If you are truly curious, I suppose you could travel to Iraq and see for yourself. A group called "Voices in the Wilderness," for instance, have organized delegations to break the economic sanctions & bring medical supplies to Iraqi children and families. The USA & the UK bomb Iraq regularly (nearly daily, in fact), so if you stay for a couple of weeks, you'll have more than enough time to see the effects of bombings yourself, ask ordinary Iraqi citizens, etc. Be aware, though, that "The US Treasury Department warns that we [Voices in the Wilderness] risk penalties of twelve years in prison and $1 million in fines." Here's the URL for the "Voices in the Wilderness": <http://www.nonviolence.org/vitw/>.
I think independent investigative journalism is ideal, but AP & other corporate media tend to rely upon the U.S. government publicity statements, etc. & portray what the government says _as reality_, seldom questioning their content; on the other hand, the AP piece you've questioned here clearly states that it is relaying what _Iraqi television_ showed, no more, no less. Intelligent, politically informed people can draw their own conclusions from the piece. You shouldn't underestimate the political education of SERJ posters & lurkers.
If you are interested in finding out a useful media watchdog group, visit the website of Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) at <http://www.fair.org/>. The bi-monthly magazine that FAIR publishes -- _Extra!_ -- is quite good; click this link <http://www.fair.org/extra/index.html> for more info on _Extra!_.
Also, check out Noam Chomsky & Edward S. Herman's _Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media_ as to the politics of corporate media & U.S. government propaganda. Very informative!
Yoshie