[vaidhy]

Is it surprising that the places with more conflicts has poor reporting ranking (according to this model)?

A media control does not need government to act openly. A mind-numbing patriotism can be as effective. Look at US reporting on the aftermath of 9/11. How many papers argued against Iraq or Afghanistan war? How many papers are talking about Gaza now? or even covering hands-off rallies?

[spauldo]

Afghanistan is more complicated than that, due to the collective shock of a successful attack on US soil. Bush had to do something or the American people would have lynched him.

Iraq, though? There was tons of opposition to the Iraq War. It was only approved because people were lied to about the "weapons of mass destruction." Once the truth was out, a lot of us felt betrayed.

Iraq is a large part of why that particular segment of the Republican party (the neocons) lost its power. Which is a shame, really, given who replaced them...