How to Fix It: Don’t Let the Press Forget

“Many journalists today have a keen appreciation of the national press’ failure in the run-up to the war in Iraq, and they are determined not to let it happen again. The real test, though, will come when we once again have a strong president operating in a time of national crisis. I can easily imagine a situation in which the American people feel under attack, and the government takes advantage of such a climate to grossly manipulate and distort the truth, and the press dutifully goes along. But if such a situation does again arise, we will at least have people out there warning how journalists are in danger of repeating the press’ failure prior to the Iraq War, and perhaps that will serve as an effective tonic.”