American Republic Online

Lieutenant General Sanchez made a speech criticizing all aspects of the war in Iraq. The heaviest hit by his remarks would have to be the press:

“For some it seems that as long as you get a front-page story, there is little or no regard for the collateral damage that will be caused… The speculative and often uninformed initial reporting that characterizes our media, appears to be rapidly becoming the standard of the industry… Once reported, your assessments become conventional wisdom and nearly impossible to change. Your unwillingness to accurately and prominently correct your mistakes and your agenda-driven biases sometimes contribute to this corrosive environment… What is clear to me is that you’re perpetuating the corrosive partisan politics that is destroying our country and killing our service members who are at war, in some cases… For some of you, just like some of our politicians, the truth is of little to no value if it does not fit your own preconceived notions, biases, or agendas.” - Lt. Gen. Sanchez

Somehow this aspect of his speech went unnoticed by all the major media players. That is until enough bloggers got the real story out, then editors quickly had several stories re-written. Take for instance the Power Line post written on the 12th and linked to a Washington Post story “Former Iraq Commander Faults Bush”. Now, magically, that link goes to a story written on the 13th “Ex-Commander In Iraq Faults War Strategy” where there is a dismissive (but included) paragraph at the end of the piece mentioning the press criticism.

Is it any wonder, that news revenues continue to dry up to the point that a non-profit is being setup to keep investigative journalists employed?