So if info isn't correct - you blame those sources.
In the case of iraq :
Read : http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-schwarz/colin-powell-wmd-iraq-war_b_2624620.html
Basically, both the government and media were complicit and working hand in hand to falsify the situation. Anyone that was openly criticizing the thing was sidelined as a "non patriot" at best; or "traitor defending the terrorists" or even "al quaeda terrorist yourself !" at worst. So ,ot a situation where you'd want to talk against the hivemind lightly.
The whole media maybe 3y long media shitstorm was entirely made up exactly like russia does in Ukraine because they needed an excuse to go at war there. And, basically :
The bush family had an axe to grind against Iraq for 2 aborted gulf war
And apparently the CIA (yes, for once) and Dick Cheney wanted to go there too for some reason.
And the population stood aside because for the biggest part they were still reeling from 09/11 and the anthrax and various shady terrorist attacks and medias where repeating that Saddam = Al Quaeda Atomic bin hitler ladden (and nobody dared speak out that it was absurd)
And anyone that had any power and knew this was a lie still failed to act and push the point because Saddam was quite the piece of shit so nobody wanted to defend him (because who want to defend the latest Mao with X millions on his hands ?).
I guess nobody realized just how bad and how this would go out of proportion. The famous "easy in, easy out". Yeah, no.
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I'm talking about this because it's an historic case of how you manipulate an entire country to war. Russia's doing the same in Ukraine. They manipulate the medias, ruthlessly suppress opposition, and thought it'd be over and they'd be rolling in Kiev in 72h.
but I find it hard to believe any normal mainstream news channel can air story like that
There's 5 guys that enter your journo reporter in chief office, wave their FSB / cheney's homeland security creds and tell you you are going to write that down in your newspaper's cover by tomorrow or you end up in siberia/guantanamo and your kids will have an accident. What's your reaction.