A couple days ago I heard an interview on NPR with an author of a book about news coverage leading up to the invasion of Iraq. He said that the only main stream media reporters who had the story correct about WMDs, etc. were at the Washington Bureau of the Knight-Ridder chain. He said they provided accurate stories because they did NOT have access to the top Bush Administration officials. Instead, their reporters talked to the mid-level career government and military officials who knew the truth. Because Knight-Ridder officials did not have regular access to the top guys, they also were not fearful that they would lose that access.
I remember reading each of their stories in 2002 and 2003 in Knight-Ridder's Philadelphia Inquirer, and being amazed that I did not read the same information in other sources. They reported on how the State Department experts were being completely shut out of the reconstruction planning. They reported on the questionable WMD evidence, the questionable Iraqi "defectors", the questionable character of some of the Iraqis that the U.S. wanted to put into power, and the attempts to twist U.S. intelligence to meet political goals.
Here are some links to some of their stories. These stories have now been proven to be correct. They deserve a belated Pulitzer.
February 2002: Bush Has Decided to Overthrow Hussein
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/special... February 2002: Chalabi Suspected of Misusing U.S. Funds
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/special... March 2002: Iran, Not Iraq, is Top Terrorism Sponsor
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/special... Sept. 2002: Lack of Evidence of Iraqi Weapons Worries Officials
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/special... Oct. 2002: Some in Administration Have Misgivings About Iraqi Policy
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/special... Oct. 2002: Analysts Split About Iraqi Nuclear Threat
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/special... Oct. 2002: Infighting Between Intelligence Agencies Fuels Iraq Disputes
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/special... Sept. 2003: No Real Planning for Post-War Iraq.
http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/special... 
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