left the room.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to you, Bill Moyers, the Knight-Ridder reporters and their bosses for being authentic reporters, eschewing the "news entertainment" venue for probing for the facts. Whatever happened to going beyond the Who? the What? and the Where? to the When? the Why? and the How???

I, as many previous bloggers have reported, have lost friends in passionately demanding answers before supporting a war that could take my son or his friends' lives. I could not get them to understand that I cried every single morning over each death as it was reported. I can barely stand to see their faces, their names, their ages as they scroll down my tv screen. It is simply unbelievable to me that any American can see this as necessary and just. I have never been so ashamed of being an American, seen as so cold-heartedly willing to sacrifice our young men and women without asking the appropriate caretaking questions that were our duty to ask. We, the American people, are to blame for this war.

I stopped watching the network news a long time ago, and have stopped watching the PBS Newshour since before the war. Only TV news-related programs which I regualrly watch are/were Ted Koppel's Nightline, PBS Frontline, and whatever Bill Moyers hosts.

What reported in the progarm makes me wonder whether Ted Koppel was similarly pushed out of ABC like the MSNBC's host. Any idea? I know that this question makes me sound like a conspiracy theorist whom I don't want to be.

New York Times, Washington Post, etc, have lost my trust for their pre-war propogada, particularly through those sickening columnists. I still respect Jim Leher however can not bear to look at and listen to his "regular commentators" and experts. New Yorker has done a good job in telling the truth. Now, thanks to this program, I know the Knight Ridder as another trustwhorthy news source so that I don't have to solely rely on British in the future. Hey Brits, if any of you are here, don't let your country slide into our situation so that media is controlled by a few companies in the name of deregulation. Free press is much more important than the bottom line. Is it surprising that our Yahoo and Microsoft are helping Chinese government control their internet?

Any plan for a program on the "experts"? So many ivy league professors were also on the air before the war. I can only remember Prof. Nye from Harvard who sounded familiar like an fellow American. I paid a tribute to the Jefferson, FDR memoriams during the Cherry Festival. Let us keep America American and push back the un-American Patriot Act.

This is pretty typical media flagellation, ablution if you are Catholic, I guess.

It's like the media are saying, "Now that we know we could/should have fulfilled the hyperbole we arrogate to ourselves as the (so-called)Fourth Estate, let's beat ourselves bloody and promise (honest, I'll write it 100 times on the chalkboard teacher) to be better boys and girls if we can just have another chance! Just one more chance, please... I promise!"

As an ordinary citizen, out here in blahs ville, there was enough information available to me to critically evaluate the pablum (paregoric anyone? -- "Paregoric by the bottle, forced down baby's throttle") force fed, then propagated and promulgated by, the media. How could the media get it so wrong? Easy -- Advertisers & Money.

Interesting, isn't it, that MSNBC would fire both Phil Donahue and Don Imus. It's money and power folks, that is it -- all of it. Forget the media -- they are the tools, henchmen, thugs of the policy makers -- Think, think, think. Vote, vote, vote. And, most importantly, ACT!

Don't seek demonstration permits, accept 1st amendment ghettos (chain link barriers blocks from where a politician is appearing), or file parade (er, I mean demonstration) routes. Go where you are not expected. Disrupt. Disrupt. Disrupt. Most importantly, don't invite the media -- Let them find you! Surprise them! They are not your friend.

Now that Messrs. Moyer and compatriots have engaged in their self-flagellating ablution-laden rhetoric methinks they (the media) are going to do it all over again. That is their depressing, spiraling cycle and I fear the inhuman consequences of the next round.

After all, as the self-arrogated "Fourth Estate" they are at the center of power and will not relinquish it. Willing handmaidens to power and to be distrusted in whatever guise they appear.

Okay -- enough of the rant. As a disenchanted formerly aspiring journalist, I would happily work with, next to, or for the Knight-Ridder editor who gave his reporters free rein. Kudos to those two and their boss -- If only that chain had an outlet in either the political center (D.C.) or the economic center (NYC) of this country...

Watching Bill Moyer's special tonight was both validating (because the information was readily available for the inquisitive) and depressing (because I was helpless to stop those blithering idiots).

Dick Cheney is one or two stents (the dictionary suggests "skunks" as an alternative...) shy of having a heart and I think it is too damn bad he has had so many stents.

Good Night!

It's a huge weight off my heart and mind to see all the insightful, energetic and intelligent comments here (excluding Mr. Winkler's). I no longer feel so alone in my futile search for truthful "news." The question is, "Now what?" Is there any way to move the media away from sensationalism and private interest and return to the fine craft of true journalism?

Here's what we can do now. We have to convince our reps in Congress that the funding must be cut off immediately. Not in 1 year or even 6 months...but now. All the Congress has to do is...nothing. Really. Don't pass a bill that provides money for continuing this disastrous policy. This is not only Congress' Constitutional right, but it's their obligation. Stop the money...stop the war.

Two quick but important facts:
1) Not only does the majority of Iraqis want us to leave now, but they even believe that attacks against our troops are justified.
2) According to our own CIA, our continuing occupation in Iraq is creating more terrorists.

Sources for these can be found at the spoof McCain website:
http://www.electjohnmccain2008.com

Wow. I don't know which news sources to turn to anymore. I read many of those very same newspaper articles cited in the program. And like many news consumers, I absorbed it all, and marched along to the drumbeat. (I really wish I had read the Knight Ridder articles then.)

I think of myself as a relatively well-informed citizen. I read the news regularly from a variety of sources. But now I know, even with that, I may still not be as informed as I would like to believe. I'm disappointed and even angry that I can't trust the news articles I'm reading anymore. I'm angry at the media for not doing their jobs. I'm angry that there isn't a higher standard in journalism. I'm angry that there seems to be ZERO accountability in journalism for getting it SO wrong. As a news consumer and as citizen of this country, I demand better. We should all demand much much better.

In some ways I feel that many of the comments are a little disingenuous. I believe that if one ask the American people whether they're against the Iraqi war, or against how it has been managed, you will find that most are against how it has been managed. Furthermore, if America had fought this Iraqi war the way we fought the Secound World War, we would win. America has hoped that its technologies would win this peace. But it hasn't. We did win the war in Iraq. We are losing the peace. Until we're willing to fight a kind of war dictated by the enemy, we will continue to lose; unless science and technology improves to win, otherwise.

If you check the opinions of the American people before the Secound World War, you will discover that most Americans did not support that war ahead of Pearl Harbor. President Roosevelt eluded the judgement of the American people by secretly meeting with Churchill on a ship off shore to ascertain England's military needs to defend against the German onslaught.

Another thing regarding President Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq is that the only time that the American people would likely support a war with Saddam Hussein was right after 9-11. Bush understood the psychlogy of politics very well and knew that this was a time to act. Emphasizing the evidence may have seemed important to gain the American peoples' assured support. History will decide whether he made the right decision.
One thing is for sure, and that is that most leaders in the world believed that Hussein should go. Most leaders in the world believed that Hussein would use his oil money and power to one day harm the West, either by handing weapons off to terrorist, or by using them himself.

War is hell, and should be avoided if possible. But the truth is that Thomas Jefferson believed that war is necessary in defeating dyrants, or terrorist. Lets hope that America doesn't equivocate and surrender to threats from terrorist. Having said all of this, America and the West are very scientific and technologically powerful, and can afford to vacillate. But at what eventual cost? WMDs will get smaller and bigger, and one man/woman, or a few, will be able to destroy cities. What then? they have all the time in the world to do this unless we can win them over, or change them first.

I want to see "W" easel boy and all those in his administration held accountable! I am so tired of all the deceit. And here we all are, after watching another Stellar program from the great Bill Moyers, while the War of lies continues marching on! Call your congressman or woman and demand that baby bush be held accountable and too put an END to this War!

Thank You Mr. Moyers for another great program!

This will help explain things......

-- Most people prefer to believe their leaders are just and fair, even in the face of evidence to the contrary, because once a citizen acknowledges that the government under which they live is lying and corrupt, the citizen has to choose what he or she will do about it. To take action in the face of a corrupt government entails risks of harm to life and loved ones. To choose to do nothing is to surrender one's self-image of standing for principles. Most people do not have the courage to face that choice. Hence, most propaganda is not designed to fool the critical thinker but only to give moral cowards an excuse not to think at all...

If you've just seen Bill Moyers "Buying the War" and are in shock that is a good thing "wake up", now tell all of your family and friends....... and last but not least, find more answers.

Demolition....

I think it was unfair to equate this war with fighting the Germans. The Iraqi Army has been defeated…these are terrorists sponsored by outside factions. I know because we caught 12 of them coming into Iraq with wads of Iranian money.
I spent 16 months on active duty because of this war. I never bought it from the start and I could not believe people were buying into this so whole heartedly. It is so funny to me how the US public (most of which have not served) were so eager to send in the troops.
yea...3000+ have died...but the real tragedies are the physically and mentally wounded and the long-lasting effects on the US. People can get over the fact you are gone...when you are still here with problems...that is going to last a lifetime. You forget about the families that have been ripped apart because of deployments and obligations; Employers doing without employees for 18 months.
Also, having been there I am tired of the armchair quarterbacks here in the media and law offices. What you don't understand is that YES we should not have gone there...but now it is too late. To stop now would just equate to us going back or to another place like it in the not so distant future. Since Bush Sr. stopped the taking of Saddam in the first Gulf War...we are there now. To leave this battle will mean our children will have to fight another day.

No matter how much I want it to end…leaving right now is NOT the right answer…If you don’t believe me…take up your arms and follow me. Swear in and put on the uniform…if you don’t want to put on the uniform…well, just shut up!

As they say, freedom is not free. Remember that.

Political correctness is more a comical myth among liberals than truth and where it does exists its about showing respect to those different than us.

True political correctness exist within the ‘you’re either with us or against us’ right wing of the conservative end of the Republican Party. Qualifications matter little to this group compared to strict party loyalty down to accepting every single party principle of the moment. It is not possible to say something is, for example, truly blue when party loyalty demands it to be red.

As a former newspaper reporter who deplores the decline of the journalistic enterprise, I honor and applaud Jonathon Landay and Warren Strobel for their courageous and excellent reporting. It was a beacon in those dark days of the rush to war for millions of us who believed from the beginning that an invasion of Iraq would be a disaster. My question for the two of you: what journalism awards have you received for your coverage of Iraq?

Mr. Moyers, a salute to you. We're hearing that this administration is absolutely out of it's little MIND and we're growing a little concerned.

43 is a thug, a mass murderer and a crook, and somebody actually voted for him, or did they?

chalabi has OUR tax money! make judith miller and other warmongers pay it back.

now understand why nyt faded from my bookmark list.

at least, now we're ALL skeptics. you cannot believe one single thing that the MSM has to "report".

if you're hearing a speech, "and so forth" are code words for "i'm just reciting here, don't ask for details!"

what's up with the 7 REFRIGERATOR trucks! chalabi thinks amurkins are troglodytes, ha!

darth as "source" = halliburton payback

televised words hurt a bit, ay? emails will byte you back, won't they?

safire wrote 27 articles? follow the $ on THAT guy!

moyers makes tenets book worthless!

bob simon wanted to make the war "light"?!!! and he only has 1000 mea culpas?

WHIG, stand up and be counted! too clever by twice, ayy, KKKarl?

Make dicky, rummy, kkkarl, harriet, condi "mushroom cloud" rice, 43, 43's mom and dad, feith, wolfy, judith, david, michael, both kyles, hell, make KKKARL'S mom and dad pay back what it has cost to invade iraq. dammit, make ALL those war profiteers PAY us back!

interesting quotes- (can't remember who said them all, they just stood out)

"the vp is lying."

"you leak the story then you quote the story, remarkable."

(about russert) "bob simon didn't wait for the phone to ring"

stabpress = walter pincus saying about the bad intel story, "it wasn't picked up."

"there were 143 wapo stories, only a handful that made the opposite case or raised ?'s about the war."

"who defines definitive?"

"[we want to] be ahead of the curve but not out on a limb."

"a terrible FEAR!"

me: in other words, the 4th estate f**ked us and why did oprah have judith miller on?

why?

hillary, you blew it!! Teddy, you ROCK!

1 mill vs. 36 words!!! holy F**KING S**T!! the caps DO feel better, ayy 8-))

bill oreilly, the BAD amurkin!
donahue, the GOOD American.

who is going to pay for this? we are. doesn't that just BURN you?

john walcott, jonathan landay, stroebel, knight ridder, wow

i AM intellectually incoherent. mainly because i'm so damn MAD!

"i think that's a good point" = "i think that's a fair question."

dan rather, russert, who are your sources!! obviously, if you can't make money at the journalism thing, you're just going to just be a freakin' pundit welfare office!

who are charles hanley's editors?

colin powell must feel like a chump!

rather is not credible as a reporter, he's too damn scared!

DRAFT the kids of william kristol, krauthammer, gerson! someone is profiting, they must serve if they believe in this war! if you are a warmonger, you MUST take your child down to the recruitment office tomorrow morning, or you are the worst kind of hypocrite, YOU are scum that hate America.

I think its important to realise that a majority of the actions of this administration are based on various covert groups agenda as well as corporate groups that "donated" money to help bring them into power. Don't get it twisted America, the person who pays you in the boss, not the other way around. These organisations have ties to both sides of politics and I feel thats important to note with a election in the not so distant future. I heard someone earlier ask about "WHY" and the "motive" behind all this. Might i suggest a simple answer, CONTROL. Naturally it goes deeper than just that but i'm not going to go into it.
I'd like to finish in saying, i have the upmost respect for You both along with the others featured on this program that sought after the truth whole heartedly. Thank You and God Bless. Sincerely, Graft

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, FOR FERRETING OUT THE 'REAL' REPORTS ON WMDs "WORDS OF MASS DISTRUCTION" ... AND FOR BRINGING TO LIGHT THIS STORY AND ADMISSION OF A JOB NOT WELL DONE BY COLLEAGUES. WE LEARN BY OUR MISTAKES AND WE GO ON...THE AMERICAN SPIRIT ENDURES-- THIS STORY IS PROOF THAT THE TRUTH WILL PREVAIL..HOWEVER, IN THIS CASE, NOT IN A 'TIMELY FASHION.'

MY PRAYER IS THAT THIS STORY WILL BE SHOWN, TAUGHT, AND USED TO TRAIN OUR YOUNG REPORTERS TO CONTINUE TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO...TO CHALLENGE THE WAY PROFESSIONAL AND HONORED JOURNALIST REPORT WHEN THEY ARE WRONG; AND TO TAKE ACTION EVEN IN THE LIGHT OF DISAPPROVAL BY PEERS. COURAGE. COURAGE. --YES, THE PRESS CHICKENED OUT ON PRESENTING THE VARIOUS SIDES OF THE STORY... LAZY IN SEEKING FACTS, AND BECAME THE VICTIMS OF THEIR OWN WORDS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AND THE 'MOB MENTALITY' AS SEEN THROUGH THE MEDIA.

MOVING FORWARD, I HAVE FAITH AGAIN IN OUR SYSTEM -- AS THIS REVEALS A SOCIETY IN NEED OF TRANSFORMATION AND IMPROVEMENT.

GOD HELP US TO BE...BE THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT CAN LEAD OUR YOUTH INTO RESPECT AND HONOR AND HOLD THE VISION FOR A FUTURE OF GOODNESS AND HEALING...IN THE YEARS THAT ARE AHEAD. FOR NOW...WHAT ACTION CAN WE TAKE? SUPPORT OUR TROOPS TO RETREAT IN A SAFE AND TIMELY MANNER; REPAIR AND PAY FOR THE ERRORS WE HAVE CREATED; BE THE VISIONARIES OF HEALING A TORN APART SOCIETY BOTH HERE IN THE US AND IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, FOR FERRETING OUT THE 'REAL' REPORTS ON WMDs "WORDS OF MASS DISTRUCTION" ... AND FOR BRINGING TO LIGHT THIS STORY AND ADMISSION OF A JOB NOT WELL DONE BY COLLEAGUES. WE LEARN BY OUR MISTAKES AND WE GO ON...THE AMERICAN SPIRIT ENDURES-- THIS STORY IS PROOF THAT THE TRUTH WILL PREVAIL..HOWEVER, IN THIS CASE, NOT IN A 'TIMELY FASHION.'

MY PRAYER IS THAT THIS STORY WILL BE SHOWN, TAUGHT, AND USED TO TRAIN OUR YOUNG REPORTERS TO CONTINUE TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO...TO CHALLENGE THE WAY PROFESSIONAL AND HONORED JOURNALIST REPORT WHEN THEY ARE WRONG; AND TO TAKE ACTION EVEN IN THE LIGHT OF DISAPPROVAL BY PEERS. COURAGE. COURAGE. --YES, THE PRESS CHICKENED OUT ON PRESENTING THE VARIOUS SIDES OF THE STORY... LAZY IN SEEKING FACTS, AND BECAME THE VICTIMS OF THEIR OWN WORDS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AND THE 'MOB MENTALITY' AS SEEN THROUGH THE MEDIA.

MOVING FORWARD, I HAVE FAITH AGAIN IN OUR SYSTEM -- AS THIS REVEALS A SOCIETY IN NEED OF TRANSFORMATION AND IMPROVEMENT.

GOD HELP US TO BE...BE THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT CAN LEAD OUR YOUTH INTO RESPECT AND HONOR AND HOLD THE VISION FOR A FUTURE OF GOODNESS AND HEALING...IN THE YEARS THAT ARE AHEAD. FOR NOW...WHAT ACTION CAN WE TAKE? SUPPORT OUR TROOPS TO RETREAT IN A SAFE AND TIMELY MANNER; REPAIR AND PAY FOR THE ERRORS WE HAVE CREATED; BE THE VISIONARIES OF HEALING A TORN APART SOCIETY BOTH HERE IN THE US AND IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

As the brother of a 9/11 victim in the Pentagon, our family has and will never recover from the grief. Yet, contrary to the media coverage of the atmosphere of universal support for military action - a certain sense of entitlement to 'vengance' - our family talked frankly about how military action was going to produce more casualties, around the world, just like us - who were going to have bombs dropped on them around the world, and that this would be done in our the name of our loved one. We were able to talk about this seperate from the notion of politics.

The days after 9/11 were full of pain - but the conversations I was having on the street with people, with friends and family, on the military base, were nuanced and ran a full spectrum of thoughtfulness about our predicament - from ideas of nonviolence, and showing the world how we could respond to 9/11 in the right way - by holding our values up - I heard more of that in talking to people, even those grieving, waiting to find out news of their loved one.

Quickly the drumbeat of the media, particularly the television media, which favors black and white issues with little shades of nuance seemed to change the landscape. I've felt that often times we are corrupted by the idea that we can have quick 'closure' to violence like 9/11 if we indulge in blind vengance, somehow on the side of God. There were many 9/11 families who did not want that, who went to their family members funerals, and eulogized not on the ideas of vengance, but universal brotherhood.

What is also denied to us as victims is to see the perpetrators of 9/11 punished in a court of law - and be able to face them. Instead they are secretly held - in fact thousands secretly held, and tortured. I want the old America back - perhaps the one that never has existed, or perhaps could be the one we can all work to build.

Thanks for this program, Bill Moyers, and thank you to reporters who have the guts to report what you find even when there is a "hurricane of political winds" blowing against you. There are alot of decent folks who are affected by this who are with you and support you.

I am an active duty service member who participated in the "war" from the very first hours, and I wish to applaud Mr. Moyers for tackling such a controversial issue. Being overseas during the build-up and later execution of the war, we were able to view and read news from sources other than the U.S. It is interesting to note that U.S. reporting seemed to be the only news source that ignored any contradicting evidence of Iraqi WMD. Turns out the French were right.

first, welcome back mr. moyers. you are a sight for sore eyes. just a comment for mr. linday and mr. strobel: thank you gentlemen for your hard work and dedication to the truth. i know the job of a journalist is thankless (unless you are a yes-man and rewarded with may hours of air time), but for those of you who go unmentioned that really do your job correctly, you do not get the thanks you deserve. thank you for your long hours of research. thank you for thinking critically about everything. and thank you for being a beacon of light through these very dark times. i hope that if you ever may grow weary from being a beacon, you understand that there are american citizens that recognize your perserverence and hold you up as vital public servants for the united states of america. peace be with the citizens of iraq and afghanistan that were murdered senslessly, peace be with the men and women of the united states military who are sent in harm's way, peace be with those families that have lost loved ones in this illegal and immoral war, and peace be with you gentlemen.

tiffany

Just as surely as the NY Times' Ray Bonner was demolished for telling the truth about a US-abetted massacre at El Mozote in El Salvador in 12/81, and just as Robert Parry was "dismissed" from the AP and Newsweek for his "sin" of breaking the Iran Contra story, and just as Gary Webb's career was destroyed for his embarrassing the govt. by revealing it's unsavory ties to drug importers in the "Just Say No"-Reagan era, so, too, will Bill Moyers, Warren Strobel and Jon Landry also be sent packing.

It's over, folks!

When Ben Badikian, the Dean of Berkeley's Journalism School, wrote in his book, "The Media Monopoly" that the consolidation of the press was gravely threatening to destroy the free press in America, he was right, but he badly understated the case.

When the first edition of his book came out there were about 19 independent news sources in the USA, down from ~50 when he'd started as a cub reporter. Ther are now no more than 5 or 6 independent sources of news and, as Moyers pointed out, they "need" to stay in the good graces of govt. They play along to get along, for there's too much at risk for them to do anything else.

To borrow from our distinguished US Attorney General, the idea the USA has a free press is a "quaint" notion.

It's over, kaput. Bill Moyers is wonderful, but he's old and he'll soon be gone, even though I won't forget him or stop thanking him.

Normon Solomon is all but unknown and isn't ever going to be. And those who are paid journalists have mortgages to pay and mouths to feed and so they'll mind their manners, or else.

The fusion of corporate and state power is all but complete regarding the press, and much else, too.

God bless Moyers, Landry and Strobel! But anyone who wants to know what's going on, who wants real news, will have to look for it on the internet from the foreign press.

Gary A. in San Francisco

Great report and at the same time a very sad report to see that a lot of these same reporters and "experts" are still having their voices heard. They have also not changed how they report this administrations talking points I thank you Mr. Moyer for this report, amazing show! Everyone needs to get the word out about this report. We need more people like Jonathan Landay, Warren Strobel, Scott Ritter. People who have the guts to find the real story and bring it to the people. Cheers to Knight Ridder!

Bill Moyers you and the intrepid journalists from Knight Ridder are my heros! Keep up the good work, there are many dragons to be slain! (But they aren't as big as they used to seem)

Thanks Knight-Ridder. I'll be looking for your byline.

Moyers, Landay, and Strobel:

Thank you.

Just...thanks. There people of all stripes in this country (and beyond) who appreciate so much the work you are doing, including this teenager.

It's unfortunate the webcast could not go as scheduled.

I missed all but 5 mins of this broadcast, but I was there when this all happened. When we declared Iraq an axis of evil when the 10th Mountain Division got to use their training to eradicate the Taliban.
I was there when our President said this is what needs to happen to prevent another 9-11. You don't need to be a reporter or a scab in Washington. You just need to use common sense.

I just don't understand how so many people were snowed in patriotism to see the beckoning of a nazi like calling.

Well we're doing ok we have lost less soldiers lives than any war. Even though my buddy lost his squad leader, his gunners legs and half his face there is a bright side.

We still have our freedom and get to watch television. My air conditioner runs on high night and day. Our cars burn fuel at a rate of 10-15 miles to a gallon and our oil company's make record profits. Hooray profits.

So I only saw 5 mins of this program, but I have been living 12 years of it. This isn't about President Bush or President Clinton. It's about securing resources and only way to do that is to secure world peace just some people use guns, some use sanctions, and some use cruise missles.

I had a great bumber sticker I stole from a farm it said, "Eat your import" obviously from the 1980's and the revolt of american laborers against cheap fuel efficient imported automobiles.

So what I am saying is if you didn't know what was going on till you saw this program it was a conscience decision to just ignore the truth, because it would make life inconvenient to dissent against the powers that be.

I end on the Info/Digital Age and the people it has created. Have fun feasting on this and never get a reply.

Gentlemen:

You did a heroic and professional job reporting on the run-up to the war, as Bill Moyers did tonight on most of journalism's failure during the same period. The real elephant in the closet, however, is your and the rest of the establishment media's failure to seriously examine the administration's account of the 911 attack itself. THAT issue is far more taboo than WMDs everwere and even your fine organization is still failing the country even by ignoring it. Dozens of courageous high-level public officials, past and present, Republicans and Democrats alike, have concluded that the 911 Commission Report is deeply flawed. And just recently Senator John Kerry told a public audience that his review of the evidence shows that building 7 at the WTC was brought down by a controlled-demolition--something anybody with unimpaired vision can see for themselves but that utterly contradicts the official account. Start there, gentlemen, and follow the evidence. This is the one that will test you to see if you can continue down the courageous path you have so brilliant followed so far. Good luck and watch your backs.

Eddie

I have never been enchanted with NYT and less the Washington Post. But from today I'll my friends about Knight Ridder, what a truly patriotic news crew!

And thanks Bill Moyer, for coming back!

One question, why no mention of the common thread between
Krauthammer, william Safire, Kristol, Perle and the other notorious faces. I can only wonder how powerful PNAC's attack squad might be like.

Pathma

I remember in 2003 a show call NOW exposed that the President had openly and deliberatly lie to the American people. Out here in the west there was KPFK radio. There were voices out there but the drown out by the rally to war. Thank GOD, the press is finally becoming unfrozen by fear. Perhaps the American people can go back to being informed rather than manipulated into a opinion.

Well tonight I saw the report about the false reporting that lead to the Iraq War. I have been in the military for over 15 years and have deployed all over the world on different missions and also over to the middle east. It just amazed me how my commander in chief keeps pressing the issue on Iraq. The terrorist dont wear any uniforms and dont have military bases like we have. This War will not end anytime soon...Our enemies don't wear uniforms so its impossible to win it.
I'll bet anybody out there who thinks that we ca nwin this war....This war has already been lost.
Just look at the news and al lthe Joes coming back all messed up. And to this date our own gov. keeps lying to us.......
I have one thing to add to this...just bring the troops home...This War is lost......
Our enemies are our neighbors that live next door to us. They wear civilan cloths and we cant tell if they are friend or foe......

Thank you. I have been waiting for this story to be told for sometime now, and you absolutely nailed it.

Thanks for staying true to the responsibility of being the fourth estate.

In watching the program, I was frustrated all over again because politicians who supported the invasion of Iraq are saying "if I knew then..." Well I knew because I read - including the intelligence estimate that was released.

I find it almost impossible that those in Washington - who certainly have access to information and the classified reports; who can talk to anyone at the Pentagon, State Department, or CIA that they want, could not know that the whole thing was a con job.

My question is, can any representative in Washington claim with any credibility that they didn't know this was propaganda?

My second question is why the press continues to allow the Bush administration, and Cheney in particular, continue to repeat the lies that they were spinning in the run-up to the invasion without commenting on the fact these claims have been proven false?

I still remember the feeling leading up to the war. It wasn't just one of isolation, it was the feeling that everyone else couldn't be crazy, so it must be me. But I knew it wasn't me so I looked for the shed skins and the pods of those who were converted to mindless zombies.
I was so naive. I still trusted the media and I would e-mail them simple questions and observations thinking I was helpful. Things like "hey, if they wanted to take over, then they would have landed to planes. So why is our freedom at stake again?"

We are still not there yet, and many will never believe, but reports like this help us to understand the real enemy and who is committed to the destruction of this country.
Now we are finding that these enemies won't step down when called out and disgraced. In fact, the more they lie the more praise they receive from the president. I'm certain that we are going to see that the administration was involved in a campaign to subvert free and fair elections and has tampered with the administration of justice. I don't know what else we will find but I'm thinking war crimes trials better not be taken off the table. Maybe, just maybe Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and at least Fieth swinging from a rope might go a long way toward atonement.

A nice piece of half-truth. Or should I say, half the story. In the winter of 2002-03, being the militant independent I am, I judiciously ignored the "drumbeats" of the administration, and paid more attention to the words of the UN's head peacenik, Hans Blix. In his last report to the Security Council, several weeks before the invasion of Iraq, he again said that there were tons of anthrax, Vx nerve agent, etc., that were still unaccounted for -- and that Saddam's government was still playing cat and mouse rather than doing what they agreed to do in the cease fire agreement for the 1st Gulf War: cooperate. I think many Americans, including many upstanding journalists had one eye on Blix and felt that this was a guy they could trust. And he was saying he didn't know if the WMD still existed. I'm not prepared to give the members of my first career a pass on this issue. But the drumbeats of the Bushies were only half the story.

The only media I trust as of 2003 is now McClatchy, the former Knight-Ridder. Thank you for your courage and dedication gentlemen.

Did your experience frustration because your stories were being ignored? What did you think and feel when the rest of the MSM were schilling for the Bush administration?

Excellently detailed story.

Join us for a live chat Thursday night at 9PM EST DemocracyInteractive.com about the Moyers program.

http://www.democracyinteractive.com

In the months prior to US attack on Iraq I felt like there must be something wrong with me because everyone around me was for the war and I did not understand why no one is questioning the FOX news.
Thank you for your hard work.
I hope that the American public will take a deep breath and look at all the facts before our president sends us off to war with Iran.

I enjoyed the documentary, but I already knew everything it exposed and more, because I listen to pacifica radio. Any pacifica radio listener would have known, based on the facts delivered by investigative journalists and others who would really know, that the administration was full of BS and what the real agenda was. What I would like to know is how come I knew-- without intelligence reports or security clearance, etc, etc,--just from listening to community sponsored radio-- yet our "representatives" and the mainstream "watchdog for the public" newsmedia supposedly had no idea that anything was amiss? Give me a BREAK!!

Mr. Moyers, this was possibly the most courageous piece of work you've done since resigning as LBJ's press secretary. Hopefully, as then, this will start things moving. The honesty of K-R reporting was not wasted on me over the last few years; every time I read a story that made any sense to me, it had a K-R byline. As to the program, I would have liked to have seen something about Jack Welch. His influence was once again re-examined on the internet. There were a couple of mentions of news as business, but Welch totally personifies this horrible situation. Also, the one thing that was totally absent was 9-11 itself. The assumption of the program seemed to be that 9-11 fell into Bush's lap. We all know that a war was planned before 9-11, to look at those events as unrelated relegates one to the realm of 'Cooincidence Theorist".

Interesting and irritating, but not at all surprising. John Stosell, long ago, did a piece on 20/20 that admitted the media, 20/20 included, did not check it's sources, but rather went along with the prevailing spirit and the bias of the time. The sources were not real, but were plants and no one bothered to verify credibility.
In this way, the media becomes it's own source whilst unknowingly promoting secret agendas leaked to the press as if it were news. This is why reporters interview reporters and seek opinion as if it were fact. This had been going on long before the Iraq war. Talk show hosts stack the deck so that the adversary is in fact stupid, or at least out numbered. They make sure the opinion wanted wins the day. This way was demonstrated in your show when Oprah snubbed the doubter. Donahue, did it all of the time on his show. Those who go along, get along, as they keep their jobs by following the spirit of the day (zietgiest) as they repeat in creative fashion what those around them are already saying. They go along because they don't want to lose their jobs, but also because it is in line with their own beliefs and bias. The facts would get in the way and cause personal hardship. It is hard work to seek the truth and makes for a difficult paycheck, and it is a lonely path with few supporters. The media creates its own identy and promotes those who can join into thier "groupthink". It's ambition, like ego, is it's own survival, not truth, The real news, then facts, and truth, take a back seat to that survival, and may even become an adversary and threat to it. In this way it is no different from from big government or big business. Being the same in so many ways, why would the media people choose to be adversarys? They meet regularly with these people, eat with them, and are on a first name basis. They have more in common with them than they do with "the people".Why would they support and protect what is not common to them? To satisfy personal ambition and insure stability, it has always been better to stay with the winners, and the winners are always those in power. The media are not apart from the established power, but a part of it.

I just can't understand why, if I had doubts about what was being broadcast and what was in print newspapers why the media wouldn't ask the same kind of questions that I had.

Telling how the big-shot reporters declined to comment. You guys are doing a great job. Thanks.
That info about the college student being plagiarized was priceless. Had not seen that before, but then I live in the U.S.
The Knight-Ridder stuff hits home too as I live in SC. Sadly our paper "The State" uses the other guys stories as opposed to the real stuff, which ends up on page 16 if at all.
Best wishies to you both and Mr Moyers a long-time favorite of mine.

My question is why are the history books seemingly neglected when foreign policy is formulated? In both Vietnam and now Iraq, there was a long history of prior conflict that cast serious doubts about America reaching its goals in both wars. Is it simply the arrogance of power and fog of war? Or is history considered too obscure a tool to use? In light of the serious internal tribal conflicts present in Iraq for years, why did our leaders assume a victory was assured? Did they simply believe their own spin and ignore hard facts?

Awesome reporting as usual from the conscience of America: Bill Moyers

BRAVO!

Let the truth go marching on!

I just finished watching the program. Thank you so much for showing that there are still people in this country who are really concerned with establishing the truth.

I read the Mercury News very carefully during that period, and always wondered why I knew more then anyone inside the Beltway!!
Thanks, and I will be reading McClatchy.

Joel Bahu

Besides the censorship by omission of some of Knight-Ridder's newspapers not carrying your stories, did you ever receive any other pressure to stop reporting on stories that questioned the administration's case for war?

When will we ever learn?

Great program. It looks like they will be running it several times this week on my local PBS so I will tape it next time.

No surprises for me since I knew we were going to Iraq on Sept. 12, 2001. Yeah, I knew it that early.

The program is a good educational tool to help educate people on how they cannot rely on MSM to know what is really going on in the US and world.

One suggestion for your website. Where you have the section to sign up for feeds, please add Feedburner capability. Makes it really nice for people to be able to read updates via their email then click if the find one they want to comment on.

It is clear that the administration had a strong, or overwhelming motivation for war in Iraq. Has anyone figured out why?

Well Done, I just watched the show and it was the first primetime tv critique of Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL) that I've seen.
It was interesting to hear the CEO of CNN say that they were snapped into line by FOX's aggressive reporting tactics. To examing this fear more closely I'd recommend the documentary 'Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism'
Also I recently saw the documentary 'Iraq for $ale' and would recommend it if you liked this. Keep digging KR! Moyers Thank you.

Imagine Woodward and Bernstein, but nobody listened.

Be your own skeptic, don't leave it to someone else.

You're reading this via the most powerful research tool in history, the internet.

People, do your own reporting -- for yourself.

Many kudos to Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel for the courage and spine that most MSM reporters lacked post 9/11.

It is also heartening to see Bill Moyers back into insightful TV journalism. CBS news was at its best when Dan Rather had Bill Moyers to do Special Commentaries.

The question is what is the best thing to do now. Among the possible ideas that Landay/Stobel and Moyers could work on for their paper and TV-show :

1. Expose the dishonesty among the right-wing talk radio hosts who seem to enthrall a large populace fearful of 9-11 type attacks.

2. Expose Faux News misrepresentation and skewing of facts.

3. Expose the tremendous waste in Military procurement and DOD R&D projects. Billions of taxpayer $s are wasted because no one has the courage to question anything. There is a nexus of military-contractor-academia that encourage and support hundreds of wasteful projects that are of little practical value.

4. Impeachment of George Bush should be carefully studied. I hope Moyers would put together the best constitutional scholars and find out all the legal implications. Is there a good case for impeachment?

5. Moyers should bring together the liberal and conservative thinkers to explore the damage and harm caused by the Bush regime to our country and the rest of the world.

One of the other posters here mentioned the possibility that Giuliani might have been involved in the demolition of WTC7.

Here's another question:
Rudy's a cop, right? And one of the first things they teach cops is to preserve the evidence at a crime scene, right? Then WHY did he immediately order all the WTC (1, 2, AND 3) steel removed, and shipped as scrap to China? What evidence did he get rid of? The thermate slag along the cut edges of the core columns?

I still haven’t forgiven the Media for it’s coverage of the 2000 election, Bush V Gore, and the Consortium report. This downward spiral all started with the 12/12/00 Supreme Court decision when they all said in essence “get over it” to the American people and asked no questions. The Yellow cake forgeries went unreported yet one page of over twenty pages of corroborating information about George Bushes service (or lack of) caused the firing of Dan Rather. As for me, I watch your show, Now, BBC, and read Truthout, Buzzflash, and CLG. I join thousands of Americans who say “thank god for public Television, thank god for C-span and thank got for the internet”.
I’ve seen all these lies and spins before. I am a Vietnam Veteran.

Thank you for a great program! ...but, grief only grief!
I've been following this situation from the beginning. Air America Radio held me together while the rest of the media managed to disappoint, confuse and frustrated me.
I still wait to see my country reclaim it's direction the the world and it's soul in humanity.
...Sending my love and clarity to all.

When 911 happened... I, like a lot of patriotic Americans... had my flag flying the next day. When our President started trying to make a case for war with Iraq.... I told my wife... if he's right about the WMD's & ties to the terrorists.... then I support the Presidents decision. However... by God, they'd better find WMD's or the USA... which is already hated by most of the world... will really have egg on its face. Now that we have determined that we are in a war based on lies and deception.... it begs the question.... why the hell isn't that son of a bitch being impeached. Bill Clinton got impeached for some sexual indescretions... this man is responsible for the deaths of thousands.... and still walks around as arrogant as always. As a Viet Nam veteran.... I am a bit sensitive to going to war for no reason. I have to say.... I am extremely disappointed in our government right now.
I'm at least glad that there are journalists who are willing to risk the label of being unpatriotic... and tell the truth about this war.

Lots of great comments I agree with, hopefully this was just Bill Moyer's Part 1 (tip of the iceberg) and something I didn't hear a word about in the program was, IRAN, it's already being pushed more and more, you know, "mushroom clouds propaganda" etc.....

Don't let correcting one wrong way interfere with putting a stop to the next one.

Now there will be people stepping up saying, "well, I do think the Iraq invasion was wrong but this Iran thing is different."

If you haven't seen these then dig in...... internet video.

Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq war

Orwell Rolls In His Grave

The Third Stage

Greets,

Bravo, Knight Ridder! Moyers gets it right in that very few "liberals" had access to truthful reporting leading up to the US invasion of Iraq. The trouble, as described in the show, is with the strings attached with the US Media, all well researched in McChesney and Nichols' 'Our Media, Not Theirs.' Even so, much of the burden lies on the consumers as well. If the public can't get half-reasonable answers to the obvious 'hows' and 'whys,' then they are clearly on someone else's ride. The worst bit is, that the mainstream "liberal" media in the States continues to suffer from the pressures of lobbies when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict. When EU Commission's survey puts Israel as the biggest threat to world peace, ahead of Iran, Afghanistan, North Korea, and even US, the American media either pans it or if it has to comment on it, it repeats the AIPAC line. The bias is clear in the rest of the Arab-Israeli reporting, too. Public with access to FREE press, would undeniably ask, "What are the people watching, listening, reading, in the rest of the world, that us Americans aren't? The entire world, outside Israel and the US, can't possibly be anti-semitic." I think we need to emulate BBC in trying to approach a free-press model.

Regards,
~
Ajit

Thank You.

The critical intellect is sacred,
not money, titles or positions of power.

More elusive than even the bluebird of happiness it must for our own preservation & survival be our only quest.

You are one of several saving graces among a frighteningly failed American media.

Now i & each of us must go forth & respect & follow our animate intellects.

Good program, as you would expect from Moyers.

Thanks to the KR/McClatchy guys. You may have felt like you were screaming into the wind back in '02, but your efforts were deeply appreciated back then by those of us who bothered to pay attention. And, of course, your efforts are still very much valued now. It is scandalous how you guys are able to put out such quality stuff, considering your resources in comparison with other outlets. Bravo.

Couple of questions:

1. Has anyone in Congress ever shown interest in your work? Here I'm thinking of the stalled Senate Select Intelligence investigation, which in phase two was supposed to probe whether Bush officials deliberately manipulated intelligence on Iraq. Pat Roberts did a good job stonewalling for a while, but is there going to be any headway made there now? And do you feel like your reporting would be of relevance?

2. Did you ever do any reporting on the forged Niger uranium docs? Specifically, the standard line is that they originated in "Italian intelligence," but is there anything to suggest that they might be traceable back, in some way, to the US? To be blunt, many people are suspicious of Michael Ledeen's frequent trips to Rome, as well as his contacts there. I know Royce and Eisner have a new book out on this topic, but I don't think they weigh in on this specific point.

3. Do you see any comparisons between the actions of the WHIG/OSP and the Pentagon's Iranian Directorate? Do you see any patterns between the hyping of Iraq intelligence and the way the administration handles accusations against Iran?

Thanks for your efforts. Any comments would be welcomed.

so why did the president and his people want to go to war so badly(quickly)was it for oil?or some oter reason.seems like many people have gotten tremendously rich from this war.surely they did not believe their own lies.so why go to war with out any real hard edvidence.seems to be many theories on this matter.why??

How come a little hick from the sticks (me), with access to the internet and foreign press, knew the WH was lying out of it's keister and all those with so-called "good" intelligence in D.C. fell for it? They had ample evidence that Bush never told the truth about anything in the previous 3 years. In order to prevent war on the next neo-con target, please do a story on: www.stopIranwar.com.

This was a great documentary that expresses exactly what many of us knowledgeable concerned citizens have been stating since 2001! Thank You.

But one question that I have always wanted to ask but I have NEVER heard on any news network or papers is:
WHat has been the impact of The Project for the New American Century? I have been watching this exact group very closely since the late 1990's, and I have always known that anyone who really did pay attention to PNAC could clearly see what the intentions of the neo-cons were since before Bush was elected the first time. They clearly defined the case for an Iraqi overthrow and preemptive war before Bush was elected. But whenever someone brings up PNAC, they seem to be written off as a conspirasist nut-job.
So, why didn't the Press pay more attention to PNAC, or at least question the concept of PAX AMERICANA?
Surely it was known in Washington. ~JD

Thanks to Bill Moyer and all of the reporters who have the courage to ask hard questions and seek the truth. After watching the show, I'm troubled about the future of our country. How can so many get it so wrong. I've always been a skeptic, having grown up in the 60's, and as the show pointed out, there was ample evidence available to me that countered the claims of the administration and the pundits who supported the administration's road to war. The lack of international support for the invasion, together with the lack of evidence from the UN inspection team led me to believe that we were making a big mistake. As for our current situation in Iraq, I believe we will find ourselves in the same situation as the Russians in Afghanistan. The Russians exhausted their military and economic power in a war that they couldn't win. The insurgents in Iraq, whether they be terrorists or Iraqi nationalists, could well be following the same tactic. Drain the United States of their military and economic power, isolate the US from the rest of the world powers and then sit back and watch what happens. It seems so obvious to me and yet I've not heard a single politician, media pundit, newspaper editor - no one has addressed this possibility. After watching tonight's show, I can understand how it could happen. We are no longer a democracy; we are a country ruled by fear. One more thought, with the amount of money per year that we are spending in Iraq, the US could provide universal healthcare coverage for all Americans.

I was watching events VERY CLOSELY as they unfolded during the fall winter of 2002-03, as our country was bamboozled into an unjust and deceitful war. I remember Andy Card announcing at the end of August that the marketing campaign to sell the war in Iraq had to be launched in the fall, like the introduction of some new PR campaign to sell a new brand of soap because it was best to luanch new marketing campaings in September. I remember some GOP Senator (either Grassley or Hagel) saying they'd seen the latest reports from the Adminstration about Iraq's WMD capabilities and that they'd seen nothing new or persuasive to convince them that things had changed such that a case for war was justified. I remember an unnamed Administration official state in the Washington Post that one of the hopes with a war against Iraq was that the U.S. would be able to build bases in Iraq, and move its troops out of Saudi Arabia. I saw and heard Scott Ritter as he said repeatedly that Saddam had no WMD (while CNN ran captions at the bottom of the screen emphasizing White House acusations about him of being a paid off shill for the Iraqi government). In late September, I read in the Washington Times (of all places) a story that completely debunked a Bush claim that, according to the IAEA, Saddam was 6 months away from having a nuclear weapon. I remember reading on atros' blog and on the a site called buzzflash, about the British intelligence report being plagiarized from the work of an American graduate student. I remember reading on the internet reports from former CIA intelligence analyst Ray McGovern to the effect that his active contacts still working within the agency were being pressured by Cheney and company to cook the books on Iraq. These items and many others too numerous to mention were things that came to my attention as I followed events EXTREMELY CLOSELY on the Internet.

Nonetheless, the overwhelming tide of the corporate media (and make no mistake, to the extent NPR and PBS are "underwritten" by huge corporations, they qualify too as "corporate media") buried such items and gave them little or no coverage.

By the late weeks of September, 2002, I was 90% certain Bush was lying about WMD and Al Queda ties. My opinion was based upon FACTS, FACTS that most of the American corproate media was suppressing or undermining or ignoring.

I concluded two things during that time period:

1. As I watched the leading Democratic Party contenders for the nomination all vote "aye" on the Iraq War Resolution (I remember Dick Gephardt announce on a Wednesday as he stood with Bush at a Rose Garden press conference that he supported the IWR), and as I watched Congressional oversight commitees manned by Democrats lob softballs to people like Rumsfeld that never questioned the fundamental assertion that Saddam had WMDs, I concluded that America does not have a REAL opposition political party and that no politcal party in D.C. represented my interests as an informed and concerned citizen.

2. As I watched the corporate (some refer to it as "mainstream") media suppress facts and stories that undermined the Administration's case for war and unquestioningly carry government propaganda (and, for the record, the so called "liberal" NPR's "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered" did this as much of this as outlets such as CNN, CBS, ABC, FOX, etc.), I concluded that there is no such thing as a free and independent media in the United States and that all we really have is propaganda outlets.

It was in the midst of this process of coming to these conclusions, as I saw my country morph into a belligerant, war-mongering, lying state, that I made the decision to obtain foreign citizenship and to leave the United States, because what I was witnessing around me was truly Orwellian in its scope.

People, if you want to know where to get more truth (not "THE truth", but "MORE truth"), may I make some suggestions of Internet sites you can go to as a start:

truthout.org
buzzflash.com
atrios.blogspot.com
dailykos.com
informationclearinghouse.info
americanpolitics.com
cursor.org
myleftwing
digby's hulluballoo
Gleen Greenwald's daily opinion blog in salon.com

Mind you, none of these sites is 100% accurate, either. But, in my experience, they've been more accurate more often than the corporate media. At the very least, they will give you a good place to start in looking for other sources of information on the Internet.

And as a final caveat: No source is correct 100% of the time. Thus, whatever sources you read (even the ones I mentioned), ALWAYS KEEP YOUR CRITICAL THINKING CAPS ON. You are never absolved of the responsibility of investigating things and thinking for yourselves.

Outstanding! Ed Murrow would have been proud. Strangely enough, bringing Democracy by invasion did not work for us in 1898 through 1946 nor 2003 through ??. Neocons don't read history much, they are faith based!

Thanks for doing your job as reporters! I am so looking forward to hearing all the pro-war spin doctors spin themselves in circles.

~Amadeus

50 USC 1622b. Check it out. And to the Marine, you will be called back so get ready. Semper Fi.

I have never felt so helpless, angry, and frustrated and for years. When Congress was debating whether to go to war, I wrote to Mrs. Bush, Rumsfield, Wolfowitz, my representatives BEGGING them not to go to war because we didn't have enough evidence, that Sadam was being contained with flyovers and sanctions, and worse, that this action would make everything worse in the world, create more danger for all of us, and cause us to be even more hated in the Middle East. No one listens to us. This is NOT a democracy. What on EARTH could we Americans have done to stop Bush and his crew? And to Bill: SO GLAD YOU ARE BACK!

I regret that this show was 38,000 lives too late. As a scholar you never solely lean on one source of information but multiple. I admire your work and appreciate your efforts. Now the concentration must be how do we dissiminate our information.

Thank you for your hard work.

Thank you for an important and well presented segment tonight; I am so glad that some of the truth about this corrupt, manipulative, Neo-Conservative Cabal is finally coming out!

Here's something else, about which I wish the American public could be informed:

In early 1997 Zbigniew Brzezinski wrote "the Grand Chessboard" in which he said that America, being the last remaining Superpower, could and should now set it's sights on achieving "American Global Hegemony", starting with the conquest of Central Asia. You see, the largest remaining untapped oil dome on the planet sits directly under Khazakstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, which in turn lie due north of Afganistan and Pakistan. Brzezinski and Kissinger have been working for YEARS with Unocal, to build the pipeline through Afganistan to the sea...BTW: Did you know that Karzai used to work for Unocal? Or that we have built 15 permanent military bases along the Unocal Pipeline Route? Not to mention the 14 permanent bases in Iraq...

Second point of interest that the public needs to know:

In July of 1997, Mr. Cheney and his Neo-Conservative friends founded "The Project For THe New American Century", and put up a webpage so named. Incredibly, it's still active, despite the self incriminating papers posted there! Every American needs to Google search: PNAC, then read their July 1997 "Statement Of Principles" in which they call for "American World Leadership". Remember Brzezinski's "American Global Hegemony'? Hmmmm...

The other, and even more damning paper is their September 2000 "Rebuilding America's Defenses" Wherein they call for enhanced Starwars, A United States Space Force, and "complete control of outer space AND cyberspace"! So much for freedom of speech...

By far the most important thing the American People all need to read is the first paragraph of page 51. Remember: This was written in September of 2000; Exactly one year before...

"Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings about revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event - like a new Pearl Harbor."

I sometimes ask myself: Were they prophets? Or were they perpetrators?

I haven't slept very well, this century...

God Bless Bill Moyers .. !

Mainstream media is horrible, before the war and now. I didn't see any mention, before the war or now, of the fact that our government lied us into and lied about the Vietnam war. see The Media Plays Along With Powerful Interests

This omission was in addition to not telling the public that Bush's planned war was illegal. A preemptive attack on Iraq violates the United Nations Charter, which is a treaty and part of the supreme law of the United States under Article 6, clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. signed the UN Charter and we are obligated to uphold the law according to our own Constitution. A treaty that we sign becomes the "law of the land" according to our Constitution.

missed the first 10 minutes of the show but the rest was enlightening. Why did we go to war?What is the payoff?

Hope you read this far Dear Knight Ridder,
Years of coordinated name calling the messenger “the criminal liberal media” set the stage of this psychological failure against a propaganda machine. The individuals and institution of the press shall get redemption when instead of playing polite, they play their responsibility to journalism.

Thank you for playing your responsibility.
-rick dewald

Thanks for your great work. I was clear from the beginning that my local paper, the Washington Post, was (and still is) completely bamboozled by the White House on Iraq.

I hope it's not too late for a Pulitzer for you guys. You deserve it.

John Aldriedge

Isn't this interesting?
You've tapped into something BIG here.
I think we're all suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder,
having been lied into an immoral, horrific war,
and KNOWING IT, but being made to feel
(by the administration's BIG LIE
with the (witting or unwitting) help of Big Media
as if we'd STEPPED THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
and now finally being reminded of the TRUTH
that we knew all along...
well, it does make one want to do something REAL,
like the towns and State Senate in Vermont did--
the ones who voted to IMPEACH.
Yes, Virginia, there is REALITY outside of the Beltway--
But that doesn't mean if we ignore what is INSIDE the Beltway
That it will just quietly GO AWAY.

PROJECT for a NEW AMERICAN CENTURY. Will it EVER be recognized as the guiding force behind the Iraqi disaster? I thank Bill Moyers. There's still hope for this country.

I'm frustrated watching tonight's program because there is no mention of Robert Scheer, whose writing used to appear in the Los Angeles Times. He questioned the Bush Administration's line from the start and provided evidence countering the assertions of Rumsfield, Cheney and Rice. I consider him a hero -- an unwavering voice of sanity -- and I want to see him get credit for it.

I must admit that, as just an ordinary citizen (though perhaps a particularly well read one), it took me a long time to figure out how come the public bought the Bush administration's "case" for war in the first place. It was obvious to anyone who knew history that Hussein was not going to be aligned with Al Qaeda and that his weakened, impoverished country posed no threat to us. Why did journalists who were IN THE BUSINESS not think things through? Are they so addicted to "he said/she said" reporting that they can inject NO analysis or common sense into what they present to the public? Why did Dan Rather not examine the forged National Guard documents which he touted (and which doomed his career) critically, so as not to permanently compromise his credibility with the public? And if the Knight Ridder journalists were really so dedicated, why did we not see more of a fuss from them and their publications? Something has been terribly wrong all along, and while it's good that this special documents it after the fact I cannot let these "journalists" off the hook for not doing more at the time.

Thank you for being real journalists, by which I really mean people who value truth and engage in critical thinking to pursue it.

Even beyond the Iraq issue, you demonstrated on the show tonight what the process of critical thinking is in action. You were not satisfied with what you were hearing, so you were skeptical and kept asking questions. This is the essence of critical thinking, and critical thinking is the main defense against language serving to obfuscate reality (rhetoric).

Valuing truth and pursuing it through reason (critical thinking) is rare in our species, society and even in your profession. It is virtually absent from the public discourse on almost all important societal issues and problems. This absence of critical thinking - which knows no political or other bounds - is the fundamental reason why we are in zugswang in Iraq and for most of our other important binds and problems.

By contrast, Peter Beinhart illustrated what critical thinking is NOT - when he spoke of reading lots of material, i.e. of consuming information. However important information is, critical thinking, i.e. asking questions and thinking about things, including what one reads, is more important.

Beyond the specific issue of Iraq, this show was an important demonstration of what critical thinking is and what it is not.

What ever happened to "Question Authority" ?

My question is with all the BS provided by the Bush administration, what are the real reasons behind the war ?
Oil, unacceptance of a draw during the Gulf War, or the utopic view that the US could prop up a democratic Arab stae ?

Good evening,

I just finished watching your broadcast, congratulations on a job well done. I am Canadian, and studied middle eastern politics at McGill from 2001-2003. Among my professors were senior Canadian advisors to the middle east, and world-leading experts on the Arab-Israeli conflict. To be honest, watching the US media cover Iraq in the months before the invasion could be described as comical. There were a lot of bright people in my classes at McGill, and nearly everyone predicted chaos if the US chose to invade. Hanz Blix didn't find any evidence of WMD in Iraq, and the UN did not support the invasion.

It was interesting studying this story from a Canadian perspective. We, like much of the rest of the world, could not understand how the US media gave the invasion a greenlight from the beginning. The day our Prime Minister, Jean Chretien stood up in the House of Commons and told the US that we would not support a US led invasion was a proud moment for all Canadians. We have always been labelled as lap-dogs to the US, but on the biggest issue in the last 25 years, we simply said no.

Al Quaeda was responsible for 9/11. How could over 280 million people in the US support an invasion of Iraq, with no hard evidence of a connection between Iraq and Al Quaeda? Further, how could the US media give its stamp of approval withouth asking virtually any difficult questions? As a Canadian, I do not understand. Neither does the rest of the world. Americans are good people, there is no question. Could you imagine if the $1 Trillion dollars spent on the Iraq war was instead spent on passports and airline tickets for Americans to the see some of the world? People in the US need some perspective. The media definetely dropped the ball, but the blame is on the American people for letting this to happen. You've got yourself into a real mess. A mess that was predicted by 98% of the world population.

PS - Is Fox news a joke? Every time I flip to it I think i'm watching SNL. Bill O'Reilly is easily one of the funniest personalities on TV, and he's not trying to be funny. Priceless

Well Done, I just watched the show and it was the first primetime tv critique of Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL) that I've seen.
It was interesting to hear the CEO of CNN say that they were snapped into line by FOX's aggressive reporting tactics. To examing this fear more closely I'd recommend the documentary 'Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism'
Also I recently saw the documentary 'Iraq for $ale' and would recommend it if you liked this. Keep digging KR! Moyers Thank you.

Mr. Landay and Mr. Strobel

Thank you for an excellent job. You two and Bill Moyers may be our last line of defense against "1984".

The question we all need to ask now is ... when will Bush go to jail for all the death, pain, and destruction his lies have caused?

Bush has changed the course of human history and taken ALL of us down a road that may lead to many more years of death, destruction, and darkness. When will Bush pay for what his lies have already caused and the darkness that may cover our planet in the future as a result of his lies and actions?

I sincerely hope Buying The War will air again so more people will know the truth.

Thank you for your excellent work.

OK, good show tonight, but I am not ready to forgive anyone in the media just yet. I am so freaked out and paranoid about all this that I am looking for the reason behind the sudden "change of heart"
My theory: the media knows the jig is up. The public is starting to wake up. In order to save face and allow for the continued destruction of the United States.....now you guys are going to come out like it wasn’t your fault that things went so bad. You will blame it all on the Busheys and try to come out like the hero who is setting the record straight.
What about the big boys who are controlling the media? like the CFR, Trilateral Commission and Bilderberg? When you guys are on every TV news station and the front page of every newspaper warning the public about them and all their minions, telling the real story about 911 and their plans to destroy our country....then you can say you are sorry....until then...this is just another shock and awe campaign to distract the public from the real danger we are in. It is not the terrorist we should be afraid of , but our own Government. Its people like you who let them get away with it.
TREASON ABOUNDS !!!!!

This is the only place in broadcast journalism where we were going to see this truth. Spectacular show...please repeat it. I feel like crying. How can this administration be punished for their criminal deceit, the disaster they were determined to initiate, and the lives of 3000 dead young Americans which they wasted without mercy?

Thanks so much for a great show! We've missed you Mr. Moyers! I was a huge fan of "Now" & was dismayed by what the "patriot police" managed to do to a national treasure like Mr. Moyers! Thanks to the KR reporters - I've been reading your reports for years. It's good to see the guys who are telling the the truth instead of the ones who spin the best for a change. An aside - I'd love to see a show delving into the Republican propaganda machine & Cheney & Rove's manipulation of the media. (The name Merrie Spaeth pops to mind.)There is a machine at the center & for the last couple of decades it's been responsible for many, many "untruths" which have caused extensive damage to our democracy.
Thanks again & I'm looking forward to Friday !

Thank you, for giving us reason to believe the press has not been completely co-opted in this era of corporately controlled media.

Bravo, bravo, bravo! Watching and reading about events leading up to the US invasion of Iraq from north of the 49th parallel none of it was making sense and it wasn't making sense that it didn't make sense because, well, we thought that there were so many great newspapers and talented people, that any day one of them was going to connect the dots and see that this was a giant con!
I suppose there is some comfort in knowing that what I thought I was seeing and hearing was in fact what was going on. But it is a very cold comfort, if any comfort at all.
We can only hope and pray that the American media learns the lessons so clearly and thoughtfully revealed in your programme.

Thank you,
Cathy

Mr. Landay and Mr. Strobel

Thank you for an excellent job. You two and Bill Moyers may be our last line of defense against "1984".

The question we all need to ask now is ... when will Bush go to jail for all the death, pain, and destruction his lies have caused?

Bush has changed the course of human history and taken ALL of us down a road that may lead to many more years of death, destruction, and darkness. When will Bush pay for what his lies have already caused and the darkness that may cover our planet in the future as a result of his lies and actions?

I sincerely hope Buying The War will air again so more people will know the truth.

Thank you for your excellent work.

Great show .. Bill Moyers is a national treasure and I can only hope that journalists like Mr. Landay & Mr. Strobel become a shining example for a future generation of reporters.. as far as Mr. Beinart, I can only hope that he is properly chastened... not sure how he feels now, I will look at one of his books to determine his position. I do know that back in 2002, when he was punditing for the invasion on various tv shows he came off to me as very smarmy, a most naive fellow who was seduced by all of the attention.

I think anyone with an opinion should be judged by their experience with the particular subject.

I argued against invading Iraq at my cousin "the NYC policemans" wedding within a month of 9/11... argued off and on all night with my cousins the NYC firefighters who had only gotten an afternoon off from the pile to attend the celebration. Mostly good natured because they know I'm not a complete commie pinko fag and we all lost friends there. but it took a few years before a few of them are starting to hear what I have been saying.

I worked for the Mujahadeen once when I was barely out of my teens and though it would not endear me to some of my neighbors it wasn't really as bad as it sounds. They were afterall fighting our arch enemies the Russians. And I certainly didn't grow a beard or take on any spiritual conversion.

In fact I'd usually practice the Harmonica or play cards with the irish
while the Haji;s would pray. We'd stop the trucks five times a day to pray take turns driving, cooking meals and sipping tea by the roadside. Germany through Austria,
Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Turkey and on to Iran or Iraq. Big empty Mercedes LKV's, a few vans on flatbeds even a toyota or 2 sticking out of the vans.
convoys of 7 to 15 trucks winding our way down, waiting at borders for days & days,
smoking, playing backgammon, the route from Germany to Istanbul crowded with cars full of Turkish families being kicked out of Hamburg, Berlin, Munich.
"Gestarbiters" whose teenage children had never been outside of Germany.

I got to see some amazing places and have both wonderful and absurd conversations with all sorts of people. To me it was a grand adventure. Much more exciting than being in a real army where you have to wear a uniform and stay with lots and lots of men. I got to walk around & take meals with all sorts of people even flirt, very discreetly, with a few pretty girls.

The further east we drove the more rifles pointed in my direction, a few pistols pointed at my head
and maybe it's just my Irish charm but no one yet has pulled the trigger while I looked them in the eye.

That I think is what a liberal is, someone with empathy who can see another human beings point of view, who is not afraid. Who is actually interested in other people, curious and openminded. Conservatives like to say that liberals whine, I never really whine except about what fools conservatives are. If we are soft on terror does that make us less afraid of it ? Maybe they think we are just naive or can it be true we are really less afraid. I don't think I'm naive.

I think all the conservatives who still believe in this war should FIGHT THE FEAR... I support our troops so much I believe that we should bring them all home very soon. We have created such a quagmire that no matter when we leave Iraq the outcome will be the same.. an inevitable period of chaos and then a fundamentalist leader will emerge. We have created a power vacuum. It is so ridiculous to think that Saddam Hussein would have had any reason to support Osama Bin Laden. It makes no sense. It's like the Yankees letting the Red Sox borrow A rod for a game. The longer we delay our eventual withdrawal, the more of our brave young soldiers will die and the more opportunity Iran will have to coordinate their plans to influence the endgame.

I have to laugh when i watch Bill O'reilly sometime I mean can he really believe the things he says. His indignation that the Iraqi's haven't stepped up to run their country is amazing. did I miss something did we make a deal with someone before we rushed in decapitated their Leader and dismantled their army ?

anyhow I could go on and on.... never really posted a blog before.. this stuff gets me so worked up, my wife says I should take it easy, passes me that Costa Rican real estate magazine but really does it have to come to that ?

GREAT REPORTING!!!!!!!!!

1} Does Congress has grounds for impeachment of Bush for fabricating a case for war? By the Geneva laws, he qualifies to be prosecuted.
2) Not comparing on the same level, I think that now, the American people can somehow understand how the German people supported Hitler on his wars. By building little by little a case, and cornering the press to support its case.
3) I disagree with Mr. Dan Rather for explaining his support based on the fact that the press depends on the government in many points. This is scary, because it suggests that the government controls the press. In this case, we the people are in big trouble. We depend on you to keep us above water.

Thanks again to Bill Moyers for bringing us this program. My husband and I never believed the hype leading up to war and it did not make us popular with even some friends. We are lucky enough to read The Nation. We cancelled The New Republic as soon as they backed the Contras. Then we knew they had sold out to official Washington. We hold Tony Blair and Colin Powel even more responsible for the mess in Iraq. They were the two people who gave respectability to this lying administration. Those who planned and executed this war have to answer for the misery and deaths it has bought to millions. From the very beginning this was nothing but a war for profit. The whole administration should be tried as war criminals.

Thank God for Bill Moyers.

"PROJECT for a NEW AMERICAN CENTURY". Will it EVER be exposed as the guiding force behind this ongoing disaster? Even a journalist as courageous as Moyers has to traipse carefully around the subject. The 40-year USS Liberty coverup will probably come to light sooner. I thank God for Bill Moyers, Amy Goodman, et.al.

OPPS!

Sorry for all the repeats below but it is a point that bears repeating.

Thanks Mr. Landay and Mr. Strobel for being true to yourselves and your profession.

How do we see your comments/answers to these questions ?

Thank you Bill Moyers for coming back to PBS. We need you now more than ever.
Todd

Excellent work Bill, Jonathan and Warren! and thak g*d for PBS! you and Bill Maher give me hope.

I live in NYC and have unfruitfully tried a few times to find Knight Ridder/McClatchy news articles on-line. If possible, please send me links.

BTW -in case you didn't know:
Bill Maher gave Knight Ridder props in his last episode for getting it right only a few days after the war propaganda storm began. Keep up the great work!

Thanks! -es

Good evening,

I just finished watching your broadcast, congratulations on a job well done. I am Canadian, and studied middle eastern politics at McGill from 2001-2003. Among my professors were senior Canadian advisors to the middle east, and world-leading experts on the Arab-Israeli conflict. To be honest, watching the US media cover Iraq in the months before the invasion could be described as comical. There were a lot of bright people in my classes at McGill, and nearly everyone predicted chaos if the US chose to invade. Hanz Blix didn't find any evidence of WMD in Iraq, and the UN did not support the invasion.

It was interesting studying this story from a Canadian perspective. We, like much of the rest of the world, could not understand how the US media gave the invasion a greenlight from the beginning. The day our Prime Minister, Jean Chretien stood up in the House of Commons and told the US that we would not support a US led invasion was a proud moment for all Canadians. We have always been labelled as lap-dogs to the US, but on the biggest issue in the last 25 years, we simply said no.

Al Quaeda was responsible for 9/11. How could over 280 million people in the US support an invasion of Iraq, with no hard evidence of a connection between Iraq and Al Quaeda? Further, how could the US media give its stamp of approval withouth asking virtually any difficult questions? As a Canadian, I do not understand. Neither does the rest of the world. Americans are good people, there is no question. Could you imagine if the $1 Trillion dollars spent on the Iraq war was instead spent on passports and airline tickets for Americans to the see some of the world? People in the US need some perspective. The media definetely dropped the ball, but the blame is on the American people for letting this to happen. You've got yourself into a real mess. A mess that was predicted by 98% of the world population.

PS - Is Fox news a joke? Every time I flip to it I think i'm watching SNL. Bill O'Reilly is easily one of the funniest personalities on TV, and he's not trying to be funny. Priceless

Great show but why no mention of the Project for the New Ameican Century, planning the war years before 9-11?

I'm guessing those who think Saddam worked hand in hand with Bin Laden can name all the "Idols" and those voted off the island.

I'm also guessing those same people would rather have red hot knitting needles jammed in their eyes rather than watch gthat Moyers guy on PBS

But they can rdest easy. We have the Patriot Act.

Too late, too late. When will you begin to speak out about the lies told to us about 9-11. I feel like I live in the land of the Emperor who wears no clothes. I am 65 years old and have supported my country and my government all my life. Now I don't even recognize this America.
Please tell me how these criminals have taken over our wonderful country.
Will anyone support the impeachment of Cheny?
In light of your report tonight, how much evidence do we need?

Thomas Jefferson offered, "The tree of democracy need be watered from time to time with the blood of patriots and the blood of tyrants".

When we listen to the drum beat of the 2008 presidential candidates, most want more of the same for Iraq. God help our nation.

Americans should truly appreciate your passion for the truth. May you never get so comfortable or so famous that you lose it.

Skip
Little Rock

Mr. Landay, Mr. Strobel, thank you for the great journalism. What is the next major administration lie you think is important for reporters to debunk?

Although tonight's program was very well done, I do feel there was adequate information readily available in the general media to make one seriously skeptical about some of the claims made by the Bush administration in the lead up to war. As I recall, Ted Koppel's Nightline, and PBS's Macneil-Lehrer had quite a few in depth pieces. Although I do not have cable TV, these 2 programs seemed to make it abundantly clear there were serious unanswered questions and credibilty gaps in Bush administration claims. Is there any reason these 2 mainstream news progrmas were not mentioned in tonight's piece? Perhaps the media is not to blame for the selling of this war. It seems to me the American public was simply too lazy, too stupid, or too preoccupied with trivial life concerns to ask some very basic intellectual questions as the rest of the world was doing. In a democracy, where our leaders presumably do what the voters indicate is the will of the people, perhaps we deserve to be stuck in this quagmire we weren't interested enough to avoid. Aren't you frustrated that more readers didn't further dissemination of your information?

Bravo, Bravo, BRAVO! Thank you to all involved!
You have given me a glimpse of the America I once knew and thought had died!
To everyone out there in the Media (I mean everyone in every position) Please don't abandon your posts again! You are the foundation of our democratic society - Discourse, debate, facts, are endangered species !
I can't wait for next weeks airing!
(Sooo glad I wasn't "shopping" - just a little W joke)

Thomas Jefferson offered, "The tree of democracy need be watered from time to time with the blood of patriots and the blood of tyrants".

When we listen to the drum beat of the 2008 presidential candidates, most want more of the same for Iraq. God help our nation.

Americans should truly appreciate your passion for the truth. May you never get so comfortable or so famous that you lose it.

Skip
Little Rock

Shame on the Times and shame on the Post! I'll get my "news" somewhere else (KR and PBS) in the future.

I don't want revenge. I would like accountability for the lies that have killed 3,000+ of our boys and girls, tens of thousands of Iraqis and made the world infinitely less safe for all of us. Do they just get away with it?

They crucified Clinton with scurrilous, vitriolic attacks for a harmless affair that pales in comparison with the death and destruction wrought on the Iraqis, our children, and their families. Will there be no accountability on this Earth for these horrendous, boldface, manipulative lies and fabrications? Gentlemen, does the media lack stomach for that fight too?

The show was frightening. Those who were not fooled were marginalized. Those who could not be pushed to the margins were fired.
In the last ten seconds of the show when I heard that those who carried the administration's water are working at what I assume are good jobs and continue to be "darlings" in the talk show and lecture circuits. I was appalled. They and their bosses are in denial of what they wrought, which suggests to me that they were complicit in the lies and deception all along. Why else would they refuse to condemn those who promulgated those lies?
If we cannot learn from the current debacle, it will certainly happen again.

Dennis Kucinich has introduced House Resolution 333 to impeach V.P. Cheney. Support him in this fight. This man shows courage that is lacking elseware in Congress. Show your support for him by calling your congressional representative and asking they co-sponsor his resolution. Click for a video clip of his press conference.

William Krystol was asked to be in an interview and declined? Small wonder. Take a look at the role of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), which includes William Krystol, George Bush, Karl Rove, Richard Perle, Scooter Libby, Donald Rumsfeld, and Richard Armitage as members. PNAC sent a letter to Bill Clinton urging him to attack Iraq. Most of the people who caused the U.S. to get preemptive attack are members of the PNAC. Krystol is not unbiased; he has been actively involved. The role of this group and other right wing conservative "think tanks" should be investigated, IMHO. Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PNAC

Have you read David Ray Griffin's piece in Tikkun.org?
http://tikkun.org/magazine/tik0703/frontpage/empire911

The coverup may go deeper than you all have been portraying. Quite relevant, now that Giuliani is a candidate for our next president (if WTC7 was demolished, G may well have been involved).

Jake

We can't bring back the dead. What a shame this so called war has been. Now what? People continue to die for nothing.

Very chilling. The "paper of record" certainly doesn't come off at all well. The definition of "facism" ...when the press and big business and the government are all run by the same men. Creepy My question is: What about Iran????

The sad role of the US media as cheerleaders for Bush, Cheney, and Company was well-presented. I must say that I never for one moment was even slightly persuaded by Powell's theatrical performance at the UN. Most member's of the UN were also unconvinced. I recall Dan Rather's shocking performance on the Letterman Show after 9/11. something to the effect that Bush is the President and when he says get in line, I get in line or something to that effect. I was shocked at the truthfulness of his comments. the press does get in line, but usually denies that fact, or makes some excuse. this has not changed. One ust keep that in mind always.
The media was slow to turn during the Viet Nam era, but finally there was a change. Did that happen because corporate America had finally had enough? For those of us who remember Viet Nam, this unhappy misadventure is but another sorry chapter. Too bad Americans have so little understanding of history, geography, comparative religions and cultures. We are educated in business and the trades, such as my trade, medicine. The liberal arts are reidiculed. I think there is a direct connection. thank you Margaret King

Gentlemen:
Your show tonight was insightful, but your commentary was about four years late. It is easy to find fault after the facts have been uncovered, like the lack of WMD. Your voices should have been louder and clearer during the leadup to the war. I get much of what is touted as fact from the media, the "experts", and the politicians. I don't think most of them should have been nor should be trusted for the "facts". As the public, where should we go to get accurate, reliable, and truthful information? For the most part, I rely on PBS and NPR. Is that a mistake also?

Bravo, Bravo, BRAVO! Thank you to all involved!
You have given me a glimpse of the America I once knew and thought had died!
To everyone out there in the Media (I mean everyone in every position) Please don't abandon your posts again! You are the foundation of our democratic society - Discourse, debate, facts, are endangered species !
I can't wait for next weeks airing!
(Sooo glad I wasn't "shopping" - just a little W joke)

Speaking of journalist not asking the right questions-
Why aren't reporters asking about the possible illegal actions or politically biased action of those Federal Attorneys left in place after eight were fired by the administration.

The sad role of the US media as cheerleaders for Bush, Cheney, and Company was well-presented. I must say that I never for one moment was even slightly persuaded by Powell's theatrical performance at the UN. Most member's of the UN were also unconvinced. I recall Dan Rather's shocking performance on the Letterman Show after 9/11. something to the effect that Bush is the President and when he says get in line, I get in line or something to that effect. I was shocked at the truthfulness of his comments. the press does get in line, but usually denies that fact, or makes some excuse. this has not changed. One ust keep that in mind always.
The media was slow to turn during the Viet Nam era, but finally there was a change. Did that happen because corporate America had finally had enough? For those of us who remember Viet Nam, this unhappy misadventure is but another sorry chapter. Too bad Americans have so little understanding of history, geography, comparative religions and cultures. We are educated in business and the trades, such as my trade, medicine. The liberal arts are reidiculed. I think there is a direct connection. thank you Margaret King

My family is one which has had the misfortune of losing a son and brother to the war in Iraq. I knew when the Bush Administration was calling for invasion in Iraq that the probability of WMD's didn't exist. If indeed Saddam had them he would have pointed them anywhere he could. However, I was moved when Collin Powell gave his speech at the United Nations. I had so much respect for the man. But now I know he and others were puppets of some wierd plot to go to war to make millions for the contractors who have been flourishing in Iraq.

I now know why there were few questions and research into the war mongering statements coming out of the Whitehouse.

I now ask the same question Lee Iacoca asks in his new book. "Where are the new Leaders?"

WEll we know where a couple of you have been. And now with Bill Moyers new program. I thank you for your work and bravery.

thank you!

I took Powell's bait, hook line and sinker. I've been mad as hades ever since.

My question: 9/11 saw mostly Saudi Nationalist involved. Bin Laden took credit as well. The Saudi link has NEVER been investigated....WHY???

Finally, why haven't the Downing Street minutes of 2002, the "smoking gun" revealing "the fixing of facts" for war never been fully covered by you or anyone else in the US media??? Those minutes alone prove the lies and deception of this war.

Thanks for your work- Rev. Bradford N. Bray, Ret Capt USAF-ANG of this bs war.

Thank You for your truth in reporting.

This link gives one of the best explanation for the cabal's launch of this war.

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=CHO20070104&articleId=4347

Plus quick history lesson...

http://www.mapsofwar.com/images/EMPIRE17.swf

Dear Jonathan and Warren,

Thank you for not doubting yourselves and for daring to speak the truth even though everyone else in "big" media was eating out of the mis-administration's hand in the run-up to this senseless war. You deserve the Pulitzer prize for your reporting.

Thanks to you, Bill Moyers, and PBS for tonight's program.
I am delighted, as someone who has always opposed this war, that the story of how "big" media was used as a propaganda tool is finally being told. I only hope the media and the American people will learn the many lessons of this horrific war so that nothing like it happens in the future.

The Bush mis-administration's deception and its consequences should be grounds for impeaching and convicting Bush and Cheney. They are both guilty of crimes against humanity and I hope they are made to bear the consequences of what they have done. I know this will probably not happen, but it is what they and those they have wronged deserve.

FYI, I've been trying to post since 10:30, the server is being overwhelmed by our comments! This is great!

Congratulations and thank you . Your program left me believing that values such as honesty,integrity, and ethics are still to be found in American journalism. However,in adition to the role of the media,what should also be examined are the motives behind the deliberate falsehoods of the Bush administration, and would the US be emproiled in the Iraqi war if Sadam were a friend of Israel.

If we as citizens do not hold these administration people criminally accountable from the president to the former officials,then this American experiment of a government of law is finished.The first casualty of war is "Truth".

Speaking of journalist not asking the right questions-
Why aren't reporters asking about the possible illegal actions or politically biased action of those Federal Attorneys left in place after eight were fired by the administration.

Bravo, Bravo, BRAVO! Thank you to all involved!
You have given me a glimpse of the America I once knew and thought had died!
To everyone out there in the Media (I mean everyone in every position) Please don't abandon your posts again! You are the foundation of our democratic society - Discourse, debate, facts, are endangered species !
I can't wait for next weeks airing!
(Sooo glad I wasn't "shopping" - just a little W joke)

Just wanted to thank you for getting Bill Moyers back on the air, and thanks to both of the reporters in the documentary. It's been noticed in the blogosphere that McClatchy is reporting good stuff. Well, now we know why. Keep it up. Many thanks for your perserverance.

Thomas Jefferson offered, "The tree of democracy need be watered from time to time with the blood of patriots and the blood of tyrants".

You guys qualify for the patriot role and GWB plays well the other part.

Americans should truly appreciate your passion for the truth. May you never get so comfortable or so famous that you lose it.

Skip
Little Rock

Gentlemen,

I first want to applaud your efforts and steadfast resolution in not falling into line like most mainstream news affiliations. My question for you is this - in a time where we as a nation are beginning to reflect more with our minds than emotion, is there hope for the media to re-establish itself was a force for holding politicians culpable for their indiscretions and lack of foresight, or will the political machinist media continue to run rampant feeding the minds of ill-informed citizens who have bought into their rhetoric from the start?

Thank you again for staying true to what every journalist should hold sacred - their skepticism.

Jim

I want to personally thank Mr Moyers and the good professionals at Knight Ridder.
I am just sorry that the full impact of this horrendous deception was not apparent to the various candidates running for the presidency in 2004.
I wanted to believe that John Kerry could make a difference, but I was frankly stunned that he did not once make a reference to the concerted deceptions, masterfully crafted to steer the Senate into a vote for war. When asked why he voted for war, he would present a lame defence, where, if he had simply read the NY Times article, "Skewed Intelligence Data In March to War in Iraq" which spanned several full pages in the Sunday Times on October 3rd 2004, he would have had the best possible defence for his vote. He was lied to. Period. For those who haven't had the pleasure, this article (by David Barstow, William Broad & Jeff Gerth) will fill in the real hard evidence of this mass deception, centering around the full story of the discovery and nature of the aluminum "centrifuge" tubes, which were proven to be typical tubes used in the manufacture of mortar launchers, and furthermore, were purchased on the open market, as they had been for years - fitting the exact dimensions and coating as typically required for the launchers.
The article covers the reactions of incredulity from our own Nuclear weaponry experts to the International Atomic Energy Agency. It was a magnificant piece of journalism. Why hadn't the man running for the Oval Office found the time to read it? I am still scratching my head over that one.

Even now, the media in general continues to fail to do its job in the face of mounting investigations pointing to an administration that has proven time and again to be so consistently wrong. The biggest indictment of the job the media in general is doing now is that one third of the country still believes that Saddam Hussein had something to do with the September 11 attacks.

Sometimes I am left wondering if I am the one who is wrong and I am guilty of seeing conspiracies where there are none. If it were not for reporters like yourselves, who remained loyal to the American people and the ideals and responsibilities of being a member of the Fourth Estate even while facing being labeled unpatriotic, we would not be where we are now, trying to find a way out. I don't know how you did it for so long, and I can't imagine how much criticism you and others might have taken these past few years, but thank you gentleman for all your hard work.

Thanks for the good work. I read Hubris, but don't recall your names coming up. Is your reporting collected or summarized in any single source?

Each day, conservative reporters at ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, etc. uses and spotlight these same false and glorified lies of heroism, from the Bush administration, along side the bodies of dead US soldiers as hallowed justification for further support and promotion of Bush's wars. These bias network reports suggest, on the bodies of selected dead soldiers, that all the thousands of innocent fallen soldiers died willingly for them and Bush's war? However, the networks never provided equal time or show the majority of soldiers or families’ of dead soldiers who objected to them dying in this needless war! And this is understandable when you take into consideration that CBS and NBC are defense contractors and their reporters like Tim Russerts were the most relentless, loudest, cheer-leading, instigators, and questioners on what Clinton, Bush, America, etc. was going to do about Saddam Hussein? Most every Sunday there was this constant theme and call for war by conservative like Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, and Tim Russert!

If the conservative and corporate owned media had done their job and challenged Bush’s pre war claims on Iraq and Afghanistan then Mr. Tillman's family probably would not have lost their son or had to struggle to find the truth of his death.

The same reporters and networks that were complicit in the invasion of Iraq are now the same ones prolonging it by framing it as a game between democrats and republicans and by using obstructionist, distracting, and delay tactics to attack all democratic attempts to end this invasion.

Thank You, for your efforts to discover and report the facts to those who are interested. Please listen to the NPR interview with David Halberstam on 4-24-07
on Fresh Air (host Terry Gross). After hearing this interview, I was proud of responsible democratic freedom of thought. Hearing about the pressure Mr. Halberstam endured from the US government while he put the Vietnam War under his microscope was a bit of a revelation. Halberstam should be held as 'the standard' in reporting. For those who care; plenty care but you have to care enough, keep admitting mistakes, keep the microscope handy, and let discover stay in motion. With gratitude, I say: realize how important you are to those of us who cannot get access to the info. you can. As we can see, someone can be as honest as they know and still not see or have access to the truth. Honest mistakes are made. The intentional manipulation of the facts must be made public, if at all possoble.I intend to show this program to those who may be interested asap. Bless you all.

Dear Jonathan and Warren,

Thank you for not doubting yourselves and for daring to speak the truth even though everyone else in "big" media was eating out of the mis-administration's hand in the run-up to this senseless war. You deserve the Pulitzer prize for your reporting.

Thanks to you, Bill Moyers, and PBS for tonight's program.
I am delighted, as someone who has always opposed this war, that the story of how "big" media was used as a propaganda tool is finally being told. I only hope the media and the American people will learn the many lessons of this horrific war so that nothing like it happens in the future.

The Bush mis-administration's deception and its consequences should be grounds for impeaching and convicting Bush and Cheney. They are both guilty of crimes against humanity and I hope they are made to bear the consequences of what they have done. I know this will probably not happen, but it is what they and those they have wronged deserve.

FYI, I've been trying to post since 10:30, the server is being overwhelmed by our comments! This is great!

I thought this presented a long list of traitors to this country and adversaries to peace and world order. I wonder when we'll see the end of the damage their collective efforts have done.

Thank you and Great Job!!!

Okay - The question is "What Now?" How can the damage be reversed - in this country, let alone the rest of the world and Iraq. Great broadcast although this was obvious to some of us from the beginning.

To Messers Moyers, Landay and Strobel:

Thanks, gents. The tale told tonight was a frustrating one but its appearance reminds me that "the truth will out" and what you reported had the ring of it. Mr Moyers's introduction was tonic in its terseness and clarity. Let's hope that the message spreads past the usual PBS fraction.

David Ware

Great documentary Bill, will be an important historical record. And thank you to Messrs. Landay and Strobel, whose pieces i've read online since 2002, and which provided just about the only light in the darkness. You guys are the real thng!

I thought this presented a long list of traitors to this country and adversaries to peace and world order. I wonder when we'll see the end of the damage their collective efforts have done.

Just finished watching here in Oregon - Thank you, Thank You, THANK YOU PBS for sharing this wonderful program! Finally truth is coming out! I hope it is not too late to change the course of America! So many scary things happening.

I may have missed it ( I've got a toddler) but was any mention made of the changes that have become part of our country due to the lack of opposition to the administration? The patriot act? The "anti-torture" bill that took away Habeaus Corpus 6 months ago? What can we, the people, do to change current events?

Thanks to all involved for this report. Welcome back Bill Moyers. Many comments ask about impeachment. In my view it's not practical because the Republicans could drag it out until this administration is out of office & it would tie up the Congress so the Democrats couldn't get anything done. A war crimes trial for all the culprits after they are out of power is a better idea. As for the other oft repeated question: What was the real reason for the war? The answer is OIL. Google "The New Iraq Oil Law" & you'll find all you need to know about that. The reason for the 'surge' is to keep troops in place until the law is passed. Then, of course, they will have to stay to protect the oil production facilities until we have stolen it all. If you want sources more trustworthy than the U.S. media, try BBC & Asia Times on line.

To Mssrs. Landray and Strobel: I just want to say thank you.

I did follow your stories (as well as the weapons inspectors' reports that were, indeed, out there for everyone to see). I was, and still am, appalled at the lack of the most basic reporting skills exhibited by the rest of the mainstream press.

I only wish you guys had been nominated for, and won, the Pulitzer.

And to Mr. Moyers, thank you as well for giving us years of genuine reportage on important issues.

You guys were great!

What do you know of something called The Downing Street Memo?

Thank you.

Shame on the Times and shame on the Post! I'll get my "news" somewhere else (KR and PBS) in the future.

I don't want revenge. I would like accountability for the lies that have killed 3,000+ of our boys and girls, tens of thousands of Iraqis and made the world infinitely less safe for all of us. Do they just get away with it?

They crucified Clinton with scurrilous, vitriolic attacks for a harmless affair that pales in comparison with the death and destruction wrought on the Iraqis, our children, and their families. Will there be no accountability on this Earth for these horrendous, boldface, manipulative lies and fabrications? Gentlemen, does the media lack stomach for that fight too?

I've heard Scott Ritter speak several times and I find him highly credible. I have never understood why he wasn't listened to and highlighted during the debate about WMD pre-invasion of Iraq. Why?

The fear factor played a great role in what happened - fear on the part of the President and the rest of his staff, for their own safety and, one supposes, for the nation. They acted in panic mode - the only explanation for their duplicity, failure to persist in asking the right questions; they believed we would go along with anything because we were also in a panic after 9/11 - and they were right! What they got wrong was how their attack would play out in a part of the world they didn't understand at all. It's the arrogance and ignorance and lack of good judgment of everyone at the top in a decision-making position that stuns the mind.

The number of Iraqi dead was very carefully evaluated and reported in an article which appeared in The Lancet, a premium medical journal, a year ago. It is more than ten times the number Mr. Moyers quoted.

Deepest thanks for a superb presentation, and deepest appreciation for the journalists who saw through the fabrications.

Nora Klein

I really don't blame the media as much as some, I think. Intelligent, concerned citizens could have seen the whitewash that was being given us by the white house in 2002 and 2003. I did.

It is my opinion that his country as a whole was hellbent for going to war.

What's amazing now to me now is how the greatest country in the world is still unable to find Obama Bin Laden and the press still doesn't seem to be pressuring the White House to really do something about it. But it wouldn't surprise me at all to see something actually accomplished in that regard prior to the upcoming election just to make republicans and conservatives look good.

p.s. the interview with Phil Donahue was the most unnerving. What his bosses were telling him and what happened in the end is just so wrong and unpatriotic. I am so glad I do not have or watch cable television.

Wolfowitz had promised Americans wouldn't pay for the war. Why does the administration ask that this undeclared war continue to be funded by an emergency supplemental instead of being part of the DoD budget? The prez has asked for a specified amount and we have the past 4 years to reflect on and estimate real costs. And why don't Democrats now put it in the budget rather than comply with the Prez' request for the money, timetables notwithstanding?

I want to personally thank Mr Moyers and the good professionals at Knight Ridder.
I am just sorry that the full impact of this horrendous deception was not apparent to the various candidates running for the presidency in 2004.
I wanted to believe that John Kerry could make a difference, but I was frankly stunned that he did not once make a reference to the concerted deceptions, masterfully crafted to steer the Senate into a vote for war. When asked why he voted for war, he would present a lame defence, where, if he had simply read the NY Times article, "Skewed Intelligence Data In March to War in Iraq" which spanned several full pages in the Sunday Times on October 3rd 2004, he would have had the best possible defence for his vote. He was lied to. Period. For those who haven't had the pleasure, this article (by David Barstow, William Broad & Jeff Gerth) will fill in the real hard evidence of this mass deception, centering around the full story of the discovery and nature of the aluminum "centrifuge" tubes, which were proven to be typical tubes used in the manufacture of mortar launchers, and furthermore, were purchased on the open market, as they had been for years - fitting the exact dimensions and coating as typically required for the launchers.
The article covers the reactions of incredulity from our own Nuclear weaponry experts to the International Atomic Energy Agency. It was a magnificant piece of journalism. Why hadn't the man running for the Oval Office found the time to read it? I am still scratching my head over that one.

Anybody here double-checking the stories written by Landay and Strobel? You should be.

By the way, regional papers outside the beltway did publish some of their stories. Remember, there are other credible news sources besides the Post, the Times, CNN and MSNBC. There are many dedicated journalists working every day in lower profile papers.

Doesn't anyone else remember reading and hearing about dissent before the war? It was definitely out there.

I am a grateful American. Thank you for your stellar reporting. The truth is out.

The main stream press has become a flaming bag of poop on the doorstep of America.

It's time to stomp it out.

You guys were great!

What do you know of something called The Downing Street Memo?

Thank you.

A great place to voice concerns regarding this topic is this upcoming FCC public hearing on media ownership Monday in Tampa, FL. The FCC is charged with ensuring that the media operate in the "public interest." Clearly, the "public interest" wasn't addressed in this case, and while a direct tie between inadequate journalism and ownership deregulation is often refuted by the same inadequate journalists that overlooked prewar intelligence, the Moyers suggested such a problem in many cases. Here's a link to info on the FCC hearing: http://www.freepress.net/news/22411

This is what TV should be about a thought provoking thorough review that stimulated me to think about these issues. I must admit that in the busy world we are often in I do not have the time to listen/read this type of journalism enough. After tonight you have stimulated me to do a better job. Keep it up and how do we get more of the Knight Ridder news?

Great job guys, from a former KR reporter (the Post-Tribune, Gary), your work was in the great traditions of Gene Roberts, Barlett and Steele, Gary Webb, et al.
I had my students in the advanced journalism class I teach watching tonight. They certainly learned not only what not to do from the many journalists who pandered, but also they learned what to do from you. (If your mother says she loves you, check it out.) Mr. Moyers, great job, too, again. Many of the comments here are from people asking the question, why? It would be a great story if you could follow the money and answer the question.

Regards,
Joe

Joe

Thank you for tonight's program. Unfortunately, it is more than a little late.

Is America ready to find out that 911 WAS AN INSIDE JOB??

Some of us KNOW a controlled demolition when we see one. On 911 we saw THREE.

And, yes, there is lots of evidence. Do you reporters have the guts to do some REAL journalism??

Peace be upon the earth and among all beings.

Our democracy if flawed; our media is infiltrated by opinions and egocentrics who want to exploit there jobs to be “players.” I find it absurd and stangely fascinating, however, how an alternate reality can arise and flourish. And I've decided "patriotism" is generally a bad thing--I've never been a patriot myself. I don't think it's right to pretend you or you're country is in a morally superior position. We pretend propaganda doesn't exist in America anymore, but after watching the program, I’m surprised FOX news didn't disperse something similar to the old “social realist” propaganda posters, with caricatures of Arab men with one hand on a detonator and the other reaching for our women and children. I think one should be wary and skeptical whenever fear seems to be the essence of a persuasive argument. I guess short doses of pathos driven news sells more than logos. It's a price we pay for capitalism, but it's worth it, it has to be--and it's too late to freak myself out with ideas of the superstructure and whether humanity is enslaved to the insatiable logic of its economies. Thanks for not being lazy, and not going with flow. P.S. I once read the message on desk: "2+2=5--think for yourself", it makes me think of the young editor who said he simply had faith in the things that other people have written.

I had no idea that this show was airing tonight, however, below is relevant comment that I sent to CBS earlier today.

Each day, conservative reporters at ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, etc. uses and spotlight these same false and glorified lies of heroism, from the Bush administration, along side the bodies of dead US soldiers as hallowed justification for further support and promotion of Bush's wars. These bias network reports suggest, on the bodies of selected dead soldiers, that all the thousands of innocent fallen soldiers died willingly for them and Bush's war? However, the networks never provided equal time or show the majority of soldiers or families’ of dead soldiers who objected to them dying in this needless war! And this is understandable when you take into consideration that CBS and NBC are defense contractors and their reporters like Tim Russerts were the most relentless, loudest, cheer-leading, instigators, and questioners on what Clinton, Bush, America, etc. was going to do about Saddam Hussein? Most every Sunday there was this constant theme and call for war by conservative like Cheney, Rove, Rumsfeld, and Tim Russert!


If the conservative and corporate owned media had done their job and challenged Bush’s pre war claims on Iraq and Afghanistan then Mr. Tillman's family probably would not have lost their son or had to struggle to find the truth of his death.

The same reporters and networks that were complicit in the invasion of Iraq are now the same ones prolonging it by framing it as a game between democrats and republicans and by using obstructionist, distracting, and delay tactics to attack all democratic attempts to end this invasion.

Anybody here double-checking the stories written by Landay and Strobel? You should be.

By the way, regional papers outside the beltway did publish some of their stories. Remember, there are other credible news sources besides the Post, the Times, CNN and MSNBC. There are many dedicated journalists working every day in lower profile papers.

Bill Moyers;

You are one of the few Journalists left that had my trust. I'm sure disappointed in you now.

I haven't heard such Revisionist History Clap Trap since the "Run Up to The War". I knew all the "Facts" that Bush & Co. were using were fake back then!! I was aghast that the 4th Estate wasn't doing it's job.

There was a lot of Fact Checking going on at first. Bush would come on my TV and float some half baked reason for us to invade Iraq. None of them lasted a week.

As I recall, it was the Friday before Thanksgiving when George sent up yet another Trial Balloon Issue, WMD. I expected it to be shot down by Monday evening. After all, I had heard 2 years back that the "Yellow Cake" and "tubes" had been investigated and there was no basis for concern.

Instead everyone only had Softball questions about Their "Facts". I kept waiting for someone to trot out footage that had run on Nightly News shows or refer to articles printed in Newspapers or Magazines months earlier. It never happened.

Now I'm left to wonder if the major faces and names we have in Journalism watch or read their own Product.

When I was doing Radio, I got 5 minutes of News at the top of every hour. I had to listen since there is not much to do otherwise. I guess that’s when I got the habit. I knew everything about everything and I wasn't even a "News Man". I really expected more from your entire Profession.

Folks the truth is that all the Major Media are now owned by 5 Corporations. The Journalists were silenced by their Corporations so that the War Mongers among us could have their War and the profits that it brings. (Need I remind you we’ve had one in each Generation for quite a while now?) Think Halliburton.

For questions:
http://www.lexrex.com/enlightened/articles/warisaracket.htm
It’s been going on a long time. When will we wake up?

A great place to voice concerns regarding this topic is this upcoming FCC public hearing on media ownership Monday in Tampa, FL. The FCC is charged with ensuring that the media operate in the "public interest." Clearly, the "public interest" wasn't addressed in this case, and while a direct tie between inadequate journalism and ownership deregulation is often refuted by the same inadequate journalists that overlooked prewar intelligence, the Moyers suggested such a problem in many cases. Here's a link to info on the FCC hearing: http://www.freepress.net/news/22411

Wolfowitz had promised Americans wouldn't pay for the war. Why does the administration ask that this undeclared war continue to be funded by an emergency supplemental instead of being part of the DoD budget? The prez has asked for a specified amount and we have the passt 4 years fo reflect on and estimate real costs. And why don't Democrats now put it in the budget rather than comply with the Prez' request for the money, timetables notwithstanding?

I really don't blame the media as much as some, I think. Intelligent, concerned citizens could have seen the whitewash that was being given us by the white house in 2002 and 2003. I did.

It is my opinion that his country as a whole was hellbent for going to war.

What's amazing now to me now is how the greatest country in the world is still unable to find Obama Bin Laden and the press still doesn't seem to be pressuring the White House to really do something about it. But it wouldn't surprise me at all to see something actually accomplished in that regard prior to the upcoming election just to make republicans and conservatives look good.

p.s. the interview with Phil Donahue was the most unnerving. What his bosses were telling him and what happened in the end is just so wrong and unpatriotic. I am so glad I do not have or watch cable television.

Thank you for an inspiring and hopeful report. Hopeful that there are people likes yourselves who will look at issues with a critcal eye and ear.

What was the goal for the war? Oil? It seems Pandora's Box was opened when Saddam was eliminated. Now, everyone's talking about putting the lid back on, forgetting the one(s) who created the problem in the first place.

I would appreciate your comment.

Thanks again.

In hindsight, it appears your reports were bright but unseen by the decision makers. Many media managers were extremely cautious about reporting against the momentum of a prospective unilateral invasion. In critical situations like this, what media exists in the US that is insulated from the nationalist and economic pressures that threaten the ability to investigate and report the facts? Does the public require a certain minimum amount of balanced reporting in order for society to sustain a stable equilibrium? In other words, is there a key minimum amount of counterpoint that must be provided to prevent the public from being swayed by an avalanche of one-sided rhetoric and droning pundits. I would like to believe that the widely available PBS/NPR broadcasts fill the niche, but perhaps that is an illusion. I'm beginning to find that news sources based outside the US are a wonderful reality check, if not at least contributing to a holistic perspective.
What fundamental changes are required in the way the American public gets its information to prevent such a tragic fiasco from reoccuring?

Knight_Ridder will now become my homepage for news. I never truly realized that even the journalists I trust, are being so strongly influenced by simply living and working within the DC/NYC nexus. Thank you for a spectacualr lesson in journalism, truth and the positive influence of healthy skepticism. My gratitude to Mr Moyers, and those intrepid and couragous reporters working at the Knight-Ridder newspaper chain.

I am a news Junkie. But for the last 10 years, I read my news at the BBC, I watch PBS and CSPAN for information. I never know that Knight Ridder was different from what we call reporting today. As of today, you guys will be on my daily reading list, because you do the type of investigative reporting the BBC is known for. I would be interesteing to know the URL where your reportings are posted.

Thank you so much. Keep on investigating.

I really don't blame the media as much as some I think. Intelligent, concerned citizens could have seen the whitewash that was being given us by the white house in 2002 and 2003. I did.

It is my opinion that his country as a whole was hellbent for going to war.

What's amazing now to me now is how the greatest country in the world is still unable to find Obama Bin Laden and the press still doesn't seem to be pressuring the White House to really do something about it. But it wouldn't surprise me at all to see something actually accomplished in that regard prior to the upcoming election just to make republicans and conservatives look good.

p.s. the interview with Phil Donahue was the most unnerving. What his bosses were telling him and what happened in the end is just so wrong and unpatriotic. I am so glad I do have or watch cable television.

I would like to congratulate the two of you for your excellent job of reporting. Your seeking of the truth is inspiring. I would like to know if you think that impact of the large communications firms are harming the reporting by reducing the number or reporters to increase their profits, and is the reduction in the number of reporters having an impact on the bias and reporting of the truth and facts?

Thank you,
Richard Hickey
Vietnam Veteran

I'm not very proficient on the Internet..I'm just a 66 year old grandmother. But even I could go on the web and find many of the things you two fine journalist found and reported on tonight. I never understood why, when the majority of the 'terrorist' of 9/11 were from Saudi Arabia we weren't attacking them, rather than Iraq. Having read many books on Saddam, I couldn't understand how anyone could think he would allow a group like Al Qaeda into his country-the descent they would have raised among the Iraqi's would not have been tolerated by any dictator. I didn't like the way the USA had 'made' Saddam in the first place was being brushed under the carpet. That's when I began to really distrust not only the administration, but the press in general. I began going to journalist outside the USA for more information, trying to make sense of it all.

We have a McClatchy/Knight Rider newspaper in Kansas City, but none of your columns appeared, that I can recall, and I read it pretty thoroughly every day. The editors here had all about all the other columnist from the Post, Times etc.....especially the ones that wouldn't appear on this PBS presentation, which certainly was not balanced journalism and very disappointing! I wish we had had your columns appearing here, because Oreilly is a big favorite in this area, and so is Fox new, unfortunately. It is a shame that someone like me could find so many things just using search engines on the Internet and sources outside the USA when the major news media didn't even make the effort, and now we are in this situation! Every time I watch what we are doing in Iraq, I have to say a "may God forgive us" prayer. The Red Cross and Lancet have reported that almost 100,000 Iraqis have died since this immoral, illegal invasion took place and our occupation. But why aren't there reports-major reports- on the Blackwater troops now in Iraq? There is no report on their deaths in the troop death totals given out. Another failure of the press is to inform the public about the situation with the dollar in the world market, how close we are to economic collapse if it fails....and how Saddam had threatened to demand Euro instead of dollars to pay for oil-just as Iran is now looking to do, and how that would ripple through the value of the dollar. Once the decline of the dollar value is affected by that, won't the Chinese call in their US bonds that have been floating our government expenses. And why is there no information in the press for Americans to be educated about the Federal Reserve? When I tell people it is not federal at all but run by private bankers and how it operates, those people look at me like I'm nuts!

There are a lot of things that need desperate attention now by the public to make informed choices, but the information is not getting to them by the media. I have written George Will and many other columnist with my belief that the Freedom of the Press carries the responsibilities the Founding Fathers wrote at the time-that the press was to have that freedom so that the American people would never be "ruled in secret"...but those letters go unanswered.

Thank you for taking that responsibility to heart, having the integrity and the fortitude to act on it.

Excellent program. I will use Knight Ridder for truth in news from now on.
I have a son who flies medical evacuation helicopters in Afghanistan. Is'nt Afghanistan a legitimate place for troops now? We support the troops, and feel there are better ways than war for solution to the worlds problems. I wish I had heard of you sooner. Blessings to you and your efforts for truthful information.Janie B.

One point I didn't hear mentioned in tonight's program is something I learned from Amy Goodman, co-host of the daily "Democracy Now!" show (democracynow.org) about television coverage of the issues prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which I think is based on a study done by FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (fair.org) regarding the people chosen for broadcast interviews and debates. I don't recall the actual numbers, but despite the fact that there was substantial opposition to the invasion plans then underway, as evidenced by the massive demonstrations in New York City and elsewhere in March, 2003, extremely few persons representing that view were featured by programs shown on the three major broadcast networks, the cable networks and the PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer.

I would be interested to know what, if any, discussions might have taken place behind the scenes as to whether and how such voices should have been featured, or whether such an idea was considered to be completely "out of the question."

thank you for honesty and integrity. have done some research, and belive that iraq was invaded to drive up oil prices. the companies that have donated millions of dollars to the republican party are available at open secrets.org. they include bp petrolium, hallibutron,exxon mobil and yes ENRON in 2000. SEIG, strategic Energy Investment Group. the oil companies include exxon mobil,bp, statoil, petrolium geo-services. govt offices they consult with are the us state dept. the us defeense dept. halliburton should ring a bell, dick cheney. and the lobby firm of vison & elkin, who coincidently had as an employee, the attorney general alberto gonzalos. does anyone not see what is happening here. this is a huge conspirecy to rip off the common people. vison & elkins is used by halliburton. halliburton wants to move it's operations from iraq to dubai. guess what vison & elkins have an office in dubai. also has an office in london, 2 words British Petrolium. and yes enron even used vison & elkins. some of my sources are, opensecrets.org halliburtonwatch.org gwbush the darkside alertnet.org some articles of interest cfr.org/publication.html?id=5425 perspective heading for war. www.alertnet.org/story/12155 bush enron ties. www.alertnet.org/story/51043/ kunicih files article for impeachment against dick cheney. should also include bush and cabinet. belive they should also be brought up on war crimes. can you help stop this plundering of the american people. help

Is there any professional association for journalists that has standards that they enforce, perhaps if asked? Could a journalist be expelled from it in the case of a total failure to do his or her job? There are a few candidates in the piece....

Another angle, could a journalist be sued for malpractice, as a doctor might be? Could it be a class action suit, e.g. American Public vs Terry Bull Hack? Harm to the Nation? Harm to my dead son or daughter? Harm to the schools' budgets, etc?

The server is not responding. There must be a lot of people trying to post.

Sorry for joining late. You guys did a great job.
This program is one more step solving the problem.
-- md

thank you for honesty and integrity. have done some research, and belive that iraq was invaded to drive up oil prices. the companies that have donated millions of dollars to the republican party are available at open secrets.org. they include bp petrolium, hallibutron,exxon mobil and yes ENRON in 2000. SEIG, strategic Energy Investment Group. the oil companies include exxon mobil,bp, statoil, petrolium geo-services. govt offices they consult with are the us state dept. the us defeense dept. halliburton should ring a bell, dick cheney. and the lobby firm of vison & elkin, who coincidently had as an employee, the attorney general alberto gonzalos. does anyone not see what is happening here. this is a huge conspirecy to rip off the common people. vison & elkins is used by halliburton. halliburton wants to move it's operations from iraq to dubai. guess what vison & elkins have an office in dubai. also has an office in london, 2 words British Petrolium. and yes enron even used vison & elkins. some of my sources are, opensecrets.org halliburtonwatch.org gwbush the darkside alertnet.org some articles of interest cfr.org/publication.html?id=5425 perspective heading for war. www.alertnet.org/story/12155 bush enron ties. www.alertnet.org/story/51043/ kunicih files article for impeachment against dick cheney. should also include bush and cabinet. belive they should also be brought up on war crimes. can you help stop this plundering of the american people. help

William Krystol was asked to be in an interview and declined? Small wonder. Take a look at the role of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), which includes William Krystol, George Bush, Karl Rove, Richard Perle, Scooter Libby, Donald Rumsfeld, and Richard Armitage as members. PNAC sent a letter to Bill Clinton urging him to attack Iraq. Most of the people who caused the U.S. to get preemptive attack are members of the PNAC. Krystol is not unbiased; he has been actively involved. The role of this group and other right wing conservative "think tanks" should be investigated, IMHO. Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PNAC

I really don't blame the media as much as some I think. Intelligent, concerned citizens could have seen the whitewash that was being given us by the white house in 2002 and 2003. I did.

It is my opinion that his country as a whole was hellbent for going to war.

What's amazing now to me now is how the greatest country in the world is still unable to find Obama Bin Laden and the press still doesn't seem to be pressuring the White House to really do something about it. But it wouldn't surprise me at all to see something actually accomplished in that regard prior to the upcoming election just to make republicans and conservatives look good.

p.s. the interview with Phil Donahue was the most unnerving. What his bosses were telling him and what happened in the end is just so wrong and unpatriotic. I am so glad I do have or watch cable television.

Is there any professional association for journalists that has standards that they enforce, perhaps if asked? Could a journalist be expelled from it in the case of a total failure to do his or her job? There are a few candidates in the piece....

Another angle, could a journalist be sued for malpractice, as a doctor might be? Could it be a class action suit, e.g. American Public vs Terry Bull Hack? Harm to the Nation? Harm to my dead son or daughter? Harm to the schools' budgets, etc?

The server is not responding. There must be a lot of people trying to post.

Sorry for joining late. You guys did a great job.
This program is one more step solving the problem.
-- md

In the scientific community anyone who is found to have 'cooked the data' in order to obtain a desired result is drummed out of the field, lose their job and any credibility they may have had. They will never get research grants, professorships, lab positions again. Does anything happen to reporters who are consistently wrong about a story because of shoddy journalism, complacency or a lack of integrity. Is there anyplace that their "mistakes" can be tallied, sort of a "Consumer's Reports" of journalists and newspapers/magazines.

Thomas Jefferson offered, "The tree of democracy need be watered from time to time with the blood of patriots and the blood of tyrants".

You guys qualify for the patriot role and GWB plays well the other part.

Americans should truly appreciate your passion for the truth. May you never get so comfortable or so famous that you lose it.

Skip
Little Rock

Yellow journalism takes on a new significance when we learn of how major news sources in this country succumbed so cravenly to the Bush administration's deceitful case for going to war with Iraq. The question now is: do you think that that this once noble profession can survive as an objective defender democracy in an age when corporate and political are joined at the hip at the expense of our enduring national interests and constitutional right to know the truth?

Mke Martinez - Dallas

Thank you for tonight's program. Unfortunately, it is more than a little late.

Is America ready to find out that 911 WAS AN INSIDE JOB??

Some of us KNOW a controlled demolition when we see one. On 911 we saw THREE.

And, yes, there is lots of evidence. Do you reporters have the guts to do some REAL journalism??

Peace be upon the earth and among all beings.

I'm thankful that PBS aired this program. I'm doubtful that anyone was listening. Oh some may have been watching, but I doubt that they are seeing, listening, hearing and/or comprehending. The spin machine whirrs on unabated and the press keeps right on publishing/broadcasting/cable-casting/pod-casting their lies.

Your list of those (especially pundits/journalists/editorialists) who would not appear on your program is especially telling and troubling. Those self deluded egotistical asses or fools or whatever the hell they are, that helped lead our country down this road to ruin, this road to a totally illegal "preemptive" war, should have the courage, or should I say, should have the moral character and human decency to step forward, apologize and get on with the task of doing everything they can to help to end this disasterous war and this out of control regime.

The men and women, the “leaders” who chose and continue to choose to "mislead," (wait, that’s far too nice a word), those that have intentionally lied to us, the American people and the world, are criminals and should be tried as such. Those people have committed and are committing crimes against humanity and they should be handed over to the World Court for trial.

At least one supposedly informed and credible organization has estimated the number of Iraqi deaths alone at six to seven hundred thousand!!!

Where the hell has the press been and where the hell are they now???

God Bless you Bill Moyers and friends, God Bless you. You folks are the real patriots.

Greetings...
A Great Show Guy's,
It's About Time Someone Would Have Enough Ball's And Expose The Lie's Going On In Our Country!
How Can You Believe A Lier
Or A Press Being Bought-out?
SzaboServices
(http://szaboservices.com)

Thanks for a very informative and interesting program. I was struck by the similarity between the press buying off on the Iraq war hype put out by this administration and them not pursuing the Watergate story. If it had not been for Katherine Graham, Ben Bradley and "Woodstein," the public would never have known. And here we have the reporters for Knight-Kidder. So much of the hype was reported as fact by the Washington press....where was Bob Woodward on this. Now that he has Ben Bradley's old job, he's in a position to have gotten the truth out, and he's earned enough respect to have been taken seriously.

Mr. Landay and Mr. Strobel, thanks for digging for the truth behind the headlines. Unfortunately, not many people actually read beyond the headlines--including congressman--or they would have been skeptical of the war from the start. I have two questions for you. Did you have any sources within the US government to help inform your reporting in the lead up to the war? What sources did foreign intelligence agencies use in forming their apparently concensus opinion about Iraq's alleged WMD?

My family is one which has had the misfortune of losing a son and brother to the war in Iraq. I knew when the Bush Administration was calling for invasion in Iraq that the probability of WMD's didn't exist. If indeed Saddam had them he would have pointed them anywhere he could. However, I was moved when Collin Powell gave his speech at the United Nations. I had so much respect for the man. But now I know he and others were puppets of some wierd plot to go to war to make millions for the contractors who have been flourishing in Iraq.

I now know why there were few questions and research into the war mongering statements coming out of the Whitehouse.

I now ask the same question Lee Iacoca asks in his new book. "Where are the new Leaders?"

WEll we know where a couple of you have been. And now with Bill Moyers new program. I thank you for your work and bravery.

thank you!

How does the media remain objective and impartial from one administration to another, especially when the elections were so divisive? That has been the most bewildering aspect of the Geo W. administration (the impartiality vanished). Are there any safeguards for the media?

I have never felt so helpless, angry, and frustrated and for years. When Congress was debating whether to go to war, I wrote to Mrs. Bush, Rumsfield, Wolfowitz, my representatives BEGGING them not to go to war because we didn't have enough evidence, that Sadam was being contained with flyovers and sanctions, and worse, that this action would make everything worse in the world, create more danger for all of us, and cause us to be even more hated in the Middle East. No one listens to us. This is NOT a democracy. What on EARTH could we Americans have done to stop Bush and his crew? And to Bill: SO GLAD YOU ARE BACK!

Thank you Mssrs Landay & Strobel and thank God Bill is back on the air. I have wondered for many years now how it is that the various media moguls can legitimize criminals like Limbaugh, G. Gordon Liddy, Linda Chavez, not to mention the likes of O'Lielly and Hannity and, IMHO the most despicable, George Will. There was reference to this phenomenon in your broadcast---the concurrent visual was of William Cristol, who, it turns out, was again being legitimized this very evening on All Things Considered as a "political analyst." So much for the oft-claimed "left-wing bias" of PBS. Any thoughts on this, gentlemen??

Thank you for tonight's program. Unfortunately, it is more than a little late.

Is America ready to find out that 911 WAS AN INSIDE JOB??

Some of us KNOW a controlled demolition when we see one. On 911 we saw THREE.

And, yes, there is lots of evidence. Do you reporters have the guts to do some REAL journalism??

Peace be upon the earth and among all beings.

This was a great program, one of the most incisive programs I have eer seen. I am so shaken by this because I have for some time come to the conclusion that too many members of the media are too close to the beltway to d otheir jobs properly. I am extremely disappointed in a guy like Tim Russert, who the administration has admitted they have used as amouthpiece for their views and Mr. Russert just goes along with it. We criticize countries like Russia and China for the lack of a free press, but it seems that our press isn't much better, sadly.

So, did anyone watch American Idol tonight?

Certainly a 'worth watching' documentary, but mostly old news for those who visit DemocracyNow.org on a daily basis.

So where's Strobel and Landay? I was under the impression that we would all be in a chat room with a moderator...

IMPEACH 'EM ALL!

How can we instill courage and integrity into the media again? You noted that the media could barely muster the courage to cover the anti-war protests. I note that they have not improved in the intervening years. Dennis Kucinich’s introducing a bill of impeachment is a significant, patriotic, and courageous act, and The New York Times could barely muster the courage to give it a paragraph of coverage buried way back in the paper two days ago, and NBC couldn’t muster the courage to put it in Bryan Williams’ prime-time news but rather buried it in a 10-second sound byte in the Scarborough show. How can we get the Times to become an honorable newspaper again? Of late, they have been cowardly, negligent, and corrupt.

Good Evening,

I am currently a student, attending a community college in my home town of Alvin, Texas. I have been attending college, utilizing the Montgomery G.I. Bill, since my discharge from the United States Marine Corps. I did two tours in Iraq, one voluntarily. Politically, I tend to be conservative, but I am very open minded. Have said all this, I would like to present my onion on Iraq.

Iraq seems now to be a blunder that the American people have been blindly lead into, reminiscent of Vietnam. However, on the side of not being popular, I will point out that since 9-11, there have been no terrorist attacks.
I volunteered to to serve, and if asked by my country to do so again, I would, with out question. Not for ideology, or duty, or what ever else President Kennedy spoke of when he said his famous words, "it is not what your country can do for you. It is what you can do for your country." I do it because as long as we keep the fight the terrorist insist on having on distant shores, it keeps it away from my family. Yes, I agree that the administration probably twisted things around to go into Iraq, but I ask, "was it really a bad decision?" Sad am Hussies, a ruthless dictator responsible for thousands of deaths has been taken out of power, and ultimately brought to justice. Again, no attacks have been mounted against the United States on our soil since 9-11.

In the program tonight, Iraq was described as being in "Complete Chaos."
Yes, combat Operations happen in Iraq, but why does the media constantly report the bad events that occur there. How about some thing refreshing every once in a while, something that presents a little truth. That was what the Program tonight was all about, wasn't it? Why doesn't the press report the good incidents as well as the bad? My first tour, my Platoon alone found over 500.000 tons of weapons cached all across the Al Anabar province. The lives we saved, American and other wise is incomprehensible. Another insident , Marines in my squad found an Egyptian National who had been kidnapped, from Egypt, beaten with in an inch of his life, and left for dead in the bowls of an Al Queda command post hidden beneath a mud hut.

The only answer my limited education provides me is simply, the press, as much as it parades around as keepers of the hallowed American ideals, is just a business. Beginning the war, as was said in the program, it was "good for business" to report what America wants to here. Now that the war has become unpopular for a multitude of reasons, it is good business to be against it. Also, the press is inherently "liberal," and I use that term loosely, for I have never seen a group of "my way, and no other way, I wont even entertain the idea I might be wrong" as the modern "Liberals." As a conservative natured individual, I will not jump on the band wagon on a brand new issue, butI tend to be open minded about anything brought forth.
Having stated that, I think that the press, again who are inherently liberal, have decided to mount a campaign in favor of the left. I noticed that the anti-war media campaign conveniently began around the same time as the 2004 presidential election campaign. Headed, namely by that opportunist, John Kerry.

I think it is time for the media, big name newspapers in particular, should move away from the left, or the right, and report the facts. That way, the average American can make an educated decision. Like the right to bear arms, free speech was not meant for individuals. It is a happy by product, but its main purpose is to keep the federal government in check. A free thinking, armed population is very hard to subjugate. Why else would those amend nets be the first and second?

So as keepers of America, that is what I consider the press, get off bashing the troops in Iraq to make President Bush and the GOP as a whole look bad to ensure a democrat gets in the white house, and actually report something of substance, and might be refreshing to hear, instead of more of the same bad news.

Thank you Mssrs Landay & Strobel and thank God Bill is back on the air. I have wondered for many years now how it is that the various media moguls can legitimize criminals like Limbaugh, G. Gordon Liddy, Linda Chavez, not to mention the likes of O'Lielly and Hannity and, IMHO the most despicable, George Will. There was reference to this phenomenon in your broadcast---the concurrent visual was of William Cristol, who, it turns out, was again being legitimized this very evening on All Things Considered as a "political analyst." So much for the oft-claimed "left-wing bias" of PBS. Any thoughts on this, gentlemen??

Gentlemen - I applaud you for your intrepid work. My question: because much of the mainstream press, as evidenced in the run-up to Iraq and in many, many other instances, is "in bed" with the Washington establishment, that is, it presents administration propoganda as factual "news" and is afraid to ask tough questions, do you think for this reason that the traditional characterization of the mainstream press as the independent voice of truth, fairness and balance in American society, has been irreparably damaged?

I cannot express my gratitude and admiration for what you've done. Even with the miasma of 9/11, it is difficult to understand how so many mature, experienced, reasonably intelligent people found these pretenders credible.

Hi,

Thank you for your courage!

You have reminded me of the egg on my face. I bought into the Al-Qaeda/Iraq connection, especially after Powell gave the UN speech. Although I thought the war would be a disaster, given the artificial boarder of Iraq drawn up by colonial powers and the opposing religious factions, I did little to oppose it.

Your story tonight showed the truth that has been hard to gleam from the fog that has been blown into the past. I was hard hit by Rather's explanation, it will be hard to watch anything on CBS. Ever.

Now we know that Rove is a kind of back room Goebbels and that Bush's handlers have got to be stopped at all costs. They have turned the US into their own little fascist empire with the help of Bill O'Reilly and other hacks. I didn't realize until tonight that I lived in a Nazi state.

Thank you and your people for all of your hard work. I hope that you all aren't fired by now.

cheers,

steve

ps. I will definitely be going to the Knight-Ridder web site for news, since I like to get an independent news source, FYI, I am an unaffiliated voter.

Thank you for tonight's program. Unfortunately, it is more than a little late.

Is America ready to find out that 911 WAS AN INSIDE JOB??

Some of us KNOW a controlled demolition when we see one. On 911 we saw THREE.

And, yes, there is lots of evidence. Do you reporters have the guts to do some REAL journalism??

Peace be upon the earth and among all beings.

I have never felt so helpless, angry, and frustrated and for years. When Congress was debating whether to go to war, I wrote to Mrs. Bush, Rumsfield, Wolfowitz, my representatives BEGGING them not to go to war because we didn't have enough evidence, that Sadam was being contained with flyovers and sanctions, and worse, that this action would make everything worse in the world, create more danger for all of us, and cause us to be even more hated in the Middle East. No one listens to us. This is NOT a democracy. What on EARTH could we Americans have done to stop Bush and his crew? And to Bill: SO GLAD YOU ARE BACK!

Its tragic really. The corporate media is more interested in the bottom line and less interested in good journalism. How can a democracy function, if the balanced information required by the electorate is absent? Historically, its been the duty of the media to provide this role but the American media coverage of Iraq has been pack journalism at its worst.

Ultimately, those Americans who were duped by the lies and propaganda of the Bush/Cheney administration must re-examine their naive understanding of the world and examine events with a critical eye.
Did you ever wonder why the governments of Germany, France and Canada refused to support the illegal invasion of Iraq? Did you ever wonder why popular opinion in those country's overwhelmingly supported their government's decision to avoid the coalition of the willing?

If you want to know the real reason for the invasion of Iraq -- read Linda McQuaig's "Its the Crude, Dude".

My family is one which has had the misfortune of losing a son and brother to the war in Iraq. I knew when the Bush Administration was calling for invasion in Iraq that the probability of WMD's didn't exist. If indeed Saddam had them he would have pointed them anywhere he could. However, I was moved when Collin Powell gave his speech at the United Nations. I had so much respect for the man. But now I know he and others were puppets of some wierd plot to go to war to make millions for the contractors who have been flourishing in Iraq.

I now know why there were few questions and research into the war mongering statements coming out of the Whitehouse.

I now ask the same question Lee Iacoca asks in his new book. "Where are the new Leaders?"

WEll we know where a couple of you have been. And now with Bill Moyers new program. I thank you for your work and bravery.

thank you!

In the same light...Why is no one talking about the current request to change laws so that the government can enter the homes of U.S. citizens to copy the hard drive of their computers without their knowledge or privacy protections?

Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel have shown more courage and truthfulness in their research than Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein did in the 1970s. I have begun to breathe a little deeper tonight after viewing Bill Moyer's Journal. These last 6 years have been so crazy and layered with lies & deception. I have felt that we, as a nation, had lost our capacity to root out the evils of neo-conservatism shored up by a complicit corporate media. We all know now to skeptically read the NY Times, Washington Post and the Wallstreet Journal. If we speak up, the Bush-Media cabal may be stopped in further launching their traitorous long range "Plan for America." The big mass media conglomerates are clearly linked to selling trusting Americans the Iraq War and the conservative dogma - it was, as I feared, a corporate, facist spin machine – hell bent on flinging hate and fear upon every American. Now we know of this tragic plague of deception – conceived in the White House and directly linked to our airwaves & newspapers. Beginning tonight, let's have the media compete for our redemption. Vote by viewing only sources that are credible & proven - and for me that only includes Link Network with Amy Goodman, Air America and Keith Olbermann (only) on MSNBC. Happily NOW I can add Maclatchy Newspapers and PBS' Bill Moyers to my favorites. You are true Americans in the tradition of our founders. Many thanks for your excellent work! Jim O'Connell, Minneapolis

Thank you for providing a program that was intelligent, brave, and worth watching.
Among many confirmations that the media is surprisingly comfortable in a supine posture was a reference to the version of "objectivity" that seems to prevail on NPR and other purportedly balanced news outlets.
Can you explain why reporters are satisfied that they have provided some information about the world as long as any wild claim is paired by an equally unexamined counter-claim?

Is this approach taught at journalism schools or is it something insisted on by management? Why isn't there a demand for reporters who actually try to find out the facts? Is it accepted among many journalists that their job is to provide a few, approved spokespeople with a microphone rather than to try to find and report the truth as you tried to do.

I must admit that, as just an ordinary citizen (though perhaps a particularly well read one), it took me a long time to figure out how come the public bought the Bush administration's "case" for war in the first place. It was obvious to anyone who knew history that Hussein was not going to be aligned with Al Qaeda and that his weakened, impoverished country posed no threat to us. Why did journalists who were IN THE BUSINESS not think things through? Are they so addicted to "he said/she said" reporting that they can inject NO analysis or common sense into what they present to the public? Why did Dan Rather not examine the forged National Guard documents which he touted (and which doomed his career) critically, so as not to permanently compromise his credibility with the public? And if the Knight Ridder journalists were really so dedicated, why did we not see more of a fuss from them and their publications? Something has been terribly wrong all along, and while it's good that this special documents it after the fact I cannot let these "journalists" off the hook for not doing more at the time.

Its tragic really. The corporate media is more interested in the bottom line and less interested in good journalism. How can a democracy function, if the balanced information required by the electorate is absent? Historically, its been the duty of the media to provide this role but the American media coverage of Iraq has been pack journalism at its worst.

Ultimately, those Americans who were duped by the lies and propaganda of the Bush/Cheney administration must re-examine their naive understanding of the world and examine events with a critical eye.
Did you ever wonder why the governments of Germany, France and Canada refused to support the illegal invasion of Iraq? Did you ever wonder why popular opinion in those country's overwhelminly supported their government's decision to avoid the coalition of the willing?

If you want to know the real reason for the invasion of Iraq -- read Linda McQuaig's "Its the Crude, Dude".

What, in your opinion, is the reason the Bush administration chose to go to war with Iraq? Was it a naive attempt to remake the Middle East? Thank you for your efforts.

Gentlemen - I applaud you for your intrepid work. My question: because much of the mainstream press, as evidenced in the run-up to Iraq and in many, many other instances, is "in bed" with the Washington establishment, that is, it presents administration propoganda as factual "news" and is afraid to ask tough questions, do you think for this reason that the traditional characterization of the mainstream press as the independent voice of truth, fairness and balance in American society, has been irreparably damaged?

Thanks for having a mind of your own.

The pivotal role played by the Colin Powell UN speech in convincing any remaining skeptics was rightly given attention. That certainly was the tipping point in overcoming my skepticism.

I missed part of the documentary, but what I watched did not include any references to Frank Rich, who has done a terrific job, more than anyone else at the Times in "connecting the dots". Did you try to interview him? Thanks for a fabulous effort.

Hi,

Thank you for your courage!

You have reminded me of the egg on my face. I bought into the Al-Qaeda/Iraq connection, especially after Powell gave the UN speech. Although I thought the war would be a disaster, given the artificial boarder of Iraq drawn up by colonial powers and the opposing religious factions, I did little to oppose it.

Your story tonight showed the truth that has been hard to gleam from the fog that has been blown into the past. I was hard hit by Rather's explanation, it will be hard to watch anything on CBS. Ever.

Now we know that Rove is a kind of back room Goebbels and that Bush's handlers have got to be stopped at all costs. They have turned the US into their own little fascist empire with the help of Bill O'Reilly and other hacks. I didn't realize until tonight that I lived in a Nazi state.

Thank you and your people for all of your hard work. I hope that you all aren't fired by now.

cheers,

steve

ps. I will definitely be going to the Knight-Ridder web site for news, since I like to get an independent news source, FYI, I am an unaffiliated voter.

I took Powell's bait, hook line and sinker. I've been mad as hades ever since.

My question: 9/11 saw mostly Saudi Nationalist involved. Bin Laden took credit as well. The Saudi link has NEVER been investigated....WHY???

Finally, why haven't the Downing Street minutes of 2002, the "smoking gun" revealing "the fixing of facts" for war never been fully covered by you or anyone else in the US media??? Those minutes alone prove the lies and deception of this war.

Thanks for your work- Rev. Bradford N. Bray, Ret Capt USAF-ANG of this bs war.

Our democracy if flawed; our media is infiltrated by opinions and egocentrics who want to exploit there jobs to be “players.” I find it absurd and stangely fascinating, however, how an alternate reality can arise and flourish. And I've decided "patriotism" is generally a bad thing--I've never been a patriot myself. I don't think it's right to pretend you or you're country is in a morally superior position. We pretend propaganda doesn't exist in America anymore, but after watching the program, I’m surprised FOX news didn't disperse something similar to the old “social realist” propaganda posters, with caricatures of Arab men with one hand on a detonator and the other reaching for our women and children. I think one should be wary and skeptical whenever fear seems to be the essence of a persuasive argument. I guess short doses of pathos driven news sells more than logos. It's a price we pay for capitalism, but it's worth it, it has to be--and it's too late to freak myself out with ideas of the superstructure and whether humanity is enslaved to the insatiable logic of its economies. Thanks for not being lazy, and not going with flow. P.S. I once read the message on desk: "2+2=5--think for yourself", it makes me think of the young editor who said he simply had faith in the things that other people have written.

I really don't blame the media as much as some I think. Intelligent, concerned citizens could have seen the whitewash that was being given us by the white house in 2002 and 2003. I did.

It is my opinion that his country as a whole was hellbent for going to war.

What's amazing now to me now is how the greatest country in the world is still unable to find Obama Bin Laden and the press still doesn't seem to be pressuring the White House to really do something about it. But it wouldn't surprise me at all to see something actually accomplished in that regard prior to the upcoming election just to make republicans and conservatives look good.

p.s. the interview with Phil Donahue was the most unnerving. What his bosses were telling him and what happened in the end is just so wrong and unpatriotic. I am so glad I do have or watch cable television.

Gentlemen,

I first want to applaud your efforts and steadfast resolution in not falling into line like most mainstream news affiliations. My question for you is this - in a time where we as a nation are beginning to reflect more with our minds than emotion, is there hope for the media to re-establish itself was a force for holding politicians culpable for their indiscretions and lack of foresight, or will the political machinist media continue to run rampant feeding the minds of ill-informed citizens who have bought into their rhetoric from the start?

Thank you again for staying true to what every journalist should hold sacred - their skepticism.

Jim

Okay - The question is "What Now?" How can the damage be reversed - in this country, let alone the rest of the world and Iraq. Great broadcast although this was obvious to some of us from the beginning. It's about time.

Dear Knight Ridder reporters and Bill Moyers:

I can't thank you enough for standing up in the face of those hurricane winds--for doing your job as reporters. Thank you, thank you.

As a retired journalist, I would like to commend you for doing what we were trained to do at the Missouri School of Journalism back in the days before instant news. Dig and keep asking "why?".
The selling of the war is reminiscent of Hearstian hype during the Spanish American war. Today, however, TV makes the spin job easier. No time for reporting. Just go with the handouts.
Now, they're beating the drums for Iran. And we continue to build bases around the world -- a fact that is not often reported.
The return of the Moyers show -- and the fact that seasoned reporters are still out there is reason for hope.
Keep on keeping on.

How does the media remain objective and impartial from one administration to another, especially when the elections were so divisive? That has been the most bewildering aspect of the Geo W. administration (the impartiality vanished). Are there any safeguards for the media?

One point I didn't hear mentioned in tonight's program is something I learned from Amy Goodman, co-host of the daily "Democracy Now!" show (democracynow.org) about television coverage of the issues prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, which I think is based on a study done by FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (fair.org) regarding the people chosen for broadcast interviews and debates. I don't recall the actual numbers, but despite the fact that there was substantial opposition to the invasion plans then underway, as evidenced by the massive demonstrations in New York City and elsewhere in March, 2003, extremely few persons representing that view were featured by programs shown on the three major broadcast networks, the cable networks and the PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer.

I would be interested to know what, if any, discussions might have taken place behind the scenes as to whether and how such voices should have been featured, or whether such an idea was considered to be completely "out of the question."

Hi,

Thank you for your courage!

You have reminded me of the egg on my face. I bought into the Al-Qaeda/Iraq connection, especially after Powell gave the UN speech. Although I thought the war would be a disaster, given the artificial boarder of Iraq drawn up by colonial powers and the opposing religious factions, I did little to oppose it.

Your story tonight showed the truth that has been hard to gleam from the fog that has been blown into the past. I was hard hit by Rather's explanation, it will be hard to watch anything on CBS. Ever.

Now we know that Rove is a kind of back room Goebbels and that Bush's handlers have got to be stopped at all costs. They have turned the US into their own little fascist empire with the help of Bill O'Reilly and other hacks. I didn't realize until tonight that I lived in a Nazi state.

Thank you and your people for all of your hard work. I hope that you all aren't fired by now.

cheers,

steve

ps. I will definitely be going to the Knight-Ridder web site for news, since I like to get an independent news source, FYI, I am an unaffiliated voter.

Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel have shown more courage and truthfulness in their research than Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein did in the 1970s. I have begun to breathe a little deeper tonight after viewing Bill Moyer's Journal. These last 6 years have been so crazy and layered with lies & deception. I have felt that we, as a nation, had lost our capacity to root out the evils of neo-conservatism shored up by a complicit corporate media. We all know now to skeptically read the NY Times, Washington Post and the Wallstreet Journal. If we speak up, the Bush-Media cabal may be stopped in further launching their traitorous long range "Plan for America." The big mass media conglomerates are clearly linked to selling trusting Americans the Iraq War and the conservative dogma - it was, as I feared, a corporate, facist spin machine – hell bent on flinging hate and fear upon every American. Now we know of this tragic plague of deception – conceived in the White House and directly linked to our airwaves & newspapers. Beginning tonight, let's have the media compete for our redemption. Vote by viewing only sources that are credible & proven - and for me that only includes Link Network with Amy Goodman, Air America and Keith Olbermann (only) on MSNBC. Happily NOW I can add Maclatchy Newspapers and PBS' Bill Moyers to my favorites. You are true Americans in the tradition of our founders. Many thanks for your excellent work! Jim O'Connell, Minneapolis

An amazing indictment on our press and their failures on the hype that lead us into the invasion in Iraq.

I never believed the hype, and anyone who is well-read didn't either. It's, frankly, one of the biggest problems I have with Hillary Clinton: she should have known better, but was either too politically fearful/unprincipled or too uninformed to do the right thing.

Not long before Molly Ivins died, she encouraged her readers to encourage Bill Moyers to run for President. I wrote him a letter, encouraging him to run. I doubt he will, but I sure wish he would.

Great broadcast, Mr. Moyers. Long overdue. So are the impeachment proceedings.

Hats off to truth in journalism. How refreshing!! Love you Bill Moyers!!! Wow...what a exposure with stark nakedness how the general public can be manipulated into believing almost anything. Isn't this how it has always been done throughout history? The madness of a few who use thousands of others to carry out their selfish agenda. People still have the "herd" consciousness where they are robbed of their rights through tools and psychological techniques from the "control group" whoever that might be. Unless peop-le stop being sheep who can be led and start thinking and questioning they will always attract leaders who will be only too glad to lead them down the "garden path". I dread to think of what evil lies hide behind the rest of the iceburg that these honest reporters have begun to break apart.

Okay - The question is "What Now?" How can the damage be reversed - in this country, let alone the rest of the world and Iraq. Great broadcast although this was obvious to some of us from the beginning. It's about time.

The show was frightening. Those who were not fooled were marginalized. Those who could not be pushed to the margins were fired.
In the last ten seconds of the show when I heard that those who carried the administration's water are working at what I assume are good jobs and continue to be "darlings" in the talk show and lecture circuits. I was appalled. They and their bosses are in denial of what they wrought, which suggests to me that they were complicit in the lies and deception all along. Why else would they refuse to condemn those who promulgated those lies?
If we cannot learn from the current debacle, it will certainly happen again.

Dennis Kucinich has introduced “House Resolution 333 to impeach V.P. Cheney. Support him in this fight. This man shows courage that is lacking elseware in Congress. Show your support for him by calling your congressional representative and asking they co-sponsor his resolution. Click for a video clip of his press conference.

Thank you to Bill Moyers, both of you, and AP. I so hope our world remembers the importance of journalism over corporate profits for those who one most major media outlets before even more horrific disasters go unchallenged.

An amazing indictment on our press and their failures on the hype that lead us into the invasion in Iraq.

I never believed the hype, and anyone who is well-read didn't either. It's, frankly, one of the biggest problems I have with Hillary Clinton: she should have known better, but was either too politically fearful/unprincipled or too uninformed to do the right thing.

Not long before Molly Ivins died, she encouraged her readers to encourage Bill Moyers to run for President. I wrote him a letter, encouraging him to run. I doubt he will, but I sure wish he would.

Great broadcast, Mr. Moyers. Long overdue. So are the impeachment proceedings.

Here's the question: HOW do we PROTEST effectively in this day and age? In CHicago, there were HUGE protests--barely covered, not on the net...clearly useless. Many people said they didn't believe what they heard, KNEW the media was being conned (and the $$ and power behind that)--with NO way to protest effectively. Any suggestions?

The program ended 90 minutes ago on the East Coast. I have been following this thread ever since. I have yet to see one response from the reporters who are supposed to by replying here. Neither have I seen any of the three questions I posted in the past hour.

I ask once again: Are we all in the wrong place for the conversation, or is this site simply overwhelmed?

Okay - The question is "What Now?" How can the damage be reversed - in this country, let alone the rest of the world and Iraq. Great broadcast although this was obvious to some of us from the beginning. It's about time.

Thank you for tonight's program. Unfortunately, it is more than a little late.

Is America ready to find out that 911 WAS AN INSIDE JOB??

Some of us KNOW a controlled demolition when we see one. On 911 we saw THREE.

And, yes, there is lots of evidence. Do you reporters have the guts to do some REAL journalism??

Peace be upon the earth and among all beings.

Great job on the middle of the story. The real questions surround the beginning and what could be the end:

1. What REALLY happened on 9/11/2001, and who really did it?

2. Where are those people, and what are they going to do next?

3. If it took the WTC disaster to get into Iraq, what will it take to take Iran?

Excellent. Now how about a program investigating the source of all the misinformation and propaganda - Douglas Feith and his Office of Special Plans. And ultimately, the neocon agenda behind this.

Great Reporting!!!
Next Question ... Why?
Why did we go to war?

4/25/2007

Dear Bill and the old Knight-Ridder team and Phil Donahue,

What now? We the audience and citizens of this country are part of this problem. We tend to get lazy for the evening news hour by always wanting to focus on what I call ” comfort food news". Many in the general population have little or no conception of what critical news is or a desire for listening to the other side of a debate. Fortunately, the Internet, blogs, progressive radio and PBS, NPR are places where alternative points of view are available. I never did buy the Cheney Bush line for justifying the Iraq war. I did not hear many voices that concurred with my viewpoint. This has been well documented in your excellent news documentary tonight.
I am going to sign up with McClatchy for their online news. I have been online with the NY TIMES, WASH POST AND THE DALLAS PAPERS. These news organizations I now realize are next to worthless for reliable and accurate news content. I will still read them but now I will go to the library to get these papers.

Again, thanks for a great program. We need to look to the future to resolve this disparity so that at least the lesser viewpoints remain available

EH Wilson

Fantastic reporting and long overdue. In spite of the missing Curve Ball and Niger stories, it is obvious, that this administration has conned us for many years now. And the Pentagon with its Tillman and Lynch fairy tales followed right behind. Thank you for shining a light on this story, as there are still some people out there with their heads buried in the sand....or wherever! :)

As millions of us around the world took to the streets and tried by any means, as did the Pope, to point out the invasion of Iraq was morally indefensible, against American interests, and doomed to make matters much worse, why didn't most Americans get it? Why do Americans still want to be lied to and fleeced?

Hello. My Name is Nathan Ive, I am a radio talk show host based in Cincinnati, Ohio. I am the last progressive voice in Cincinnati radio. I would love to have you guys on my show.My email address is rockthemic@radio.am. The moyers piece was powerful. Thankfully I never bought into the spin. I am a faithful reader of Knight-Ridder.

Thank you both for your fine reporting and for your willingness to dig deeper and uncover the real facts. Please tell me which paper you work for now, so I can subscribe to it.

For Reid Pierce and his comments above on reporting on global warming, I suggest Mr. Pierce do the same kind of background research you did. Rather than taking information from political sources or industry, he might look to the actual scientific information itself. He will find, if he does so, that the evidence for global warming and its dangers are overwhelming and, unlike the arguments for war, not based on a shallow pool of information and distortions.

Fantastic reporting and long overdue. In spite of the missing Curve Ball and Niger stories, it is obvious, that this administration has conned us for many years now. And the Pentagon with its Tillman and Lynch fairy tales followed right behind. Thank you for shining a light on this story, as there are still some people out there with their heads buried in the sand....or wherever! :)

If we as citizens do not hold these administration people criminally accountable from the president to the former officials,then this American experiment of a government of law is finished.The first casualty of war is "Truth".

Thank you to Bill Moyers, both of you, and AP. I so hope our world remembers the importance of journalism over corporate profits for those who one most major media outlets before even more horrific disasters go unchallenged.

Even now, the media in general continues to fail to do its job in the face of mounting investigations pointing to an administration that has proven time and again to be so consistently wrong. The biggest indictment of the job the media in general is doing now is that one third of the country still believes that Saddam Hussein had something to do with the September 11 attacks.

Sometimes I am left wondering if I am the one who is wrong and I am guilty of seeing conspiracies where there are none. If it were not for reporters like yourselves, who remained loyal to the American people and the ideals and responsibilities of being a member of the Fourth Estate even while facing being labeled unpatriotic, we would not be where we are now, trying to find a way out. I don't know how you did it for so long, and I can't imagine how much criticism you and others might have taken these past few years, but thank you for all your hard work.

Thank you for tonight's program. Unfortunately, it is more than a little late.

Is America ready to find out that 911 WAS AN INSIDE JOB??

Some of us KNOW a controlled demolition when we see one. On 911 we saw THREE.

And, yes, there is lots of evidence. Do you reporters have the guts to do some REAL journalism??

Peace be upon the earth and among all beings.

Thanks for the great report.

"Its great how the media, which is able to overwhelm all other voices can turn lies into truth. They are not answerable to the people. Only the politicians regulate them. politicians give them favors and campaigning contributions. The sheeple of the United States are so used to it they don't care."

I find it laughable that the mainstream media (Cable, TV, Radio, Newspapers) are all owned by 4 or 5 international corrupt-iations. The way the FCC is on the record as saying that the interest of the huge company's free speech is more than the public interest's plainly proves that the media and government are bed-fellows. Big media doesn't have investigating teams, they goto the talking heads of the government and relay the propaganda and messages to us. Its funny how they reported that in the 2000 election bush had already won, and gore was "just not giving up". Look into it, if you were interested in this report I would recommend Orwell Turns In His Grave (Documentary). Catch it at http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1925114769515892401

I cannot express my gratitude and admiration for what you've done. Even with the miasma of 9/11, it is difficult to understand how so many mature, experienced, reasonably intelligent people found these pretenders credible.

Gentlemen,

I first want to applaud your efforts and steadfast resolution in not falling into line like most mainstream news affiliations. My question for you is this - in a time where we as a nation are beginning to reflect more with our minds than emotion, is there hope for the media to re-establish itself was a force for holding politicians culpable for their indiscretions and lack of foresight, or will the political machinist media continue to run rampant feeding the minds of ill-informed citizens who have bought into their rhetoric from the start?

Thank you again for staying true to what every journalist should hold sacred - their skepticism.

Jim

Finally the TRUTH!
How Refreshing!!!
Thank You
&
God Bless You!
-From a Christian Liberal.

I was a journalism student at the time of the invasion, Colin Powell's presentation to the UN, etc. I experienced such a cognitive dissonance between what I was being taught in my journalism classes and what I was seeing/hearing/reading in the MSM that I tuned out the news altogether, and no longer use mainstream news for information purposes. I tuned in tonight because I found the idea of any discussion of media culpability in the Iraq war incredible. I'm happy to say I was very impressed, for the first time since Basic Newswriting 101.

Big Media is certainly responsible for allowing the Iraq war to move forward on inaccurate facts and outright falsehoods, and has squandered every last ounce of its Fourth Estate credibility as a result. But that credibility could be restored, in my own opinion, if the responsible parties publicly admitted their error and plunged ahead with the work of reporting WHY the Bush administration was so hell-bent on tying the invasion to 9/11; and, as some others have pointed out, reporting on how this "why" ties into the glaring holes in the Kean Commission's official 9/11 mythology. There's tons of stuff there that needs to be researched responsibly, and would almost certainly draw a HUGE audience.

On another note, as an independent blogger, I manage to track dozens of stories that never make it to the news -- stories that should be huge front-page scoops by any reasonable measure of news value. I can't understand why pro journalists (generally speaking, there are of course exceptions sometimes) prefer to monitor each other and run back-and-forth over the same stories like a herd of sheep, rather than try to scoop each other with unique news items. That's why the Iraq war propaganda problem came to be. The existence of Project Censored is as great an indictment against the American press as anything else.

Well in any event, that's my rant as a former journalism student, and former would-be journalist. I appreciate the work that went into tonight's program, and Bill Moyers' integrity in putting the issue on prime time. Maybe it'll be a start in fixing America's broken news media, but I'm not holding my breath.

I give Moyer's a C+ for this show. I rarely read newspapers, watch TV or listen to the radio but Independent Media has kept me in the know for years. My Inbox is full of Truthdig, Common Dreams, Tom Dispatch and DEMOCRACY NOW!!! Thank God for Amy Goodman. Why no mention of Howard Zinn or Noam Chomsky??? If you want to know, it's easy, as you guys found out. And why so much Dan Rather? What a pathetic looser. It's painful to see him say nothing. Glad he's gone. You two were fine.

I really don't blame the media as much as some I think. Intelligent, concerned citizens could have seen the whitewash that was being given us by the white house in 2002 and 2003. I did.

It is my opinion that his country as a whole was hellbent for going to war.

What's amazing now to me now is how the greatest country in the world is still unable to find Obama Bin Laden and the press still doesn't seem to be pressuring the White House to really do something about it. But it wouldn't surprise me at all to see something actually accomplished in that regard prior to the upcoming election just to make republicans and conservatives look good.

p.s. the interview with Phil Donahue was the most unnerving. What his bosses were telling him and what happened in the end is just so wrong and unpatriotic. I am so glad I do have or watch cable television.

so why did the president and his people want to go to war so badly(quickly)was it for oil?or some oter reason.seems like many people have gotten tremendously rich from this war.surely they did not believe their own lies.so why go to war with out any real hard edvidence.seems to be many theories on this matter.why??

I was a journalism student at the time of the invasion, Colin Powell's presentation to the UN, etc. I experienced such a cognitive dissonance between what I was being taught in my journalism classes and what I was seeing/hearing/reading in the MSM that I tuned out the news altogether, and no longer use mainstream news for information purposes. I tuned in tonight because I found the idea of any discussion of media culpability in the Iraq war incredible. I'm happy to say I was very impressed, for the first time since Basic Newswriting 101.

Big Media is certainly responsible for allowing the Iraq war to move forward on inaccurate facts and outright falsehoods, and has squandered every last ounce of its Fourth Estate credibility as a result. But that credibility could be restored, in my own opinion, if the responsible parties publicly admitted their error and plunged ahead with the work of reporting WHY the Bush administration was so hell-bent on tying the invasion to 9/11; and, as some others have pointed out, reporting on how this "why" ties into the glaring holes in the Kean Commission's official 9/11 mythology. There's tons of stuff there that needs to be researched responsibly, and would almost certainly draw a HUGE audience.

On another note, as an independent blogger, I manage to track dozens of stories that never make it to the news -- stories that should be huge front-page scoops by any reasonable measure of news value. I can't understand why pro journalists (generally speaking, there are of course exceptions sometimes) prefer to monitor each other and run back-and-forth over the same stories like a herd of sheep, rather than try to scoop each other with unique news items. That's why the Iraq war propaganda problem came to be. The existence of Project Censored is as great an indictment against the American press as anything else.

Well in any event, that's my rant as a former journalism student, and former would-be journalist. I appreciate the work that went into tonight's program, and Bill Moyers' integrity in putting the issue on prime time. Maybe it'll be a start in fixing America's broken news media, but I'm not holding my breath.

I took Powell's bait, hook line and sinker. I've been mad as hades ever since.

My question: 9/11 saw mostly Saudi Nationalist involved. Bin Laden took credit as well. The Saudi link has NEVER been investigated....WHY???

Finally, why haven't the Downing Street minutes of 2002, the "smoking gun" revealing "the fixing of facts" for war never been fully covered by you or anyone else in the US media??? Those minutes alone prove the lies and deception of this war.

Thanks for your work- Rev. Bradford N. Bray, Ret Capt USAF-ANG of this bs war.

Thank you for doing an incredibly important job. What you two did as true journalists could only be highlighted and shown by another authentic journalist—Bill Moyers. Thank you Mr. Moyers for returning to us professional, reliable, objective journalism. Where have you been? The nation has been turning its “lonely eyes to you.”

We tend to talk about the media’s “failure” to push and question the administration and their ludicrous and outright embarrassingly silly evidence, which they presented as infallible in order to sell their war. However, I don’t think that we can honestly speak of “media’s failure.” The media corporations successfully accomplished exactly what they set out to do, or should we ignore the powerful people who today own the mass communication organisms, and their marriage to politicians, particularly to those who embody this current government.

I personally never “bought” the war. I found the arguments for it farfetched and illogical. I also questioned the nation’s reaction to the tragic events of 9/11. I saw the xenophobia and belligerent rhetoric and actions as a sign of weakness—not of strength. In Spain, a nation who is familiar with terrorism, Spaniards showed strength when they did not allow President José María Aznar manipulate the intelligence on the attack by voting his party out of office.

Thank you for letting me know that I was not being contemptuous for not buying into the Bush Administration’s agenda, which had nothing to do with the nation’s welfare. By doubting and questioning them, I was actually being judiciously patriotic.

Thank you for a fine job.

Marianella

This program may have been eye-opening for some. However, even without my intelligence sources, I knew that the WMD claims were false, and we were going to invade Iraq no matter what. I was told by my fellow Army officers that my view point wasn't "fair and balanced," and that I wasn't afraid enough of the terrorists.

I am concerned now that the press is buying into groupthink once again by obsessing over who best "supports the troops," whether a "timeline for withdrawal" empowers the enemy, and replaying verbal snipes between the President and the Democrats.

Surely there are new angles to report!

What ever happened to the "Washington Post" of the Watergate era? They had guts.

Thanks for your honest reporting and courage to search out the truth. I've been monitoring media reports concerning foreign affairs and its relative importance within the American political sphere and how media conveys that to the American public since prior to the 2000 election. I am relieved to see much of what I have been aware of, and have been sharing with others, revealed by Bill Moyers and other reporters whose integrity remains intact.
I truly hope the US can rebound from the tragic mistakes and missteps of the last seven years. If they weren't based upon greed and avarice, I'd be more hopeful. The Bush administration and its foibles have tragically cast this entire country and much of the world into a condition that will take a very, very long time from which to recover. However, thank God that the "sleepers" have now awakened! If Americans can take responsibility for the undeserved actions we have brought upon others, as a result of this so-called "war on terror," perhaps there will be some redemption for this country. Sure, there was a dictatorial leader in Iraq, embraced and supported for years by US interests, like we now are doing with Al-Maliki, to control what was/is taking place in that region. For one dethroned leader we persist in destroying Iraq and our own country but call it "reconstruction" or protecting the "national interests" while jeopardizing the lives of American soldiers and allowing for Iraqi children, women and innocent men to be the collateral damage of war. All a result of lies that should ultimately conclude in the impeachment of Bush and the resignations if not complicit charges of "war crimes" for many of his cabinet members. As for the dictatorial leadership we now have in the US, imagine were the tables turned, and the US were occupied by some power trying to liberate Americans from Bush's illogical and corrupt reign of WH liars, would we then be the insurgents trying to retain what country we had left or would we begin to turn on each other like many Iraqis now appear to be doing out of the alienation, humiliation and hopelessness of what this liberating war" has earned them? It's time to really get honest and represent the true ideals of a democracy. We need to liberate the US congress, public media (corporately sponsored media-as-truthful, earnest media is dead!) and others ensnared by so many lies that they seem true. If we don't possess any assemblance of a democracy, how can we even think about exporting it to others?

Finally the TRUTH!
How Refreshing!!!
Thank You
&
God Bless You!
-From a Christian Liberal.

Thank you for doing an incredibly important job. What you two did as true journalists could only be highlighted and shown by another authentic journalist—Bill Moyers. Thank you Mr. Moyers for returning to us professional, reliable, objective journalism. Where have you been? The nation has been turning its “lonely eyes to you.”

We tend to talk about the media’s “failure” to push and question the administration and their ludicrous and outright embarrassingly silly evidence, which they presented as infallible in order to sell their war. However, I don’t think that we can honestly speak of “media’s failure.” The media corporations successfully accomplished exactly what they set out to do, or should we ignore the powerful people who today own the mass communication organisms, and their marriage to politicians, particularly to those who embody this current government.

I personally never “bought” the war. I found the arguments for it farfetched and illogical. I also questioned the nation’s reaction to the tragic events of 9/11. I saw the xenophobia and belligerent rhetoric and actions as a sign of weakness—not of strength. In Spain, a nation who is familiar with terrorism, Spaniards showed strength when they did not allow President José María Aznar manipulate the intelligence on the attack by voting his party out of office.

Thank you for letting me know that I was not being contemptuous for not buying into the Bush Administration’s agenda, which had nothing to do with the nation’s welfare. By doubting and questioning them, I was actually being judiciously patriotic.

Thank you for a fine job.

Marianella

Wolfowitz had promised Americans wouldn't pay for the war. Why does the administration ask that this undeclared war continue to be funded by an emergency supplemental instead of being part of the DoD budget? The prez has asked for a specified amount and we have the passt 4 years fo reflect on and estimate real costs. And why don't Democrats now put it in the budget rather than comply with the Prez' request for the money, timetables notwithstanding?

WOW!! I was, at least as a bar going 20 - 21 year old at the time(2002-2003), sucked in hook, line, & sinker to the evidence furnished me by the news media.

As a younger person, I never really though to challenge what the major media channels were reporting, how could I have been so wrong.

I know wonder, as this continues to happen, what/who to believe and trust, where to get my information, and if anybody may be held accountable for their actions.

I just saw a piece on my local public station yesterday, here in Chicago, about the possible/probable corruption of media and the negativity that media consolidation would bring. This was a speech by John Nichols given to the League of Women Voters. I feel that, maybe not in whole but at least in part, their may be a connection with those views and the misrepresentation given by many news media groups in this country.

I've always taken most things with a grain of salt, but recently have begun to be much more interested in this whole field and have now raised a serious eyebrow very high as to what has and is going on.

-Christian Anderson 24
Chicago, IL

Thanks for a well documented summary of the snow job (way before Tony)that all but those of us who watched news from outside of the U.S. bought. Move-on.org was very informative. I remember thinking how hard our press dug to get every juicy detail about the blxx job in the oral office to the point of impeachment...seems much less heinous in light of the deadly lies contrived to sell this war. Reasons? See OIL=Halburton and the Whigs connected interests. (Check out the movie "Why We Fight." Another reason most patriots bought it was that we needed a dog to kick at the time...Saddam Insane seemed to fill the bill. Let's remember that when Dems gave their support for the commander to raise the sword, it was ONLY given with the understanding that all inspectors had time to finish. That didn't happen. Too bad we can't get a do over. Thanks for the rant, I should've done more.

Remember how artists in the film industry created United Artists so that they could express their vision? Can't we do the same for the "news" media. Can't commited reporters and news professionals create a reasonably salaried network (A Mission!!!) that would have as their lifes work,or calling , an initiative that would Provide Humanity With The Information They Need In Order To Become Successful?

Shame on the Times and shame on the Post! I'll get my "news" somewhere else in the future.

I don't want revenge. I would like accountability for the lies that have killed 3,000+ of our boys and girls, tens of thousands of Iraqis and made the world infinitely less safe for all of us. Do they just get away with it?

They crucified Clinton with scurrilous, vitriolic attacks for a harmless affair that pales in comparison with the death and destruction wrought on the Iraqis, our children, and their families. Will there be no accountability on this Earth for these horrendous, boldface, manipulative lies and fabrications? It looks like the media has no stomach for that fight either.

In the same light...Why is no one talking about the current request to change laws so that the government can enter the homes of U.S. citizens to copy the hard drive of their computers without their knowledge or privacy protections?

Wolfowitz had promised Americans wouldn't pay for the war. Why does the administration ask that this undeclared war continue to be funded by an emergency supplemental instead of being part of the DoD budget? The prez has asked for a specified amount and we have the passt 4 years fo reflect on and estimate real costs. And why don't Democrats now put it in the budget rather than comply with the Prez' request for the money, timetables notwithstanding?

Thank you for doing an incredibly important job. What you two did as true journalists could only be highlighted and shown by another authentic journalist—Bill Moyers. Thank you Mr. Moyers for returning to us professional, reliable, objective journalism. Where have you been? The nation has been turning its “lonely eyes to you.”

We tend to talk about the media’s “failure” to push and question the administration and their ludicrous and outright embarrassingly silly evidence, which they presented as infallible in order to sell their war. However, I don’t think that we can honestly speak of “media’s failure.” The media corporations successfully accomplished exactly what they set out to do, or should we ignore the powerful people who today own the mass communication organisms, and their marriage to politicians, particularly to those who embody this current government.

I personally never “bought” the war. I found the arguments for it farfetched and illogical. I also questioned the nation’s reaction to the tragic events of 9/11. I saw the xenophobia and belligerent rhetoric and actions as a sign of weakness—not of strength. In Spain, a nation who is familiar with terrorism, Spaniards showed strength when they did not allow President José María Aznar manipulate the intelligence on the attack by voting his party out of office.

Thank you for letting me know that I was not being contemptuous for not buying into the Bush Administration’s agenda, which had nothing to do with the nation’s welfare. By doubting and questioning them, I was actually being judiciously patriotic.

Thank you for a fine job.

Marianella

I am so happy that the facts are starting to come out on this outrageous, scandalous hoax that has been perpetrated upon the American people. It makes me hopeful that the ego-maniacal criminals in the government will be called to account. Thank you Mssrs. Landay, Strobel, and Moyers!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Wolfowitz had promised Americans wouldn't pay for the war. Why does the administration ask that this undeclared war continue to be funded by an emergency supplemental instead of being part of the DoD budget? The prez has asked for a specified amount and we have the passt 4 years fo reflect on and estimate real costs. And why don't Democrats now put it in the budget rather than comply with the Prez' request for the money, timetables notwithstanding?

I really don't blame the media as much as some I think. Intelligent, concerned citizens could have seen the whitewash that was being given us by the white house in 2002 and 2003. I did.

It is my opinion that his country as a whole was hellbent for going to war.

What's amazing now to me now is how the greatest country in the world is still unable to find Obama Bin Laden and the press still doesn't seem to be pressuring the White House to really do something about it. But it wouldn't surprise me at all to see something actually accomplished in that regard prior to the upcoming election just to make republicans and conservatives look good.

p.s. the interview with Phil Donahue was the most unnerving. What his bosses were telling him and what happened in the end is just so wrong and unpatriotic. I am so glad I do have or watch cable television.

Certainly a 'worth watching' documentary, but mostly old news for those who visit DemocracyNow.org on a daily basis.

So where's Strobel and Landay? I was under the impression that we would all be in a chat room with a moderator...

IMPEACH 'EM ALL!

Warren and Jonathan,

You recognized that the "intelligence" on which the case for war in Iraq had been cooked. You were not alone. I too questioned that evidence in correspondence to the President and the chairmen of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees -- before the war. For the record, the President replied with a letter unresponsive to my concerns. I shredded it; the two chairmen never replied.

There were many others who knew, or should have known, that the evidence on which the case was built was not trustworthy enough to justify even the grossly understated risks of going to war then touted by the Bush-Cheney-Powell-Rumsfeld-Rice regime. To their eternal discredit others should have seen through the fabric of lies and sounded the alarm, but instead they kept silent.

The capacity for critical thinking remains alive in and well-exercised by only a tiny minority of our citizenry. The greatest threat to this country is not an outside force but the inability of individual citizens to analyze problems and adopt or support rational courses of action.

One might quibble whether your actions in covering the story of the run-up to the war in Iraq qualify as "heroic." What is clear, however, is that your reporting was incisive and honest and that you honorably upheld the high calling of your profession. America will be fortunate if in the future it recalls your efforts with the respect, admiration and gratitude they deserve.

Now I know where to go to find accurate reporting about the presidential candidates running in 2008.

I was a journalism student at the time of the invasion, Colin Powell's presentation to the UN, etc. I experienced such a cognitive dissonance between what I was being taught in my journalism classes and what I was seeing/hearing/reading in the MSM that I tuned out the news altogether, and no longer use mainstream news for information purposes. I tuned in tonight because I found the idea of any discussion of media culpability in the Iraq war incredible. I'm happy to say I was very impressed, for the first time since Basic Newswriting 101.

Big Media is certainly responsible for allowing the Iraq war to move forward on inaccurate facts and outright falsehoods, and has squandered every last ounce of its Fourth Estate credibility as a result. But that credibility could be restored, in my own opinion, if the responsible parties publicly admitted their error and plunged ahead with the work of reporting WHY the Bush administration was so hell-bent on tying the invasion to 9/11; and, as some others have pointed out, reporting on how this "why" ties into the glaring holes in the Kean Commission's official 9/11 mythology. There's tons of stuff there that needs to be researched responsibly, and would almost certainly draw a HUGE audience.

On another note, as an independent blogger, I manage to track dozens of stories that never make it to the news -- stories that should be huge front-page scoops by any reasonable measure of news value. I can't understand why pro journalists (generally speaking, there are of course exceptions sometimes) prefer to monitor each other and run back-and-forth over the same stories like a herd of sheep, rather than try to scoop each other with unique news items. That's why the Iraq war propaganda problem came to be. The existence of Project Censored is as great an indictment against the American press as anything else.

Well in any event, that's my rant as a former journalism student, and former would-be journalist. I appreciate the work that went into tonight's program, and Bill Moyers' integrity in putting the issue on prime time. Maybe it'll be a start in fixing America's broken news media, but I'm not holding my breath.

A great job of reporting the truth, I hope the rest of the news media seen this and do their job of reporting the facts.

Great reporting. Do you think any current American leader will be brought to justice for this awful, deceitful mess?

I think the best way to say this is to say that I enjoyed this piece the way I enjoyed Saving Private Ryan. It hurts me to my core to see and to understand things the way they transpired, but it was certainly worth my time to consume. I wanted to mention an interesting point. In my lap is the April 23 issue of Time Magazine. The end of Mr. Moyer's piece (I was Harry Middleton's assistant for 2 years at the LBJ Foundation, I'm a big fan of Mr. Moyers), he makes the claim that Mr. Kristol and another are regular contributors to Time. I can't claim to be a regular reader. However, the only person who has contributed to this issue that was mentioned in Mr. Moyers' piece is Peter Beinart. I don’t know what to make of this.

Anderson Copper came to visit my school (University of Kansas) and basically said that he is a whore to ratings and that he is unable to devote appropriate time to important "news" if the show's ratings will fall. There is a major dilemma of the "news" turning to the side of entertainment and punditry.

To the journalists at Knight Ridder: God bless you unsung saints of journalism. Although your newspapers were not read by many Americans leading up to the war, you can be assured that your service in the name of honest journalism is appreciated. To Bill Moyers, your show was enlightening, honest, transparent, and one of the best shows on the current state of the media in the US. This is a perfect example of what happens when the opposition is silenced and opposition leaders are diminished. Thank you for your service to America. Thank you for reporting this important story.

Hello

Thank you so much for such a good and I dare say brave show. As a Canadian who is concerned about the future of the United States, the evidence of media self-delusion and groupthink makes one weep for your republic. If it is true, as some feel, that America is now an empire, was Iraq your Rubicon? Is there no turning

Bravo! for a job well-done on tonight's broadcast. You may be happy to know... at least I am happy to say -- that I have cancelled my subscription to NY Times. I shall review all my print media subscriptions. Long ago, when reading a book by Marilyn vos Savant, I learned that media -- print and broadcast -- is biased. I have since tried to have access to what I thought was the most objective... not "neutral"... but objective... reporting facts along with the spinning wheels of the pundits like Cristol and others...

Again, thank you for the excellent review. Hindsight is always 20-20. In you guys' case your foresight was as well. I'm sorry that we didn't get the message in time... and I'm sure there are millions who have been affected by the vast number of deaths and maimings (both in our defense forces and those who were slaughtered by our defense forces... oh wait! shouldn't we be calling them our "offense" forces?)

Stunning. It covered it all. I am almost speechless with awe. It confirms and affirms my perceptions at that time. That is when I became involved in news and politics, and discovered the PNAC documents. I had such doubts about what I was hearing. It seems many did. Some were silent and some were silenced. Every American should be required to watch this 90 minute retrospective. Every journalist and journalism student should be required to watch it, and to write a responsive commentary for publication. McClatchey has been doing such great work lately. I did not realize how much good work they were doing in the face of the patriotic fervor back then.

Honored Gentlemen:

As a former working journalist, I want to thank you for staying true to the profession. And I want to ask you what we as civilians can do to demand that media management gives us good reporters instead of pundit monkeys?

And by the way, I didn't believe one word that came out of that lying administration's mind in the runup to the war. I'm just an old Montana girl who learned her journalism during the Vietnam war and I'm having major deja vu.

Best wishes always and may God bless you, as he blesses all who live by the truth, Mary W.

Mr. Landay, Mr. Strobel, thank you for the great journalism. What is the next major administration lie you think is important for reporters to debunk?

I took Powell's bait, hook line and sinker. I've been mad as hades ever since.

My question: 9/11 saw mostly Saudi Nationalist involved. Bin Laden took credit as well. The Saudi link has NEVER been investigated....WHY???

Finally, why haven't the Downing Street minutes of 2002, the "smoking gun" revealing "the fixing of facts" for war never been fully covered by you or anyone else in the US media??? Those minutes alone prove the lies and deception of this war.

Thanks for your work- Rev. Bradford N. Bray, Ret Capt USAF-ANG of this bs war.

Anderson Copper came to visit my school (University of Kansas) and basically said that he is a whore to ratings and that he is unable to devote appropriate time to important "news" if the show's ratings will fall. There is a major dilemma of the "news" turning to the side of entertainment and punditry.

Well Done, I just watched the show and it was the first primetime tv critique of Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL) that I've seen.
It was interesting to hear the CEO of CNN say that they were snapped into line by FOX's aggressive reporting tactics. To examing this fear more closely I'd recommend the documentary 'Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism'
Also I recently saw the documentary 'Iraq for $ale' and would recommend it if you liked this. Keep digging KR! Moyers Thank you.

Everyone, please hit refresh often. Do you see the comments flooding in? Have you already donated your $$?

Enjoy this 'Citizen surge.'
BTW, let's all stop calling the added troops a surge. Let's call it what it really is...escalation.

Moyers-Buying the War should be required viewing for EVERY US Citizen.

Stunning. It covered it all. I am almost speechless with awe. It confirms and affirms my perceptions at that time. That is when I became involved in news and politics, and discovered the PNAC documents. I had such doubts about what I was hearing. It seems many did. Some were silent and some were silenced. Every American should be required to watch this 90 minute retrospective. Every journalist and journalism student should be required to watch it, and to write a responsive commentary for publication. McClatchey has been doing such great work lately. I did not realize how much good work they were doing in the face of the patriotic fervor back then.

4/25/2007

Dear Bill and the old Knight-Ridder team and Phil Donahue,

What now? We the audience and citizens of this country are part of this problem. We tend to get lazy for the evening news hour by always wanting to focus on what I call ” comfort food news". Many in the general population have little or no conception of what critical news is or a desire for listening to the other side of a debate. Fortunately, the Internet, blogs, progressive radio and PBS, NPR are places where alternative points of view are available. I never did buy the Cheney Bush line for justifying the Iraq war. I did not hear many voices that concurred with my viewpoint. This has been well documented in your excellent news documentary tonight.
I am going to sign up with McClatchy for their online news. I have been online with the NY TIMES, WASH POST AND THE DALLAS PAPERS. These news organizations I now realize are next to worthless for reliable and accurate news content. I will still read them but now I will go to the library to get these papers.

Again, thanks for a great program. We need to look to the future to resolve this disparity so that at least the lesser viewpoints remain available

EH Wilson

Bill Moyers - awesome as always.
Thank you also to Mr. Landay and Mr. Strobel for being courageous enough to question.
I remember well the atmosphere of fear and intimidation during that time, and remember being floored by the coverage. Literally one had to go to the BBC to get any news at all. I'm not a nuclear weapons expert, and still the entire selling of the war did not pass the smell test for me.
Also, even though they are not mainstream, I was surprised to not hear any mention of Amy Goodman/Democracy Now in the piece tonight. They were consistently skeptical - and even though they were opinion-based, they were correct, and largely ignored and dismissed.

The state of journalism is very sad. The Foxification of news has really resulted in more opinion than real information. Anyone who dares to question is bulldozed by a right-wing attack machine. Just ask Dan Rather. I was so mad when they went after him.

How much more this atmosphere was true in in 2002-2003. For God's sake even the Dixie Chicks got death threats for questioning the war, and there are people who are still mad at them.

Personally, I never believed in the war they were selling, and never believed we should go in. I was also horrified when Congress gave Bush war powers. It was so clear that he was not a competent leader. What on earth were they thinking? They were afraid they would be called upatriotic. And Hillary Clinton - maybe some other senators were bamboozled, but she was in the Whitehouse for eight years and she should have known. I really struggle with this when it comes to considering giving her my vote.

I would hope that the press would learn some lessons from this, but it's not likely. Thank God for NPR.

All this was around the time of the anthrax being sent to the press. They never did find the source of that and Iit's odd that they never aggressively pursued that story. This probably contributed to the atmosphere of fear the press felt as well. Just an observation.

Also, I remember adminstration officials meeting with the press around the time of the war - don't recall the whole context of that - but I pretty much didn't believe anything they said after that.

Shame on the Times and shame on the Post! I'll get my "news" somewhere else in the future.

I don't want revenge. I would like accountability for the lies that have killed 3,000+ of our boys and girls, tens of thousands of Iraqis and made the world infinitely less safe for all of us. Do they just get away with it?

They crucified Clinton with scurrilous, vitriolic attacks for a harmless affair that pales in comparison with the death and destruction wrought on the Iraqis, our children, and their families. Will there be no accountability on this Earth for these horrendous, boldface, manipulative lies and fabrications? It looks like the media has no stomach for that fight either.

Thank You, To the 2 reporters&Knight-Ridder for a job well-done. It was great hearing "REAL" facts again. I quit watching Fox-News 2-yrs. ago. It,s either PBSorLou Dobbs. Thanks for a job well done. Marc

Wolfowitz had promised Americans wouldn't pay for the war. Why does the administration ask that this undeclared war continue to be funded by an emergency supplemental instead of being part of the DoD budget? The prez has asked for a specified amount and we have the passt 4 years fo reflect on and estimate real costs. And why don't Democrats now put it in the budget rather than comply with the Prez' request for the money, timetables notwithstanding?

"The most effectual engines for [pacifying a nation] are the public papers... [A despotic] government always [keeps] a kind of standing army of newswriters who, without any regard to truth or to what should be like truth, [invent] and put into the papers whatever might serve the ministers. This suffices with the mass of the people who have no means of distinguishing the false from the true paragraphs of a newspaper." --Thomas Jefferson

Those of us most profoundly affected by this war are also the most grateful to those of you who tried to see beyond the rhetoric and kept printing stories, albeit deep inside newspapers, that at least gave us some reason to continue our skepticism. As the politicians sling phrases like "support the troops" and really mean "support our agenda", we sometimes wonder if there is anyone listening to us. As our husbands and brothers and sons and yes, even mothers and daughters, go back again and again and each time come back angrier and more disillusioned, we wait for someone to tell the story that we can't. We can't tell them "you can't do this", because they must, and we can't say "we can't do this" because we have to bring them home as whole as they can be. Walter Reed is the tip of the iceberg for the betrayal of our troops, someone needs to follow up on the lack of mental health care for returning soldiers, on the destruction of families and marriages by the toll of repeated deployments, on deaths due to insufficient armor and equipment. The military is crumbling from the inside out, but those of us waiting for soldiers to return home, angry and tired and damaged, cannot be the ones to say "it's too much to ask". So someone needs to say it for us. Please, say it for us! Follow up on your pursuit of the truth and tell the story that the administration and the military leadership would desperately like to keep on page 20. Just like they tried to keep the initial dissent on page 20. There are more stories languishing in obscurity that still need your attention. Thank you to you and your skeptical colleagues for giving us hope that someday, someone will write this story too.
Sincerely, an Army wife

I was wondering whether either of you were aware of the U.S. Air Force program called the Civilian Reserve Air Fleet. Under CRAF, the Air Force uses private air cargo companies to haul weapons to Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a story that so far has been flying under the radar, while the CIA renditions has gotten more attention. Like the renditions, though it appears that some of the contracted private cargo services also have ties to the CIA. You can read more about it in an Illinois Times story I wrote last fall:

http://www.illinoistimes.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A5843

Gentlemen,

I first want to applaud your efforts and steadfast resolution in not falling into line like most mainstream news affiliations. My question for you is this - in a time where we as a nation are beginning to reflect more with our minds than emotion, is there hope for the media to re-establish itself was a force for holding politicians culpable for their indiscretions and lack of foresight, or will the political machinist media continue to run rampant feeding the minds of ill-informed citizens who have bought into their rhetoric from the start?

Thank you again for staying true to what every journalist should hold sacred - their skepticism.

Jim

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Moyers-Buying the War should be required viewing for EVERY US Citizen.

I watched 'Buying The War' and found it refreshing and depressing at the same time. One item that seems to always go unmentioned is the fact that the vast majority of the people pushing for war are Jews. From the likes of Wolfowitz and Pearl to Kristol and Safire, their primary focus is always to allow Israel to remain the only power in the Middle East. Bush and Cheney may have been motivated by politics (oil) and money (Haliburton), but I'm sure you'll see the same Jews writing or talking about Iran next. Doesn't it occur to anyone to see what motivates these "reporters" other than ratings/copies? Maybe if Israel wasn't blindly supported by the USA, fewer countries in the region would feel the need to have WMD (which are increasingly NOT being purchased from the USA). Also the hypocrisy of these "reporters" on pushing for attacking Arabs and Persians for WMD, but ignoring the WMD and possible nuclear weapons of their fellow Jews, should show that their loyalty lies with Israel not the USA, whose primarily Christian soldiers are being killed in the Middle East. If the USA really wants to stop terrorism, start by not giving weapons and money to Israel, which will force that country to make peace, which it never will as long as it feels it will always have the upper hand. No empire lasts forever, and one day the reign of the USA will also come to an end. Both the USA and Israel better hope they've made peace in the Middle East well before that time.

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Enjoy this 'Citizen surge.'

Moyers-Buying the War should be required viewing for EVERY US Citizen.

Shame on the Times and shame on the Post! I'll get my "news" somewhere else in the future.

I don't want revenge. I would like accountability for the lies that have killed 3,000+ of our boys and girls, tens of thousands of Iraqis and made the world infinitely less safe for all of us. Do they just get away with it?

They crucified Clinton with scurrilous, vitriolic attacks for a harmless affair that pales in comparison with the death and destruction wrought on the Iraqis, our children, and their families. Will there be no accountability on this Earth for these horrendous, boldface, manipulative lies and fabrications? It looks like the media has no stomach for that fight either.

What truly worries me is all I could think of was the movie "Wag The Dog" as I learned more and more of what I feared was the motive for the war. History will show this as one of our darkest times.

Greatest Fear: The media fails to ask forgiveness and show the truth at a time when we are about to make the same mistake.

Question: Is thrtr hope for trusting the media again? If yes, why and how; if no, what's next?

Finally! You're report gives me some hope America is starting to recover from the most serious damage done by Bin Laden - the weakening of your very democracy. If his goal was to make America less of a free and democratic place, where the truth used to come out - then regrettably, he succeeded beyond belief.
Donahue's comment hit, I think, the key causal link in the failure of American democracy, which enabled your government to start a popular unjust war and untold slaughter in Iraq. He said questioning the government's war pitch "was bad for business". Telling an overwhelming majority of citizens about something of which they've been passionately convinced is otherwise, is bad for ratings and therefore, bad for business and because of your media ownership structure (except PBS thank god), it won't get aired. So once your Government somehow convinces the vast majority to passionately believe in something ("911-Saddam-Al Queda","911-Saddam-Al Qaeda","911-Saddam-Al Qaeda"...), then it appears your privately owned press is relatively (or spectacularly) unwilling to check it. Your democracy fails - it's unable to resist a corruption of truth.

Hi,
I thoroughly appreciated this show and very much appreciate your continued search for truth. I'm a 65 year old investigative social worker in child protection. As I watched the buildup to the war, I found myself yelling at the television...Ask them this...Ask them ...When Rumsfeld made the statement that not only did we know Iraq had WMD's, we knew where they were, I yelled to the reporter to ask him why he didn't let the inspectors (who were still on the ground in Iraq) have that information. Stop the war before it starts. I cried, I yelled, then I simply stopped watching. I went to the internet, I bought an XM and listened to Air America (left of course), watched CSPAN, Stephen Colbert and John Stewart. I heard about Knight Ridder and your investigative journalism. My sanity was saved. I am still so ticked at the main stream media for their willingness to drink the kool aid, and am angry at those in my party who did the same. I simply believe if I saw the lies, they should have. This can never happen again. We have to insist on fairness and accuracy in reporting. Thank you, thank you.
Chris

Wolfowitz had promised Americans wouldn't pay for the war. Why does the administration ask that this undeclared war continue to be funded by an emergency supplemental instead of being part of the DoD budget? The prez has asked for a specified amount and we have the passt 4 years fo reflect on and estimate real costs. And why don't Democrats now put it in the budget rather than comply with the Prez' request for the money, timetables notwithstanding?

So, what now? We should apologize to Iraq immediately. Write them a check for the damage we caused and leave. But, of course, as an African-American I know we won't do this. This war will forever be a stain on our nation's honor

Now I know where to go to find accurate reporting about the presidential candidates running in 2008.

As Bush prepared to take office in January 2001, CNN was covering news throughout Europe of NATO troops who had served during the bombing of Kosovo coming up with an increase in cancers, especially leukemia.

The problem was the depleted uranium centers of penetrator weapons used in the bombing campaign. It was the 2nd major use of these weapons, the first being the first Gulf War, which left Iraq a contaminated country.

So, at the beginning of 2001, the World Health Organization did a study of the potential connection between the weapons used by the United States and Great Britain in Europe and the increase in cancers among NATO soldiers. Dr. Keith Baverstock, the WHO expert on radiation, came back with a report that would have revealed the responsibility of the DU weaponry. His report was shelved, under pressure.

The effects of depleted uranium on the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, on our military and support systems, on the mantel of the earth, on the DNA of life on the planet -- are devastating, well-researched, and have increased both hatred for Americans -- and a nothing-to-lose hysteria amongst those who cannot escape the ongoing effects.

As we question the official version of pre-war intelligence, attorney purging, election results, 9/11, global warming, and more, we must ask why our own government is refusing to acknowledge the dangers, and sending off more and more troops to be exposed to radiation.

Both Saddam Huissein and Ahmed Ahmadinejad have tried to inform Americans about the contamination of the Middle East.

But no one covers it here.

Perhaps because a Democratic President used the DU weapons between Bush/Cheney 1 and Bush/Cheney 2.

Perhaps for fear of the liability.

But without knowledge, we cannot stop making it worse.

Isn't it time to question the use of depleted uranium weaponry -- the gift of radiation that is said to last for hundreds of millions of years.

Thank you for what you've done.

And God/Goddess Buddha, Krshna Moroni (and all those he's taught us about) BLESS BILL MOYERS! His return to PBS gives me hope.

Thanks for your efforts to provide the truth. I'm reminded of a Mark Twain quote: "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."

Thank you for your fine reporting, which I did read during the pre-war period. You have tremendous courage.

My question to you is: Given that The Project For A New American Century called for a "New Pearl Harbor" in order to accomplish its goals, do you think that 9/11 was an inside job created in order for them to have the means to implement their plan.

I really don't blame the media as much as some I think. Intelligent, concerned citizens could have seen the whitewash that was being given us by the white house in 2002 and 2003. I did.

It is my opinion that his country as a whole was hellbent for going to war.

What's amazing now to me now is how the greatest country in the world is still unable to find Obama Bin Laden and the press still doesn't seem to be pressuring the White House to really do something about it. But it wouldn't surprise me at all to see something actually accomplished in that regard prior to the upcoming election just to make republicans and conservatives look good.

p.s. the interview with Phil Donahue was the most unnerving. What his bosses were telling him and what happened in the end is just so wrong and unpatriotic. I am so glad I do have or watch cable television.

Everyone, please hit refresh often. Do you see the comments flooding in? Have you already donated your $$?

Enjoy this 'Citizen surge.'

Moyers-Buying the War should be required viewing for EVERY US Citizen.

We knew that everything the bushies were saying about IRAQ was a lie. We knew it but we had no voice. The bushies are still lying - every day. We are screaming at the top of our lungs at this very minute. Is anyone listening?

Time to tell the bush cabal to SD&SU! Impeach them all now.

I WANT MY COUNTRY BACK!

P.S. "Buying the War" was very good but very depressing. It brought back many bad memories.

What a lovely program. Thank you!

I have two questions for Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel: First, in your assessment how far gone is the state of our media services toward less costly, emetic, re-reporting and away from real investigative journalists? When did it begin and when did this trend really pick up steam?

Second, I'm sorry to put you on the spot, but I really want to know your opinion as to what are the most reliable news sources currently available to consumers? By that I mean news sources that are actively supporting large numbers of journalists doing front line investigation and fact confirmation of public stories?

Finally, if you ever find yourself in doubt, perhaps it will help to know that it means everthing to us that you're upholding our finest democratic tradition of bringing the simple truth as it can best be told to the people so they can vote with an informed decision. Thank you.

Okay - The question is "What Now?" How can the damage be reversed - in this country, let alone the rest of the world and Iraq. Great broadcast although this was obvious to some of us from the beginning.

In light of what we now know about the pre-war deceptions, why is there not more journalistic work on the real reasons for going to war with Iraq? It seems as though people are just satisfied with the "now that we're there what do we do" instead of getting to the bottom of why the white house initiated the war.

What a lovely program. Thank you!

I have two questions for Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel: First, in your assessment how far gone is the state of our media services toward less costly, emetic, re-reporting and away from real investigative journalists? When did it begin and when did this trend really pick up steam?

Second, I'm sorry to put you on the spot, but I really want to know your opinion as to what are the most reliable news sources currently available to consumers? By that I mean news sources that are actively supporting large numbers of journalists doing front line investigation and fact confirmation of public stories?

Finally, if you ever find yourself in doubt, perhaps it will help to know that it means everthing to us that you're upholding our finest democratic tradition of bringing the simple truth as it can best be told to the people so they can vote with an informed decision. Thank you.

What a lovely program. Thank you!

I have two questions for Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel: First, in your assessment how far gone is the state of our media services toward less costly, emetic, re-reporting and away from real investigative journalists? When did it begin and when did this trend really pick up steam?

Second, I'm sorry to put you on the spot, but I really want to know your opinion as to what are the most reliable news sources currently available to consumers? By that I mean news sources that are actively supporting large numbers of journalists doing front line investigation and fact confirmation of public stories?

Finally, if you ever find yourself in doubt, perhaps it will help to know that it means everthing to us that you're upholding our finest democratic tradition of bringing the simple truth as it can best be told to the people so they can vote with an informed decision. Thank you.

What a lovely program. Thank you!

I have two questions for Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel: First, in your assessment how far gone is the state of our media services toward less costly, emetic, re-reporting and away from real investigative journalists? When did it begin and when did this trend really pick up steam?

Second, I'm sorry to put you on the spot, but I really want to know your opinion as to what are the most reliable news sources currently available to consumers? By that I mean news sources that are actively supporting large numbers of journalists doing front line investigation and fact confirmation of public stories?

Finally, if you ever find yourself in doubt, perhaps it will help to know that it means everthing to us that you're upholding our finest democratic tradition of bringing the simple truth as it can best be told to the people so they can vote with an informed decision. Thank you.

thank you, thank you, thank you, Mr. Moyers.

What I don't understand is that at least 30% of the US population (hard core Dems) were seething throughout the lying lead up to Bush's war, and the media did nothing to tap into that totally legitimate opposition.

Gentlemen,

I first want to applaud your efforts and steadfast resolution in not falling into line like most mainstream news affiliations. My question for you is this - in a time where we as a nation are beginning to reflect more with our minds than emotion, is there hope for the media to re-establish itself was a force for holding politicians culpable for their indiscretions and lack of foresight, or will the political machinist media continue to run rampant feeding the minds of ill-informed citizens who have bought into their rhetoric from the start?

Thank you again for staying true to what every journalist should hold sacred - their skepticism.

Jim

I appreciated todays program a lot, though I did not learn anything new about the administration. As it was said, informatino is out there for one who looks for it. There is an exception.

One of the burning questions of the day for many of us is the truth about 9/11 and what exactly happened. What hard and thorough investigative reporting has been done on all the important questions? If it has not, why not?

As an example, let me mention one not so small matter: As a former metallurgical engineer who worked years ago doing failure analysis, I saw how a sequence of events can often be recreated telling much about what happened in a failure involving metal much like forensic evidence can recreate what happened in a homicide. One can only look at the full analysis of all parts of a space shuttle or an aircraft after an accident. No parts are left untested. Yet, the steel in the trade center buidlings was not tested. Why not?

It seems incredible that full scientific analysis was not done on all materials from the 9/11 attacks, as well as on how what happened could be physically demonstrated with cogent analysis.

I have yet to see the hard investigation of the science of what happened on 9/11.

The most I have found includes the several writings of David Ray Griffin, who is a theologian, like I am today, interested in truth and morality.

A story like Moyers' Journal tonight could be done just on 9/11 investigation. It seems that it must be done for the sake of our country and for any credible exercise of democracy and free and responsible press.

Cogent response is needed.

Thank you,

Larry

Okay - The question is "What Now?" How can the damage be reversed - in this country, let alone the rest of the world and Iraq. Great broadcast although this was obvious to some of us from the beginning.

Thanks to McClatchy management and its reporters, Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel. 80% of the information in "Buying the War" was familiar to me 3-1/2 years ago. If I could discern that Bush, Cheney, and Powell were deceitful about Iraqi WMDs, then I'm sure that the editors and writers of the TV networks and major newspapers were also able to discern those lies. McClatchy has earned something that its competitors have lost and may never regain . . . credibility. The news media, that choose to collaborate with the Bush administration's lies about Iraqi WMDs, are as corrupt as the German newspapers that reported that Poland invaded Germany in 1939, which was the propaganda that the Nazi administration dictated to the German people through the corrupt newspaper publishers. Each and every opponent of the war has an obligation to discuss the truth about the Iraq war. Discuss the facts with friends, relatives, and colleagues. In the light of reasoned factual discussion, we reveal the Bush admistration to be pathological liars. Bush sympathizers may be ready to forgive some of the regime's faults, but it 's hard for anybody to trust a leader who consistently delivers lies to the public. If we hesitate to discuss the truth with other citizens, then we're as morally deficient as the corrupted news media. If we neglect this obligation, the American Republic could be replaced by a renegade extremist autocracy.

Everyone, please hit refresh often. Do you see the comments flooding in? Have you already donated your $$?

Enjoy this 'Citizen surge.'

Moyers-Buying the War should be required viewing for EVERY US Citizen.

William Krystol was asked to be in an interview and declined? Small wonder. Take a look at the role of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), which includes William Krystol, George Bush, Karl Rove, Richard Perle, Scooter Libby, Donald Rumsfeld, and Richard Armitage as members. PNAC sent a letter to Bill Clinton urging him to attack Iraq. Most of the people who caused the U.S. to get preemptive attack are members of the PNAC. Krystol is not unbiased; he has been actively involved. The role of this group and other right wing conservative "think tanks" should be investigated, IMHO. Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PNAC

Thank you for the great journalism, it's inspiring!

Question: What is the next major administration lie you think is important for reporters to debunk?

On the subject of motive, I believe Dick and the Current Occupant got just what they wanted. No mistakes from their perspective. Halliberton was making a killing (no pun intended) and continues to do so. That was, after all, their goal and still is. Why else the arrogant refusal to listen to the people's demand to withdraw from Iraq now? Why do you not discuss that?
Anyone looking into that angl.

Honored Gentlemen:

As a former journalist who has moved on to other professions, I want to thank you for your steadfast adherence to the best values of journalism. I worked my way through law school as a reporter and copy editor at two newspapers and I know the difficulty of doing the job right. I can't imagine how much more difficult it was for you in the frenzy of pre-war Washington, but I know you are fine men for doing your job so well.
Thank you for all you have done.

And one other thing. I never believed one word that came out of that lying administration in the runup to war. That journalistic skepticism dies hard, especially for someone like me who was trained during the Vietnam War. So whatever you hear, there are people out here in the hinterlands of Montana who know and will always want to know what is true.

Best wishes always, Mary W.

Those of us most profoundly affected by this war are also the most grateful to those of you who tried to see beyond the rhetoric and kept printing stories, albeit deep inside newspapers, that at least gave us some reason to continue our skepticism. As the politicians sling phrases like "support the troops" and really mean "support our agenda", we sometimes wonder if there is anyone listening to us. As our husbands and brothers and sons and yes, even mothers and daughters, go back again and again and each time come back angrier and more disillusioned, we wait for someone to tell the story that we can't. We can't tell them "you can't do this", because they must, and we can't say "we can't do this" because we have to bring them home as whole as they can be. Walter Reed is the tip of the iceberg for the betrayal of our troops, someone needs to follow up on the lack of mental health care for returning soldiers, on the destruction of families and marriages by the toll of repeated deployments, on deaths due to insufficient armor and equipment. The military is crumbling from the inside out, but those of us waiting for soldiers to return home, angry and tired and damaged, cannot be the ones to say "it's too much to ask". So someone needs to say it for us. Please, say it for us! Follow up on your pursuit of the truth and tell the story that the administration and the military leadership would desperately like to keep on page 20. Just like they tried to keep the initial dissent on page 20. There are more stories languishing in obscurity that still need your attention. Thank you to you and your skeptical colleagues for giving us hope that someday, someone will write this story too.
Sincerely, an Army wife

Thank you for bringing sanity back to Journalism by asking the right questions. Perhaps we should also be asking ourselves why it was so easy to create the mass hysteria around the Iraqi War? Why is fear the dominant emotion in our lives? How can we ever gain the trust of our leaders and media sources? What is truth and what is propaganda? Are we as readers, listeners, and viewers part of the solution or problem? You have opened a dialogue of many more questions.

www.thezonker.blogspot.com

You are both true patriots, for patriots never fear to tell the truth.

As one who, for some reason, saw the deception and understood the dangers of going into Iraq, I could not understand why the mainstream media sidestepped the obvious. But, it should not be surprising when the conservative media is actively engaged in a shout-down of reality. Our media now is made of opinions and not facts, and we are the poorer for it.

Who is there left that will report on the rise of fascism in this country that is now underway? Those who say that is alarmist also believed the invasion of Iraq was because of 9/11.

I'm sure that Edward Morrow and Ed Friendly are spinning in their graves. They warned us what would happen when the news was a profit center. Now, as men and women die in Iraq, we are watching stories about Alec Baldwin and Rosie O'Donnell on the evening reports.

Do you honestly see any real journalism existing in another 10 years?

So, did anyone watch American Idol tonight?

Good show Bill et all.

One question to the Knight Ridder folks. Why did everyone "go along" and not (w/a few exceptions) speak truth to power. Is not the media simply reflection the shift in the country's values away from standing up for and speaking out for what you believe in, even at the expense of your job ? Where has the courage gone, particularly in current journalism ? Where are the Ben Bradlee's of today ? Have the journalist gotten so swept up in greed and consumerism that they are no longer willing to risk their material possessions for the truth ? Is it truly as Pogo said, we (the journalists) have met the enemy and it is us ?

Thank you for bringing sanity back to Journalism by asking the right questions. Perhaps we should also be asking ourselves why it was so easy to create the mass hysteria around the Iraqi War? Why is fear the dominant emotion in our lives? How can we ever gain the trust of our leaders and media sources? What is truth and what is propaganda? Are we as readers, listeners, and viewers part of the solution or problem? You have opened a dialogue of many more questions.

www.thezonker.blogspot.com

I really don't blame the media as much as some I think. Intelligent, concerned citizens could have seen the whitewash that was being given us by the white house in 2002 and 2003. I did.

It is my opinion that his country as a whole was hellbent for going to war.

What's amazing now to me now is how the greatest country in the world is still unable to find Obama Bin Laden and the press still doesn't seem to be pressuring the White House to really do something about it. But it wouldn't surprise me at all to see something actually accomplished in that regard prior to the upcoming election just to make republicans and conservatives look good.

p.s. the interview with Phil Donahue was the most unnerving. What his bosses were telling him and what happened in the end is just so wrong and unpatriotic. I am so glad I do have or watch cable television.

Thank you for doing your job!

TTHHAANNKK YYOOUU!!!!

As a seond grade teacher, I try to teach my students to stand up and defend what they believe in even if the entire class including me as the teaching may disagree with their opinion. Your show has proven to me that this concept is worthy of my instructional time. This was a clear example of how people get bullied under peer pressure if they are not strong enough to stand up in the face of adversity.the show was great and inspiring.

I think that we need to start having a true democracy in the USA. The powerful media own by rich individuals are really controlling everything is said on the TV. There is a political agenda that these rich people want to keep, and they forget about keeping the true democracy in the country. Democracy comes with freedom of telling ideas and having officials from the government saying the true to the public. We talk about democracy here, but we need to learn a lot more from Europe, where there is a lot more democracy and true in the media that in here.

Thank you for bringing sanity back to Journalism by asking the right questions. Perhaps we should also be asking ourselves why it was so easy to create the mass hysteria around the Iraqi War? Why is fear the dominant emotion in our lives? How can we ever gain the trust of our leaders and media sources? What is truth and what is propaganda? Are we as readers, listeners, and viewers part of the solution or problem? You have opened a dialogue of many more questions.

www.thezonker.blogspot.com

To Mssrs. Landray and Strobel: I just want to say thank you.

I did follow your stories (as well as the weapons inspectors' reports that were, indeed, out there for everyone to see). I was, and still am, appalled at the lack of the most basic reporting skills exhibited by the rest of the mainstream press.

I only wish you guys had been nominated for, and won, the Pulitzer.

And to Mr. Moyers, thank you as well for giving us years of genuine reportage on important issues.

Another poster has a question similar to mine...

(see comment 12313
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/blog/2007/04/chat_now_with_knight_ridder_re.html#comment-12313 )

Noticably absent from tonight's program was any commentary on the performance of PBS' flagship news program, The News Hour. I'd like to think that the American people can find hope by supporting public broadcasting, as Mr Moyers alluded to after tonight's program, but it has been my experience that The News Hour has also degenerated into a he said/he said opinion fest, relying on echoing of opinion rather than acting as, as Walter Pincus mentioned, a truth squad.

How well did PBS and especially The News Hour perform during the selling of the war?

Regards,
Karl K.
Chicago, IL

I hope to see more exposes. Thank you most sincerely for this program. How do we instill the desire to pursue truth in new journalists? Will you do a program on who benefited, and how? And what do we need to do to encourage the mainstream media to become responsible to the public?

Dear Gentlemen: Thank you for your heroic work on behalf of truth.

My 86-year-old father and I have just finished watching the program. My dad is a WWII veteran...a fighter pilot...a life-long Republican who has spent the last few years questioning the government of the country that he defended so fiercely years ago. After the show finished, his comment was "Bill Moyers should probably watch his back."

My question is this: Have any of you suffered any personal or professional attacks because of your reporting?

I wish you both the best and thank you, personally and on behalf of many others who feel as I do, for your bravery and perseverance in the face of those "hurricane winds" mentioned in Bill Moyers' program.

All the best,

Margaret

apr 25
Your show tonight was riveting and I couldn't leave it. I suddenly understand why George Bush will not let go of this war! He, Cheney, Rumsfeld,and Rice should be tried for war crimes against their own people and also the Iraqis. My son went there for 14 months and I searched the media every day, looking for something that would ring true and I found it tonight on your show. It's 2007 and it suddenly seems like 1984 is here. Great thanks to your reporters who still have the nerve to be truth seekers.

The show was frightening. Those who were not fooled were marginalized. Those who could not be pushed to the margins were fired.
In the last ten seconds of the show when I heard that those who carried the administration's water are working at what I assume are good jobs and continue to be "darlings" in the talk show and lecture circuits. I was appalled. They and their bosses are in denial of what they wrought, which suggests to me that they were complicit in the lies and deception all along. Why else would they refuse to condemn those who promulgated those lies?
If we cannot learn from the current debacle, it will certainly happen again.

Dennis Kucinich has introduced “House Resolution 333 to impeach V.P. Cheney. Support him in this fight. This man shows courage that is lacking elseware in Congress. Show your support for him by calling your congressional representative and asking they co-sponsor his resolution. Click for a video clip of his press conference.

When will the two of you be on Meet the Press? Tim Russert owes it to his audience to have some credible reporters.

Great work gentlemen!

In my view, tonight's program highlighted two key problems with the media in the United States: First, journalists must be "objective," which means that facts are not the issue; instead, a "he-said she-said" presentation is the most important issue, and facts are of secondary importance. Second, "pundits" now dominate opinion-making, and lead the way with their so-called expertise. What can be done to change this?

At this point, we should go deeper in the intellectualizing of our awakening concerning the war. If the Bush administration would be willing to falslify data and lie about conditions in Iraq; in order to convince the misinformed american citizenry go to war: is it also feasible, that they planned and carried out the attacks of september 11, 2001?

Great reporting. It is good to know we still have reporters that do their job unlike FOX News.

I still think the Iraq war was about the current Bush wanting to kill Saddam because Saddam wanted to kill his daddy and about the oil.

Do you think this could be a reason for the Iraq war?

Remember the current Bush did make a few statements about Saddam wanting to kill his daddy.

This is the only place in broadcast journalism where we were going to see this truth. Spectacular show...please repeat it. I feel like crying. How can this administration be punished for their criminal deceit, the disaster they were determined to initiate, and the lives of 3000 dead young Americans which they wasted without mercy?

Excellent! But what a saddness we have lived though. How do we know that the we are getting more critical reporting on the effect of the troop escalation now underway? Is there more critical reporting underway now?

I applaud Knight Ridder and will do everything I can to get my hands on your newspapers. I live in Michigan. Thank you to both of you Johnathan and Warren for not forsaking the reporting of the TRUTH and questioning the TRUTH of the Administration and other followers of the propaganda. I have believed from the beginning the facts were not there to justify a war and premptive war on top of that. I got really tired of the administration verbally, politically attacking anyone who was against their view of this coming action as unpatriotic. I believe they have been most unpatriotic by invading a country without appropriate cause and world support. He is breaking this country financially with this war. Thank you again for being those small voices of reason. Perhaps you have inspired young journalists to do the kind of legwork you did to uncover the truth. God Bless you both and America, what is left of her.

Thanks for your report. What a shame so many journalists have become pawns for politicians. Glad there are still some out there beating the bushes! It was horrifying to see how many news managers are more beholden to the bottom line than to reporting the truth.

Whether it's a war in Iraq or a homicide down the street the news approach is the same.

Reporters, producers, editors and executives have all come to rely on press releases instead of pressing for answers.

Because it's easier to group think.

These days it's not about journalism, it's all about maximizing eyeballs and minimizing expenses.

Digging requires time, effort and money.

But today media owners are just like everyone else... impatient, unwilling and cheap.

Hal Lamb
Tampa, FL

970wfla.com/pages/hallamb.html

Thank you Bill Moyers & PBS, We should all check out the mandate of organizations outside the government that influence our domestic and foreign policies such as " The American Enterprise Institute", " Heritage Foundation" and " The Project for the New American Century" They can all be googled. These are the organizations that are wagging the dog - in answer to a previous comment.

When will you tell the truth about what really happened on 9/11?

"Mr. Landay, Mr. Strobel, thank you for the great journalism. What is the next major administration lie you think is important for reporters to debunk?"

Okay - The question is "What Now?" How can the damage be reversed - in this country, let alone the rest of the world and Iraq. Great broadcast although this was obvious to some of us from the beginning.

Great reporting. It is good to know we still have reporters that do their job unlike FOX News.

I still think the Iraq war was about the current Bush wanting to kill Saddam because Saddam wanted to kill his daddy and about the oil.

Do you think this could be a reason for the Iraq war?

Remember the current Bush did make a few statements about Saddam wanting to kill his daddy.

Bill Moyers program presented was extremely cogent. I found many of the points you mentioned in the program to be proactive and insightful. I was wondering, given the number of homes Saddam owned, why did you not believe that he would hide WMD under one of his residences? I am also a student journalist at Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland and I would appreciate any input or assistance breaking into the increasingly completive field of print journalism.

Best,
Rory Carlin

One of the most important points made in the entirety of the piece is how presenting one side plus the other side does NOT equate to presenting the facts.

You reporters who stick with the Sgt. Friday routine ("just the facts, ma'am")should be instructing the fair/balanced crowd how it's done.

Thank you for your fearlessness. Thank you, too, for seeking information and for saying how starkly bereft of garment the emperor is!

On every front--politics, education, science, religion, trade, immigration, civil rights, national security--this administration has thwarted the pursuit of knowledge and the exercise of constructive discourse. Without these endeavors, our chances of finding a better way to live together are significantly diminished. Keep speaking out; keep questioning. Questions don't hurt--silence does.

Gentlemen,

I first want to applaud your efforts and steadfast resolution in not falling into line like most mainstream news affiliations. My question for you is this - in a time where we as a nation are beginning to reflect more with our minds than emotion, is there hope for the media to re-establish itself was a force for holding politicians culpable for their indiscretions and lack of foresight, or will the political machinist media continue to run rampant feeding the minds of ill-informed citizens who have bought into their rhetoric from the start?

Thank you again for staying true to what every journalist should hold sacred - their skepticism.

Jim

This was a great piece of journalism.

Now that all of this is out in the open, what happens next?

From what I can see, there is no way to win this war. The ranks of the terrorists this war was intended to defeat grow stronger every day the war continues....

I would be interested to know what part, if any, Henry Kissinger played in this fiasco.

This story shows the problem of having a centrally controlled media, with an agenda, that can put pressure on independent journalists to "tow the line" or effectively muzzle others; as was the case with the Knight Ridder journalists.

We are spoonfed information by the media in such a way that the public does not get enough of the facts to come to any conclusion other than the one "they" want us to.

Even now, when this administration has proven time and again to be so consistently wrong, the media continues to fail its basic job requirements, reporting the facts, I am left wondering if I am the one who is wrong and am seeing conspiracies where there are none. If it were not for reporters like yourselves, who remained loyal to the American people in the face of real adversity, we would not be where we are now, trying to find a way out. I don't know how you did it for so long, and I can't imagine how much criticism you and others might have taken these past few years, but thank you for all your hard work.

Why has there been almost no coverage on:

what a rip off of the Iraqis the Hydrocarbon Law is and who in our government is insisting upon it and why;

the harm being done to civilians and military by our use of depleted uranium in our weapons/

Thanks.

so why did the president and his people want to go to war so badly(quickly)was it for oil?or some oter reason.seems like many people have gotten tremendously rich from this war.surely they did not believe their own lies.so why go to war with out any real hard edvidence.seems to be many theories on this matter.why??

Oustanding! Great program! Thanks for shining the light on an otherwise dark period in the history of this country. Great reporting! Congratulations to the Knight Ridder folks for not "drinking the Kook Aid"! Renews my faith in Public Broadcasting.

PBS used to be a reliable source for unbiased balanced news and information. This report was undoubtedly the biggest bunch of garbage I have ever had the displeasure to view. It is a shame that PBS recieves taxpayer funding for producing such one-sided crap. Never again will I look to this network for reliable information. It is pitiful that George Sorros has bought and paid for all those involved in this project.

From the San Antonio Current (alt-weekly):
"Mr. Landay, Mr. Strobel, thank you for the great journalism. What is the next major administration lie you think is important for citizens to debunk?"

Thank You so much for this television show. I have missed Mr. Moyers since he left NOW on PBS a few years ago. I always thought he did a wonderful job as a reporter, actually interviewing sources, checking sources and digging deep into the story to try and find the truth. I wish every American (especially those who claim the "liberal media" is anti-american and against the whitehouse. My God, the so called "liberal media" enabled Bush to sell his war. It's really too bad this show will not inspire the media to start reporting the news again.
It's to the point where "journalists" are laughable. FOX news must have spent an entire month on the Anna Nicole Smith death while we have soldiers dying in a war that has no end in site and has done more harm than good. My congatulations go out to the Bush team in creating a safe haven for terrorists once we finally do leave Iraq. Good to see you back Mr Moyers. We need you and others like you now more than ever.

Carl Gast

Great job. Moyers, Landay, Stroebel, the Nation, Truthout, ICH, Common Dreams, and others are carrying the banner. How can I get involved with you in developing an awareness generating strategic plan that focuses on showing how the lies and laziness on the part of the administration, congress, and jounalists leading up to the war are in direct opposition to the spirit of our constitution and the check and balance notion of our government? This is the only angle that will have an impact on a large segment of the population.And if we repeat it over, and over, and over.....
Thanks,
Eric

Dear Jonathan and Warren,

Thank you for not doubting yourselves and for daring to speak the truth even though everyone else in "big" media was eating out of the mis-administration's hand in the run-up to this senseless war. You deserve the Pulitzer prize for your reporting.

Thanks to you, Bill Moyers, and PBS for tonight's program.
I am delighted, as someone who has always opposed this war, that the story of how "big" media was used as a propaganda tool is finally being told. I only hope the media and the American people will learn the many lessons of this horrific war so that nothing like it happens in the future.

The Bush mis-administration's deception and its consequences should be grounds for impeaching and convicting Bush and Cheney. They are both guilty of crimes against humanity and I hope they are made to bear the consequences of what they have done. I know this will probably not happen, but it is what they deserve.

Thank you for bringing sanity back to Journalism by asking the right questions. Perhaps we should also be asking ourselves why it was so easy to create the mass hysteria around the Iraqi War? Why is fear the dominant emotion in our lives? How can we ever gain the trust of our leaders and media sources? What is truth and what is propaganda? Are we as readers, listeners, and viewers part of the solution or problem? You have opened a dialogue of many more questions.

www.thezonker.blogspot.com

Hello,
I am currently writing a paper for seminary class and would like to know if you found any information linking the religious right in the U.S. with the decision to invade Iraq?

It was so nice to see some sanity in your reporting of the post 9/11 period of intense nationalist madness. This is a sad period in our country's history, and although we can't undo the damage that has been done, we must move forward by doing the right thing, regardless of how painful that might be.

Best regards,
Greg S

If we know that we were lied to in the run up to war, did the two Knoight Ridder discover why we are there? What was the motive for this elaborate Machiavellian plot to decive the American peiople? If we arent there to rid Iraq of a brutal dictator, and we knew he didnt have WMDs, just what was the reason that we ARE there? Was it solely a full employment act for Haliburton or are there other reasons that were discovered as a result of your investigations?

Many people outside the Beltway were skeptical about the WMDs because it was obvious they were a pretext for the invasion of Iraq. The real reason for the invasion had been calculated by the neo-cons when they took the plan to to Clinton and Israel. Even after no WMDs were found, the neo-cons, said, "So what? The real reason for the invasion was to change the Middle East. What was alarming was that so many pundits, and columnists played the game about intelligence on WMDs instead of using elementary political skepticism. The war was already planned. Finding an plausible excuse in WMDs was clearly an excercise in mollifying public opinion. The undertold story is how the neo-cons brought this off.

Shame on the Times and shame on the Post. I'll get my "news" somewhere else in the future.

I don't want revenge. I would like accountability for the lies that have killed 3,000+ of our boys and girls, tens of thousands of Iraquis and made the world infinitely less safe for all of us. Do they just get away with it?

They crucified Clinton with scurilous, vitriolic attacks for a harmless affair that pales in comparison with the death and destruction wrought on the Iraquis, our children and their families. Will there be no accountability on this Earth for these horrendous, boldface, manipulative lies and fabrications? It looks like the media has no stomach for that fight either.

In a college PR class, one of the topics was a law prohibiting the federal government from hiring PR firms. Is that law still on the books? If so, isn't the administration's presentation of its justification for war in violation of, if not the letter, certainly the spirit of the law?

I am a Foreign in this country (from Brazil) and getting through this war has been very painful. I have never believed in this adminstration's case for the war against Iraq. First WMD and then free the Iraq people! The few articles I could find that raised questions against the war always seemed founded in actual facts. I thank you for doing objective journalism. I do believe the American press has blood in its hand for its courdice and for being part of the Administration's propaganda machine.

Regina Sant'Anna

Thank you for bringing sanity back to Journalism by asking the right questions. Perhaps we should also be asking ourselves why it was so easy to create the mass hysteria around the Iraqi War? Why is fear the dominant emotion in our lives? How can we ever gain the trust of our leaders and media sources? What is truth and what is propaganda? Are we as readers, listeners, and viewers part of the solution or problem? You have opened a dialogue of many more questions.

www.thezonker.blogspot.com

Great effort guys. Sadly too few felt a need to question anything these charlatans were peddling. Please, for the love of our country, continue these pursuits. This entire administaration stinks from the top down. Help us see our way to a fairer country.

Many people outside the Beltway were skeptical about the WMDs because it was obvious they were a pretext for the invasion of Iraq. The real reason for the invasion had been calculated by the neo-cons when they took the plan to to Clinton and Israel. Even after no WMDs were found, the neo-cons, said, "So what? The real reason for the invasion was to change the Middle East. What was alarming was that so many pundits, and columnists played the game about intelligence on WMDs instead of using elementary political skepticism. The war was already planned. Finding an plausible excuse in WMDs was clearly an excercise in mollifying public opinion. The undertold story is how the neo-cons brought this off.

Thank you for keeping your eyes and ears wide open and questioning the powers that be in order to get to the truth. You are keeping the precepts of democracy alive and well when it seemes almost everyone is out for thier own gain no matter what the cost. Thank You for Your Courage.

Thank you for your superb reporting. It's tragic it was not more available at the time. A question on Iran . . . It is reported as indisputable fact that Iran must be enriching uranium for non-civilian purposes. Are there grounds for doubting this conventional wisdom?

Nice job of reporting. It was refreshing to see some "reporters" squirm for a change. I would have liked to see some network CEOs made to squirm as well for their complicity in this war. I don't recall who said "War is good business", but the networks wanted it just as badly as any arms manufacturer. The first war in Iraq was good for the news business as well as a few careers. If it hadn't been for that war, Wolf Blitzer would be selling cars. Frankly, I think the media,particularly television, should bear the brunt of the blame for this war. They wanted it as much as the administration for the simple reason that it makes "good video". They weren't going to ask any hard questions that might screw that up.

A key remark was that the decision to terminate Phil Donohue was a business decision. This applies as well to Walter Isaacson's memo to his editors and anchorpeople, cautioning them to don their patriotism badge (by working in the burning towers) if they were going to risk showing civilian casualties in Afghanistan. He mentioned how his competitors were wrapping themselves in the flag.

Let's think through what it means that our free press is a free market enterprise.

We should first get clear that networks, newsweeklies and dailies are not in either the news business or the entertainment business. They are in the brokering-of-attention business: news and entertainment are the bait with which they attract the eyes and ears of the audience -- the American people -- for delivery to advertisers.

The rate they can charge for (say) a 15-second slot depends on what an outside party -- Nielson, for example -- verifies is the size and composition of the audience for the program associated with that slot.

So if your audience-share drops, so does the income in your quarterly report to the SEC. Down go projected dividends. Since network execs, editors, anchor stars hold a fair amount of network stock, or stock options, down goes their personal wealth -- and in pretty short order. (Note that this is completely independent of any ideological leaning on the part of advertisers, though they, too, might well be wary of associating themselves with something their potential customers might think of as “unpatriotic.”)

Executives who make programming decisions are highly paid experts on what attracts and what turns off their audience. In effect, they ace anthropologists whose specialty is the whims of Americans: they KNOW the habits of this tribe well, or they wouldn't be where they are.

And the fact is that Americans -- the citizenry of this country -- including those who've had quite decent university educations -- are, in huge majority, lazy and fearful when it comes to educating themselves in questions of foreign affairs. After all, how can we know better than the experts hired by the people we elected to represent us? And after all, isn't the majority of the greatest democracy in the world reliable in judging the character -- for example, the truthfulness -- of the people it ends up electing?

And the network anthropologists are well aware of the mindless close-the-ranks "team"-cheering this naïve audience is overwhelmingly prone to as soon as the Big Team is sent into a Big Game.

So: if you combine our free press (capitalism) with our democracy (a citizenry yearning to be free from critical thought, and [quite properly] free to "tune out" whatever is "unpatriotic"]), a network executive has a lot to be afraid of -- and he's paid to respond to it, not “free” to dismiss it.

So the buck stops with the American people. It's not to be wondered at that their media provide them with infantile simplicities. We the People will punish them if they don't. That's why our image of the world is so pitifully and grossly distorted.

How distorted is easy to see: just compare our CNN's coverage of the outbreak of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq with the coverage by CNN-Europe or CNN-Asia. (OK, you can't travel to Berlin or Karachi; but you can go to the websites.) Those audiences have no vested interest in how “good” American must be seen to be. Different attention to capture and deliver; quite different product, because what will lose money here earns it there.

To confirm this picture of how -- with so pitifully few exceptions -- the mainstream media decides what's "fit to print," consider that it is only now that the polls have made it clear that the ugly truth has broken through the cherished illusions that the media is freed of its fears of contradicting the manifest lies of Bush and Cheney and Fox and those pitiful pundits who still won't answer a call to explain their irresponsible squandering of their (spurious) authority.

I knew from day one the invasion was trumped up. The Culture of Coruption, Deceit, and Criminality includes, George W.(Baffoon)Bush, Dick (Black Heart) Cheney, Condoleezza Rice, Gonzales, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Pearle, Bill Kristol, Richard Armitage, Donald Rumsfeild It is my belief that the admistration was aware of if not complicitent in the 9/11 attack, as a was to press thier plans as outlined in Project for the New American Century. They have not vomited and epic number of lies, distortions, leaked information but also used the offices they hold to enrich fellow Republicians, friends, and associates. Almost everone in the Bush Adminstration has betrayed their Constitutional duty to work in the intrest of the People and the laws and ideas of the United States, in effect Treason against the Constitution. THey should be working for the People not corporate America. The Executive Branch is Enron on a governmental level. If the full extent were known they would be in prison here for years. But that would not undo the grave, perilous situation they have lead this country to.
My solution to the war.
Investigate them, Impeach them, Arrest them, send them to Iraq for crimes against humanity. The respect for the United States would rise 1000 fold throughout the world. That is the only way to heal the breach they have created. If the keep their heads bring them

As a former reporter for Knight Ridder, I, too, applaud the work of Landay and Strobel and Mr. Moyers. These are true patriots. My question, if you get to it, is this: In the context of the manipulations and lies of Watergate and the "offense" of lying about having "sex with that woman," why isn't this contrivance of facts and information that was used t lead us into war an impeachable offense?
And as a final comment, I would just like to say that I am ashamed of my comrades of the Fourth Estate working in Washington, DC. By not doing your job and being brave in searching for and telling the truth, you let your nation down much more so than if you had dodged the draft or bombed our nation's capitol. The Bill Kristols and William Safires and Tim Russerts who vainly bought the lies and fell down so terribly at their jobs should be ashamed. And as for the rest of us who still aspire to be journalists, their failure in this country's greatest time of need will stain the integrity and trust of everything we do for a generation to come. And finally, I would just like to ask: Where is the outrage?

Welcome back Bill Moyers - "you've been a long time gone". You and the Knight Ridder reporters are filling a great void. Never in my 60+ years have I been so concerned about the basic foundation of America. How can the general public clean this mess up AND prevent it from happening again?

On You tube there is an interesting talk by John Perkins(Confessions of an Economic Hit Man)who talks about how Saddam Hussein was originally a hit man for the CIA in Iraq who eventually came to power with US support. However, he was not co-operating with the "corporatocracy's" economic and trade demands and thus like many other heads of government who were not manipulatable (eg Torrijos in Panama) had to be gotten rid of. It seems obvious to me that the corporatocracy or military-industrial-complex evidenced a great deal of power and control over the media and the players in the drama called government. I think that it would be a very important journalistic feat to follow and report the money and manipulations behind the lies that pushed us to war. For example, who was behind the Niger Yellow Cake story. Who concocted it and planted it? Who was behind Henry Kissinger getting Bush to run for president. Who is behind Cheney, Perles, Crystal, Safire. According to Bush's first Secretary of the Treasury after getting elected, Bush's cabinet meeting focused on war in Iraq, even before 9/11. Who was behind the Patriot Act and how did it get written? It seemed to have been written in readiness and appeared shortly after 9/11. It seems to me something very fishy and sinister is happening in the world. You and Bill Moyers seem only to be scratching the surface.

I aplaud the media's self-evaluation tonight. However, I think you missed two important angles: first, that the inner circle had already decided to go to war before the media manipulation, which was an appropriate effort to terrorize Iraqi soldiers into surrender, not to persuade U.S. citizens; and second, that the inner circle might have informed and solicited the help of mainstream media's upper management. Did the elite media owners know and agree to help the inner circle? It's not a bizarre idea. Isn't it the interest of media owners to sell advertising space before distributing useful information? And if the inner circle had already made a decision, what information would have been truthfully useful?

To the journalists at Knight Ridder: God bless you unsung saints of journalism. Although your newspapers were not read by many Americans leading up to the war, you can be assured that your service in the name of honest journalism is appreciated. To Bill Moyers, your show was enlightening, honest, transparent, and one of the best shows on the current state of the media in the US. This is a perfect example of what happens when the opposition is silenced and opposition leaders are diminished. Thank you for your service to America. Thank you for reporting this important story.

Congratulations for breaking from the pack. Remembering the hubris in the fall of 2002, flush with "victory" in Afghanistan and belief in our superpower status is scary in retrospective. Had we been successful in Iraq, tonight's program could never have been aired, nor the many thoughtful books written. Sorry it has taken so many lives (Iraqi and US) for the public to come to its senses.

Guys, first I'd like to say, the long posts make it difficult for the rest of us to say or ask a question. Second, being only 21 yesterday, should I be concered about my future, and where do I start?

Great job. Moyers, Landay, Stroebel, the Nation, Truthout, ICH, Common Dreams, and others are carrying the banner. How can I get involved with you in developing an awareness generating strategic plan that focuses on showing how the lies and laziness on the part of the administration, congress, and jounalists leading up to the war are in direct opposition to the spirit of our constitution and the check and balance notion of our government? This is the only angle that will have an impact on a large segment of the population.And if we repeat it over, and over, and over.....
Thanks,
Eric

Thank you for your fearlessness. Thank you, too, for seeking information and for saying how starkly bereft of garment the emperor is!

On every front--politics, education, science, religion, trade, immigration, civil rights, national security--this administration has thwarted the pursuit of knowledge and the exercise of constructive discourse. Without these endeavors, our chances of finding a better way to live together are significantly diminished. Keep speaking out; keep questioning. Questions don't hurt--silence does.

Many people outside the Beltway were skeptical about the WMDs because it was obvious they were a pretext for the invasion of Iraq. The real reason for the invasion had been calculated by the neo-cons when they took the plan to to Clinton and Israel. Even after no WMDs were found, the neo-cons, said, "So what? The real reason for the invasion was to change the Middle East. What was alarming was that so many pundits, and columnists played the game about intelligence on WMDs instead of using elementary political skepticism. The war was already planned. Finding an plausible excuse in WMDs was clearly an excercise in mollifying public opinion. The undertold story is how the neo-cons brought this off.

Excellent work!

That was the best programme I have seen or read on the false legitimisation and lack of journalistic oversight leading to the Iraq war. It also highlights what I believe and think others feel is that the one person with the ability and influence to put the breaks on the whole episode buckled under the pressure. That one person was Colin Powell whom I was most disappointed in Sept 2002 and in 2007 as I think he should now be a vocal voice on the current quagmire we find ourselves and what he honestly knows and believes.

There is a common thread in all of this, from the lead up to the war, its start, the continuing lack of competence in the wars strategic direction, through the current hearings held on the tragic circumstances surrounding CPL Pat Tillman's death. The further you get from Washington the closer you get to the truth!

In an article written in the Economist magazine, April 19th on the Barack Obama’s level of experience: In summary Mr Obama has already shown that he possesses something more important than expertise—judgment. His prediction about the Iraq war back in 2002 has proved strikingly prescient. He argued that Saddam Hussein “poses no imminent or direct threat to the United States or to his neighbours”, and gave warning that “even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences.”

THANK YOU!
BILL MOYERS! &
Knight Ridder Crew and all of the rest of you out there who like me bothered to question the LIES and vitriolic crap that came in
greater and greater
quantities for SO MANY YEARS.
......
....
.......
I spent nearly all my free time since September in 2001 taping, recording, & watching/saving the news (ABC,CBS,NBC,CABLE NETWORKS)...documenting the so called march to war so that they could never LIE and say they hadn't done what (I watched in horror and sadness with my own eyes)that they did.
I wrote, I called I begged, for representatives to stop it. But I was also afraid, afraid by how so many attacked the few of us that stood out protest. This FREE COUNTRY was free as long as we stood by and shut our "LIBERAL" or "FRUCKING COMMIE' UNPATRIOTIC MOUTHS!"

I cried on the inside and out that our country could be so mislead, so fooled, so scared, so cowardly that we could make something like the presidency of Richard Nixon look like a shop lifting incident compared to the high crimes that NO ONE WILL EVER BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR!

HISTORY IS SUPPOSED TO TEACH US WHAT NOT TO DO; NOT HOW TO DO IT WITH(MORE EVIL), (MORE DECEPTION), (IN THEIR MIND: BETTER), HOW TO USE PATRIOTISM AS THE ULTIMATE WEAPON TO GET WHATEVER BLANK CHECKS YOU WANT TO COMMIT WHATEVER NO BID CRIMES YOU WANT TO!!!!)
but that is just exactly what is being and was done.
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I watched for the 10 minutes, (all I could tolerate) last night, the unfair & unbalanced (Bill O') from Faux' Noise as he proceeded to paint Bill Moyer's as a BOUGHT-&-PAID-FOR-LIBERAL MOUTHPIECE BEHOLDEN TO GEORGE SOROS'es BILLIONS....

PEOPLE WATCH THAT PROGRAM, PEOPLE BELIEVE THOSE WORDS, PEOPLE LISTEN AS HE CALLS MEDIA MATTERS LIARS BECAUSE THEY RECORD EXACTLY WHAT HE (O'Reilly)SAYS AND THEN CALLS HIM TO TASK ON IT....

(O'Reilly)HE CAN'T DEFEND IT - (HE SAID IT-they have it on tape), SO HE CALLS THEM LIARS AND DENIES IT...BUT HIS FAITHFUL DON'T BOTHER TO GO AND HEAR FOR THEMSELVES...OH NO!

AND THEN THOSE PEOPLE (consider themselves informed) TELL OTHER PEOPLE> AND SO ON & so on>...don't they know they are hurting all of us so much.

Rupert Murdoch, Roger Ailes
WHY? IS MONEY REALLY WORTH DESTROYING THIS COUNTRY, THE WORLD? ARE YOU JUST HAPPIER AMONG OTHER EVIL ONES...?

They get mainstream media to stop being critical, they convince 80%+ of American's to believe that IRAQ flew planes into the 2 Towers...that Saddam planned 9-11...they have 3/4 of the U.S. repeating the labels:
"left wing mainstream media".

OMG...if they get control of the internet and end "Net Neutrality"
they will have it all. Then they will be able to call "up"->"down" and "down"->"up" and the majority of American's, believe, and repeat it...and so will the "MAINSTREAM" media...Who, because FAUX NOISE SAID IT, will agree and repeat it.
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I listened while those among us who knew/felt/smelt and in all other ways THOUGHT this ATTACK was WRONG and couldn't believe what was being done in OUR names.... I listened as they tarred and feathered us...
I scream while they do it again today.

I ask you HOW? HOW DO WE SURVIVE? HOW DO WE STOP A RIGHT WING MACHINE AND AGENDA THAT SO THROUGHLY BELIEVES THAT THEY ARE CORRECT, THAT IT IS GOOD NOT TO OVER-THINK THINGS TO BE NUANCED?

HOW, WHEN[[[DISNEY (abc ....) - GE nbc, cnbc, bravo, msnbc...) - VIACOM (cbs, mtv, comedy central,MTV...) + clear chanel...]]]
BIG CORPORATIONS OWN the TV, RADIO, NEWSPAPERS... HOW DO WE CHANGE THIS?

SIGNED FAILED SUICIDE ATTEMPT!

There is no substitute in a democracy for a vigorous press in pursuit of the truth, and an informed citizenry is the only way to prevent tyranny.

"The most effectual engines for [pacifying a nation] are the public papers... [A despotic] government always [keeps] a kind of standing army of newswriters who, without any regard to truth or to what should be like truth, [invent] and put into the papers whatever might serve the ministers. This suffices with the mass of the people who have no means of distinguishing the false from the true paragraphs of a newspaper." --Thomas Jefferson

Thank you, Bill Moyers, for your courage in speaking the truth to power, for educating us, for getting as close to the source of the truth as is possible, and promoting that truth despite the wickedness and ignorance produced on the cheap by a partisan corporate press which would sooner sell a son or daughter for the cause of partisanship and war, than to save our democracy.

thanks for affirming what we knew all the time: we have been had by our own government. How sad so many of our fine sons and daughters died for lie. True Saddam was a bully. But where is Ben Ladden?
That's who we should get!!!

Excellent! I'm glad my Raleigh News and Observer is McClatchy owned. My only disappointment is that the documentary did not include my ex-senator's hawkish speech with the other Democrats. John Edwards co-sponsored Leiberman's Iraq War Resolution. He was on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Do you have any idea why he would not follow the lead of his chairman Bob Graham, who obviously did some investigating, and vote No?

thanks for affirming what we knew all the time: we have been had by our own government. How sad so many of our fine sons and daughters died for lie. True Saddam was a bully. But where is Ben Ladden?
That's who we should get!!!

I really don't blame the media as much as some I think. Intelligent, concerned citizens could have seen the whitewash that was being given us by the white house in 2002 and 2003. I did.

It is my opinion that his country as a whole was hellbent for going to war.

What's amazing now to me now is how the greatest country in the world is still unable to find Obama Bin Laden and the press still doesn't seem to be pressuring the White House to really do something about it. But it wouldn't surprise me at all to see something actually accomplished in that regard prior to the upcoming election just to make republicans and conservatives look good.

p.s. the interview with Phil Donahue was the most unnerving. What his bosses were telling him and what happened in the end is just so unpatriotic.

Thank you for your courage and your tenacity. and thank god for those slender little columns of yours. i live in Kansas City and before the war started i was pouring over every online paper i could find to get the facts. amidst the confusion, i could see you guys were doing the work, filling in the blank spaces, actually thinking critically about the lines we were being fed and questioning it.
and Bill Moyers, you're a gem. wow. thanks for looking for the truth.
AB

I read a lot of Knight-Ridder stories posted on CommonDreams after I stopped watching TV news and later cancelled my newspaper and magazine subscriptions because they were not only parroting Bush propaganda but also suggesting that torture was an idea we shouldn't dismiss.

Because of your excellent reporting, I knew that almost every piece of "intelligence" used to argue for war had been questioned. I didn't watch Powell's speech, but I read it, and I knew most of it was phony.

I'm very grateful to you for giving me the straight story when there was so much BS flying around. I learned that when I saw the Knight-Ridder name, I'd get the results of hard journalistic work and sensible analysis.

Thanks for being there.

Mr. Landay and Mr. Strobel,
You must have felt "odd and alone" at times in your fact-finding; and your position reminds us all of the majority's selling their reporters' birthright of integrity for embedded and coddled privilege. Did any of the major reporters encourage you?

Great reporting! Of course, we all know the truth now. What is with the Republican party? They obviously beleive in blind leadership. This administration is really mean. The President's father is sickened by this administration. I've never seen such followership in my life. The Iraq war is a lie and nothing else. Actually, it's an opportunity to kill Americans.

Dick Cheney did it all. He suckered the sucker president.

Also, let the terrorists kill one another. Our troops should fall back, take the oil, guard the borders and go in every six weeks to bulldoze the carnage.

Is there enough evidence to impeach both president and vice?

thanks for affirming what we knew all the time: we have been had by our own government. How sad so many of our fine sons and daughters died for lie. True Saddam was a bully. But where is Ben Ladden?
That's who we should get!!!

All this leads to another question ....
1. Did Public Television and Public radio do much better ?
2. Did they provide equal attention to both side of the story ?

I was weeping through much of the program tonight-I marched with thousands of others during the lead up to the war asking that the administration "let the inspections work." I wrote letters, called my representatives, and as the Knight Ridder reporters found, was not only ignored, but called unpatriotic (and that's the printable version. I served my country as a VISTA volunteer, but those of us who have served in peace don't even make the papers. Thank you for the work you have done- below is a letter I wrote to the Washington Post which continues to shill for the Adminisration-today by making fun of Dennis Kucinich's hair while pretending to report on his call for the impeachment of Vice President Cheney.
I am dismayed but relieved to know there are still a few real reporters in America.

To the Editor,
Tonight I watched Bill Moyers' "Buying the War" on PBS while he detailed for an hour the thousands of words printed by the Washington Post in support of the Bush administration's lies about the reasons to go to war in Iraq, in spite of evidence to the contrary which other papers, Knight Ridder among them asked the questions that the Post reporters and editors should have asked. Today I read Dana Millbanks' smarmy dismissal of Dennis Kucinich's call for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney. Instead of using hacks like Dana Millbanks to make fun of an honest effort to call this administration to account, I would like to see the Washington Post acknowledge that thousands of American citizens have already signed petitions to bring impeachment proceedings against the Vice President for lying in order to commit American lives and money to occupying Iraq.
Sincerely yours,
Susan Eleuterio
3646 Ridge Road
Highland IN 46322
219 902 1831

I am so proud of your work ... and also pleased that the Kansas City Star is among the group to which you are affiliated.

It is my hope that McClatchy is as supportive of your high journalistic ethics as was Knight Ridder!

Thanks!!!!

Thomas (Kansas City, MO)

The surface was scratched tonight with old news about the debacle that is Iraq. Repeated reference was made by journalists and critics to most of the important news and serious questions about the war,its run-up and prosecution being tucked away from the front pages of newspapers. Of course, such stories never even made it to the tv screen. So, here's the big question: Who is responsible for the obscure placement of such critical news, and/or its complete absence? These managerial decisions were made by editors and others perched at the top of the hierarchy. I know that Roger Ailes of Fox News declined to be interviewed, but who else,that is, editors, owners, board members of the Washington Post, New York Times, MSNBC, etc. was contacted? If so, were they unanimous in their refusal to appear on camera for BM Journal? What, if anything, did they say about their decisions to hide the news?

Reflecting on the PBS Bill Moyers special presentation:

I can't believe just how depressing and grotesque the lies by the media ginning up to the invasion of Iraq.

What ever happened to the foundations of journalism; to be skeptical of everything and to exercise always critical thinking to get at the truth. That even Dan Rather, a brilliant crackerjack journalist for decades, could be so duped by Sept 11 as to join the rally behind the false leader in the White House under the guise of 'patriotism' speaks volumes how far our country has faltered.

Dissent is Patriotic.
To question authority is requisite to democracy.

I have no illusions. Too many in my country are too afraid of truth and are too squeamish to speak, write, and act on behalf of truth. This is a very bad sign of a serious decline in the intellectual base of this nation. This country needs to rebuild its character, starting with each of us. Thank you Bill Moyers and Dan Rathers for at least starting a dialogue on the press's role ginning up the invasion of Iraq...a war vehemently opposed by then Pope John Paul and the Archbishop of Canterbury, in addition to 100s of millions of people around the world...I never thought I would see in my lifetime shameful and dreaded authoritarianism too similar to the sheep, due to fear and false patriotism, being led into the Third Reich.

2 + 2 = ?

Knight Ridder is patting themselves' on the back for leadup to War Crime# 3
by Bush Admin.
where you on War Crime# 1
American Reichstag. you know where the WTC 7 fell at pm. where the offical report has ZERO testimony from the LAST Man Out of the North Tower?
ZERO pictures ZERO schematic drawings
where you on War Crime# 2
the illegal bombing and invasion of Afghanistan?

It seems that about 10-20% of the public and media had strong reservations and grave doubts about this administration's designs, even in the face of 9/11...Why? I think it was because of the way they disregarded the sympathy and support the whole world was sending to us. When they declared war on evil as something in another culture and tried to put America on some kind of pedestal, it felt creepy.
It worries me that so few of us resisted the pressures to get onboard.
Thank you for reminding us that we were right about this administration and politicians and present day media. We are in dark times , but so dark that even a small light goes far.
Bob Smith

Revisiting the snow job put upon the American public throught the clips shown tonight made me even sicker this time than they did the first time. Jonathan and Warren, thank you for your commitment to your craft and the responsibility that comes with it.

From the San Antonio Current (alt-weekly):
"Mr. Landay, Mr. Strobel, thank you for the great journalism. What is the next major administration lie you think is important for citizens to debunk?"

Is is time to do for critical (non-partisan) journalism what the right wing has done over the past two decades... Start from scratch, in a true revolution?

If the claims of Right and Left media biases are acurate, so be it; But neither serves America's interests. So how do we start fresh? How do we put teeth back into the fourth estate? Is there a third way closer to the true spirit of journalism, (whose service to critical inquiry can shame both FOX and CNN out of business, or into shape?)

Thank you for your courage. Who has stolen my beloved country? Why have we gone so wrong? After rpotesting against and then going to fight in the vietnam war I never would have believed that such a terrible thing would happen again to my country. I can only weep for those who lost their loved ones. Old white men are destroying my country. But, who controls them? Is all lost?

Thanks for your efforts. what has become of the conspiracy theories surrounding 911? Has it ever been explained why the hole in the ground two weeks later was burning hotter than the temperature of burning jet fuel or why there was no plane wreckage found in front of the Pentagon or why the hole in the Pentagon was smaller that that which would have been created by a jet?

Thanks for your work. I actually read your reports at the time (here in the hinterland) and could not understand how your skepticism seemed to get no traction at all in the halls of government.

What is stopping us now from the same rush to judgement in the issues of today?

-Jerry

You guys are true patriots and a credit to your profession. You will go down in history as the Bernstein and Woodward of your generation. If we had more like you, and more agencies like Knight Ridder, perhaps our democracy wouldn't be as imperiled as it is today. Keep up the good work, and fight the good fight. Thank you for your courage, and for your passion for the truth.

C&S White

Excellent story Mr. Moyers! So good to have you back. My question is...has the media learned their lesson? Or are they really doing the same thing right now?

Shannon

Great job guys! During those years even an average Joe like myself could determine with a great deal of certainty that the Bush Administration was lying through their teeth. All it took was a an open mind and getting my news from a number of sources, as well as watching trends. I had many arguments with normally rational friends about the evidence for going to war and until I began to feel like a pariah. I caved and kept my "unpatriotic" views to myself. All the while, it felt like our democracy wash being flushed by unscrupulous political leadership, hell bent on deceiving me under the guise of patriotism,a mostly complacent press (with the exception of Fox, which has never shied from manipulation and remained true to their mission)and a few brave reporters. I am still of the opinion that we were and may still be deliberately lead to an altered state of our democracy.

Tony W

Excellent program. It should be required viewing for all journalism schools. I have a question, though, for the Knight Ridder reporters. I am too young to have been around for the build up to the Vietnam War, but my understanding is that those who opposed the war were considered unpatriotic at the time. Was the early reporting of that war similar to the early reporting of this one (minus the obvious technological advancements since that time)?

I am so proud of your work ... and also pleased that the Kansas City Star is among the group to which you are affiliated.

It is my hope that McClatchy is as supportive of your high journalistic ethics as was Knight Ridder!

Thanks!!!!

Thomas (Kansas City, MO)

Obviously, you as journalists did a great job, although I have to say that as someone who protested the war, and read the New York Times's Judith Miller very, very skeptically, and knew that the secular Baath party would be very hostile to Salafist terrorists, I (and many others) didn't need your reporting to reject the Bush case for war.
However, isn't the real question then, why did the Bush administration want and plan and execute the war? 9-11 and WMD were public opinion pretexts for them. But, why did the Bush people, knowing as they must have that their pretexts were just that - go to war? What is this war for? What are the strategic goals of the war? Report on that. Aluminum tubes, Niger, Chalabi, all well and good, but behind the smoke and mirrors, what is it about? Report on that.

Jim Miller

An eye opener to many. A punch in the gut to a corrupt administration. Progressive, populist reporting is back and here to stay!

In the Nations Heartland,

Joe L.

Now that we are here, how can we beat a new drum; a drum of change? In other words, how can we turn this around? How can reporting change or reporters learn from this and move beyond criticism to take the next step in enlightening the American public about where we are today and where we need to be tomorrow?

This broadcast is illuminating on how we got here, but my question is how do we move on? How does reporting change in regards to this particular past reporting?

By definition, leaders of democracies worked collaboratively or multilaterally, and leaders who rule unilaterally were dicatators or monarchs. President Bush has been pushing that our government is trying to spread democracy, yet when he chose to go to war unilaterally, he was not acting by the same philosophy he espoused; he acted as a dictator, not as a democratic leader.

I did not see one news report questioning the Bush administration as to why the President felt justified acting as a dictator on the world scene, while trying to "spread democracy?"

The question is still out there, if the Bush Administration lied for its reasons to go to war in Iraq - WHAT WAS THE REAL REASON ?

Hey, did you see the attack of Bill Moyers by Bill O'Reilly yesterday!
He's been wrong about the War and so has Fox ever since the President wanted to go to war. Every day you see spin by them.
I feel that I love my country very much, but I have been against going to war from the start. I feel sorry for all those great Americans who have to fight, in a place that don't want us and now they are in the middle of a religious conflict. Now many family lives are going to be destroyed before we stop. You just can not win a religious war! God Bless America.
Thanks, Greg

I would be interested to know what part, if any, Henry Kissinger played in this fiasco.

This story shows the problem of having a centrally controlled media, with an agenda, that can put pressure on independent journalists to "tow the line" or effectively muzzel others; as was the case with the Knight Ridder journalists.

There is no "winning" this war. We are already bankrupt, financially and morally.

Segregate them into 3 areas and withdraw to the oil fields. Pay them based upon maintaing the peace and stop thinking about democracy as we know it.

Outstanding and thoughtful program! Please rebroadcast so I can study everything revealed once again.

You should have mentioned Dan Rather's investigation of Bush's military record.

Thank-you for a voice of reason as so many responders have noted. I would simply wish the reporting would have turned the clock back a little further and investigate the incident of the 911 attacks, which have provided a "Pearl Harbor" type impetus for our foreign and domestic policies.
Would Bill Moyers consider investigating the issues brought forth in the film "Loose Change version #2". I was sceptical at first but I fould it hard to refute many of the films main points. Could Bill Moyers give his journalistic read on such a film and coment on it via his new much anticipated show of PBS.
Scott

I am a teacher, sometimes journalism teacher whose high school seniors are now reading 1984 by George Orwell. How do you feel about the idea that the War on Terror has the earmarks of the continuous war in 1984?

I was weeping through much of the program tonight-I marched with thousands of others during the lead up to the war asking that the administration "let the inspections work." I wrote letters, called my representatives, and as the Knight Ridder reporters found, was not only ignored, but called unpatriotic (and that's the printable version. I served my country as a VISTA volunteer, but those of us who have served in peace don't even make the papers. Thank you for the work you have done- below is a letter I wrote to the Washington Post which continues to shill for the Adminisration-today by making fun of Dennis Kucinich's hair while pretending to report on his call for the impeachment of Vice President Cheney.
I am dismayed but relieved to know there are still a few real reporters in America.

To the Editor,
Tonight I watched Bill Moyers' "Buying the War" on PBS while he detailed for an hour the thousands of words printed by the Washington Post in support of the Bush administration's lies about the reasons to go to war in Iraq, in spite of evidence to the contrary which other papers, Knight Ridder among them asked the questions that the Post reporters and editors should have asked. Today I read Dana Millbanks' smarmy dismissal of Dennis Kucinich's call for the impeachment of Vice President Dick Cheney. Instead of using hacks like Dana Millbanks to make fun of an honest effort to call this administration to account, I would like to see the Washington Post acknowledge that thousands of American citizens have already signed petitions to bring impeachment proceedings against the Vice President for lying in order to commit American lives and money to occupying Iraq.
Sincerely yours,
Susan Eleuterio
3646 Ridge Road
Highland IN 46322
219 902 1831

On C-Span, I watched Tenet testify in front of Congress and tell them that Iraq was not a danger but Iran was because of their nuclear program. Within that week, the White House had convinced Tenet that he misspoke and that Iraq was a threat to the U.S. Why did Congress accept this reversal by the head of the CIA so readily before war was declared on Iraq???

Motive for the 'buying' and / or 'selling' of this invasion of Iraq is of great interest to me as well.
I pose the question from a conflict sociological point of few - 'who's benefitting?'

Substantiating that may be enlightening my hope is it would suggest some next steps that could bring about some opportunity for restorative justice and change of behavior.

thank you for your hard and dedicated work - please, continue.

Please do not let up - this military exercise must end sooner rather than later - but even more so - we can not be duped into this again.

A phrase that keeps coming to mind is - it's just wrong.

It's just plain wrong and the 'greatest country' with accessible, working democratic systems are not making it right! What is wrong with that picture? A great deal but we are blessed with teh gifts of erasers and new colors if we would just use them!

peace,

pd (pastor deb)

I am a Foreign in this country (from Brazil) an getting through this war has been very painful. I have never believed in this adminstration's case for the war against Iraq. First WMD and then free the Iraq people. The few articles I could find that raised questions against the war always seemed founded in facts. I thank you for doing objective journalism. I do believe the American press has blood in its hand for it has been a big part of the Administration's propaganda machine. I also blame the press for the anti-American sentiment that is breeding abroad.

Regina Sant'Anna

Just had to say thank you. When this "war" started I said the press isn't going to save us this time. Too many threats or firings, examples made of fine reporters, actually had me frightened for our"messy" democracy. We have to speak out, against this fear doctrine, against this illegal war, against it's instigators and keep on speaking until we are heard. Loved the format, loved the show. Welcome back.

The question is still out there, if the Bush Administration lied for its reasons to go to war in Iraq - WHAT WAS THE REAL REASON ?

Gentlemen,

I can only hope that the work you have done will inspire a new generation of journalists to serve our country with integrity and intelligence as we negociate a future that is fraught with uncertainty.

Like others, I weep over the consequences of a war that is illegal and immoral. I would love to see you do a story on efforts to impeach Cheney, a timely piece considering Dennis Kozinek is introducing legislation to this end this month.

Bill, I look forward to seeing the rest of your series. I too have missed your work and am happy to have you back.

I encourage everyone to support PBS (and NPR), icons of intelligent unbiased reporting.

Thanks to the other authors and journalists interviewed on this show who were not afraid to speak out. I look forward to reading some of the books written by these individuals (ie, Lapdogs)and to purchasing this episode for my collection.

May the universe bless you all!!

Sylvia Daple
Miami, FL
Saugatuck, MI

It's still happening. Today when a "news" show hits on the topic: the reasons for war were not based on facts. The topic is quickly muted with lines, from a guest, like "it doesn't matter how we got here. We need to focus on what to do now." Most major news hosts (CNN MSNBC FOX) do not challenge these statements--that are said over and over. It's like they are bullied into shutting up and bullied into believing it is an either/or situation: either question our intial involvement in the war or talk about what to do now. They should be able to do both.

For those who don't have a McClatchy (formerly Knight Ridder) paper in your market, you can read their great journalism online at

Gentlemen,
My husband, Mike Ferner, tried sending this to you, but I think the system is overwhelmed, so I'm trying as well.
Sue Carter
-----------
SO glad to see you were featured in bill moyers' program.
please tell me how the peace movement can make a dent in this debate by simply telling our story that we were out there, daily, saying "don't go to war," and not just because we were a bunch of soft-headed cooks, but that we knew (partly from your reporting) that the case was not made for war.
i can refer you to several sources--people who had been to iraq numerous times through the 90's and before the invasion--who knew of what they spoke, but no one would listen.
see a couple of the early chapters in "inside the red zone: a veteran for peace reports from iraq," for more details on what the movement was doing and saying at the time.
thanks again for your work.
mike ferner

www.mikeferner.org for a link to "inside the red zone"

Excellent work Bill, Jonathan and Warren! and thak g*d for PBS! you and Bill Maher give me hope.

I live in NYC and have unfruitfully tried a few times to find Knight Ridder/McClatchy news articles on-line. If possible, please send me links.

BTW -in case you didn't know:
Bill Maher gave Knight Ridder props in his last episode for getting it right only a few days after the war propaganda storm began. Keep up the great work!

Thanks! -es

I attended several protests before the war, and the press never covered any of them no matter how large. Just like the press isn't covering attempts to impeach Bush and Cheney. I just can't understand after all the lies how anyone in the media believes anything the Bush Administration says

To the journalists at Knight Ridder: God bless you unsung saints of journalism. Although your newspapers were not read by many Americans leading up to the war, you can be assured that your service in the name of honest journalism is appreciated. To Bill Moyers, your show was enlightening, honest, transparent, and one of the best shows on the current state of the media in the US. This is a perfect example of what happens when the opposition is silenced and opposition leaders are diminished. Thank you for your service to America. Thank you for reporting this important story.

When does the revolution start, and where do I sign up? Excellent reporting. My congratulations. Do you suppose you could do a story on the American peoples resemblance to sheep?

Did either of you ever wonder why Powell made that speech? He seemed to be the only one in the administration with any sense of caution one day and the next he was another lapdog! Was he "blackmailed" with something from his past? I was shocked at his UN speech....

Gentlemen,

I can only hope that the work you have done will inspire a new generation of journalists to serve our country with integrity and intelligence as we negociate a future that is fraught with uncertainty.

Like others, I weep over the consequences of a war that is illegal and immoral. I would love to see you do a story on efforts to impeach Cheney, a timely piece considering Dennis Kozinek is introducing legislation to this end this month.

Bill, I look forward to seeing the rest of your series. I too have missed your work and am happy to have you back.

I encourage everyone to support PBS (and NPR), icons of intelligent unbiased reporting.

Thanks to the other authors and journalists interviewed on this show who were not afraid to speak out. I look forward to reading some of the books written by these individuals (ie, Lapdogs)and to purchasing this episode for my collection.

May the universe bless you all!!

Sylvia Daple
Miami, FL
Saugatuck, MI

Thank you so much for this important program, and this vital piece of journalism. Congratulations as well to reporters Landay and Strobel, who finally get the recognition - and the thanks - they so richly deserve. Please keep bringing us the truth.

Unfortunately, this summary of how this corrupt Administation and the compliant news media sold the war to the American public will only be appreciated by PBS viewers. It is unlikely to appear in context in the Washington Post, New York Times, or dare I say, on FOX, or on any other national network!!! Thanks for an award winning investigative piece of jounalism.

Mr Landay & Mr Strobel,

THANK YOU!

You have provided a great service to our country and are true Patriots!

If the majority of the media can be fooled by our government on the "facts" leading us to war, what about your average citizen?

I'm scared to think about what other "facts" our government has used or will use to justify legislation.

Can/Should we still trust the FDA, EPA, FEMA, NRC, etc with our health & safety???

Now that we are here, how can we beat a new drum; a drum of change? In other words, how can we turn this around? How can reporting change or reporters learn from this and move beyond criticism to take the next step in enlightening the American public about where we are today and where we need to be tomorrow?

This broadcast is illuminating on how we got here, but my question is how do we move on? How does reporting change in regards to this particular past reporting?

Gentlemen,
Thanks for your efforts to provide the truth. I'm reminded of a Mark Twain quote: "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect."

2 + 2 = ?

Knight Ridder is patting themselves' on the back for leadup to War Crime# 3
by Bush Admin.
where you on War Crime# 1
American Reichstag. you know where the WTC 7 fell at pm. where the offical report has ZERO testimony from the LAST Man Out of the North Tower?
ZERO pictures ZERO schematic drawings
where you on War Crime# 2
the illegal bombing and invasion of Afghanistan?

Hello,

First off I want to say I loved the program. It was intelligent and honest. Please continue what your doing and that is to get the truth out to as many Americans as possible. Yes, you can be patriotic and be against the war too.

My question is, we are now in the thick of it, so what do you think we should do to make it better for the Iraqi's.

Regards,
Samah

Gentlemen,
My husband, Mike Ferner, tried sending this to you, but I think the system is overwhelmed, so I'm trying as well.
Sue Carter
-----------
SO glad to see you were featured in bill moyers' program.
please tell me how the peace movement can make a dent in this debate by simply telling our story that we were out there, daily, saying "don't go to war," and not just because we were a bunch of soft-headed cooks, but that we knew (partly from your reporting) that the case was not made for war.
i can refer you to several sources--people who had been to iraq numerous times through the 90's and before the invasion--who knew of what they spoke, but no one would listen.
see a couple of the early chapters in "inside the red zone: a veteran for peace reports from iraq," for more details on what the movement was doing and saying at the time.
thanks again for your work.
mike ferner

www.mikeferner.org for a link to "inside the red zone"

...and in real time...who believes General Pretraius (sp?) is offering objective assessments of the surge?...maybe parents who believe their kids should correct their own papers...and businesses that promote and reward based on self evaluations

Dear Jonathan and Warren,

Thank you for not doubting yourselves and for daring to speak the truth even though everyone else in "big" media was eating out of the mis-administration's hand in the run-up to this senseless war. You deserve the Pulitzer prize for your reporting.

Thanks to you, Bill Moyers, and PBS for tonight's program.
I am delighted, as someone who has always opposed this war, that the story of how "big" media was used as a propaganda tool is finally being told. I only hope the media and the American people will learn the many lessons of this horrific war so that nothing like it happens in the future.

The Bush mis-administration's deception and its consequences should be grounds for impeaching and convicting Bush and Cheney. They are both guilty of crimes against humanity and I hope they are made to bear the consequences of what they have done. I know this will probably not happen, but it is what they deserve.

Congratulations for breaking from the pack. Remembering the hubris in the fall of 2002, flush with "victory" in Afghanistan and belief in our superpower status is scary in retrospective. Had we been successful in Iraq, tonight's program could never have been aired, nor the many thoughtful books written. Sorry it has taken so many lives (Iraqi and US) for the public to come to its senses.

Welcome back Bill Moyers! You could not have picked a better subject to cover than the "Selling of the war in Iraq". For some reason, I always trusted the NY Times and Washington Post because I felt they were a little more liberal than the Wall Street Journal. This has been a revelation.

Funny, I am a senior citizen in a little town in Ohio and I knew from the outset that this war was based on lies. Why were so many more informed and distinguished people bamboozled.

I agree that the President and his puppet master/Vice President should be impeached. If that fails, they will pay for the many deaths and injuries they are responsible for on Judgement Day. Thank God for people of integrity, like yourselves, who try to do the right thing. Best wishes. KPR

Thank You Bill Moyers I've
been waiting to hear at least an acknowledgement of how the main stream "news" media has failed our country. I had given up even on PBS to be
able to hear the truth. I've actually been getting
information (from you & others) through alternative resources such as Link TV and FSTV. I have felt that those "reporting" as they were told instead of questioning and seeking the
truth were terrorist in their own right. Do you think that Mr. Bush would be in his second term now if the truth had been told?
Thank you

It utterly amazes me that the same voices now decrying the monolithic press and glitterati(e.g.Oprah) that supported the war (as clearly demonstrated in this evening's elegantly crafted piece) are the same ones now marching in lockstep in support of a different war: the war against "man made" global warming. Watch how any voice of dissent in this "debate" is scornfully squelched, as the leaders of this "pro-war" movement insist that the facts are in, the debate is over. If you disagree you are on par with the Nazis. Pretty nasty stuff. Beware of group-think, no matter what the subject!

An excellent report. A damning commentary on how the American media on the whole no longer covers news, but simply present controversies or conflicts of opinion. Perhaps it's time Mr. Moyers look at how the change in how both print and electronic media companies in the past 30 years has changed the quality of news coverage by those who work for those companies. It passed with no comment in the program that the reason the Knight-Ridder reporters now work for McClatchy is because Wall Street investors demanded Knight-Ridder be broken up to make the shareholders more money. How has that action changed news coverage by these brave & intelligent reporters? This on the same day The Washington Post business section reported that Morgan Stanley, a major owner of New York Times stock, is now demanding a change in the ownership structure of the company that has protected The New York Times newspaper from the demands by Wall Street which are in direct conflict with good journalism. Has our American corporate ownership structures led to our media being immasculated? All we had to do was listen to Dan Rather's comment about how CBS was now owned by a major conglomerate and how that affected news judgement to see that how our media companies are owned directly affects the quality of the information the American public is provided by our press and electronic media. That is the real crisis here.

I am so proud of your work ... and also pleased that the Kansas City Star is among the group to which you are affiliated.

It is my hope that McClatchy is as supportive of your high journalistic ethics as was Knight Ridder!

Thanks!!!!

Thomas (Kansas City, MO)

One of the best shows ever. I was one who knew they were lying from the git-go, and got slammed by otherwise sensible people who were stampeded by these fascists.

What is the penalty for treason? IIRC, it's a rope.

It's still happening. Today when a "news" show hits on the topic: the reasons for war were not based on facts. The topic is quickly muted with lines, from a guest, like "it doesn't matter how we got here. We need to focus on what to do now." Most major news hosts (CNN MSNBC FOX) do not challenge these statements--that are said over and over. It's like they are bullied into shutting up and bullied into believing it is an either/or situation: either question our intial involvement in the war or talk about what to do now. They should be able to do both.

Who can we trust? We should we turn to for our news in the media? Is there anyone we can look to after all the deception leading up to the Iraq war?

I am a Canadian who was living in Akron, Ohio from 1998 to April 2003. I read your articles about the buildup to the Iraq invasion in the Akron Beacon Journal, as well as following news from Internet sources. Thank you for your objectivity and journalistic integrity. It was with your insight that I watched Colin Powell’s UN testimony with such skepticism (and much anger). Tonight’s show reminded me of the movie “Wag the Dog”, expect that the reality was quantum leaps ahead in subtlety. Who in journalism is comparing this Cheney / Bush / Rumsfeld debacle with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and its 25 year legacy in horror and misery? Thank you, Bill Moyers, for thought provoking TV.

I attended several protests before the war, and the press never covered any of them no matter how large. Just like the press isn't covering attempts to impeach Bush and Cheney. I just can't understand after all the lies how anyone in the media believes anything the Bush Administration says

I’m not a big fan of blogs or bloggers. Why should we turn to people who need to express their own opinions? We just want facts.. The truth is that we’re searching for something other than the corporately news streams.. The ones are deep and straightly trenched to every small town, every family.. Even to my very own…

Are these 1984 fears something new or is there historic precedence so we can assuredly say it’s only a passing phase that will somehow self correct with time? Is real reporting dead? What can we do? Who or where do we turn as collective force, no matter how small, to make some difference on ensuring that truth in reporting prevails?

The report made me so sad I cried.

Pat

One critical flaw pushed your program from excellent to mere establishment pablum: not one word about the of the Jews among the neocons pushing the war and not one word about the Israelis feeding false "intelligence reports" to Bush and Cheney.

I too was questioning going to war, and Powell's words convinced me he knew things that I didn't.
I think you should check out the selective service site. The simulations for the drafting were put in place before the war. The agreements with Canada and Mexico to keep draft dodgers from getting out of the country were put in place almost as soon as Bush was elected. I read it on the Goverment site. I hope someone investigates the money trail. If you find out who made money on this war, you will find out how got sold to the people. I will stop wasting your time with one thought to ponder. If someone calls in a bogus bomb threat, and gets caught, they go to jail. If our goverment calls in a bogus nuclear threat and our sons and daughters GET killed, why is nobody punished?
Thanks Bill and all involved to show us the obvious.

One critical flaw pushed your program from excellent to mere establishment pablum: not one word about the of the Jews among the neocons pushing the war and not one word about the Israelis feeding false "intelligence reports" to Bush and Cheney.

Hi. I am the American who delivered the message to congress on June 24,1986 that "A complete change in the government operating out of Moscow will occur...The change ...will occur similarly to the way the government changed in the Philippines." I began predicting the terrorist would again hit the WTC by Jan. 1999 and took my wife to “see that beautiful city before the terrorist hit it "; and I refused, on my travels to New York, to travel south of 40th street. I was predicting by Jan 2002, with clarity, that Bush was going into Iraq. By the summer of 2003 I wrote what the outcome in Iraq would be. I wrote in 1984 "If we do not democratize the governments in that region, a terrorist organization will overthrow one of them". By 1989, I clearly described to deaf ears in congress the precise nature of the battle tactics that would be used against us. I may be willing, in the right venue, to describe precisely what is still coming...and I wrote it in 1991. I developed the strategy for avoiding this war that is so stupidly referred to as the "war on terror" in 1978; and the strategy for winning this war is essentially the same as what we should have done to avoid it. Just as everyone laughed at me in the early 1980s when I was describing precisely why the government operating out of Moscow would fall by popular uprising and even in hindsight people do not understand so to now with how easy this war is won: Pass a law in the USA: the minimum price of gasoline at he pumps is $1.65 and this war winds down…we win…any other strategy: we lose…Anybody out there understand how correct that is? I can certainly prove it.

Perhaps the media, in expiation for its sins, might scrutinize another fraudulent and costly war drenched in piety and patriotism: the drug war.

Unfortunately, this summary of how this corrupt Administation and the compliant news media sold the war to the American public will only be appreciated by PBS viewers. It is unlikely to appear in context in the Washington Post, New York Times, or dare I say, on FOX, or on any other national network!!! Thanks for an award winning investigative piece of jounalism.

It seems that 911 was our Reichstag fire. After that, almost all of us became "good Germans."

Thank you for an excellent report.

Could you suggest how we, the public, can become independent readers of the news and find our own sources? I feel terribly let down by most of the press that is available to me and I have tried to be a diligent reader of the news.

An excellent report. A damning commentary on how the American media on the whole no longer covers news, but simply present controversies or conflicts of opinion. Perhaps it's time Mr. Moyers look at how the change in how both print and electronic media companies in the past 30 years has changed the quality of news coverage by those who work for those companies. It passed with no comment in the program that the reason the Knight-Ridder reporters now work for McClatchy is because Wall Street investors demanded Knight-Ridder be broken up to make the shareholders more money. How has that action changed news coverage by these brave & intelligent reporters? This on the same day The Washington Post business section reported that Morgan Stanley, a major owner of New York Times stock, is now demanding a change in the ownership structure of the company that has protected The New York Times newspaper from the demands by Wall Street which are in direct conflict with good journalism. Has our American corporate ownership structures led to our media being immasculated? All we had to do was listen to Dan Rather's comment about how CBS was now owned by a major conglomerate and how that affected news judgement to see that how our media companies are owned directly affects the quality of the information the American public is provided by our press and electronic media. That is the real crisis here.

Could this happen again with Iran? Are reports that Iran wants nuclear weapons and is close to developing them true?

Great job with your reporting I wish I'd head of you before.

Edgar

THANK YOU, Bill Moyers!!! :-) So good to see you back on TV. A calm, reasoning voice amidst the insanity....

Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel had great impact, and their reactions about the lies we were fed early on seem to have been the same as mine (and likely many others) in the lead-up to Bush's illegal invasion, as well as the breaking of the Geneva Conventions with the war, occupation, and then torture and prison camps at Gitmo. Every once in a while one could catch a sentence or two in any "news" stories, but it was most certainly never in-depth enough for me.

Suggestions for future stories: In-depth coverage comparing the Geneva Conventions (and it is incorporated into our laws per the Constitution) with the illegal invasion and occupation of Iraq and the torture of prisoners, most of whom have never committed a crime but they are being illegally held and tortured anyway. The war crimes alone are a blight on our national and international reputation, not to mention the endless string of lies coming from the Bush administration. I don't know that we will ever recover from this horror in my lifetime.

Lamestream Media has dropped the ball on the stories involving war crimes, too.

Thank you, again!

Thank you for your reporting and perseverance in the face of what must have been tremendous pressure to shut up or speak differently.

Moyers' show demonstrates that readers/viewers must read/watch news not just critically, but also skeptically - that is, not to have blind faith that reporters are doing the investigating necessary to corroborate and verify claims and stories.

Thus, I wonder: what suggestions do you have for us lay people as to how to find real reporters reporting - those who substantively investigate Administration or other interested parties' claims, whether on Iraq or any other issue?

Thank you.

After watching tonight's show, I remembered my own feelings, and opinions and observations of the run-up to the war. It reminded me of all the anger I experienced, the feelings of helplessness, and disbelief while I watched the administration spin their lies. That was when I felt we could still change the world. If we all stayed informed of each day's events surely the truth would win, hands down. But, the truth didn't win. The lies won so I turned away, the damage was done. It was too late to sing out what was true about Iraq. Tonight I realized, it's not too late. I can see that the world is a different place from where we were in 2002. Surely Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condi Rice, and their minnions and believers have no real place in our future and their legacies look bleaker than ever. Thank you for chronicling this riveting piece of our country's history in such a powerful and indeliable way and being the voice of truth - it was not in vain.

One critical flaw pushed your program from excellent to mere establishment pablum: not one word about the dominance of Jews among the neocons and not one word about Israel as the chief beneficiary of the war.

Thanks for telling the truth.
To hear the truth every day, listen to democracynow.org
Winn King

One critical flaw pushed your program from excellent to mere establishment pablum: not one word about the dominance of Jews among the neocons and not one word about Israel as the chief beneficiary of the war.

Thanks so much for your work, and I loved tonight's broadcast. Is cable news to blame for the decrepit state of journalism? Is there any hope for the veritable "old ways" of reporting, or is the punditry-genie out of the bottle and here to stay? What do you think this means for the future? Thanks again!

Thank you Mr. Moyers - for the show & for the chance to connect with the thoughts of others.

I'm looking forward to Fridays show with Jon Stewart - I've thought of him as a 'cultural therapist'. He has the ability to provide that save space needed for even the most difficult guest to share his world view with us - something we need alot more of these days.

if you feel moved to take action - please consider the following - the complete text of this conference (from 4/24/07?) can be found here:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/21728

and a small excerpt is:

Because I believe the vice president's conduct of office has been destructive to the founding purposes of our nation. Today, I have introduced House Resolution 333, Articles of Impeachment Relating to Vice President Richard B. Cheney. I do so in defense of the rights of the American people to have a government that is honest and peaceful.

It became obvious to me that this vice president, who was a driving force for taking the United States into a war against Iraq under false pretenses, is once again rattling the sabers of war against Iran with the same intent to drive America into another war, again based on false pretenses.

Let me cite from the articles of impeachment that were introduced this afternoon, Article I, that Richard Cheney had purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and the Congress of the United States by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify the use of the United States armed forces against the nation of Iraq in a manner damaging to our national security.

Thank you for both enlightening me and "connecting all the dots" of what we've been hearing since this atrocity began. Yes, the media failed to alert us of its findings, but moreso our government has betrayed its trust.
I fail to understand how one man can be impeached for lying about having sex in the White House and how others are not when they are responsible for the loss of thousands of lives, the ruination of thousands of others, the waste of perhaps a trillion dollars,our loss of international respect, and the time it will take to recover from all of this.
The president, vice-president, and all those "goons" who are responsible for this insane undertaking should be impeached, tried for treason, and then be sent to the International Court of Justice in the Hague for crimes against humanity so that the world can see that the people of the United States really do pursue justice !

Alot of American's were smart back then., and even instinctively aware (along with just about a first grader's logic), That's why there were huge protests which went pretty much unreported.

That being said.. atleast all of this is now being officially recorded, and publicly "discussed", Maybe that will be effective in some way. At one time in this country..,exposure such as this had some actual effectiveness. I pray all hope is not lost.

I haven't been able to watch the program all the way through, as of yet.

So far, it seems, there were alot of clarified facts..,
people pinned down..,
like tails on donkey's. This is expected to feel reassuring.

However.., it's just moving the food around the plate.., but noone's eating.

The most striking.., frightening snippet.., I was able to catch.., was the 60 minute reporter stating "We had to present it lightly.., make light of it."

That was all I had to hear.

Rather than this new acceptance of light hearted presentations.., what really needed to happen.., and still needs to happen.., to really effectively pull the weed from the root-
(meaning.., to literally save the authenticity.., integrity.., and literal value.. of this very country..,)

What needs to happen is a forceful ruthless demand for accounting.., and the
confident belief in your country to expect it. Not to sit by and watch fellow journalists get shredded.., and thrown into the waste bin.

I know having this responsibility is scary. I know the greatest wish is that someonelse had it. Who wants to step up in this way? Noone, of course. Everyone wishes we could trust the authenticity of people in authority. The alternative burden is too heavy. However.., this is the position you journalist's are in. Everyone has their different positions.
We.., as a people are not used to needing to organize.., or having had to in a long time. Something like this can not be tackled by a lone ranger. Divided we fall (that division is what's counted on.., for most descrepencies to pass through detectors). Trust.., that unity can move a mountain.., and then go move it! Thanks! Call me when it's done! (Just kidding.., Im tryin to do my part in my neighborhood)-

The jist of all Im saying is..
I've seen alot of this show.., but

now..

What are we going to do about it?
Make light of it?
Like the 60 minute reporter opted for?

Maybe that will solve it.

Thanks Bill..
You.. are the greatest!
PS.. It was so good to see Dan Rather again! Welcome home Dan! I hope you come back!

Gentlemen,

I first want to applaud your efforts and steadfast resolution in not falling into line like most mainstream news affiliations. My question for you is this - in a time where we as a nation are beginning to reflect more with our minds than emotion, is there hope for the media to re-establish itself was a force for holding politicians culpable for their indiscretions and lack of foresight, or will the political machinist media continue to run rampant feeding the minds of ill-informed citizens who have bought into their rhetoric from the start?

Thank you again for staying true to what every journalist should hold sacred - their skepticism.

Jim

Congratulations for breaking from the pack. Remembering the hubris in the fall of 2002, flush with "victory" in Afghanistan and belief in our superpower status is scary in retrospective. Had we been successful in Iraq, tonight's program could never have been aired, nor the many thoughtful books written. Sorry it has taken so many lives (Iraqi and US) for the public to come to its senses.

Thank you both. I graduated with a B.A. in Journalism and I am glad I did. Thank you for the everyday questioning and digging... I am aspired.
Do either of you have a website to ask questions about journalim?
peace
heather
Detroit, MI

Could this happen again with Iran? Are reports that Iran wants nuclear weapons and is close to developing them true?

Great job with your reporting I wish I'd head of you before.

Edgar

Great Show! Powell sold the story and Rather says that the pressure was too great. just think if the Pilgrams had said that, would there be a USA? Thank you Bill Moyer

Couldn't help thinking of Woodward & Bernstein. And then, with sadness: where are they now? What has become of their generation of journalists, their passion for getting the story right? Sure, there are still a few who care, a few like Moyers, Halberstam, Hanley. But I have a good feeling, five years, ten years, fifteen years from now, I'll be looking for Landay and Strobel. You'll be doing something special, I'm sure.

It's still happening. Today when a "news" show hits on the topic: the reasons for war were not based on facts. The topic is quickly muted with lines, from a guest, like "it doesn't matter how we got here. We need to focus on what to do now." Most major news hosts (CNN MSNBC FOX) do not challenge these statements--that are said over and over. It's like they are bullied into shutting up and bullied into believing it is an either/or situation: either question our intial involvement in the war or talk about what to do now. They should be able to do both.

Very eye-opening to some, however, I knew without my own personal intelligence sources that the WMD claims were false, and we would invade Iraq no matter what. I was told by my fellow Army officers that my view point wasn't "fair and balanced" and that I should be more afraid of terrorists.
I'm also a little concerned that the majority of the press is buying into groupthink once again and failing to ask hard questions. They should talk about the fact that this war is going to get worse before it gets better and plan to minimize our losses by laying out the groundwork now for a massive humanitarian crisis, a decimated US military, and a plan to deal with an anti-American, oil-stingy Iraqi dictatorship in the future. This should be the focus, rather than rhetoric and sticking points such as who best "supports the troops," whether "timelines for withdrawal" empower the enemy, and snipes between Mr. Bush and the Democrats. The media's obsession with the current zero-sum game between the President and the legislature simply prevents forward motion. That'll be a scoop!

I am curious, did anyone a Knight Ridder really beliee Joseph Wilson's story of his trip to Niger and no connection between Saddam and the purhase of yellowcake. This seems like such a blatant lie,I would like to know your opinion of his continuous news interviews making this statement and what was determine later from the 911 commission to be a blatant lie. Does anyone believe him or actually give him any creibility today?

Thanks for the very timely program. You might consider reading Melville's *The Confidence Man* to see how everyone in this Iraq experience of "perceived reality" cons themselves.
William Budd

would you comment on the possibility and justification on impeaching president bush for treason

so why did the president and his people want to go to war so badly(quickly)was it for oil?or some other reason.seems like so many people have gotten tremendously rich.surely they did not believe their own lies.so why go to war with out solid evidence.seems to be many theories as to why.just would like to hear the truth.

The integrity and tenacity of your instincts, intellect and reporting are an inspiration and the truest form of patriotism. The fact that it has taken all these years for this story to be told nationally is simply criminal. While there were pieces that reinforced the cautious suspicions many of us had about making war on Iraq, they were few and far between.

Media giantism and the corporate imperative which mandated news programs be profitable were the death knell for the free press. How sad to see Dan Rather's forced transformation from a journalist to a capitalist with only the best of intentions.

I am reminded of the words of Joseph Pulitzer which can be found on www.pulitzer.org:

"In May 1904, writing in The North American Review in support of his proposal for the founding of a school of journalism, Pulitzer summarized his credo: "Our Republic and its press will rise or fall together. An able, disinterested, public-spirited press, with trained intelligence to know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public virtue without which popular government is a sham and a mockery. A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself. The power to mould the future of the Republic will be in the hands of the journalists of future generations."

Many of us were wondering what became of the free press. It's good to know it's alive and well, although clearly in need of nurturing. Congratulations to Knight Ritter for staying true to the calling. Thank god for Bill Moyers and PBS.

I'm a New Yorker (native!) and rely upon The Times as I rely upon all the other advantages of living here.

Thanks to this program, no longer - with respect to The Times.

During the program I wanted to write and ask "whom can I trust? Which media source tells the truth?" And then I kept hearing "Knight Ridder". So where do I find you? I'm willing to pay for a subscription - where do I send my check?

This American citizen and patriot sends you her deepest gratitude.

June

Thank you for an excellent report - that makes me even madder than I was before about the war and the way we chose to go to war. I am now even more mad that most of the media so miserably shirked their duty and responsibility to "tell the truth".

What can a citizen do to press the media - especially TV - to ask, and keep asking the tough questions until they are honestly satisfied themselves that they are reporting the truth? I pick on TV because I know there are many young people (under 40) who only get their news from TV and the web. I greatly appreciate your reporting, but I do not recall that much of what the two featured Knight Ridder reporters wrote made it to the front page of our local Knight Ridder paper - The Charlotte Observer.

How can we hold/ encourage/make/etc. journalist seek a truth that they believe as individual contientious reporters? How can we impact their corporate superiors to allow and support their reporters in their quest for truth? I want the unvarnished truth - good, bad or indifferent. I thought that is what good reporting was supposed to be about.

Sincerely, John Highfill

Iraq. I have been waiting and yet to see - the lanky scandanavian weapons inspector who talked to Iraq scientists as his assignment; described in early 2003 TV interview described how Saddam was not aware of his weapons status. Scientists stated whole system was in shambles and most were afraid to have Sadadam to know the truth. See if you can get acces to this gentleman. 2. Colin's 1st talk to the UN was sincere and forthright. His second was structured, scripted stilted and he did not speak with the honest manner that is his style. I told my wife at the time that it was speculative heresay with real visible evidence and such is typically not acceptable in court and should be suspect before the world inportantance. Get tapes of the two presentations and study Powell's delivery. notice the strained effort on #2. Sincerely. LBC

Hi, welcome back Bill Moyers. My question is, do any of three of you gentlemen have a sense of any other White House agenda item that they are pushing and the press, or at least parts of it, are buying? Also, in an age where dollars dictate more than ever what happens in newsrooms, both print and electronic, what can be done to counteract the "Big Mac attack" of the almighty dollar on journalism?

There has been so much already written this evening about this show. I have just two thoughts to add.

As someone who has worked and raise money for the support of military families in Wisconsin, it is painful for me to come to terms with the fact that our political leaders and leaders of the press would be so callous and irresponsible as to abuse the trust and patriotism of some the finest families I have ever met in my life. But of course that's what they've done by the actions that would lead our country to war. It is now these brave men and women of the military and their families who bear the burden of our country's mistake. This is also a fundamental error; there has been no shared sacrifice for this war policy.

Unfortunately, the story is not over and will continue for years to come. We made a region of the world that was unstable even more so, in our rush to judgment. Our children will pay the price for this travesty of judgment. I hope you will continue to report on the details of this evolving saga, for we are only in the second chapter of a very long book.

Thank you for your professionalism, thank you for caring.

In Las Vegas (Cox Cable) on PBSHD 731, Bill Moyer's Journal was replaced by an Independent Lens episode about Enron. WTF?

George Bush has very little time left in office to see his plan for Iraq to a successful conclusion. What do you think he expected to gain from invading Iraq in the first place? Why would any American President invest so much in a war to the exclusion of all other issues if he wasn't going to gain something from it either from a historical perspective or personally? He is still young and will be justifying his decisions for the rest of his life. He has a big job ahead of him after he becomes a "former" President doesn't he?

What is the real reason that the government desided to make war on Iraq? They gave the American people what they wanted to sell the war. But what is the real reason we are in Iraq??? There must be some in the government that will own up to it. It seems that there is still a story out there.

Gentlemen, thank you for the kind work we mistakenly attribute to so many other sources.
I am presently half way through the book "PowerDown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World" by Richard Heinberg. It has some highly plausible explanations for the shift to preemptive war, why we are in Iraq, and a very important message regarding, the depletion of oil, natural gas and even coal. We have had several warnings that have repeated through the last 3 and a half decades by reputable sources that we are depleting these resources and now are with in just a few years if that many of the end of oil and natural gas. Why has this not been a more prominent issue in main stream reporting and especially linked to the trouble of the middle east and above all, Iraq? A return to the 55mph speed limit would be a good start but it is easier to send are soldiers to pay with blood.

Ditto Robert--are the reporters' answers/comments on this page or somewhere else?

One of the most important points made in the entirety of the piece is how presenting one side plus the other side does NOT equate to presenting the facts.

You reporters who stick with the Sgt. Friday routine ("just the facts, ma'am")should be instructing the fair/balanced crowd how it's done.

I don't see why this deception by Bush shouldn't be considered a propaganda operation. Domestic propaganda is illegal in this country. It is impeachable.

Great show. More please.

Thank you Mr. Moyers - for the show & for the chance to connect with the thoughts of others.

I'm looking forward to Fridays show with Jon Stewart - I've thought of him as a 'cultural therapist'. He has the ability to provide that save space needed for even the most difficult guest to share his world view with us - something we need alot more of these days.

if you feel moved to take action - please consider the following - the complete text of this conference (from 4/24/07?) can be found here:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/21728

and a small excerpt is:

Because I believe the vice president's conduct of office has been destructive to the founding purposes of our nation. Today, I have introduced House Resolution 333, Articles of Impeachment Relating to Vice President Richard B. Cheney. I do so in defense of the rights of the American people to have a government that is honest and peaceful.

It became obvious to me that this vice president, who was a driving force for taking the United States into a war against Iraq under false pretenses, is once again rattling the sabers of war against Iran with the same intent to drive America into another war, again based on false pretenses.

Let me cite from the articles of impeachment that were introduced this afternoon, Article I, that Richard Cheney had purposely manipulated the intelligence process to deceive the citizens and the Congress of the United States by fabricating a threat of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction to justify the use of the United States armed forces against the nation of Iraq in a manner damaging to our national security.

Great reporting!. When the Bush administration said they could not wait a few months for Hans Blix to finish inspections, they sited hot summer coming and soldiers would be at risk. We have now suffered four hot summers. Were they stupid enough to think we would be out by summer; or was that propaganda?

Most American journalist continue to operate with an air of presumed nobility of intent with regard to the Iraq war. In “Bush world “ , discussions of depravity and avarice as motives for our involvement in Iraq are off the table , to be treated as universally implausible .

Bush’s and Chaney’s Oil and Defense interest could hardly be less benefited , these people are neither stupid or incompetent, when it comes to their real objectives. If you measure Iraq results in terms of filled coffers , failure is not part of the discussion :

• Oil interest , as a practical matter, control more oil and can more effectively manage its world price .
• Defense interest , thanks to Dick Chaney’s Machiavellian restructuring of the military procurement process , will be make huge profits and will be resupplying the Pentagon in perpetuity and far above the projected pre Iraq war levels .

What's not to like if your business is oil or defense ? Nothing in the short term , 2003 to present , has negatively impacted Oil and Defense financial interest ; and in today’s corporate thinking , short term considerations rule .

I keep wondering who will be the first notable US political leader with a “meaningful megaphone” to discuss the impact of conflict of interest on the Iraq war ? The fact is , conflict of interests is no more speculative or vituperative an explanation for the Iraq war and its continuance , and is as credible, as the oft cited explanations of mismanagement or incompetence .

As you may recall , the specter of warfare ,and its attendant conflicted interest , was basis for President Eisenhower’s 1960 prescient admonishment to the nation “to be wary of the military industrial complex “ . War profiteering and warfare have been inextricably linked throughout history . In fact , throughout most of western history, war profiteering and considerations of the spoils of war have been a publicly acceptable justification for going to war and there was little of the “national security” pretense of our post WWII era .

In the current Iraq war, with a few recent exceptions , one has to read foreign or non corporate information sources for any discussion regarding the huge profits this war has spawned and speculation about impact of financial interest on the wars conduct or aftermath. And alarmingly , given that the Bush administration just fired the US Attorney who exposed Duke Cunningham’s defense contracting misdeeds , more restraints/intimidating measures may have been added to our national prohibition against publicly discussing the rotten business of war profiteering .

* http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2132467.ece

I bought just about all of Mr. Moyers presentation, it was very thought provoking, except when he failed to ask the most obvious.

Who is behind the press? AIPAC. Maybe that's another story for another Millenium.

Push the envelope Bill, what's the worst that's going to happen. Are you afraid of them calling you an anti-semite?

Thanks,
Henry

Hey, in 2002 I knew the rationale for war was a pack of lies. The war protesters saw through Colin Powell's UN speech, and all the other transparent pro-war propaganda.

Let's talk about the question Moyers never even raised: Why did the war happen?

James Bamford was on the show. He has a theory, explained in his book. His book was featured, but not his theory. Bamford says we went to war for Israel. He makes a good case. Worth a look, maybe? The connection between the neo-Cons and Zionism is both undeniable and unmentionable.

Michael Klare, not on the show, says we did it for the oil: "Blood for Oil." Pretty obvious on the face of it. I don't remember hearing the word "oil" on the Moyers show.

A third explanation is what I call "Legionnaires' Disease," the tendency for a wartime president to have dictatorial power, and hence the temptation to create a war to get that power. This was covered indirectly, but America's love of war, which makes it possible, was not. If the country has had enough peace, and is ready for the next war, the lies that get us into it don't have to be very convincing. The just have to be quotable.

Handy acronym: OIL. Oil, Israel, and Legionnaires' Disease. Interlocking causal factors. Notice that weapons of mass destruction and terrorism don't count. They were merely the sales pitch, and once the war started they were no longer needed. But unless we understand the real reasons for the war, we will never have a clue about how to get out of it.

Next time, let's do some digging. Tell us something we don't already know.

I don't see why this deception by Bush shouldn't be considered a propaganda operation. Domestic propaganda is illegal in this country. It is impeachable.

Great show. More please.

bill Moyers. thank you again and again for the hard look at how the media let us down and an even harder look at how our "duly elected officials" deceived us. and, how you have offered us a mirror to look at ourselves. It is another example of how our apathy and lethargy has robbed us of our rights. We shold be aking the questions instead of relying on "pundits". We should be looking for ourselves with interest instead of watching and listening to "as the world turns". How will we ever turn the tide of "popular" culture from sex, sports and scandal to the positive and serious concerns: truth, equality and hope.

As a college student majoring in broadcast journalism, I feel great shame for my future chosen profession. When I decided to become a journalist, I wanted to work in print because I devour several newspapers a day and love the written word. However, I also realized that print is a dying medium. But watching and learning about your fearless reporting in particular and Knight Ridder's (now McClatchy)in general makes me want to give print journalism a second chance. Besides, television and radio news programs seem to perfer loud, partisan, lying pundits over real journalists. Thank you for the excellent reporting Washington and New York outlets were too cowardly to disseminate.

Hi, welcome back Bill Moyers. My question is, do any of three of you gentlemen have a sense of any other White House agenda item that they are pushing and the press, or at least parts of it, are buying? Also, in an age where dollars dictate more than ever what happens in newsrooms, both print and electronic, what can be done to counteract the "Big Mac attack" of the almighty dollar on journalism?

Thank you SO much for this report!

The whole invasion of Iraq push baffled me from the get go. (Of course that George W Bush managed to become President baffled me.)

I was even more confused over why so many otherwise intelligent people thought invading Iraq was not only necessary but of such immediacy.

Certainly 9/11 was unprecendented and horrific, but I think the drum beat of "we need to get back at *somebody* if for no better reason that to make ourselves feel better" was because the East coast has too much influence. Nobody was listening to Knight Ridder and nobody was paying attention to the parts of Middle America who could offer a more objective view.

They don't let surgeons operate on their own family members. Too bad the East Coast media didn't step back, recuperate and let groups like Knight Ridder do the reporting.

Thanks for telling the truth.
To hear the truth every day, listen to democracynow.org
Winn King

God Bless Bill Moyers. He is a great American and a patriot. Thank you Knight Ritter for your courage and for being the “voice crying in the wilderness”.

The death and killing that these despicable misrepresentations of the facts have caused wear heavy on my heart.

The fact that the killing is escalating and Bush and his people continue to pursue and defend a misguided policy in the face of the facts and at the peril of our young people in uniform is unconscionable.

And why is Bin Laden still alive?

The next time any American Administration and their “Rush Limbaugh” surrogates suggest that dissent is equivalent to sedition, I hope the press will see it for what it is and report it correctly.
To attack a country preemptively on the basis misrepresented facts is UNAMERICAN and UNACCEPTABLE.

I would be interested to hear what part, if any, Henry Kissinger played in this fiasco.

For those who opposed the false, deceptive lead-up to the war, this report is too little too late. But I welcome it, nonetheless.

The only thing I find objectionable in your report is calling the invasion, occupation, and destruction of Iraq a "war." Congress has not declared war since the 1940's.

How much more air time would it take to say "the military invasion and occupation of Iraq" rather than say "the war in Iraq," when calling it a "war" is an unconstitutional lie?

I have found that the media failed the nation. We are now in a disastorous war which has cost us billions of dollars and thousands of innocent lives. What I think has happened was an alliance between the corporate owners of the mainstream media which profits immensely from war and the pro-corporate Republican military-industrial complex. Is it possible for traditional journalists who want to get at the truth to function in today's media? Also, I think the nation is on the brink of fascism, remember, fascism always used the media as propaganda outlets for war propaganda. I congratulate you two for trying to get at the truth but the vast majority of your colleages failed us immensely and now our very democratic freedoms are at stake by their abrogations of the public trust.

Thank you SO much for this report!

The whole invasion of Iraq push baffled me from the get go. (Of course that George W Bush managed to become President baffled me.)

I was even more confused over why so many otherwise intelligent people thought invading Iraq was not only necessary but of such immediacy.

Certainly 9/11 was unprecendented and horrific, but I think the drum beat of "we need to get back at *somebody* if for no better reason that to make ourselves feel better" was because the East coast has too much influence. Nobody was listening to Knight Ridder and nobody was paying attention to the parts of Middle America who could offer a more objective view.

They don't let surgeons operate on their own family members. Too bad the East Coast media didn't step back, recuperate and let groups like Knight Ridder do the reporting.

Mr Landay & Mr Strobel,

THANK YOU!

You have provided a great service to our country and are true Patriots!

If the majority of the media can be fooled by our government on the "facts" leading us to war, what about your average citizen?

I'm scared to think about what other "facts" our government has used or will use to justify legislation.

Can/Should we still trust the FDA, EPA, FEMA, NRC, etc with our health & safety???

Someone clue me in - where
are the responses from
Strobel and Landay? Are they on another page.

Thank you for providing a program that was intelligent, brave, and worth watching.

Among many other bright spots, I was happy to see a reference to the version of "objectivity" that seems to prevail.
Can you explain why the media and the public are satisfied that they have received balanced information about the world as long as any wild claim is paired with with an equally unexamined counter-claim?

Is this approach taught at journalism schools or is it insisted on by management? Why isn't there a demand for reporters who, as you did, actually try to find out the facts? Is it accepted among many journalists that their job is to provide a few, approved spokespeople with a microphone rather than to try to find and report the truth if they can

Thanks for taking questions--

I heard alot mentioned on the show about the Bush administration's case for WMD, but what of the previous intelligence from the Clinton administration, as well as the other foreign intelligence agencies and previous UN WMD accounts of stockpiled WMD.
Since the 2002 inspections did not find these stockpiles, what happened to them?
Were all of the sources in error about Iraq possessing these weapons?

I just can't watch these programs anymore.
As a veteran of Viet Nam and now Iraq, I feel like we will never get is right. We, the American public deserve this Iraq experience because we didn't challenge the hype. The poor Iraqis. God help us. I have no questions, it's too late.

When will the "news media" again be able to do it's job without having to "shoot for ratings"? Money is always corrupt.

William Krystol was asked to be in an interview and declined? Small wonder. Tale a look at the role of the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), which includes William Krystol, George Bush, Karl Rove, Richard Perle, Scooter Libby, Donald Rumsfeld, and Richard Armitage as members. PNAC sent a letter to Bill Clinton urging him to attack Iraq. Most of the people who caused the U.S. to get preemptive attack are members of the PNAC. Krystol is not unbiased; he has been actively involved. The role of this group and other right wing conservative "think tanks" should be investigated, IMHO. Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PNAC

Do you think that more public, independent news sources might be the answer to an increasingly conglomerated, and easily swayed small group of news gatherers? How can we make sure that the national media is doing its job and asking the right questions?

Mr. Landay & Mr. Strobel, and Mr. Moyers-

Thank you for tonight's program, both its presentation and contents. I've been waiting for something like this to break since 9/11, when I sat in stunned disbelief, at both the horror of what was unfolding in New York City and at the impending horror that I knew in my gut was going to follow from Washington and the Bush administration. And follow it did.

As one who thinks outside of the box, when others were asking me what I thought about what happened on 9/11, I responded again and again, that I was just going to take my time and listen to all sides, as they went about the business of fact-finding. Nearly all of my information was to come from Public Radio as the mainsteam media jumped on the patriotism bandwagon, forsaking what I had known to be solid journalism. My thoughts, again and again, were that this country was founded on the right to dissent. But voices seemed to have been nearly silenced, an event more chilling than the (unrelated) attacks on the World Trade Centers.

I am in awe of your story, but more of what you did by following your instincts through to the truth, and finding the fortitude to stand tall in the sea of muddy journalism while seeking the truth against an armada of naysayers and mudslingers. The political and social climate in this country had never before been so slanted or menacing.

What kept you strong?

My thanks to all!

Unfortunately, this summary of how this corrupt Administation and the compliant news media sold the war to the American public will only be appreciated by PBS viewers. It is unlikely to appear in context in the Washington Post, New York Times, or dare I say, on FOX, or on any other national network!!! Thanks for an award winning investigative piece of jounalism.

Most American journalist continue to operate with an air of presumed nobility of intent with regard to the Iraq war. In “Bush world “ , discussions of depravity and avarice as motives for our involvement in Iraq are off the table , to be treated as universally implausible .

Bush’s and Chaney’s Oil and Defense interest could hardly be less benefited , these people are neither stupid or incompetent, when it comes to their real objectives. If you measure Iraq results in terms of filled coffers , failure is not part of the discussion :

• Oil interest , as a practical matter, control more oil and can more effectively manage its world price .
• Defense interest , thanks to Dick Chaney’s Machiavellian restructuring of the military procurement process , will be make huge profits and will be resupplying the Pentagon in perpetuity and far above the projected pre Iraq war levels .

What's not to like if your business is oil or defense ? Nothing in the short term , 2003 to present , has negatively impacted Oil and Defense financial interest ; and in today’s corporate thinking , short term considerations rule .

I keep wondering who will be the first notable US political leader with a “meaningful megaphone” to discuss the impact of conflict of interest on the Iraq war ? The fact is , conflict of interests is no more speculative or vituperative an explanation for the Iraq war and its continuance , and is as credible, as the oft cited explanations of mismanagement or incompetence .

As you may recall , the specter of warfare ,and its attendant conflicted interest , was basis for President Eisenhower’s 1960 prescient admonishment to the nation “to be wary of the military industrial complex “ . War profiteering and warfare have been inextricably linked throughout history . In fact , throughout most of western history, war profiteering and considerations of the spoils of war have been a publicly acceptable justification for going to war and there was little of the “national security” pretense of our post WWII era .

In the current Iraq war, with a few recent exceptions , one has to read foreign or non corporate information sources for any discussion regarding the huge profits this war has spawned and speculation about impact of financial interest on the wars conduct or aftermath. And alarmingly , given that the Bush administration just fired the US Attorney who exposed Duke Cunningham’s defense contracting misdeeds , more restraints/intimidating measures may have been added to our national prohibition against publicly discussing the rotten business of war profiteering .

* http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2132467.ece

God Bless Bill Moyers. He is a great American and a patriot. Thank you Knight Ritter for your courage and for being the “voice crying in the wilderness”.

The death and killing that these despicable misrepresentations of the facts have caused wear heavy on my heart.

The fact that the killing is escalating and Bush and his people continue to pursue and defend a misguided policy in the face of the facts and at the peril of our young people in uniform is unconscionable.

And why is Bin Laden still alive?

The next time any American Administration and their “Rush Limbaugh” surrogates suggest that dissent is equivalent to sedition, I hope the press will see it for what it is and report it correctly.
To attack a country preemptively on the basis misrepresented facts is UNAMERICAN and UNACCEPTABLE.

This information, is essential for every american. I wish you could "sell it" mainstream so more could learn the truth. It is a shame that so many americans have been lied to by this administration and it's pundits. The cost of Bush's wrong doing will continue until we remove the troops from Iraq. Our military presence brought Al Qaeda in to Iraq. Now we must leave so that primary target, or the free-for-all on our troops is gone. Enough is enough, when will our leaders grow a set and pull this president's plug !! The Iraq people do not want us there. 70% of americans no longer support this war, it is a waste of money and lives. Wake up america and save what is left of Iraq. The networks should be screaming this information, not reporting who is the daddy of Anna's baby. What is wrong with our news networks? When are they going to press this administration to be responsible for their horrible mistakes, and atrocities. They need to bombard Bush, Cheney, and Rove with non-stop criticism. 24/7/365 until this war ends and the regime in the whitehouse comes to a welcomed close!

The integrity and tenacity of your instincts, intellect and reporting are an inspiration and the truest form of patriotism. The fact that it has taken all these years for this story to be told nationally is simply criminal. While there were pieces that reinforced the cautious suspicions many of us had about making war on Iraq, they were few and far between.

Media giantism and the corporate imperative which mandated news programs be profitable were the death knell for the free press. How sad to see Dan Rather's forced transformation from a journalist to a capitalist with only the best of intentions.

I am reminded of the words of Joseph Pulitzer which can be found on www.pulitzer.org:

"In May 1904, writing in The North American Review in support of his proposal for the founding of a school of journalism, Pulitzer summarized his credo: "Our Republic and its press will rise or fall together. An able, disinterested, public-spirited press, with trained intelligence to know the right and courage to do it, can preserve that public virtue without which popular government is a sham and a mockery. A cynical, mercenary, demagogic press will produce in time a people as base as itself. The power to mould the future of the Republic will be in the hands of the journalists of future generations."

Many of us were wondering what became of the free press. It's good to know it's alive and well, although clearly in need of nurturing. Congratulations to Knight Ritter for staying true to the calling. Thank god for Bill Moyers and PBS.

Most American journalist continue to operate with an air of presumed nobility of intent with regard to the Iraq war. In “Bush world “ , discussions of depravity and avarice as motives for our involvement in Iraq are off the table , to be treated as universally implausible .

Bush’s and Chaney’s Oil and Defense interest could hardly be less benefited , these people are neither stupid or incompetent, when it comes to their real objectives. If you measure Iraq results in terms of filled coffers , failure is not part of the discussion :

• Oil interest , as a practical matter, control more oil and can more effectively manage its world price .
• Defense interest , thanks to Dick Chaney’s Machiavellian restructuring of the military procurement process , will be make huge profits and will be resupplying the Pentagon in perpetuity and far above the projected pre Iraq war levels .

What's not to like if your business is oil or defense ? Nothing in the short term , 2003 to present , has negatively impacted Oil and Defense financial interest ; and in today’s corporate thinking , short term considerations rule .

I keep wondering who will be the first notable US political leader with a “meaningful megaphone” to discuss the impact of conflict of interest on the Iraq war ? The fact is , conflict of interests is no more speculative or vituperative an explanation for the Iraq war and its continuance , and is as credible, as the oft cited explanations of mismanagement or incompetence .

As you may recall , the specter of warfare ,and its attendant conflicted interest , was basis for President Eisenhower’s 1960 prescient admonishment to the nation “to be wary of the military industrial complex “ . War profiteering and warfare have been inextricably linked throughout history . In fact , throughout most of western history, war profiteering and considerations of the spoils of war have been a publicly acceptable justification for going to war and there was little of the “national security” pretense of our post WWII era .

In the current Iraq war, with a few recent exceptions , one has to read foreign or non corporate information sources for any discussion regarding the huge profits this war has spawned and speculation about impact of financial interest on the wars conduct or aftermath. And alarmingly , given that the Bush administration just fired the US Attorney who exposed Duke Cunningham’s defense contracting misdeeds , more restraints/intimidating measures may have been added to our national prohibition against publicly discussing the rotten business of war profiteering .

* http://news.independent.co.uk/business/news/article2132467.ece

For those who opposed the false, deceptive lead-up to the war, this report is too little too late. But I welcome it, nonetheless.

The only thing I find objectionable in your report is calling the invasion, occupation, and destruction of Iraq a "war." Congress has not declared war since the 1940's.

How much more air time would it take to say "the military invasion and occupation of Iraq" rather than say "the war in Iraq," when calling it a "war" is an unconstitutional lie?