Dilbert Says

If the media had ignored the calls for war with Iraq, or treated the WMD situation as crazy alarmist talk, the war in Iraq wouldn't have happened. But war is big money for the media, especially with a celebrity dictator in the mix, so there was a tremendous incentive to help it along.

--Scott Adams

What I like about this thought is that it points away from the "conspiracy theory" of the war in Iraq, and suggests that the media's assistance to the war was a product of its sensational nature.

All systems have their flaws, their tendencies.  There is no escaping it.  The best we can do is be aware of these.  Unfortunately, I believe there is a natural tendency to avoid questioning these kinds of things.