As part of an offensive against media coverage in Iraq, several conservative commentators are claiming that the media is trying to undermine the US war effort, as Media Matters documents:

O’Reilly, in turn, expressed his belief that “there is a segment of the media trying to undermine the policy in Iraq for their own ideological purposes,” as Media Matters for America noted.

Beyond O’Reilly, many other Fox News hosts, analysts, and guests similarly attacked the media’s coverage of the war:

• Radio host G. Gordon Liddy said that “those in the news media … would rather the United States lose a war than have history write that George W. Bush was a successful president.” [Hannity & Colmes, 3/20/06]

…

• Host Sean Hannity said on his syndicated radio show that “the media is intent on undermining the president in this battle” and claimed there “has been a total and almost complete focus on all the negative aspects of the war”… [ABC Radio Networks’ The Sean Hannity Show, 3/22/06]

This rhetoric goes beyond merely claiming that the media is too negative or liberal, but actively accuses the press of trying to make the US lose the war — virtually an accusation of treason. It’s just not acceptable.