Shock and Awe

The film Shock and Awe was a shocking film as the name ensues. The film portrays the real life events experienced by news reporters who covered the invasion in Iraq and war veterans who went to Iraq after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 on US domestic soil looking for weapons of mass destruction. The Shock and Awe film tells the story of how the people of the US were lied to by major news outlets and subjected to false information surrounding the invasion in Iraq. The major focus of the film is the lack of transparency and lies that were told to the American people. 

Shock and Awe was a storytelling film that showed the importance of journalists telling the truth. The Knight Ridder's were the only news outlet that told the truth and gave the American people real information about the current events. The Knight Ridder's were experiencing pushback from their main news company, because they wanted to tell the truth. The film Shock and Awe highlights the importance of real life journalism, below I have attached snippets from the real life Knight Ridder journalists stating "I don't want to say [our reporting] brought me satisfaction. It didn't. Because we still invaded. The cost, in lives and money, is just astronomical and we're still paying for it. We're still paying for the consequences of this invasion," said Jonathan Landay, one of the reporters who led Knight Ridder's coverage on Iraq.

The important work that the Knight Ridder's did brought attention to the massive lying campaign that was being constructed by major news outlets all the while, small journalism corporations were telling the American people the truth and receiving backlash for it. As noted by one of the real-life Knight Ridder's by stating "That story got a lot of attention. We got angry emails from people saying we've given away the president's plans and put American lives at risk, which of course is ridiculous. I'm proud of that story," In short,the Knight Ridder's were a catalyst during the US’s decision to invade Iraq, because it kept the American people informed, and aware of what was going on during a very tumultuous time.