So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits--and the President--Failed on Iraq [Paperback]

Greg Mitchell (Author), Bruce Springsteen (Preface), Joseph L. Galloway (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 2008

It is often said that a free press is the watchdog of democracy, insuring that the conduct of our leaders is examined with a critical eye. This makes Greg Mitchell the watchdog of watchdogs, as tracking the performance of the media is his priority at Editor and Publisher, the influential magazine of the newspaper industry. In 2003, Greg Mitchell was one of the few journalists to question the grounds for the war in Iraq. Today, Mitchell looks ahead at lessons for the future with an original introduction and connecting material that updates and unifies his original essays and scrutiny of America's media coverage. With more than 75 of Mitchell's columns, this book provides a unique history of the conflict, from the hyped "weapons of mass destruction" stories to the "surge."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this pertinent but ego-driven compilation of writings on the Iraq War, Mitchell, editor of media industry magazine Editor & Publisher, argues that, from the outset, the press did not adequately question the reasoning behind American operations in Iraq. Quoting his publication, Mitchell condemns the press's tendency "to accept the military's word first and ask questions later," citing specific examples like the media's blind approval of Secretary of State Powell's Feb., 2003, speech favoring a call to arms. Mitchell describes incidents like this as a symptom of the media's "failure of will" to probe matters of national security. His thesis-that a weak press deserves blame for the Iraq quagmire-is hard to argue with, but it's not exactly news. Still, he provides a valuable roundup of media reactions from across the spectrum, and his grievances are substantial. Ultimately, though, Mitchell is difficult to distinguish from the one-sided, single-minded figures he rails against; readers will learn a great deal about the media politics behind the Iraq war, but will have to decide for themselves how trustworthy a pundit Mitchell really is.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

“Worthy of shelving alongside the best of the Iraq books.”--Kirkus

 

“Greg Mitchell has given us a razor-sharp critique of how the media and the government connived in one of the great blunders of American foreign policy. Every aspiring journalist, every veteran, every pundit—and every citizen who cares about the difference between illusion and reality, propaganda and the truth, and looked to the press to help keep them separate—should read this book. Twice.”—Bill Moyers

"With the tragic war in Iraq dragging on, and the drumbeat for new conflicts growing louder, this is more than a five-year history of the biggest foreign policy debacle of our times—it's a cautionary tale that is as relevant as this morning's headlines. Greg Mitchell makes it clear that Iraq is a case study in bad judgment, from the misguided moves of an administration blinded by its zealotry to a complacent media that too often acted as an extension of the White House press office.  Read it and weep; read it and get enraged; read it and make sure it doesn't happen again."—Arianna  Huffington

“The profound failure of the American press with regard to the Iraq War may very well be the most significant political story of this generation.  Greg Mitchell has established himself as one of our country's most perceptive media critics, and here he provides invaluable insight into how massive journalistic failures enabled the greatest strategic disaster in the nation's history.”—Glenn Greenwald, Salon.com columnist and author of  A Tragic Legacy and How Would a Patriot Act?

 

"Anyone who cares about the integrity of the American media should read this book. Greg Mitchell asks tough questions about the Iraq war that should have been asked long ago, in a poignant, patriotic, and thoughtful dissection of our war in Iraq. Mitchell names names and places blame on those who’ve blundered. Examining the most complex issue of our time, he connects the dots like no one else has."—Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and author of Chasing Ghosts

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Union Square Press (March 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402756577
• ISBN-13: 978-1402756573
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #702,461 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

61 of 65 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreakingly Convincing March 11, 2008

By John Doble

Format:Paperback

Bill Moyers, one of the country's great journalists, praised this book for good reason -- it is a heartbreakingly convincing account of how the media failed to perform the role that Jefferson and Madison envisioned--to serve as critical interrogators and skeptics of the government instead of its enablers. Mitchell details how the media aided and abetted George Bush, Hillary Clinton and others in the Congress as they recklessly and unquestioningly blundered into the Iraq war. I hope that every journalist reads and learns from this well informed account and that every American reads it and starts demanding more from the news media created to keep us informed. This is one the most important books of the past few years.

48 of 52 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be handed out in every newsroom and assigned to every student of journalism March 7, 2008

By Jason Leopold

Format:Paperback

Greg Mitchell has done the public a great service in documenting the historic failure of the Fourth Estate to hold our elected officials accountable for using the media to peddle false information about the so-called threat posed by the Iraqi regime. Even worse, Mitchell's well-researched book shows how the press has continued to print and broadcast facts about Iraq emanating from the White House that has been dismissed as bogus.

History teachers should use"So Wrong for So Long" as a classroom textbook so students can learn the truth about how the media was complicit in helping the Bush administration sell the Iraq war to Congress and the public.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a media critique March 20, 2008

By Emily Vaughan

Format:Paperback

Greg Mitchell's book is an excellent critique of the media and its handling of Iraq war, but it also serves as a reminder of everything that has happened in the last five turbulent years. By looking at the war in its entirety through the lens of media coverage, it not only compiles a history of the events of the war, but also a history of opinion and views about the war, and equally important factor in this controversial engagement. His unbiased and skeptical view of the events are an example of how journalists should have treated it from the beginning, and proof that while many major journalists and publications may have botched the coverage, at least one held true to his journalistic principles and remained outside the tidal wave of populr opinion and spin.