Fact Checking the Media "Are they trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No." -Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta on Iran January 8, 2012, CBS’ Face the Nation WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 3, 2012) -- Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today sent the following message to his colleagues in Congress. See video here. Dear Colleague: During an interview last month on CBS’ Face the Nation, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta set the record straight on Iran: “Are they trying to develop a nuclear weapon? No.” But if you read recent news reports lately, you’d think otherwise. The media coverage on Iran is mirroring the coverage in the lead-up to the Iraq war: grand claims about a smoking gun that doesn’t exist. For example, The New York Times incorrectly reported last month that the latest International Atomic Emergency Agency (IAEA) report on Iran concluded that their nuclear program had a military objective. The paper’s public editor, Arthur Brisbane, was forced to acknowledge their mistake and...