WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception not another Bush bash

Who would believe that American media networks would lie to their viewers? Although many liberals and conservatives alike would scoff at the presumption that the media is unbiased, director and narrator Danny Schechter explains why the most powerful networks in America manipulated the truth and the footage Americans saw before, during and after the war in Iraq in his ground-breaking documentary WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception.

Despite the movie's seemingly slanted title, Schechter creates one of the more level documentaries this year. Starting with a short narrative wherein Schechter questions the honesty of the large TV networks and newspapers such as NBC, Fox, ABC, CBS, The Washington Post and The New York Times, the movie has a Michael Moore feel.

Schechter has reputable credentials pertinent to his argument. He was a news analyst for ABC News for eight years, held several production jobs at CNN and won eight Emmy Awards. Additionally, Schechter maintains a professional appearance throughout the documentary.

During the film's introductory montage of combat in Iraq, Schechter claims that there were two wars taking place: the one fought by soldiers and the one fought with armies of cameras, satellites and journalists. As he makes his argument, Schechter organizes the evidence like a research paper, dividing the film into segments with distinct subjects.

Throughout the first half of the documentary, Schechter reveals that the war Americans saw in their living rooms was different from what was actually happening in Iraq. He explains how reporters were embedded into Army divisions, which created bias since the reporters would become emotionally attached to the unit.

The film also provides some interesting analogies, comparing the 48-hour pre-war countdown and news coverage of the war to a football game. Schechter comments that before the war, there were over 4,000 journalists waiting in Iraq with cameras and satellite feeds and that the 48-hour warning issued to Saddam was like counting down to a kickoff. When discussing combat, he humorously notes how the media knew everything about the weapons, showing a clip of an NBC anchor man suggesting that the army use a different type of missile in special operations. Schechter also nonchalantly points out that the Pentagon's news room was designed by a Hollywood set designer.

The second part of the film does not share the same humorous tone as the first part. The shots change to those of bleeding infants, while another scene illustrates a hotel with hundreds of journalists being fired on by an unprovoked U.S. tank. Schechter then argues that there was pressure on news coverage to be pro-war to prevent the network being labeled as "unpatriotic."

Throughout the film, Schechter never fails to reinforce his argument with statistics, footage and photographs. Unfortunately, all this evidence amounts to a film about 20 minutes longer than necessary. Most of the information seems reputable. The film was also conveniently released shortly after the presidents of NBC, ABC and CBS announced that their coverage running up to the war was flawed.

Contrary to most of the anti-war, biased documentaries bombarding the silver screen, WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception actually does what a documentary is meant to do: present information and allow the viewer to form his or her own opinion. Schechter even forewarns the audience during the first sequence in the film that, after looking at the evidence, this is "his say," encouraging the viewer to go out and develop his or her own conclusions. Despite the lengthy run time, WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception is sheer brilliance.

WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception (98 minutes) is not rated and is playing at the E Street Landmark Cinema.