That Objective European Media

Sullivan noted last week that the BBC actually let some balance slip:

How's this for a shocker? Here's how the BBC described the recent Carnegie Endowment criticism of the liberation of Iraq:

The left-leaning Carnegie Endowment for International Peace said US officials misrepresented the threat from Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.

Just giving credit where it's due.

Not everyone is as forthcoming, according to David's Medienkritik:

The "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace" has published a report ("WMD IN IRAQ - Evidence and Implications"), written by Joseph Cirincione, Jessica T. Mathews, and George Perkovich. The main thesis: "Iraq not imminent danger before war, report concludes".

The media - as in this example from the Boston Globe - lend the study an aura of scientific knowledge and objective expertise:

"The study by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace states ... a private nonpartisan research organization ... Carnegie Endowment researchers ... one of the nation's oldest foreign affairs think tanks"
At least some media faintly hint at the foundation's political bias: "Carnegie is regarded as a moderately left-of-centre think-tank" (Financial Times). Others point to the fact that two (Jessica T. Mathews and George Perkovich) of the three authors of the study "served in the Clinton administration and opposed the Iraq war." (Boston Globe)

The third author, Joseph Cirincione, has proven himself to be a hardline Bush-hater and a foe of the "neo-conservatives". He bitterly opposed the 2003 Iraq war - before and after. His remarks on the subject were frequently polemic and condescending towards members of the Bush administration. Cirincione does not deserve to be presented as an "expert" or "researcher".

Read the whole thing.

Posted by Mitch at January 13, 2004 06:00 AM