(Wednesday, May 18) Note to new visitors from Andrew Sullivan’s blog, various leftist blogs, and a few others:
Welcome to LBC! It seems that my “Update (11:06 a.m.)” below is causing a blogospheric ruckus. Regarding my “should not have reported it” statement, I stand firmly behind it. I have never advocated government censorship of the media; no government agency or source asked Newsweek not to run the story, so that point is moot. I was referring to the use of good judgment and discernment by reporters themselves.
They make judgments all the time, for various reasons, about what is and isn’t newsworthy. In a 700-word story, for example, they can’t include every single fact associated with every single event. They decide what’s important and true, what’s unduly inflammatory, etc., with every story they write.
I may respond to detractors in a separate post if I’m ever in the mood, but for now I’ll borrow something from another blogger. I agree wholeheartedly with his assessment not because I’m a shill for the “Religious Right,” “right-wing,” or whichever slur you prefer. I agree because I see the nonsense every day, and it’s disgusting. An example of what journalists choose not to report:
It’s not as if journalists don’t know how to be exquisitely sensitive about their reporting when they care to be: Media organs, for example, don’t normally report the race of those who perpetrate crimes, for fear that such reports might reinforce stereotypes or lead to lynching. But passing along unfounded rumors that reinforce enemy propaganda in wartime, and lead to significant diplomatic and military problems in a friendly country doesn’t, apparently, rise to the level of importance required to trigger such sensitivities. (Source)
I know how biased journalists are by the kind of information they choose to include and exclude in stories. Why don’t they include the race of criminals if they’re black? Because they believe doing so would reinforce negative stereotypes about blacks-as-criminals. If the crook is behind bars, that’s one thing. But it’s quite another if the perpetrator is still at large. The race of an armed criminal on the loose is an important detail, don’t you think?
Before you people get any more ridiculous with this “free press vs. government censorship” meme, try using something God gave us all: common sense. Some of us have more of it than others, but you get the point.
Another update: I find it perversely gratifying that so many liberals are reading and responding to this post. The tone of your e-mails isn’t the point (it’s not wise to send nasty e-mails from your work e-mail address, by the way); you’re spending precious time reading my blog and telling all your friends. In spite of yourselves, you’re doing exactly what I’d hoped. The more exposed you are to different ideas, the better. Thanks. 
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Update (11:06 a.m.): Let me clear up one thing. Whether Americans flushed the Koran down the toilet is irrelevant. Newsweek should not have reported it, even if true. It’s common sense, people. Those journalists knew how Muslims would react! Why would you hurt your own country and risk more deaths just to report this “fact?” To what end???
America-hating morons media!
Be sure to scroll way down for updates. The fallout begins!
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7:30 p.m. — Newsweek retracts. The AP is also reporting. Now let’s see heads roll.
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This is what happens when I go to bed early. I miss the beginning of a swarm.
Liberal Newsweek’s anti-American bias manifested itself in an ugly way. In their zeal to report anything sinister about Americans (especially those serving/working overseas) and anything good about Arabs (the terrorist kind), they erroneously reported that American interrogators at Guantanamo Bay “desecrated” the Koran.
When was the last time you heard the words “Bible” and “desecrated” in the same sentence? I digress.
Read about it on My Way News. Because of the report, Muslims started rioting, as if they needed an excuse. But our own Newsweek sure gave them one. Knowing we’re in the middle of a war with people who’ve hated us for centuries and intent on destroying us and Western culture itself, you’d think Newsweek would’ve used common sense in reporting the story in the first place. Why write and publish a story that you know will only encourage more violence? Answer: It made America look bad, and that was good enough for “objective” liberal journalists.
They’ll get what’s coming to them. The blogosphere has erupted in a righteously indigant swarm (The conservative side, of course. Liberal bloggers are busy defending the rag.), forcing mainstream media to pick up the story. I hope they lose advertisers, readers, and heads over this.
Blogger Roger Simon wrote about the story today (Why is he blogging at the Huffington Post?), and Huffington Post “blogger” and liberal apologist James Lampley responds:
That the magazine is responsible enough to voluntarily admit an error amid the ensuing firestorm is something to be respected, not to be used as Mr. Simon did, as a jumping-off point for suggesting that general media and their reporters have a get-Bush mentality.
You can tell Lampley is not a real blogger as he waxes ridiculously about Newsweek’s nobility “responsibility” in owning up. If he were, he’d know that in the age of the blog, the magazine had no choice but to confess. Newsweek’s catching it right now, but maybe they’ve saved what little face they have left by coming clean early. It’s a lesson Dan Rather had to learn the hard way.
Others blogging about Newsweek’s screw-up: Austin Bay, Power Line (Update), Michelle Malkin (with lots of links), The Anchoress (more links), Political Teen (video)…
Perversely funny, as is this from Scrappleface:
While the magazine has apologized publicly to the riot victims and their families, Mr. Whitaker told the New York Times, “We’re not retracting anything. We don’t know what the ultimate facts are.”For those unschooled in professional journalistic ethics, Mr. Whitaker explained that a retraction demands a higher standard of evidence than an ordinary news item.
“You don’t just rush to press with a retraction until you nail down the facts,” he added.
More bloggers: Dean’s World, Blogs for Bush, Jim Geraghty (Update), Jeff Jarvis (Update), Polipundit (”The Consequences Of Trying Too Hard To Make Bush [And America] Look Bad”), Updates galore, Wizbang, Michael Silence, Scott Wickham…
Here’s another liberal apologist.
A libertarian weighs in. And Samantha says:
I would not be out in the street protesting about what someone was rumored to have done with a copy of the Bible. I wouldn’t be protesting over what someone had been proven to have done with a copy of the Bible. Neither would any other Christian with a lick of sense. The power of the Bible is not contained in any one physical copy. Its power and influence rests in the words within that can be written in the hearts and minds of men.
LHM offers a different perspective:
Regardless of whether the reports were true or false, to accuse Newsweek for the deaths of people would be synonymous with blaming J. D. Salinger for the death of John Lennon….The blogosphere has been even more unforgiving with Michelle Malkin now leading the charge and having the audacity to accuse Newsweek and their editors of having blood on their hands.
Right Wing Nut House has a nice-looking blog. And great commentary.
It’s the Pentagon’s fault! More here.
From Reuters: “The White House said on Monday that a Newsweek report based on an anonymous source had damaged the U.S. image overseas by alleging that U.S. interrogators desecrated the Koran at Guantanamo Bay.”
Dirty Harry says Muslims are skeptical about Newsweek’s retraction and has a few suggestions for the magazine on setting the record straight.
Insightful post from Unconventional Wisdom.
Oh, no. Not another name-that-scandal contest…
Newsweek fallout: Radio station cancels Newsweek show.
Update II (3:16 p.m.): An “alternative newsweekly” writer and blogger links to me. Solid. But, alas, he doesn’t approve of the post.
Tom Maguire’s got a round-up and a new blog. And no trackbacking. Rand Holman of The Daily Polemic says: “This is why the American Left should never be allowed to control national political leadership positions….The United States is always wrong.”
My young liberal friend at Down with Absolutes says:
There is no need for any more reporting on the alleged atrocities that were/are committed at Guantanamo Bay. Most of us know that some smelly happenings have been going on down there for the past four years, so this proverbial “icing-on-the-cake†to incite Muslim fanatics does no one any good.
By the way, Mike, it is absolutely fatal to be hit by a truck going 60 miles per hour. 
Karol Sheinin (met at CPAC) says:
I’m amazed at the lack of attention paid to the fact that riots ensued over this and over a dozen people died, and specifically to the fact that this is not normal and it is not what civilized people do. Why are we glossing over the condemnation of rioters in our quest to prove Newsweek did wrong?
Karol, no one is glossing over what the Muslim rioters did, but we’re angry because we expect something better from so-called responsible journalists reporting stories about the war. I expect Muslim extremists to riot and kill; I don’t expect American journalists to be sloppy in their coverage, especially with so much at stake.
But that’s just me.
Mark Tapscott (met at BlogNashville) writes:
For whatever reason, it appears Newsweek’s reporters and editors forgot Journalism 101’s First Rule: If you don’t have two independently verifiable sources for a serious allegation the publication of which could damage or destroy an individual’s reputation, put an individual at risk of physical danger or place public safety at risk, don’t publish it.
Ace of Spades (met at CPAC):
The question I’m interested in concerns these multiple-layers of fact-checking and painstaking verification I keep hearing so very much about….If Newsweek can shoot from the lip and run a thinly, anonymously sourced story just because it “feels right” to them– then why…can’t I?
Blogger Austin Bay recaps his appearance on MSNBC.
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La Shawn:
The “Anti American Demonstrations” in Lebanon were fueled by foreigners - mainly Syrian and Iranian.
I have some information (hearsay) that foreigners are the driving force behind this. In fact, Afghanis have been overwhelmingly pro-American. This rioting is atypical.
I am awaiting more specific information on this issue.
La Shawn,
I remember reading an account of some soiree where Katherine Graham, the late doyenne of Newsweek and the Washington Post was boasting about their role in the removal of Richard Nixon. A fellow guest asked her, “So, whats it like being responsible for the deaths of four million Cambodians.”
Newseek is yesterdays news in my book. I quit reading them years ago. Another relic in the ash heap of journalism history. Think of all the trees we’ll save as these liberal magazines go down the tubes. Hey, there’s a new motto
“Save a tree, read the blogs!”
Spunky
They really screwed up. They need to “out” the “government official” who gave them the information.
“Background sources” raises it’s ugly head again.
At my blog I’m suggesting a boycott of the magazine until it does something for the victims of its casualness with the actualité. I also suggest a renaming http://www.di2.nu/blog.htm?20050516
Ya know, if any other industry in America had shown as much ineptitude in just ONE incident, I’m sure ‘news outlets’ like NEWSQWEEK would be screaming for government regulation and oversight. At this point, its obvious that the media (or at least CBS and NEWSQWEEK) just can’t report news properly. I’m waiting for the cries of regulating news organizations so it can be done properly.
Yea, I won’t hold my breath.
I still read Newsweek and the other America-bashing liberal MSM rags because it’s important to know what they are saying.
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” –Michael Coreleone, paraphrasing Sun Tzu’s teachings from The Art of War.
I saw Dan Rather with Marvin Kalb and other journalists on CSPAN after the Rathergate fiasco. I didn’t see any evidence that Rather had learned any lessons. CBS might have but I wouldn’t bet on it.
I’m sure the loony left will blame evil genuis Karl Rove for planting the story as a destraction from the looming filerbuster fight.
The bloodlust of bringing down the MSM and Newsweek can be so dangerously intoxicating.
Have we lost track of the bigger forces at play here? Its like the entire blogosphere has taken the CRAZY PILLS!
Meanwhile the three who actually incited the riots are being given a pass Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and Imran Khan.
Incited the riots based on what? The story!
Just perfect example of why you cant ever trust these damn journalists a mean wwathers its TIME US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT, NYT NEWSWEEK, or the rest of the left-wing news media its time for something to be done about the lying liberal news media.
I just can’t get over the fact that grown people went out in the street and started rioting over a book. I don’t care if it’s their holy book. Can you see any Christian with a lick of sense rioting over something like this?
“Because of the report, Muslims started rioting, as if they needed an excuse.”
Based on first hand knowledge. I’m sure.
anyhoo. Its really interesting that everyone is so sure that of course nothing untoward has happened to a koran during the war on terror.
The point, actus, is so what if something “untoward” happened to a copy of the Koran during the war? Just another excuse to kill people, I guess. - Admin
I’m sure the loony left will blame evil genuis Karl Rove for planting the story as a destraction from the looming filerbuster fight.
Of course, Newsweek is to be respected for its willingness to admit the error. We should not automatically assume the incident was due to their reflexive anti-Bush bias. Blah, blah, blah. Whatever. I don’t worry so much about the antiBush bias in the MSM - it is real and we all know it. What angers me is the constant threat this type of erroneous publicity needlessly contributes to the safety of our young servicemen and women already in harm’s way. Newsweek = pathetic.
La Shawn,
Love your blog.
How can giving someone a 90 day free subscription make up for the lives lost? They were negligent and with their negligence they are guilty of murder with running that story before it was verified. Only the left wing media can get away with this kind of behavior
Doesn’t make any sense to me, but what do I know, I’m just a Sr. Systems Analyst with no major education. Just a common sense attitude.
Kat
“Just another excuse to kill people, I guess”
Hey, no need to convince me that fundamentalism is wack.
Actus looks at things backwards again.
He writes, “Its really interesting that everyone is so sure that of course nothing untoward has happened to a koran during the war on terror.”
I’m sure if he knew of someone doing something untoward to a ‘koran’ he’d make sure everyone knew about it so that he could say he was right.
Looking at things positively and forwards, one would have to understand that Newsweek needed to be responsible, they weren’t and how can consumers of news make sure this doesn’t happen again? Show them the dissaproval they deserve in making a faulty product by cancelling your subscriptions.
La Shawn,
If Newsweek made up a story then fine, hang them out to dry, but it was Imran Khan the Pakistani cricket player now turned politican who called the news conference initially and used the Newsweek story to whip the masses into a frenzy.
Keep in mind that the majority of the these people don’t even speak English, let alone having ever seen a copy of Newsweek.
Be serious! Ever hear of translators? He said, she said? You’re being ridiculously simplistic and literal. - Admin
LaShawn,
Is not Newsweek and the Washington Post owned by
the same family? Now, this is another example, why
most of use do not trust the MSM!
James M. Barber
LMH,
That’s like saying that in a crowded theatre of Arabic speaking males, one reporter who spoke English yelled fire and then a translator translated that to the others so the English speaking guy is off the hook. It was really the translator that we need to focus on…..
The source of the misinformation was Newsweek.
Again. Everyone who cares about the news they are consuming should cancel their subscription to Newseek. It is a faulty product.
“I’m sure if he knew of someone doing something untoward to a ‘koran’ he’d make sure everyone knew about it so that he could say he was right.”
I’m curious why you put koran in quotes?
There is another thing that’s going on. To BBC, Newsweek if angling as if to say that a Pentagon official forced Newsweek to retract the story.
But that the story is still really true.
Just like Dan Rather kept going at Bush’s National Gaurd story saying, well we can’t authenticate the documents but the story is still true.
The left keep digging their hole.
Where are the chants and protest signs….
Newsweek Lied! People DIED!
That slogan’s on Michelle Malkin’s site SCSI…
Ah
Busy day at work. This is the only blog I’ve been to today. Including my own
This story strikes me as similar to the old court case of yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater. In that case, if I recall correctly, the individual responsible was prosecuted for the consequences of his actions. Nothing less should be required of the reporters and editors as Newsweek and the still anonymous source.
Another lie by Newsweek for the sake of aiding and comforting Islamic terrorists. The resulting riots and deaths must have given heart to the MSM discouraged by the spread of democracy and freedom in the Middle East. How disgusting.
” Click here for full Myopic Zeal coverage of Newsweek’s culpability in the protest deaths.”
wait, newsweek is culpable in these deaths?
One thing for sure, the MSM/DNC manage to outdo themselves just when you think it couldn’t get any lower than a snake’s belly.
It is no suprise that the “We Try Harder” news mag prints a story based on hearsay. The temptation to persecute those supporting the war on terror far exceeded the creed of unbiased journalism. Perhaps they should stick to stories that they can get right like Brad and Jen’s divorce. Even I am outraged….Dan Rather
Actus, let’s say you’re drunk and I know it, yet I loan you my car anyway, and you die in a fiery crash. Would your relatives find me culpable? You bet they would.
Isn’t it about time that these news organizations are held accountable in some meaningful way that doesn’t just let them off the hook with an “oops….sorry….guess we got it wrong…..again….”)? Like, for starters, financial accountability? Or…maybe even a (gasp) change of people in the organization?
“Actus, let’s say you’re drunk and I know it, yet I loan you my car anyway, and you die in a fiery crash. Would your relatives find me culpable? You bet they would.”
Sure, but whats that got to do with printing a story?
Check out the story on CNN’s website:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/05/16/newsweek.quran.intl/index.html
Apparently “inaccurate but true” is the new standard of journalistic integrity. What a bunch of bozos!
I haven’t read all the comments, but I wonder if most people remember the Newsweek story in May, 1996, that led to Admiral Jeremy Boorda’s suidice. The story correctly reported that Admiral Boorda was wearing a V device that he was not entitled to. However, I’d bet the story could have been handled in a more humane way that would have allowed the man time to deal with it. By all accounts Admiral Boorda was an admirable man who made a mistake when he was young. Newsweek did not care about the man, only the story.
Here’s where I come into the picture. My son is a Corporal in the US Marines. He is stationed in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, about 80 miles east of Kabul, near the Khyber Pass. They are there looking for good ‘ole Osama.
Once this rioting broke out the formerly peaceful Afghanis turned violent. At least one military convoy was pelted with rocks. The local police tried to keep order. A few died, many were injured. Fortunately there were no US injuries. My son could see the smoke coming from the fires started by the riots.
Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita exploded, “People are dead because of what this son of a bitch said … ?”
Yep, Mr. DiRita, and my son’s life is in jeopardy BECAUSE OF THE “DAN RATHER” STYLE OF REPORTING THE NEWS!
And then Newsweek editor Mark Whitaker said, “As to whether anything like this happened, we just don’t know,” he said in an interview. “We’re not saying it absolutely happened but we can’t say that it absolutely didn’t happen either.”
?!?!?! Isn’t this what Dan Rather said about his forged documents?
I want to meet Michael Isikoff and John Barry, the authors of this story. I want to carry them to Afghanistan. I want to chain them to the flagpole in the city of Jalalabad. Then I want to throw a dozen copies of the May 9 edition of Newsweek, opened to their article, on the ground around them, and I want to videotape what happens to them. Copies of this videotape would then be sent to all the major news reporting agencies. Damn it, I want my pound of flesh from these people that become sexually satisfied whenever they find a way to discredit anything that the US military does - be it true or not.
I saw that Newsweek’s non-retraction retraction and non-apology apology broke on Fox news yesterday afternoon. I thought, “This is huge!” though I knew that it was only a matter of time til Newsweek was outed.
Unfortunately I couldn’t find the text of their “retraction” (either on Fox or Drudge) until a couple hours after it broke on FOX news…
I do believe that when all is said and done, heads will roll. Lives were lost, here, and I can see some criminal culpability and criminal negligence involved.
“Yep, Mr. DiRita, and my son’s life is in jeopardy BECAUSE OF THE “DAN RATHER†STYLE OF REPORTING THE
NEWS!”
Would you prefer a true account of religious insensitivity?
Shamalama, I’m happy your son and his buddies are ok. I can only guess at how angry you must be over Newsweek placing this additional risk on everyone over there.
The only problem with the Koran flushing incident, even if it were true, was by whom and where it was done. If it had been done in a gallery in New York, by a recipent of a NEA grant, it would have been hailed as modern art, and worthy of taxpayer funded support…. Oh wait, wrong religion!
“Whether Americans flushed the Koran down the toilet is irrelevant. Newsweek should not have reported it, even if true. It’s common sense, people.”
Since when is censorship common sense? Since when do we let religious extremists in other countries influence what American reporters get to write about?
I wrote more about this on my blog:
http://www.halfsigma.com/2005/05/journalists_don.html
“Saint” LaShawn,
My other half took a 2 day sabbatical from writing on our site. He left me in charge over the weekend, and this act of felonious yellow journalism dropped into my lap. After doing the digging necessary, I started posting.
I cannot let Newsweek off the hook on this. There is no forgiveness for the sheer stupidity exhibited by Mr. Isikoff and Mr. Barry; their ineptitude in thoroughly checking the facts speaks for itself.
And for those people that disbelieve an inherent bias, remember where Mr. Isikoff’s fame came from. He was the reporter that sat on the Lewinsky story while Drudge scooped him on it. Mr. Isikoff’s excuse at the time was that he could not solidly confirm the allegations. Supposedly, if my memory serves me correctly, he sat on the information he had for fourteen days in regard to Lewinsky.
The reports coming out over the weekend, especially the one from Evan Thomas and his meager attempt at damage control, stated that Newsweek waited eleven days for confirmation or denial from the Pentagon. Hmm…seems to me that Mr. Isikoff had the ability to wait on a story involving a sitting president’s adulterous affair, and his subsequent illegal attempt to cover it up, yet he immediately rushes to press with a story that has one unconfirmed source to batter another sitting president.
The hypocrisy of the MSM is simple nauseating.
And this is why it is time for the people in this nation to start calling for accountibility. Mr. Isikoff and Mr. Barry should be fired, likewise any of the managing editors that gave the go-ahead with this story. But the simple, sad fact is that unless something pushes Newsweek hard enough–say a blogswarm, which is already well under way–no heads will roll.
This is the very reason why I started to blog. The media lies and twists and manipulates the news. They can no longer be trusted to be objective and unbiased. Bloggers are, for the most part, the equivalent of the journalists of old; where the FACTS of the story were what mattered. “We report, you decide” is not just an exclusive FOX News monniker. It is the motto of the bloggers and the alternative media.
Be serious! Ever hear of translators? He said, she said? You’re being ridiculously simplistic and literal. - Admin
Am I? Im in a Muslim country right now. People here have now heard about it… and guess what. Nothing.
There is nobody rioting and killing each other where I am at and the reason why is because there are no terrorists here winding the people up and inciting them to riot and kill.
So now we have Newsweekgate?
No, it’s worse than that. It’s plain murder, and whoever printed that story up ought to be thrown in prison or executed.
Bernie Goldberg was a prophet without honor in his own land. The MSM is so arrogant even when they are dead wrong.Attention Dan Rather there is a job opening at Newsweek.
“No, it’s worse than that. It’s plain murder, and whoever printed that story up ought to be thrown in prison or executed. ”
If the story was true and still had the same effect, would there be this much brouhaha?
“If the story was true and still had the same effect, would there be this much brouhaha?”
You bet. Plenty of protestors/commentators/media members would be clamoring for Gitmo officers to be punished and the media would push to know “who knew what and at what levels.” Someone would also have stated by now that the White House was culpable and should be held responsible for the rioting and deaths.
Once again, I don’t get it.
Actus writes:
“Its really interesting that everyone is so sure that of course nothing untoward has happened to a koran during the war on terror.”
I don’t get it. What if something *had* happened? What if an American really did do those things to the Koran? I can say “wow, that was unprofessional, and could really stir up some anti-American sentiment! So that guy ought to have a reprimand and maybe a mark on his record.” But what else? I mean, we are Americans. We allow people to burn flags and books, and protest and criticize and “desecrate” their own personal copy of the Koran, the Bible, the Upanishads, the Book of Mormon, the Bhagavad Gita, any “holy book” they choose. I don’t understand what Condi means when she says “The American Gov’t will not tolerate the desecration of the Koran.” Why not? Don’t we allow free speech anymore? I have the constitutional right to flush any book I please, as long as it’s mine. Is there some law that a soldier can’t flush a book in a military prison? Did he steal the book from a prisoner or break some other law in some way? All I can see is that he acted inappropriately and offensively, but obviously offending others is allowed in our free state!
What would the liberals be saying if Bill Maher flushed a Bible on his tv show and some Christians went out and beat up some execs of his network? Wouldn’t they be demanding retribution, punishment to the full extent of the law and crying out in poor Bill’s defense “free speech! Remember the first amendment, you dirty fundamentalists!” And I’d tend to agree with them. He would be wrong, but legal. What is there to punish in the flusher?
Now, I have to admit my bias here. I think the Koran is worse than a waste of time. I think it is an evil book, blasphemous; turning people from the true and living God, the only hope for any man and giving praise and honor to a false god and his false prophet instead of the One to Whom it is due. Because of that, I might be more sympathetic to one who beats up the executive than I am to the offended Muslim. Just the same, I still think the first amendment should apply in both cases and no laws seem to have been broken, even if Newsweek had been accurate (which it rarely is and most definitely was not in this case.)
I’m interested in knowing who the inside source on the Koran flushing was. At what point do we find this insider more culpable than Newsweek? What if it was a higher-up who had previously been perfectly reliable for Newsweek? How much does this lessen Newsweek’s culpability?
“You bet. Plenty of protestors/commentators/media members would be clamoring for Gitmo officers to be punished and the media would push to know “who knew what and at what levels.—
But there have been previous reports of this sort of behavior.
Newsweek should not have reported it, even if true.
I disagree. If their editor felt it was a story, they should go with it.
That’s the freedom the U.S. keeps speaking about.
“…we expect something better from so-called responsible journalists reporting stories about the war”
I don’t.
To hell with Newsweek. What did OUR OWN US MILITARY say about the incident and the riots?
>>>”Washington – The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says a report from Afghanistan suggests that rioting in Jalalabad on May 11 was not necessarily connected to press reports that the Quran might have been desecrated in the presence of Muslim prisoners held in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Air Force General Richard Myers told reporters at the Pentagon May 12 that he has been told that the Jalalabad, Afghanistan, rioting was related more to the ongoing political reconciliation process in Afghanistan than anything else.”
http://usinfo.state.gov/sa/Archive/2005/May/13-80476.html
Here’s some MORE INTERESTING INFORMATION from OUR US MILITARY…
>>>”According to initial reports, the situation in Jalalabad began on May 10 with peaceful student protests reacting to a report in Newsweek magazine that U.S. military interrogators questioning Muslim detainees at the Guantanamo detention center “had placed Qurans on toilets, and in at least one case flushed a holy book.†By the following day the protests in the city had turned violent with reports of several individuals killed, dozens wounded, and widespread looting of government, diplomatic and nongovernmental assets.
However, Myers said an after-action report provided by U.S. Army Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry, commander of the Combined Forces in Afghanistan, indicated that the political violence was not, in fact, connected to the magazine report.
http://usinfo.state.gov/sa/Archive/2005/May/13-80476.html
On the investigation into the alleged abuses…
>>>”Meanwhile, Myers said the U.S. military has assigned Army General Bantz Craddock to investigate allegations about the handling of the Quran at Guantanamo. Craddock brings the full weight of his responsibility as commander of the U.S. Southern Command to this effort…
…Craddock and his team have examined the prisoner interrogation logs and Myers said “they cannot confirm yet†that there ever was a case of a U.S. interrogator flushing a Quran down the toilet. He did say there is another unconfirmed log reference to a guard report that a detainee tore pages from the Quran and flushed them in an attempt to flood the holding area as a form of protest.”
http://usinfo.state.gov/sa/Archive/2005/May/13-80476.html
Now, this isn’t from a Newsweek reporter, Dan Rather, Air America radio, or NPR. This is the HIGHEST RANKING MILITARY OFFICIAL of AMERICA…THE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS not only DISMISSING the belief that these riots were over the Newsweek article, but giving some FLESH to the story in question from an “unconfirmed log reference to a guard report.”
Now of course, none of this may satisfy those in the anti-media witchhunt brigade, but that doesn’t surprise me. There are still folks out there that think the Abu Grahib abomination wasn’t a big deal either.
http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/iraq/tagubarpt.html#ThR1.18
–Cobra
DarkStar, before the Allies invaded Italy in WWII, Eisenhower let the press corps in on the plan. Not one single journalist blabbed, even though they all had the story of a lifetime. Why? Because they were responsible, ethical patriots.
Self control is not anything remotely like censorship. Freedom carries responsibility, a fact lost on the hack writers and editors at Newsweek.
You make big posts full of sound and fury, yet signifying nothing, Cobra. But you’re given to the dramatic, I’ve noticed.
Why don’t you send this stuff to OUR US MILITARY and Newsweek instead of wasting it on LBC? Newsweek retracted for a reason, whether “to hell” they go or not.
And I happen to be one who thinks Abu Ghraib was made TOO big a deal by traitorous journalists and politicians, to the detriment of the cause in Iraq.
Now News “weak” is trying to shift the blame for the riots and ultimately the deaths that have resulted from poor journalism.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7857407/site/newsweek/
“The spark was apparently lit at a press conference held on Friday, May 6, by Imran Khan, a Pakistani cricket legend and strident critic of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.”
The spark was lit when News”weak” publish unfounded accusations. They cannot even take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that our soldies have suffered.
I personally think top people and the “journalist” that wrote the original story at News”weak” need to visit the families of every soldier that was injured or killed and APOLOGIZE in person to them.
http://spaces.msn.com/members/outsideofthebox/
My rewrite of the News”weak” article:
How a Fire Broke Out - News”weak” World News
By xootbx
News”weak”
“May 23 issue - By the end of the week, the rioting had spread from Afghanistan throughout much of the Muslim world, from Gaza to Indonesia. Mobs shouting “Protect our Holy Book!” burned down government buildings and ransacked the offices of relief organizations in several Afghan provinces. The violence cost at least 15 lives, injured scores of people and sent a shudder through Washington, where officials worried about the stability of moderate regimes in the region.”
The spark was apparently lit some Asshole that thinks he is a journalist.
I am glad Newsweek made a retraction. However, I agree with the Bush administration’s call for Newsweek to give a FULL and COMPLETE accounting of how they failed in this instance. That would be the right thing to do. After that, the Bush administration can do the same in regards to Iraq. I am NOT holding my breath.
La Shawn Abu Ghraib was a TRAVESTY. POWs are supposed to be treated according to the Geneva Convention. It doesn’t even matter if our POWs aren’t afforded the same rights. Our military (disabled veteran here) MUST behave honorably NO MATTER WHAT. War is nasty enough as it is.
Those who sacrifce to became a soldier, sailor, airman or Marine perform a most honorable duty. I imagine that it is something that most civilians will never understand. Incidents like those at Abu Ghraib stain all of us who have ever put on a uniform.
DarkStar, before the Allies invaded Italy in WWII, Eisenhower let the press corps in on the plan. Not one single journalist blabbed, even though they all had the story of a lifetime. Why? Because they were responsible, ethical patriots.
I’ve heard that story before. I’ve also heard that the military gave false information to the press to throw off the enemy during that period as well.
Self control is not anything remotely like censorship.
Everyone should be worried, IN THEORY, when the press hesitates to run a story because it may “negatively” affect a government, be it local, state, or national.
I want a full accounting of this story, INCLUDING the name of the source.
“But there have been previous reports of this sort of behavior.”
There have been similar acts of bad reporting too. I guess we’re not allowed to share the same outrage if the media gets it wrong.
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