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Review

Danny Schechter, documentarian, veteran of CNN and ABC News, and winner of two National News Emmys, narrates his in-depth analysis of the US media’s coverage — or lack thereof — of the second Iraqi war. Using interviews with correspondents (Peter Arnett, Seymour Hersh and Christiane Amanpour among them) and military personnel, news footage from US broadcasts compared to coverage from Europe and the Middle East, and comparisons with US news coverage of earlier wars, Schechter as media critic paints a chilling portrait of the US press as the media arm of the military. He posits that the media abdicated its investigative responsibilities as the country moved toward the war, allowing the administration to grossly manipulate the truth to build up a consensus agreement that this war was just and inevitable. The Pentagon made media management a top priority and the mainstream media was willing to comply; many networks refused to air anti-Iraqi War ads, calling such discourse and discussion unsupportive of US troops. The war was handled like a product rollout: the backdrop for the Coalition Media Center in Doha, Qatar, was built by a Hollywood set designer. People watching the news in the US never saw civilian casualties on the ground, footage seen in other parts of the world. In fact, CNN packaged coverage for the US, and coverage for the rest of the world. Schecter packs a lot of information in a short space of time, and organizes it comprehensively. Recent disclosures that Bush II’s administration bought press coverage through payoffs to members of the media lend credence to this film’s analysis. A must-see for anyone concerned with truth, justice and the American way.

 -- Ann Yarabinee