Interesting Controversy Surrounding CBS’s Lara Logan [Report filed by Logan featured Qaeda video]

Talisman Gate | Friday, Jan 26, 2007 | Nibras Kazimi

[ganeshpuri89]

You can read all the details here on IraqSlogger.com (...an anti-Bush website).

What I'm interested in is the footage of dead Iraqi soldiers that Lara Logan claims was “obtained by CBS.” But this footage was first released by Al-Qaeda!

Al-Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq released 8 minutes of cell phone footage through its media arm, the Al-Furqan Institute for Media Productions, under the title ‘Some of the Casualties of the Heretics in Haifa Street After Sunday’s Fighting, January 7, 2007, in Baghdad.’ The grainy images were of six or seven bodies wearing Iraqi military fatigues with ‘carry-out’ lunch boxes strewn about them. The images were probably taken by a cell phone, judging by quality. In one scene, a close up is shown of a soldier shot through the head, probably executed.

At the time, the Iraqi military claimed that some of its soldiers were cornered on Haifa Street and killed after running out of ammunition. This incident set off the subsequent battles there. Al-Qaeda also released written statements at the time taking credit for the initial phase of fighting.

The video released by Al-Qaeda two weeks ago moves on from the bodies (referred to in the caption as the ‘rotten carcasses of the Pagan Guard’) to show burnt out cars on Haifa Street, and the following caption reads that these vehicles belonged to ‘plain-clothed’ Mahdi Army militiamen who had arrived to relieve the Iraqi soldiers. Bloodied walls were also shown, seemingly to indicate that the militia members were shot.

These may have been the executions of civilians that Dr. Kassir, who is quoted in the CBS story, was referring to.

The footage “obtained by CBS” is identical to that put out by Al-Qaeda. But Logan makes no mention of Al-Qaeda’s video and does not address the implication that the footage she used was off an Al-Qaeda video. And if it’s not off the Al-Qaeda video, then how did she get footage identical to the one used by Al-Qaeda? This needs to be explained.

Furthermore, and this is the most damning indication of journalistic incompetence, Logan makes no mention about the affiliation of these insurgents fighting on Haifa Street. Not even the slightest mention is made that Al-Qaeda is taking credit for the fighting there. On the contrary, the audience is treated to a blanket accusation by an anonymous civilian (wearing a headdress in the insurgent manner) denouncing the Americans and the destruction they’ve brought to bear on Haifa Street. Hey Logan, how about tempering your report with something about insurgent activity? The report sounded as if the American and Iraqi forces were pounding Haifa Street for the fun of it.

It would seem that the Al-Furqan propagandists exhibited more journalistic accuracy than CBS News on this count.

Nibras Kazimi is a visiting scholar at the Hudson Institute. He also writes a weekly column on the Middle East for the New York Sun. His latest column, 'Turnaround in Baghdad' was discussed by Brit Hume on Fox News

[ganeshpuri89]

Link to Lara Logan report:

http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2371456n

(If someone wants to grab the video before CBS disappears it Nibras and I would be very grateful)

For the Arabic text where Al-Qaeda takes credit for the fighting, you can view this link:

http://www.muslm.net/vb/showthread.php?t=198037

For downloading the video:

http://www.muslm.net/vb/showthread.php?t=199107

http://www.muslm.net/vb/showthread.php?t=199039

More discussion at Nibras' blog:

http://talismangate.blogspot.com/2007/01/interesting-controversy-surrounding.html

------------------

couricandco@cbs.com, publiceye@cbs.com

Subject: Footage of dead Iraqi soldiers in Logan's report identical to Qaida video

To:

Katie Couric, Anchor, CBS Evening News with Katie Couric

Sean McManus, President, CBS News,

Rome Hartman, Executive Producer, CBS Evening News with Katie Couric

Sandy Genelius, CBS News Spokesperson

Lara Logan, CBS News Chief Foreign Correspondent

Brian Montopoli, Editor, CBS News Public Eye

Just thought I would let you know that in Lara's ('Battle for Haifa Street') the footage of dead Iraqi soldiers killed by, as Lara puts it, "Sunni gunmen" and "obtained by CBS," is actually identical to footage posted to an Al-Qaeda website a week before Lara's report was posted to the CBS website.

How exactly did CBS obtain the footage? Were CBS and Lara aware that it bore the official stamp of Al Qaida, having been released by the Islamic State of Iraq's media arm, the Al-Furqan Institute for Media Productions, under the title ‘Some of the Casualties of the Heretics in Haifa Street After Sunday’s Fighting, January 7, 2007, in Baghdad?’

In her mass email of last week Lara wrote that her report should be seen by the American public because the plight of civilians on Haifa street, caught in a war zone and under constant threat of death, was "too important to ignore." I agree. But isn't the fact that CBS missed framing the fighting in its proper context by using the generic "Sunni gunmen" in the place of Al Qaeda jihadists too important to ignore? Isn't CBS's posting of a report by its chief foreign correspondent to its website featuring a clip from an Al-Qaeda propaganda video also too important to ignore?

Links to the the al-Qaeda footage can be found at New York Sun columnist Nibras Kazimi's non-Sun affiliated blog Talisman Gate in the comments section of his post entitled 'Interesting Controversy Surrounding CBS’s Lara Logan.'

http://talismangate.blogspot.com/2007/01/interesting-controversy-surrounding.html

Sincerely, Robert Stevens, East Village, NYC January, 29, 2007

CC: Nibras Kazimi

[OldFriend]

CBS cannot possibly be seen as a credible source.

Not on ANY topic at all.

[Mobile Vulgus]

Could you post the direct link to this video youa re talking about?

The link you have listed is all in Arabic and I cannot figure which is the link to the video of all the many links on that page.

[skr]

I'd certainly like to hear their explanation.

[ganeshpuri89]

http://www.muslm.net/vb/showthread.php?t=199039

Real Player. Around 40 MBs. Footage identical to clip CBS used is near the beginning.

[ganeshpuri89]

CBS News:
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2371456n

Islamic State of Iraq (al-Qaeda) video:
http://www.muslm.net/vb/showthread.php?t=199039

[BykrBayb]

Could you post a direct link to the video, instead of links to the websites that reportedly have the video? The video at CBS won't play on my computer. I couldn't find a video posted at Talisman Gate. Maybe it was in a comment that has been deleted. I don't read Arabic, so I can't find the video on your links the Arabic sites.

[ganeshpuri89]

Both work for me.

CBS News:
http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2371456n

Islamic State of Iraq (al-Qaeda) video:
http://www.muslm.net/vb/showthread.php?t=199039

[ganeshpuri89]

CBS video is available in Real Player and Windows Media.

Click settings at bottom of video viewer to change preference.

[BykrBayb]

I still can't read Arabic, and CBS' videos still won't play on my computer. Could you post a link to the video from the Arabic website, instead of to the website? Or give me a hint on what to click when I get there?

[BykrBayb]

I have Real Player, and Real Player works on my computer.

I have Windows Media Player, and Windows Media Player works on my computer.

I went to the CBS link you provided, several times. I tried both versions of the video. Neither of them would play. It just shows a blank player. I can click the Play button all day long, and nothing happens.

As far as I can tell, nobody but you has been able to view the videos on the links you provided. I'm not the only one who has asked for a direct link to the video. If these videos really exist, and you really have seen them, why won't you provide a link that works?

[Mobile Vulgus]

I just saw them. They look the same to me.

[BykrBayb]

Great. Would you mind posting a direct link to the video, for those of us who don't read Arabic? For a thread that is all about a video, I find it odd that there are no links to the video after several requests.

[Mobile Vulgus]

I used the links in post number 8 above. The CBS one goes right to the report and the other one goes to the Arabic page. But, there is only one down load link there. It is in large type right in the middle.

I have to say, though, that I just tried the CBS report and now it won't play.I wonder if CBS took it down or if it is just getting too many requests?

[endthematrix]

CBS News is an Al-Qaeda affiliate station...

[BykrBayb]

Thanks for the explanation about how to find the video on the Arabic site.

They had two links. I downloaded the first one, checked it for viruses, and played it. The second link appears to be a mirror (an alternate link for downloading the same file).

Here are the direct links to those videos. http://www.archive.org/download/ddrrddrr/alfn09.rmvb and http://ia331321.us.archive.org/2/items/ddrrddrr/alfn09.rmvb . Those are Real Player videos.

[dirtbiker]

I have the same problem sometimes with my Mozilla browser.

I just go back, re-open with Internet Explorer, and everything should work fine....

[BykrBayb]

Thank you. I couldn't open the CBS video with IE. I have my security set pretty high. Once in a while it's annoying, but generally I prefer it that way.