After stumbling around for a while, the mainstream press has finally found an organizing principle: if an event/person advances antiwar coverage, let’s push it hard. Almost everything in the media is now judged according to its relationship to the war, including the merits of journalists. Had Judith Miller provided some fine antiwar articles before her imbroglio, she would still be at the New York Times. Had Bob Woodward smoked out some war-related scandal before this week’s controversy, his colleagues would be celebrating not condemning his cavalier and sloppy habits. Who was and who was not on the right side of the antiwar line? That’s what determines coverage. Â
