Over the last two months, the US government has dramatically increased drone missile strikes in Pakistan. Unfortunately, mainstream US newspapers have not shown the inclination to ask tough questions regarding the change in policy.

In a replay of the softball coverage that preceded the second US invasion of Iraq, some of the biggest US newspapers are once again showing how easy it is to embed a pro-government bias in their reporting. The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and New York Times have all covered the news by mostly quoting US officials while ignoring critics.

Take the Wall Street Journal’s top headline for October 3rd — “CIA Escalates in Pakistan.” The article quotes only three people — US Senator John Kerry (D-MA), an unnamed “US official,” and an unnamed “former senior intelligence official.” All three sources support official US arguments for expanding the drone missile war.

Over the course of 1,100 words, Wall Street Journal reporters Adam Entous, Julian E. Barnes, and Siobhan Gorman failed to include a single quote from a critic of drone missile attacks. The Washington Post wasn’t much different. Read the rest of this entry »