Moore Tells Olbermann: "The Media is More Responsible for This War Than Bush" [VIDEO]

Posted by Adam Howard at 7:32 PM on July 12, 2007.

It's been quite a week for Michael Moore. He made mince meat out of Wolf Blitzer on Monday. Served a can of whoop ass to Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Tuedsay. Wednesday ostensibly was his day of rest, and now he finally gets to sit down with someone who's on his wavelength---MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. This interview is a virtual lovefest, but there are also some significant points made. The reason Moore's criticism of CNN hit such a nerve, is because so many of us are still angry with networks like them, who played such a crucial role in selling Bush doctrine nonsense to the public.

In 2003, I returned home from a college break, aware that we were in the midst of invading Iraq. I didn't want or have access to much television on my campus, but based on what I'd read I was under the impression that the entire action was based on the existence of WMD. I still opposed the war but that's neither here nor there. I turned on my TV set back home and was stunned to see the military action being called "Operation Iraqi Freedom" on CNN. Iraqi freedom? I thought this was supposed to be some bullshit about "protecting America"? Why was CNN unabashedly excepting this term? Why were they buying into this notion that this whole preemptive action was about "liberating Iraqis"? It was this curiosity mixed with rage that set me on the path to becoming a journalist myself and I can say confidently that for many of my peers, it was this unjust, disastrous war, that inspired us to get into the field. Not because we'd admired the work that was being done to cover the war, but precisely because we hated it and wanted to change it. The media's laziness and timidity during the initial stages of this war will always be a black mark on the fourth estate's soul. But at least there are some of us who are heeding Moore's message as we look to the future.

Tagged as: moore, olbermann, blitzer, gupta. media, iraq war

Adam Howard is the editor of PEEK.