2. TIMELINE OF IRAQ WAR.
1. SEPTEMBER 11, 2003: TERRORIST HIJACKED TWO PLANES AND ATTACKED THE TWIN
TOWERS.
2. MARCH 20, 2003: PRESIDENT BUSH DECLARED WAR ON IRAQ, ATTACKS BEGIN.
3. APRIL 2003: THE HUSSAIN RÉGIME FALLS, SADDAM ESCAPES.
4. DECEMBER 2003: SADDAM HUSSEIN IS CAPTURED ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF TIKRIT.
5. MARCH 2004: A TEMPORARY CONSTITUTION IS MADE FOR THE NEW IRAQI GOVERNMENT.
6. JUNE 2004: CONTROL OF IRAQ IS GIVEN TO IRAQI LEADERS, BEGINNINGS OF THE ELECTION
ARE PLANNED.
7. APRIL 2005: JALAL TALIBANI ELECTED AS PRESIDENT.
8. OCTOBER 2005: THE NEW CONSTITUTION OF IRAQ IS APPROVED, SADDAM’S TRIAL BEGINS
IN BAGHDAD.
9. DECEMBER 2006: SADDAM HUSSEIN IS EXECUTED (HUNG).
3. WHAT CAUSED THE WAR IN IRAQ?
• MANY EVENTS LED UP TO THE START OF THE WAR IN IRAQ, BUT THE ONE EVENT
THAT INITIALLY IGNITED THE WAR WAS THE TRAGEDY OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2001.
ON THIS DAY, TERRORIST HIJACKED TWO BOEING 747 PASSENGER JETS AND
PILOTED THEM INTO THE SIDES OF THE TWIN TOWERS OF THE WORLD TRADE
CENTER.
• PRESIDENT BUSH BEGAN OFFICIALLY MAKING HIS CASE TO THE INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNITY FOR AN INVASION OF IRAQ IN HIS 12 SEPTEMBER 2002 ADDRESS TO
THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL. U.S. ALLIES IN NATO, SUCH AS THE UNITED
KINGDOM, AGREED WITH THE US ACTIONS, WHILE FRANCE AND GERMANY WERE
CRITICAL OF PLANS TO INVADE IRAQ.
• IN OCTOBER 2002, THE US CONGRESS PASSED THE "IRAQ RESOLUTION". THE
RESOLUTION AUTHORIZED THE PRESIDENT TO "USE ANY MEANS NECESSARY"
AGAINST IRAQ.
• AMERICANS POLLED IN JANUARY 2003 WIDELY FAVORED FURTHER DIPLOMACY
4. WHAT IS THE WAR IN IRAQ?
• THE WAR IN IRAQ IS AN ONGOING CONFLICT WHICH BEGAN ON MARCH 20,
2003 WITH THE INVASION OF IRAQ, LED BY THE UNITED STATES.
• IS WAS MORE THAN A REVENGE CAMPAIGN, IT WAS A PLANNED INVASION TO A
COUNTRY HOLDING THE WORLD’S SECOND LARGEST CRUDE OIL RESERVES.
• THE PLANNED PROPAGANDA WAS TO EXTRACT THE OIL FROM IRAQ FOR THE
UNITED STATES.
• US SPEND PAID MORE THAN HALF A BILLION DOLLARS FOR THE PRODUCTION
AND PROPAGATION OF FAKE AL-QAEDA VIDEOS THAT DEPICTED THE
REBELLIOUS GROUP IN A NEGATIVE LIGHT.
5. MEDIA COVERAGE OF THE IRAQ WAR
• THE MOST POPULAR CABLE NETWORK IN THE UNITED STATES FOR NEWS ON THE
WAR WAS FOX NEWS, AND HAD BEGUN INFLUENCING OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS'
COVERAGE. FOX NEWS IS OWNED BY RUPERT MURDOCH, A STRONG SUPPORTER OF
THE WAR.
• ON-SCREEN DURING ALL LIVE WAR COVERAGE BY FOX NEWS WAS A WAVING FLAG
ANIMATION IN THE UPPER LEFT CORNER AND THE HEADLINE "OPERATION IRAQI
FREEDOM" ALONG THE BOTTOM.
• A STUDY CONDUCTED IN 2003 BY FAIRNESS & ACCURACY IN REPORTING (FAIR)
TRACKING THE FREQUENCIES OF PRO-WAR AND ANTIWAR COMMENTATORS ON THE
MAJOR NETWORKS FOUND THAT IN OVERALL NUMBERS, FOX NEWS WAS NUMBER
ONE, FOLLOWED BY CABLE NEWS NETWORK, AND THEN MSNBC (MICROSOFT NEWS
BROADCASTING COMPANY).
6. FOX NEWS COVERAGE.
BILL O'REILLY’S SHOW AVERAGED 2 MILLION ON FOX NEWS, IN THE COMPOSITE
ANALYSIS STUDY, 80% OF FOX NEWS WATCHERS HAD FOLLOWING THESE
PERCEPTIONS:
1) 57% OF MEDIA VIEWERS BELIEVED THAT IRAQ GAVE LARGE SUPPORT TO AL-
QAEDA, OR WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS (48%
AFTER INVASION).
2) 69% BELIEVED THAT SADDAM HUSSEIN WAS PERSONALLY INVOLVED IN THE
SEPTEMBER 11 ATTACKS.
3) 22% BELIEVED THAT WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION HAD BEEN FOUND IN
IRAQ. (TWENTY-ONE PERCENT BELIEVED THAT BIO WEAPONS HAD ACTUALLY
BEEN USED AGAINST U.S. SOLDIERS IN IRAQ DURING 2003)
7. AMOUNT OF COVERAGE.
• FOX FEATURED THE MOST CONCENTRATED AGENDA OF WAR NEWS. THE WAR
ACCOUNTED FOR 95 PERCENT OF ALL STORIES ON THE FOX NEWSCAST.
• FOX CARRIED MORE EVALUATIONS OF THE MILITARY'S PERFORMANCE THAN THE
OTHER THREE NETWORKS COMBINED.
• FOX ADVERTISES ITS COVERAGE AS "FAIR AND BALANCED," CRITICS HAVE
CHARGED THAT ITS NEWS AGENDA IS OPENLY CONSERVATIVE. SO IT WAS NOT
SURPRISING THAT FOX PRESENTED ITSELF AS PROUDLY PATRIOTIC WHEN WAR
BROKE OUT.
• FOX'S EVENING NEWS SHOW DEVOTED 328 STORIES AND MUCH MORE TIME (14
HOURS AND 19 MINUTES) TO THE CONFLICT. THIS DIFFERENCE REFLECTS THE
HOUR-LONG RUNNING TIME FOR "SPECIAL REPORT,".