AP, LA Times ignored increase in N. Korean nukes since Bush

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http://mediamatters.org/items/200610050016

AP, LA Times reports on N. Korea nuke test ignored increase in country's nuclear arsenal during Bush presidency

Summary: In reporting that North Korea has recently declared that it intends to conduct its first nuclear weapons test, the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times failed to note that North Korea's nuclear arsenal has grown significantly during the Bush administration.

In reporting that North Korea has recently declared that it intends to conduct its first nuclear weapons test, the Associated Press, in three articles on October 4 and 5 (here, here, and here), and the Los Angeles Times, in an October 4 article, failed to note that North Korea's nuclear arsenal has grown significantly during President Bush's administration. By contrast, The Washington Post, on October 4 and 5, noted that, according to intelligence estimates, North Korea's nuclear arsenal has grown from one or two weapons when Bush first took office to as many as 11, currently. Similarly, an October 4 New York Times article reported that North Korea has "expanded its fuel stockpile in recent years," and that North Korean officials claim that their "{nuclear} inventory ... increased" when the Bush administration "focused on the invasion of Iraq."

In its first report on North Korea's declaration that it intends to conduct a nuclear test, the Post noted on October 4 that North Korea's nuclear arsenal may have increased by as many as nine weapons from January 2001:

North Korea's nuclear capabilities have grown significantly during Bush's tenure. When Bush came into office six years ago, intelligence agencies estimated that North Korea had the capability to make one or two nuclear weapons. Those sources now put the number as high as 11.