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Report: Pundits Who Urged Strikes on Syria Failed to Disclose Ties to Military Industry

HeadlineOct 16, 2013

The Public Accountability Initiative has revealed many purported experts who made the case for military strikes on Syria in the mainstream media had undisclosed ties to military contractors. The report identifies 22 commentators with industry ties that suggest a financial interest in war. While they appeared on television or were quoted as experts 111 times, their links to military firms were disclosed only 13 of those times. The study highlights the case of Stephen Hadley, a former national security adviser to President George W. Bush, who spoke on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News and Bloomberg TV, and wrote a Washington Post op-ed urging U.S. strikes on Syria. In none of those appearances was it disclosed that Hadley serves as a director of Raytheon, the company that makes the Tomahawk cruise missiles widely touted as the weapon of choice for bombing Syria. Hadley earns more than $128,000 a year in compensation from Raytheon and holds more than 11,000 shares of Raytheon stock, which rocketed to an all-time high during the Syria debate.

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