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"Newsweek Lied, People Died"

The title of this topic comes from this post on Michelle Malkin's blog.

It seems that Newsweek magazine published a report that US interrogators at Guantanamo "desecrated" the Koran in order to "shake up" Muslim prisoners there. This report has led to riots in many places, especially in Afghanistan. Now the magazine admits that it did not attempt to verify the accusation before publication. This was a very irresponsible thing to do.

Don't get me wrong. If US authorities did do this, they need to be censured. Knowing of the high regard Muslims put on the sacredness of the Koran, such an act would be akin to the anti-Jewish act of urinating on the Torah in synagogues (frequently done by various thugs, such as Russian, Polish, Nazi, and Muslims throughout history during pogroms.)

However, the irresponsible reporting of unconfirmed rumors is completely unacceptable from a news source. In this case, Newsweek is directly responsible for this rampage of death and destruction.

Here is some more commentary about this.
https://theanchoressonline.com/2005/05/15/n...-people-died-2/

Hmmm. Abu Ghraib, too.

https://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?en...spired#comments
The Jihad Newsweek Inspired

https://www.blackfive.net/main/2005/05/partners_in_ter.html
Partners in Terror?

I like one of the comments on Little Green Footballs:

Diedquot People Lied quotNewsweek

It just made me sick to my stomach to read the headlines this morning that the Newsweek report was "inaccurate" (how politically correct of some other news source to not just come out and say WRONG!). After all the rioting and death and more loss of "face" in the world comminty that went on for *days*, they are now saying "oops"? It just doesn't cut it with me, Newsweek folks, sorry to tell you. The blatant disregard for the truth in a matter of this consequence is an egregious blunder.

"Newsweek Lied, People Died" History & Civil Business Politics

I think Newsweek has been extremely irresponsible in its reporting and this is a case where heads should roll. How can the public have faith in the media when outlets don't check their facts or sources? As a journalist it makes me cringe because the public is already so disillusioned with the media and this doesn't help.

However I would also like to make the point that I don't believe for one second that the Newsweek report alone was responsible for these riots. Tensions have been simmering in Afghanistan for ages and the President Karzai even conceded a lot of it had to do with foreign military presence within the country.

While what Newsweek did was terrible and very unprofessional, it is also "inaccurate" to solely blame them for the riots.

Edited: arvhic on 17th May, 2005 - 12:21pm

Diedquot People Lied quotNewsweek

I was shocked, appalled, and very angry when I heard about this monumental act of irresponsibility. I view mainstream media with an extremely critical and suspicious eye anyway, and this just adds to the growing number of fatal, unforgivable blunders the vultures have stirred up. Ok, maybe that's a bit harsh for a sweeping view of mass media, but unfounded stories with anonymous sources and questionable motives are a blight on the public forums of today's media.

Diedquot People Lied quotNewsweek

I think this is a bit harsh. One journalist made an irresponsible mistake but there are bad practitioners in every industry. Furthermore, you can't solely blame this report for the riots, that would suggest you are as misinformed as the article in question.

While it's very easy to level criticism at the media, and sometimes with good cause, you can not possibly tell me you don't rely on the media for a large proportion of your daily news. What would you know about your government or the world if journalists weren't there to tell you?

There are some extremely good journalists who have kept governments accountable and uncovered massive corruption/crime, so you have to take the good with the bad.

"Newsweek Lied, People Died"

You are right, but when those journalists appear to make it their lives' work to tear down a particular political philosophy, or to do anything possible to embarrass or discredit a particular political figure, then they are no longer credible journalists, but are rather partisan hacks.

Not only did the reporter get it wrong, but the editors apparently never bothered to even ask for confirmation. Ever since Watergate, journalists have used "anonymous" sources for everything. The problem with this is that they aren't always able to then provide evidence for their accusations.

Now, this is the second REALLY high-profile case where the habit of making these types of allegations has blown up in their faces. You would think that after CBS and Dan Rather went through so much, Newsweek would have been more careful. But they weren't.

It is the journalist's job to provide news, not make allegations based on anonymous sources, without any evidence.

BTW, we have seen, over the years, that this is a real problem with CNN. Peter Arnett had a very serious problem with this type of reporting during the first Gulf War. Other CNN reporters have been frequently caught out either printing lies or showing lack of evidence.

"Newsweek Lied People Died"

I'm not a huge fan of CNN either.

Good journalism shoould monitor those in power and challenge governments, especially when they go to war. But their reporting should not be agenda driven, rather based on fact. I agree with you on that point.

The world's best journalists tend to be despised by both sides of the political fence. They also earn the wrath of all sects whether they be arab, jew, christian etc. The point being a good journalist will uncover corruption from anywhere because humans tend to be corrupt irrespective of political ideology, race or gender.

The problem with the mainstream media is that its ownership tends to be very concentrated, run by media moguls interested in fulfilling their own ambitions. Interference from above and self-censorship is rife in the industry. Plus it has become a game of infotainment where a good story is one that pulls ratings rather than revealing relevant, balanced information. The viewers and readers are the real losers because they will consume what is presented, often a sanitised version, without sometimes getting the full story.

"Newsweek Lied People Died" Politics Business Civil & History

I am certainly not shocked or surprised.

This isn't an isolated incident. More and more, so called "reputable" media outlets are reporting on stories without adequately verifying the information. They want to be the first to report on the angle, no matter the consequences. This, in my opinion, is especially true if the story supports their personal agenda.

Another example where this happened recently was with the story about President Bush and his time in the reserves. It is time we held them accountable for their behavior. Actually, we are beginning to do this. Subscriptions to traditional newspapers and weekly news magazines are way down. I wonder how many will need to suffer sever financial consequences before they come to realize they cannot continue the way they have been.