Japanese edition
Cover reads:"The day America died."
see FR post: Newsweek: America is dead (U.S. Flag Shown in Trashcan on Cover!)
Posted on 05/22/2005 12:04:47 PM PDT by Pikamax
"...As most of you know, we have unequivocally retracted our story. In the light of the Pentagon's denials and our source's changing position on the allegation, the only responsible course was to say that we no longer stand by our story.
We have also offered a sincere apology to our readers and especially to anyone affected by violence that may have been related to what we published. To the extent that our story played a role in contributing to such violence, we are deeply sorry. ...
One of the frustrating aspects of our initial inquiry is that we seem to have taken so many appropriate steps in reporting the Guantanamo story. On the basis of what we know now, I've seen nothing to suggest that our people acted unethically or unprofessionally. Veteran reporter Michael Isikoff relied on a well-placed and historically reliable government source. We sought comment from one military spokesman (he declined) and provided the entire story to a senior Defense Department official, who disputed one assertion (which we changed) and said nothing about the charge of abusing the Qur'an. Had he objected to the allegations, I am confident that we would have at the very least revised the item, but we mistakenly took the official's silence for confirmation."
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
What is new about them?
yeah, yeah...the Devil made me do it!!!
They sent the docs to the White House and since they were returned without comment we assumed they were not fraudulent.
Dumb asses.
Obviously graduates of the "Print Anything that Somebody Does Not Deny" School of Journalism.
But, on the other hand, and we all know this, had the official denied anything in it, it would then have been the absolute gospel, according to the Newsweak Method of Shoddy Journalist Practices.
Nitwits, all.
That is the fundamental failure of Newsweek, first by the reporters and then by the editors who either didn't ask Isikoff what he sources (plural) were, or did ask and repeated the one-source error themselves.
This fog of words is designed to hide the truth. Newsweek here is lying about journalism. Are they really so stupid not to see this? Or, do they think we are so stupid we won't notice? Either way, they should choose another line of work, one that includes the phrase, "Do you want fries with that?"
Congressman Billybob
Thus it is easy to imagine woefully undereducated and fully inculcated freshman journalists producing an error-filled body of work which is fully accepted in the interest of promoting the Leftist agenda. Yet, that doesn't explain Isikoff. The only plausible explanation for him is that he is one of the "true believers" and thus a leader of the gaggle of "useless idiots" that comprise the MSM.
But they are all getting very careless now -- probably a result of creeping madness as they see their power inexorably slipping away.
I wonder when the standard of having at least two independent reliable sources for your information when out the window?
Desecration of the flag!!
Let's riot!
But as others have posted, with the CBS fiasco so fresh in everyone's minds, this incident could have been avoided. Newsfreaks blew it big time, and they deserve it. Karma.
"One of the frustrating aspects of our initial inquiry is that we seem to have taken so many appropriate steps in reporting the Guantanamo story."
We verified that the story would damage the U.S. military. We verified that the story would damage George Bush. After that, the lust to publish such delicious news just overwhelmed us, so we sort of forgot to verify anything else. Besides, it's the Pentagon's fault for not stopping us.
True. But you would think that the people in government would be more responsible and more loyal.
If the Pentagon is now responsible for the content of Newsweek Magazine, I trust that any profits earned by the magazine will be transferred to the US government.
'I Emailed them and asked why did you write and publish a false story that killed people?'
I have been sending the same emails and today included the article about the anti-US riots in Indonesia - I can't help it, I have not been so angry in a long time. I've been emailing directly to Mark Whitaker, who will no doubt never see or read them.
The fact that the Newsweek editors and reporter keep denying their guilt in making this world more unsafe (if that is even possible) for Americans traveling abroad, that they even have the guts to blame their own actions on the inactions of someone else, makes me positively ill.
Now they will be reponsible for American deaths - and all they can say is 'when no one told us that the story was wrong we went ahead with it' like they need to be babysat?
What do they think that their job is, if it isn't to investigate whether their FACTS are accurate? I guess they don't HAVE any responsiblity. I sure hope that their stockholders are as sick of these lying cowards as I am.
And it shows remarkable imagination. We can blame others for not stopping us when we try or do something unacceptable.
Would this be a good defense for bank robbery?
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