Posted on 03/23/2006 8:14:51 AM PST by LM_Guy
NEW YORK For the second time in less than a week, The New York Times today admitted to a serious error in a story. On Saturday it said it had misidentified a man featured in the iconic "hooded inmate" photograph from Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Today it discloses that a woman it profiled on March 8 is not, in fact, a victim of Hurricane Katrina--and was arrested for fraud and grand larceny yesterday.
As it did in the Abu Ghraib mistake, the Times ran an editors' note on page 2 of its front section, along with a lengthy news article (this time on the front page of Section B). Again mirroring the Abu Ghraib episode, the newspaper revealed a surprising and inexplicable lapse in fact-checking on the part of a reporter and/or editor.
The original article, more than 1000 words in length, was written by Nicholas Confessore. He also wrote the news article about the error today. Without saying that he wrote the first story, he wrote today: "The Times did not verify many aspects of Ms. Fenton's claims, never interviewed her children, and did not confirm the identity of the man she described as her husband."
The editors' note states:
"An article in The Metro Section on March 8 profiled Donna Fenton, identifying her as a 37-year-old victim of Hurricane Katrina who had fled Biloxi, Miss., and who was frustrated in efforts to get federal aid as she and her children remained as emergency residents of a hotel in Queens.
"Yesterday, the New York police arrested Ms. Fenton, charging her with several counts of welfare fraud and grand larceny. Prosecutors in Brooklyn say she was not a Katrina victim, never lived in Biloxi and had improperly received thousands of dollars in government aid. Ms. Fenton has pleaded not guilty.
"For its profile, The Times did not conduct adequate interviews or public record checks to verify Ms. Fenton's account, including her claim that she had lived in Biloxi. Such checks would have uncovered a fraud conviction and raised serious questions about the truthfulness of her account."
Last Saturday, the Times editors' note disclosed that Ali Shalal Qaissi, pictured on the front page "as the hooded man forced to stand on a box, attached to wires, in a photograph from the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal of 2003 and 2004," was not that man. "The Times did not adequately research Mr. Qaissi's insistence that he was the man in the photograph," it related.
"Again." And again and again and again and again and again and.....
When will the New York Times, that stinking piece of liberal dog feces, finally die?
That is GREAT, potlatch!
^5
Didn't 'make' it DC but touched it up a bit. It's so silly looking.
I think it's SO cute!
It really did make me LOL. ;o)
Thank you for pinging me so I could see it.
I try to ping you to some of the cute ones, lol.
They actually have made some fairly good sized flying models that are designed like the prehistorics
They flew it all over the mountains out west - It was wild seeing it on film
Trick was getting the head to act as the rudder.....
I cleaned out all under it so you could see the movement more.
Thank you for thinking of me.
I love your stuff. ;o)
ROTFLOL!
You're such a funny guy. ;o)
Oh wait, he didn't!
Makes me wonder if dear old 'Ms. Fenton' even had a southern accent...
It is alsays amazing and amusing to me that cold hard facts never get in the way of the Perp claiming "NOT GUILT" in court.
She was NEVER in the hurricane.
Never lived in that area, etc, etc etc.
Another self-appointed "victim" who thinks it's ok to rip off the taxpayers. Throw the book at her. Asking for restitution is an absolute joke. Loke asking me to be young, skinny, and ready to fit into 40 y/o clothes 5 sizes smaller :).
Loke Sorry- Like
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.