Join Bill Moyers Journal: Buying the War

Bill Moyers Journal: Buying the War. Excerpt. PBS.

© copyright 2007 Betsy L. Angert
Today, Friday, April 13, 2007, the airwaves are flooded with talk of the media. Meta-cognition is the message. The esteemed Bill Moyers, joins in. Mister Moyers will host his newest documentary, “Buying the War,” on Wednesday April 25, 2007.

Bill Moyers will not discuss racism, sexism, or classism in this forum. Don Imus is not the topic. Shock-jocks are not the focus. In this Moyers special, Journalists and Broadcasters will examine their thoughts, reflect on their knowledge, and assess the factors that influence their beliefs. During the decades of reality reporting, much is in question. Among the most pressing issues is why we, Americans bought the war.

Reporters realize, in the last few years, the White House promotes propaganda. The General Accounting Office [GAO] reprimands them regularly; still, they persist. Perhaps, this is called “Executive Privilege.”

Just prior to the attack on Afghanistan and the bombing of Iraq, Bush and his Battalion were blazing their message across the skies. America was buying it. Congress conceded. The Cabinet made claims, and the media massaged the mendacity. Amidst all of this, I marveled. I read a contrasting reality. I protested. I was against the President proposals; his actions caused and continue to cause me great angst.

Before the battles, I attended seminars and spoke with United Nations weapons inspector, Scott Ritter. Intellectuals addressed what seemed obvious; however, even among academics, there was disagreement. Those supporting the Bush Administration pointed to periodicals to document their dictums. They produced pundit after pundit, to validate their truth. Scholars, among the neoconservatives were adamant. “Right and correct are synonymous.” “It is just that simple.”

However, more recently, some on the “right” are realizing they may have been wrong. Intelligence may have been mishandled and the mainstream media mismanaged their role in reporting the news. The facts were mangled, muddled, and finally shredded in favor of supporting the war on terrorism.

Thankfully, tonight Bill Moyers invites us to think. I received my invitation from Free Press. I wish to share it with you dear reader.

Was Big Media complicit in shaping the “public mind” to support the Iraq war?

On Wednesday, April 25, you can learn the answer by hosting An Evening with Bill Moyers house party to watch his newest documentary, “Buying the War,” broadcast live on your local PBS station. Just before the screening, Moyers will be available to answer your questions during an exclusive conference call with Free Press activists around the country.

In “Buying the War,” Moyers asks what’s happened to the press’s role as a skeptical “watchdog” on government power. And he profiles some of the journalists who did dare to ask tough questions.
Others in [your] area are concerned about the state of our media. This is your opportunity to connect with people in your community and get more involved in reforming our media.

Host ‘An Evening with Bill Moyers’ house party in [your area]
Hosting a house party is surprisingly easy. Here’s what it takes:

Sign up online to be a host
Invite people you know (we’ll also invite local Free Press Activists if you’d like)
Read the hosting guide and print hosting materials
Open your home or find an appropriate venue
Watch “Buying the War” and join the conference call with Bill Moyers
We’re here to answer any questions you may have along the way (view our hosting guide or frequently asked questions page for more information).

The movement for better media begins in your community. Take the lead, help engage your neighbors, and help take back our media one town at a time.
Thanks for all that you do,

Ira Horowitz?
Online Community Organizer?
Free Press?www.freepress.net

Public Broadcasting Services introduces the program to viewers. I present the schedule and a portion of the summary for your review.

Bill Moyers Journal “Buying the War”
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 ?9:00-10:30 p.m. ET
Fridays, continuing series, beginning April 27, 2007?9:00-10:00 p.m. ET

Documentary Explores Role of the Press in the Lead-Up to the Invasion of Iraq

?Four years ago on May 1, President Bush landed on the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln wearing a flight suit and delivered a speech in front of a giant “Mission Accomplished” banner. He was hailed by media stars as a “breathtaking” example of presidential leadership in toppling Saddam Hussein. Despite profound questions over the failure to locate weapons of mass destruction and the increasing violence in Baghdad, many in the press confirmed the White House’s claim that the war was won. MSNBC‘s Chris Matthews declared, “We’re all neo-cons now”; NPR‘s Bob Edwards said, “The war in Iraq is essentially over”; and Washington Post reporter Jeff Birnbaum said, “It is amazing how thorough the victory in Iraq really was in the broadest context.”

How did the mainstream press get it so wrong? How did the evidence disputing the existence of weapons of mass destruction and the link between Saddam Hussein to 9/11 continue to go largely unreported? “What the conservative media did was easy to fathom; they had been cheerleaders for the White House from the beginning and were simply continuing to rally the public behind the President — no questions asked. How mainstream journalists suspended skepticism and scrutiny remains an issue of significance that the media has not satisfactorily explored,” says Bill Moyers. “How the administration marketed the war to the American people has been well covered, but critical questions remain: How and why did the press buy it, and what does it say about the role of journalists in helping the public sort out fact from propaganda?”

A new PBS series, Bill Moyers Journal, premieres at a special time with “Buying the War,” a documentary that explores the role of the press in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq.

The program airs Wednesday, April 25, 2007, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET on PBS. Two days later, on April 27, Bill Moyers Journal airs in its regular timeslot on Fridays at 9:00 p.m. with interviews and news analysis on a wide range of subjects, including politics, arts and culture, the media, the economy and issues facing democracy.

“Buying the War” includes interviews with Dan Rather, formerly of CBS; Tim Russert of “Meet the Press”; Bob Simon of “60 Minutes”; Walter Isaacson, former president of CNN; and John Walcott, Jonathan Landay and Warren Strobel of Knight Ridder newspapers, which was acquired by the McClatchy Company in 2006. .