WMD: The Movie

Editor's note: WMD is opening in New York City, Buffalo, and Portland on Feb. 4. For more info go here.

Amy Goodman: This is Democracy Now! We're talking about a new film opening in [New York] this week. It's called WMD, Weapons of Mass Deception. The filmmaker joins us, Danny Schechter. We want to play a couple of clips from this film. The first is about Jose Couso. Set it up for us.

Danny Schechter: Were journalist targeted during the war in Iraq? There were a number of incidents, friendly fire. Was it deliberate? Were reporters killed who were un-embedded, who were challenging the dominant view that the American military wanted to get out by offering a contrasting narrative? That's the question many people are debating. What happened at the Palestine Hotel on April 8, 2003 is very significant in this respect and we cover it in the film WMD.

Amy Goodman: Well, I'll say that I think everyone remembers what happened the day after, when the statue of Saddam Hussein was brought down by U.S. troops, because we saw that all day and night on television. This is what happened the day before.

Narrator: Journalists and media workers were targeted in Iraq. Was it deliberate? To keep the story on message by intimidating un-embedded journalists. How did the media in the street challenge these killings? Some were killed by so-called friendly fire. Others victims of calculated attacks, missiles, tank shells, and bombs dropped on or near journalists. Some media critics concluded it was intentional, although the Pentagon denied it. Before the war, the BBC's Kate Adey reported she was told by the Pentagon that independent journalists could be targeted.

Reporter:: The 15th floor of the Palestine Hotel was the target. A U.S. tank shelled the Palestine Hotel, which was crowded with journalists, killing two cameramen. One works for a Spanish network, and the other one works for Reuters.

Narrator: Now another incident. Look at this. An American tank on the bridge across from the Palestine hotel in Baghdad. A soldier claimed his tank was fired on. Listen carefully. There are no sounds.

Samia Nakhoul: We moved to the Palestine Hotel because the Pentagon asked our organizations to let us leave because it was a target and when we moved to the Palestine Hotel our organization told the Pentagon we were at the Palestine Hotel. So did every news organization.

Narrator: Again, minutes later no sounds were heard, no one firing at U.S. soldiers. Suddenly without provocation –

Samia Nakhoul: We saw an orange glow, and this was the tank shell that hit our office. And you can imagine the panic, the wounded – it was me and another photographer. I can't imagine that they would target journalists. You know, I couldn't believe why would they target us? What have we done to them?

Narrator: After the war press freedom groups were still demanding a real investigation. The Pentagon's Victoria Clark told me there was a report that showed that the soldiers were acting in self-defense.

Narrator: Was there any attempt to find out the facts independently or a thorough investigation?

Samia Nakhoul: No – the Pentagon never interviewed me personally on it. I don't think any of my colleagues were interviewed by the Pentagon.

Narrator: Samia's organization, Reuters, demanded an independent investigation, but most media companies didn't even press on this issue. No one was held accountable. It was all passed off as an accident, the fog of war and all that.