MORE LAZY REPORTING FROM THE MEDIA
He thinks it is probably lazy reporting.
But look at how AFP headlined a brief story on the subject:
US blasts cartoons of Prophet Mohammed
"These cartoons are indeed offensive to the beliefs of Muslims," State Department spokesman Justin Higgins said when queried about the furore sparked by the cartoons which first appeared in a Danish newspaper.
"We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility," Higgins told AFP.
Notice that AFP creates the impression in the headline that the U.S. has BLASTED the cartoons as though we are trying to censore them. THIS STATEMENT FROM HIGGINS WAS GIVEN IN RESPONSE TO A QUERY AND IN NO WAY IS TRYING TO IMPLY THAT THEY SHOULD BE CENSORED.
Notice also in the Daily press briefing how the reporters kept trying to get MacCormack, the spokesman to say that the U.S. would take some action.
It is my impression that the press is trying to create a controversy, and I'm afraid that a lot of people may be jumping to the wrong conclusion about the U.S. official position. It is getting late where I live, and I may not be on the forum much longer tonight so I may be a while in making any responses. I expect to be back on Sunday sometime so
Thanks for posting this. That's my impression, too, or not so much controversy as distortion. The US press, which of course has not published the cartoons, wants it to sound as if the US is coming down on the side of the Muslims, even if this means selective quotes and misleading headlines.