Broadcast and cable news networks have largely ignored a new report which concluded that the United States' rebuilding efforts in Iraq squandered billions of dollars due to widespread fraud, abuse, and waste.
Last week, Stuart Bowen, the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, released a report concluding that of the $60 billion the U.S. has spent on reconstruction projects in Iraq following the 2003 invasion, at least $8 billion of it was "wasted."
In the five days since its release, only PBS and MSNBC have offered substantial coverage of the report.
NBC, ABC, and CBS have all ignored it during their evening newscasts (though it warranted passing mention on NBC's Today, the other networks' morning news programs also ignored the findings). Fox News' Bret Baier gave the story less than twenty seconds of coverage during Special Report.
CNN has completely ignored the report.
Though NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox News, and CNN have devoted a combined thirty five seconds to the story, PBS and MSNBC have each spent more than ten minutes discussing the report and its conclusions.
During an interview with Judy Woodruff on PBS' Newshour, Bowen, who was appointed to his position by President Bush nine years ago, highlighted several of the takeaways from the report. According to Bowen, while "a lot of our money paid off in the capacity-building side of the security sector," a significant amount of money devoted to major construction projects was wasted.
Bowen points to a widespread failure of the United States to consult with Iraqi leadership about reconstruction efforts as a source of much of the waste.
rest at http://mediamatters.org/blog/2013/03/11/blackout-networks-ignore-report-finding-massive/193000
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