Was there a lot of opposition to the Iraq war in the American media pre invasion?

[MixMartialFarts]

I was a lot longer back then and didn't watch the news as much. For those of you that remember that time more clearly, was the media mostly for or against the invasion? I'm pretty sure Fox news was for the war, what about CNN? Was there 50/50 balanced coverage or was the media more pushing one side or the other? What do you guys remember with regards to the main stream media's take on it? I'm talking between 9/11 and the invasion in 2003.

 

[Social Distance Warrior]

I was a lot longer back then and didn't watch the news as much. For those of you that remember that time more clearly, was the media mostly for or against the invasion? I'm pretty sure Fox news was for the war, what about CNN? Was there 50/50 balanced coverage with the pros and cons of war or was the media more pushing one side or the other? What do you guys remember with regards to the main stream media's take on it? I'm talking between 9/11 and the invasion in 2003.

not just Fox news, but CNN, and MSNBC and all other major media outlets

the US media propaganda machine was in full swing...
even supporting Colin Powell's bullshit presentation about how "imminent" of a threat Iraq was.

it wasn't until the war started going south, did CNN and MSNBC jump ship.

to give you an idea of just how "pro war" MSNBC was, they shit canned the only two voices who expressed dissent or questioned the war, Jesse Ventura and Phil Donohue. (they both had shows at one time)

 

[Fluffernutter]

How did BBC handle the pre war coverage?

 

[Social Distance Warrior]

I've fallen for several propaganda campaigns...this was one of them.

regrettably I fell for:

1) They violated so many UN Resolutions!!!
2) Saddam used chemical weapons on his own people!! (this is partially true, but there is a lot more nuance to this claim)
3) Saddam has invaded his neighbors before!!!
4) Saddam might get an WMD!!!


all ridiculous and stupid arguments.

 

[jamel]

All we found was cans of nerve gas that was well past its expiration date.

Was suppose to be disposed of.

Then Assad did his thing and suddenly no one knows where the old cans of nerve as came from.

 

[sherdogwantedtonamemekiki]

I was a lot longer back then and didn't watch the news as much. For those of you that remember that time more clearly, was the media mostly for or against the invasion? I'm pretty sure Fox news was for the war, what about CNN? Was there 50/50 balanced coverage or was the media more pushing one side or the other? What do you guys remember with regards to the main stream media's take on it? I'm talking between 9/11 and the invasion in 2003.

Everyone wanted blood after 9/11. All news media outlets wanted blood.

 

[MixMartialFarts]

not just Fox news, but CNN, and MSNBC and all other major media outlets

the US media propaganda machine was in full swing...
even supporting Colin Powell's bullshit presentation about how "imminent" of a threat Iraq was.

it wasn't until the war started going south, did CNN and MSNBC jump ship.

to give you an idea of just how "pro war" MSNBC was, they shit canned the only two voices who expressed dissent or questioned the war, Jesse Ventura and Phil Donohue. (they both had shows at one time)

That's interesting. It's crazy how short most of the public's memory is.

I see a lot of parallels between how the media was pumping up the "Iraq has weapons of mass destruction" hysteria in 2003 and the COVID hysteria in 2020. If you were against the war you could be shamed for hating freedom and not supporting the troops. If you think the hysteria over COVID is not warranted and don't want to wear a mask your shamed for "being selfish and not caring about others".

The mainstream media can't seem to make up their minds whether they value human life or not or how important freedom is.
In 2003 it was "We should send thousands of our young people to go fight and die in a pointless war in the name of freedom!"
In 2020 it's "We will crash our economy and take away freedoms with lock downs to stop the spread of the virus and save old people".

The military industrial complex and big oil stood to gain financially from Iraq in 2003. Big pharma vaccine makers stand to gain a lot because of the virus in 2020.
I think the COVID is an overblown hoax but I recognize I'm not the smartest guy around and I could be wrong, but it's still crazy to me that people that just blindly trust the media and government narrative even when they've lied before.

Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice......

 

[MMAisGod]

I was a lot longer back then and didn't watch the news as much. For those of you that remember that time more clearly, was the media mostly for or against the invasion? I'm pretty sure Fox news was for the war, what about CNN? Was there 50/50 balanced coverage or was the media more pushing one side or the other? What do you guys remember with regards to the main stream media's take on it? I'm talking between 9/11 and the invasion in 2003.

Lol it wasn't a "Fox News" thing. There was universal approval of the war at the time. No one cared and wanted blood, from the people on the street to the media to the politicians. Popular opinion of initiating was very high, when the vote came up it was landslide, etc. Years later history has been rewritten, but in the moment, it played out very differently.

 

[Confucamus]

I was 18 at the time and wasn't super into politics, but I recall a pretty unison belief that Iraq was creating WMDs that would fall into the hands of terrorists. I remember being convinced at the time. Thankfully, both then and now, there is a HEAVY level of respect for our men and women of the armed forces and what they do for us. When public opinion on the Iraq War went south, I was worried soldiers would be getting some of the same horrible treatment that returning Vietnam vets got.

 

[second sight]

almost no opposition, look at the list of nations that went along with it, evidently there was little to no opposition anywhere


1 Iraq Aggressor
2 Kuwait Affected Party
3 United States Coalition Leader
4 Afghanistan Coalition Forces
5 Argentina Coalition Forces
6 Australia Coalition Forces
7 Bahrain Coalition Forces
8 Bangladesh Coalition Forces
9 Belgium Coalition Forces
10 Canada Coalition Forces
11 Czechoslovakia Coalition Forces
12 Denmark Coalition Forces
13 Egypt Coalition Forces
14 France Coalition Forces
15 Germany Coalition Forces
16 Greece Coalition Forces
17 Honduras Coalition Forces
18 Hungary Coalition Forces
19 Italy Coalition Forces
20 Morocco Coalition Forces
21 Netherlands Coalition Forces
22 New Zealand Coalition Forces
23 Niger Coalition Forces
24 Norway Coalition Forces
25 Oman Coalition Forces
26 Pakistan Coalition Forces
27 Philippines Coalition Forces
28 Poland Coalition Forces
29 Qatar Coalition Forces
30 Saudi Arabia Coalition Forces
31 Senegal Coalition Forces
32 South Korea Coalition Forces
33 Spain Coalition Forces
34 Sweden Coalition Forces
35 Syria Coalition Forces
36 United Arab Emirates Coalition Forces
37 United Kingdom Coalition Forces
38 Germany Financial Support
39 Japan Financial Support

 

[Gregolian]

All we found was cans of nerve gas that was well past its expiration date.

Was suppose to be disposed of.

Then Assad did his thing and suddenly no one knows where the old cans of nerve as came from.

My friends that deployed all encountered plenty of small hamlets and villages that swore up and down Republican Guard and folks came around digging at night years before burying shit but no evidence was ever found. One of those "this story seems so common because either Saddam has an incredible propoganda machine or it happened twice and the story spread via word of mouth" situations.

 

[Halifax]

I was a lot longer back then and didn't watch the news as much. For those of you that remember that time more clearly, was the media mostly for or against the invasion? I'm pretty sure Fox news was for the war, what about CNN? Was there 50/50 balanced coverage or was the media more pushing one side or the other? What do you guys remember with regards to the main stream media's take on it? I'm talking between 9/11 and the invasion in 2003.

The news outlets all fully supported Afghanistan and going after Bin Laden if I recall correctly. Canada went in to help.

When it came to Iraq? It split fully partisan. Canada basically took a big step back

Cnn was running monologues and snippets of George W Bush saying "either you are with us or you are against us" and comparing him to Emperor Palpatine while simultaneously complaining about him cutting medicaid.

 

[BJ@LW&WW]

https://www.politifact.com/iraq-war-polls/

 

[Ophydian]

Any time the media as a whole is for something then you should know something very shitty is about to happen.

I was confused why we were going to war with Iraq because everything pointed to AQ and Saddam NOT being friends but like @Social Distance Warrior I fell for the Iraq could sell a dirty bomb to AQ etc etc.

 

[MixMartialFarts]

almost no opposition, look at the list of nations that went along with it, evidently there was little to no opposition anywhere


1 Iraq Aggressor
2 Kuwait Affected Party
3 United States Coalition Leader
4 Afghanistan Coalition Forces
5 Argentina Coalition Forces
6 Australia Coalition Forces
7 Bahrain Coalition Forces
8 Bangladesh Coalition Forces
9 Belgium Coalition Forces
10 Canada Coalition Forces
11 Czechoslovakia Coalition Forces
12 Denmark Coalition Forces
13 Egypt Coalition Forces
14 France Coalition Forces
15 Germany Coalition Forces
16 Greece Coalition Forces
17 Honduras Coalition Forces
18 Hungary Coalition Forces
19 Italy Coalition Forces
20 Morocco Coalition Forces
21 Netherlands Coalition Forces
22 New Zealand Coalition Forces
23 Niger Coalition Forces
24 Norway Coalition Forces
25 Oman Coalition Forces
26 Pakistan Coalition Forces
27 Philippines Coalition Forces
28 Poland Coalition Forces
29 Qatar Coalition Forces
30 Saudi Arabia Coalition Forces
31 Senegal Coalition Forces
32 South Korea Coalition Forces
33 Spain Coalition Forces
34 Sweden Coalition Forces
35 Syria Coalition Forces
36 United Arab Emirates Coalition Forces
37 United Kingdom Coalition Forces
38 Germany Financial Support
39 Japan Financial Support

Where is this list from? I thought Canada were not a part of the coalition and did not support the invasion?

 

[Jesus H. Sherdog]

Lol it wasn't a "Fox News" thing. There was universal approval of the war at the time. No one cared and wanted blood, from the people on the street to the media to the politicians. Popular opinion of initiating was very high, when the vote came up it was landslide, etc. Years later history has been rewritten, but in the moment, it played out very differently.

Most democrats voted against it actually (126 against - 81 for, plus independent Bernie voted against it). I was on the impeach Bush wagon before the invasion was even approved.

The thing is at the time Fox News had more viewership than CNN and MSNBC combined. Mainstream media was strongly in favor of invasion but only because mainstream media was far right at the time.

But most independent media and Hollywood and so on were strongly against it. Even country music group The Dixie Chicks were vocally against the war. But Fox News had poisoned so much of the public that a majority of Americans believed Saddam Hussein was directly involved in 9/11! Total madness within the mainstream media.

 

[SmilinDesperado]

You heard W, "Yer either with us, or against us"

 

[second sight]

Where is this list from? I thought Canada were not a part of the coalition and did not support the invasion?

I might have posted a link from the gulf war

 

[PolishHeadlock2]

Most democrats voted against it actually (126 against - 81 for, plus independent Bernie voted against it). I was on the impeach Bush wagon before the invasion was even approved.

The thing is at the time Fox News had more viewership than CNN and MSNBC combined. Mainstream media was strongly in favor of invasion but only because mainstream media was far right at the time.

But most independent media and Hollywood and so on were strongly against it. Even country music group The Dixie Chicks were vocally against the war. But Fox News had poisoned so much of the public that a majority of Maericanx believed Saddam Hussein was directly involved in 9/11! Total madness within the mainstream media.

Never forget Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast

 

[MixMartialFarts]

Any time the media as a whole is for something then you should know something very shitty is about to happen.

I was confused why we were going to war with Iraq because everything pointed to AQ and Saddam NOT being friends but like @Social Distance Warrior I fell for the Iraq could sell a dirty bomb to AQ etc etc.

Thats right I remember that now. The whole "he could sell a dirty bomb to Osama and they could sneak it into the superbowl in a suitcase" thing. Seems kind of ridiculous now thinking back on it. It's crazy how the media uses fear to get people to believe ridiculous things.