No Questions Asked: News Coverage since 9/11 (Democracy and the News)
With the passage of time, it has become more and more apparent how the American press failed to question the Bush administration response to the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., according to independent journalist Finnegan, who explores those failures and what they may have cost the nation. Fear of being perceived as unpatriotic and willingness to accept information doled out by the administration led many journalists to retreat from their responsibility to question policies on the war on terror. The administration was not adequately probed on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, the need to topple Saddam Hussein, and the Patriot Act and a host of other policies that have been set in place since 9/11. Finnegan describes the buildup to war and the psychological manipulation the administration used on the public and the press. Finnegan also compares U.S. coverage of 9/11 and the war on terror and coverage by the press abroad. This is a penetrating look at American news coverage at a critical time in U.S. history.Vanessa BushCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved