Media Advisory
Won't Get Fooled Again?
NYT, networks offer scant skepticism on Iran claims
2/2/07
The most important lesson about the Iraq War for reporters was perhaps the simplest one: Don't assume the White House is telling the truth. It's a lesson that many reporters seem to be forgetting now that U.S. officials are escalating their claims about Iran's role in Iraq.
On January 29, CBS Evening News aired a report about Iran's alleged support for Shiite militias in Iraq. Anchor Katie Couric introduced the segment by saying "the U.S. military says it has proof positive" to that effect, and Pentagon correspondent David Martin did little to undercut the official line by saying the U.S. is "already fighting a proxy war inside Iraq" with Iran. Martin went on to list the evidence: serial numbers on explosive devices that could be "traced directly back to Iran," along with rocket-propelled grenades and other weapons that "bear Iranian factory markings." The only guest on the segment was Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic & International Studies, who essentially backed the official story.
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3037
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