Unreliable Watchdog

Freedom of press is a cornerstone of our democratic political system. But reporters, pundits, and editors face intense pressure to serve as propagandists rather than journalists in their coverage of U.S. foreign policy. Too many members of the news media seem unable to make that distinction and play their proper role as watchdogs for the American people regarding possible government incompetence or misconduct. Since World War II, America has become a garrison state―always prepared for armed conflict—and the conflating of journalism and propaganda has grown worse, even in situations that do not involve actual combat for the United States. That behavior increasingly constrains and distorts the public’s consideration of Washington’s role in the world.

In Unreliable Watchdog, Ted Galen Carpenter focuses on the nature and extent of the American news media’s willingness to accept official accounts and policy justifications, too often throwing skepticism aside. He takes readers through an examination of the media’s performance with respect to the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, the conflicts in the Balkans, the prelude to the Iraq War, the civil wars in Libya and Syria, and Washington’s post–Cold War relations with both Russia and China. The analysis explores why most journalists―as well as social media platforms―seem willing to collaborate with government officials in pushing an activist foreign policy, even when tactics or results have been questionable, disappointing, or even disastrous.

Unreliable Watchdog jump-starts a badly needed conversation about how the press must improve its coverage of foreign policy and national security issues if it is to serve its proper role for the American people.

“Unreliable Watchdog is an important warning about the dangers of what happens when the press ceases to act as a check on the government and instead becomes a willing cheerleader for interventionist policies. Carpenter traces the history of how the press has often failed to give the public the full story about the nation’s foreign wars for more than a century, and he calls out the persistent activist bias in the coverage of U.S. foreign policy.”
—DANIEL LARISON, contributing editor, Anti​war​.com

“There is a broad assumption about ‘media bias,’ particularly in war and national security reporting, but how many of us are aware of the rich history of the fourth estate’s complicity in major modern American interventions? Carpenter weaves an important indictment here, beginning with the Spanish-American War, when the press could have established itself as a formidable check on Washington’s power but instead chose to be cheerleaders. I thought after 20 years in this business that I knew the worst of it, but Carpenter shows that it is much more systematic than even I had anticipated. From direct influence of the CIA in newsrooms to today’s social media control over the flow of information, if there was ever a need for independent watchdogging it is now, and Carpenter makes a striking case for it.”
—KELLEY VLAHOS, senior advisor, Quincy Institute

If you’re concerned about the state of the news media, Unreliable Watchdog is a must-read. Ted Galen Carpenter dissects the disturbing new journalism where media outlets too often serve not as reporters of factual information, or as watchdogs, but as propaganda tools of powerful interests—and also as attack dogs sicced on journalists who don’t fall in line.”
—SHARYL ATTKISSON, Emmy award-winning investigative journalist and New York Times bestselling author

“When U.S. politicians go to war, the American press often chooses to trumpet official lies rather than fighting them. Ted Galen Carpenter has been on the frontlines battling foreign policy outrages for decades. His new book, Unreliable Watchdog, is a comprehensive litany of the news media’s repeated failure to expose war crimes and war frauds since the Vietnam era.”
—JAMES BOVARD, bestselling author of Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty and member, USA Today Board of Contributors