Can I take the dozens of news outlets in the Western world to court for lying about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction? It was their coverage which arguably resulted in public support with billions of tax dollars spent on a lie

Or were they simply reporting what they were told without proof?

It's a very slippery slope.

> Can I take the dozens of news outlets in the Western world to court for lying about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction? It was their coverage which arguably resulted in public support with billions of tax dollars spent on a lie

The "dozens of news outlets" were not, as far as they knew, lying. They were reporting what their sources, many/most of them public, told them. If you want to punish someone for this lie, it should be the Bush administration.

> Can I take the dozens of news outlets in the Western world to court for lying about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction?

Which specific ones?

I think any effective, honest campaign against lying in public life has to take both newspapers and politicians into account somehow. UK press regulation is absent but at the same time we have onerous libel law.

Having "accurately reporting what the government minister said" still open press to liability is .. interesting, especially when considering how to report Trump.

Cases like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scopes_Trial show that indeed, court may fail to establish the truth, especially in politically motivated cases.