Where was the reality? Manipulation and misinformation in Iraq

The sooner the population understands that the "victors" will face a long war of occupation, the better. Past IRA operations in Northern Ireland demonstrate that it only takes a tiny armed and committed minority to wreak havoc over years. Iraq has more than a sufficient share of the population sympathetic to an anti-Western position, and they have enough arms to run an endless guerrilla campaign.

During the invasion, Prime Minister John Howard repeatedly justified Australia's involvement on the grounds that we had to rid Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction. He was not pressed to provide evidence of the existence of such weapons, despite statements before the invasion by Chief UN inspector Hans Blix's that progress was being made in disarmament, and statements from chief nuclear weapons inspector, Dr ElBaradei, that he had found no evidence that Iraq had revived its nuclear weapons program. "Where's the evidence Prime Minister?" should have been the repeated question to Mr Howard. "Why not adopt the French/German plan, given that progress is being made?" might have been another.

At least John Howard faced question. In the US, the media and the population suffered repeated orchestrated media grabs. How often did President Bush face a sustained session of critical questions? How, in a supposed democracy, could a leader taking a country into war, be allowed to get away with so little direct questioning?

It is often said that the media should be "balanced" - as if there were only two positions and it was only a matter of finding the fulcrum. But there are many points of view, and an overwhelming volume of information. Journalists, editors, news editors and producers have choices. One "balance" could be to devote as much news time to the results -- the casualties of the war, the killed and injured -- as to the military front.

In the end, all we can hope for is the reporting of facts (as opposed to the speculation we saw so much of); the questioning of claims; and the provision of as many perspectives as possible. The International Federation of Journalists and the Federation of Arab Journalists has called for a new media order that reflects the highest standards of pluralism, press freedom and editorial independence. This is as good a summary of objectives as we are likely to get.