"The entire American media apparatus bought into the drug war - which is an enormously damaging and costly undertaking for this country - and there wasn't enough critical reporting about it and that's why it's gotten out of hand"

David Talbot's quote highlights and critiques the American media's function in perpetuating the drug war, a considerable and ongoing policy issue in the United States. According to Talbot, the media collectively accepted and promoted the narrative underpinning the country's war on drugs without enough scrutiny or analysis of its long-lasting effects and efficiency. This lack of crucial reporting, as he recommends, is a key reason the drug war has actually intensified and end up being an entrenched and bothersome element of American policy, both socially and financially.

The "drug war" refers to the government-led effort to minimize controlled substance trade and address drug-related criminal offenses. Coming from the 1970s throughout Nixon's presidency, it has led to a series of stringent policies aimed at removing drug use. Nevertheless, critics like Talbot argue that it has typically led to unfavorable adverse effects, including mass incarceration, racial variations in the justice system, and significant monetary costs without significantly minimizing drug accessibility or addiction rates.

Talbot's review is directed at the media's compliance ahead of time this story uncritically. In his view, the media stopped working to rigorously question the reasoning behind the drug war, ignored the exploration of alternative approaches, and did not effectively examine the underlying socio-political forces that keep this policy in place. By not challenging the status quo, the media added to a one-sided story, supporting policies that have arguably intensified the very problems they planned to resolve.

The phrase "bought into" suggests a willful or perhaps unthinking acceptance of official rhetoric, instead of an independent evaluation of realities or consequences. Talbot recommends that had the media acted more as a vital watchdog, it might have helped with a more informed public dialogue and caused policies that might resolve the source of substance abuse better. In essence, he highlights the crucial responsibility of the media in forming public law and discourse and requires a more investigative and questioning technique to major national problems.