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Iraq invasion, 2003



Journalism without the nuance of words



"...16 words in President Bush's State of the Union speech that said, accurately, that British intelligence believed Iraq had been seeking to obtain uranium in Africa...."

— Washington Post, 15 July, 2003



What is the state of journalism without the nuance of words?

George W. Bush, in his 2003 State of the Union address, said that the British government "has learned that" Iraq had sought uranium from Africa. He did not say that British intelligence "believed."

The difference between "believed" and "has learned" is important. The differentiation ought to be within the remit of professional journalism.


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