But no calamity better captures the dangers of a press corps too beholden to power than the invasion of Iraq, a cataclysmic blunder whose ghastly knock-on effects afflict the Middle East, as well as Europe, to this day. In the lead-up to the invasion, George W. Bush’s administration assiduously courted journalists at mainstream liberal and conservative news outlets, who then helped it win public support by disseminating what turned out to be false claims about weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Antes da invasão, o Governo de George W. Bush cortejou assiduamente os jornalistas dos meios de comunicação generalistas liberais e conservadores, que posteriormente o ajudaram a ganhar o apoio do público através da divulgação de informações sobre armas de destruição maciça (ADM), que acabariam por revelar-se falsas.