Iraq 5 years on: media myths and mundanity

There has been a surge of media coverage (to coin a phrase) about the Iraq War on its anniversary and it has been generally a bit dull and uninsightful. The media has pulled out the stops, partly I suspect because many journalists feel guilty about their role in the lead-up to the invasion. But little of the coverage has been surprising. The ten minute drama-doc films on the BBC every night have been very well-done, I particularly enjoyed Kenneth ‘Henry V’ Branagh as Colonel Tim Collins. The best bit of reporting I have seen was by The Guardian’s Ghaith Abdul-Ahad whose very personal five minute films for ITV News at Ten combined poignant interviews, insightful observation, stunning still photography and great filming. You can see them online here. But, in general, what can the news programmes say apart from ‘this is what we did then’ and ‘this is how it is now’?