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Why did the press swallow Massey's stories?
POST-DISPATCH ^ | 11/05/05 | Ron Harris

Posted on 11/06/2005 9:22:58 AM PST by Pikamax

Why did the press swallow Massey's stories? By Ron Harris POST-DISPATCH WASHINGTON BUREAU 11/05/2005

WASHINGTON

Media outlets throughout the world have reported Jimmy Massey's claims of war crimes, frequently without ever seeking to verify them.

For instance, no one ever called any of the five journalists who were embedded with Massey's battalion to ask him or her about his claims.

The Associated Press, which serves more than 8,500 newspaper, radio and television stations worldwide, wrote three stories about Massey, including an interview with him in October about his new book. Advertisement

(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cindysheehan; massey

1 posted on 11/06/2005 9:22:58 AM PST by Pikamax
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To: Pikamax

Thank you.


2 posted on 11/06/2005 9:27:29 AM PST by freema (Proud Marine Mom)
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To: Pikamax

> Why did the press swallow Massey's stories?

Because it dovetailed perfectly with their agenda?

One of the symptoms of liberalism is the confusion of the
metaphorical with the literal (and a preference for the
former, since it is imaginary, and can be managed so that
it never contradicts you). Consequently, when external
false info confirms the metaphors, the liberal mind sees
no need to make any effort to confirm it.

Further, this dude sensed which bait these fish would
rise to, and fed them exactly what they wanted.


3 posted on 11/06/2005 9:27:58 AM PST by Boundless
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To: Pikamax

Because it's against George Bush?


4 posted on 11/06/2005 9:28:51 AM PST by samtheman
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To: Pikamax

the MSM want the US to fail in Iraq and in the war on terror. It's as simple as that. They are traitors and will print ANY garbage as fact if it helps the USA look bad or undermines our CIC.


5 posted on 11/06/2005 9:29:00 AM PST by pissant
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To: Pikamax
Nothing new, read "Hoodwinked" by Jack Cashell. The liberal establishment will commit outright fraud to perpetrate their leftist agenda.

Margaret Sanger = eugenics = Hitler.

FWIIW, sschu
6 posted on 11/06/2005 9:30:03 AM PST by schu
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To: Pikamax

Because it furthers the MSM's agenda, and becauase the press is the press, almost none of them serve in the military, and they don't like, understand or respect it.


7 posted on 11/06/2005 9:39:11 AM PST by Viet Vet in Augusta GA
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Comment #8 Removed by Moderator

To: Pikamax

The MSM will believe ANYTHING that is anti-Bush/American.


9 posted on 11/06/2005 9:45:20 AM PST by FlingWingFlyer (When I was a kid, the national news media was the GOOD GUYS.)
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To: Pikamax

ping


10 posted on 11/06/2005 9:48:32 AM PST by jim-x (God help America survive its enemies within.)
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To: Baynative
I am amused every time Rex Smith from the Albany times-Union writes his column. If he's not apologizing for waiting too long to report on the Downing Street memo, he's making up excuses for journalistic missteps and bias while sneering at conservatives.

This is a typical reaction from him. It seems as though his only real job is to find the most anti-Bush/anti-GOP/anti-conservative articles and run them on the front page (especially on the top right, what I call their Bush-Bashing spot...never fails. Today's is the finding of the al-Qaida leader's statements which were "used to justify the Iraq War" from the NYT).

I would love to see this lame excuse of his taken to the national level and thoroughly trashed.
11 posted on 11/06/2005 10:18:24 AM PST by soloNYer
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To: Pikamax
Below is another copy of the story with a different title. In spite of all the MSM hostility to the war, Cindy Sheehan and crew are really falling on their faces.

Marine who confessed to abuses lied to gain celebrity

12 posted on 11/06/2005 10:25:13 AM PST by Anti-Bubba182
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To: Pikamax

Massey has managed to disgrace the USA... and the Marine Corps. He has accused fellow Marines of being sub-human and doing the worst things imaginable, all the while giving aid and comfort to the enemy.

You know, he really shouldn't hang out in bars where Marines gather to drink. Perhaps he should move to France....





13 posted on 11/06/2005 10:33:13 AM PST by TWohlford
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To: Pikamax

Why did the press swallow Massey's stories?

Because they hate the military. That question was way too easy, next time, ask a hard one.


14 posted on 11/06/2005 10:35:20 AM PST by SAMS (Nobody loves a soldier until the enemy is at the gate; Army Wife & Marine Mom)
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To: Pikamax
Why did the press swallow Massey's stories?

Because they WANTED it to be true. Pure and simple. A good and decent American military is not a story. An evil and merciless American military is.

More than anything, they want the big story. The self-perceived David, bringing down the big, evil corrupt Goliath.

15 posted on 11/06/2005 10:37:42 AM PST by pollyannaish
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To: Pikamax
I think you might learn all you need to just by reading the initials "AP." If they had reporters in the field at the time and didn't check with them it wasn't the reporters' fault, it was the editors'.

These were serious and highly inflammatory accusations and will resound throughout the echo chamber that is made up by the media long after the disproofs are forgotten. AP can relax - their work is done, the smear is complete, and any lip service they care to pay to integrity may safely be relegated to the classifieds section.

As for Massey himself, this is hardly the first time a member of the military has decided to make up stories for his own personal aggrandizement. One such insect just lost a Presidential campaign.

16 posted on 11/06/2005 10:51:40 AM PST by Billthedrill
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To: All
Why did the press swallow Massey's stories?

Air America was picked up by a Sacramento station that formerly broadcast "big band" music, I found out the hard way.

After a few minutes of hearing U.S. military personnel described as "pigs" with less brains than God gave pissants I knew that wasn't Glenn Miller. Miller would never accuse the military of "murdering" more than a 100 prisoners at Gitmo.

It was Mike Malloy

It was Air America. It was the MSM -- oh how the MSM employees went wild with enthusiasm for Air America!

Massey's claims are now woven into the fabric of MSM talk and feeeeeeeeeelings.

17 posted on 11/06/2005 12:07:50 PM PST by WilliamofCarmichael (Hillary is the she in shenanigans.)
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To: All
"David Holwerk, editorial page editor for The Sacramento Bee, said he thought the newspaper handled its story, a question and answer interview with Massey, poorly."

The Sacramento Bee?!

Within hours of the 9/11 attacks the Bee brains were out with an editorial feeeeeeeeeeeeeling that it was partly our fault. We don't try to "understand" them.

Within a few weeks the publisher, Ms Heaphy, was trashing the President and Attorney General in public for being mean to suspected terrorists. We must "understand" them. She was booed off the stage.

For days Bee employees railed against the illiterate dummies who dared to dispute their boss.

The Bee brains love Massey, it's his intent that counts not truth.

18 posted on 11/06/2005 12:22:57 PM PST by WilliamofCarmichael (Hillary is the she in shenanigans.)
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To: Boundless

Exactly!!


19 posted on 11/06/2005 1:59:38 PM PST by CyberAnt (I BELIEVE CONGRESSMAN WELDON!)
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To: Pikamax

uh... they're hate-filled Marxists?


20 posted on 11/07/2005 9:51:25 AM PST by pabianice
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