So Wrong for So Long: How the Press, the Pundits - and the President - Failed in Iraq

It is often said that a free press is the watchdog of democracy, insuring that the conduct of our leaders is examined with a critical eye. This makes Greg Mitchell the watchdog of watchdogs, as tracking the performance of the media is his priority at Editor and Publisher, the influential magazine of the newspaper industry. In 2003, Greg Mitchell was one of the few journalists to question the grounds for the war in Iraq. Today, Mitchell looks ahead at lessons for the future with an original introduction and connecting material that updates and unifies his original essays and scrutiny of America's media coverage. With more than 75 of Mitchell's columns, this book provides a unique history of the conflict, from the hyped "weapons of mass destruction" stories to the "surge."

About the Author :
Greg Mitchell is the editor of "Editor & Publisher," the journal of the newspaper business which has won several major awards for its coverage of Iraq and the media. He has written eight books, including "Hiroshima in America "(with Robert Jay Lifton) and T"he Campaign of the Century: Upton Sinclair's Race for Governor of California and the Birth of Media Politics," and his articles have appeared in dozens of leading newspapers and magazines. He lives in the New York City area. Joseph L. Galloway is one of the most respected war correspondents of our time and currently writes a syndicated column on military affairs. He co-authored the bestselling "We Were Soldiers Once...and Young "and the forthcoming "We Are Soldiers Still." He was awarded a Bronze Star for valor in Vietnam.

Review :
"Worthy of shelving alongside the best of the Iraq books."--"Kirkus""" "Greg Mitchell has given us a razor-sharp critique of how the media and the government connived in one of the great blunders of American foreign policy. Every aspiring journalist, every veteran, every pundit--and every citizen who cares about the difference between illusion and reality, propaganda and the truth, and looked to the press to help keep them separate--should read this book. Twice."--Bill Moyers"" "With the tragic war in Iraq dragging on, and the drumbeat for new conflicts growing louder, this is more than a five-year history of the biggest foreign policy debacle of our times--it's a cautionary tale that is as relevant as this morning's headlines. Greg Mitchell makes it clear that Iraq is a case study in bad judgment, from the misguided moves of an administration blinded by its zealotry to a complacent media that too often acted as an extension of the White House press office. Read it and weep; read it and get enraged; read it and make sure it doesn't happen again."--Arianna Huffington "The profound failure of the American press with regard to the Iraq War may very well be the most significant political story of this generation. Greg Mitchell has established himself as one of our country's most perceptive media critics, and here he provides invaluable insight into how massive journalistic failures enabled the greatest strategic disaster in the nation's history."--Glenn Greenwald, Salon.com columnist and author of "A Tragic Legacy and How Would a Patriot Act? """ "Anyone who cares about the integrity of the American media should read this book. Greg Mitchell asks tough questions about the Iraq war that should have been asked long ago, in a poignant, patriotic, and thoughtful dissection of our war in Iraq. Mitchell names names and places blame on those who've blundered. Examining the most complex issue of our time, he connects the dots like no one else has."--Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and author of "Chasing Ghosts"