Posted on 11/27/2006 3:41:07 PM PST by lowbridge
Posted by Greg Sheffield on November 27, 2006 - 13:25.
The news that six Sunnis were captured by Shiites, doused with kerosine and burned alive, was too sensational to not be picked up by the mainstream media. But it turns out that the event never happened. Furthermore, the Iraqi "spokesman" relied on to give all information regarding this event is as fictional as the story itself.
Jamil Hussein, the man news reports called "police Capt. Jamil Hussein," was the source for all information regarding the burning. Although he is mentioned by USA Today, the Associated Press, CBS News, and other outlets, Central Command says no such person exists. Centcom also asked the Associated Press to retract the story unless it has proof beyond Jamil Hussein's word.
Flopping Aces has a press release from Centcom, which is in charge of all U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Dear Associated Press:
On Nov. 24, 2006, your organization published an article by Qais Al-Bashir about six Sunnis being burned alive in the presence of Iraqi Police officers. This news item, which is below, received an enormous amount of coverage internationally.
We at Multi-National Corps - Iraq made it known through MNC-I Press Release Number 20061125-09 and our conversations with your reporters that neither we nor Baghdad Police had any reports of such an incident after investigating it and could find no one to corroborate the story. A couple of hours ago, we learned something else very important. We can tell you definitively that the primary source of this story, police Capt. Jamil Hussein, is not a Baghdad police officer or an MOI employee. We verified this fact with the MOI through the Coalition Police Assistance Training Team.
Also, we definitely know, as we told you several weeks ago through the MNC-I Media Relations cell, that another AP-popular IP spokesman, Lt. Maithem Abdul Razzaq, supposedly of the city’s Yarmouk police station, does not work at that police station and is also not authorized to speak on behalf of the IP. The MOI has supposedly issued a warrant for his questioning.
I know we have informed you that there exists an MOI edict that no one below the level of chief is authorized to be an Iraqi Police spokesperson. An unauthorized IP spokesperson will get fired for talking to the media. While I understand the importance of a news agency to use anonymous and unauthorized sources, it is still incumbent upon them to make sure their facts are straight. Was this information verified by anyone else? If the source providing the information is lying about his name, then he ought not to be represented as an official IP spokesperson and should be listed as an anonymous source.
Unless you have a credible source to corroborate the story of the people being burned alive, we respectfully request that AP issue a retraction, or a correction at a minimum, acknowledging that the source named in the story is not who he claimed he was. MNC-I and MNF-I are always available and willing to verify events and provide as much information as possible when asked.
Very respectfully,
LT XXXXXXXXXX X XXXXXXXX
Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
MNC-I Joint Operations Center
Public Affairs Officer
I don't THINK so........
I just found out about this and i'm astonished at the severe lack of credibility of the news media in general. Un-FReepin'-Believable!!!
NO WAY....one thing I noticed...there weren't very many that weren't dead sure they were right...more right than the White House, CIA, ...you name it.
I'm not going to hold my breath waiting. They'll just find something else.
I just finshed reading this, but thanks for the ping. ;~ )
btw, I missed the flame war over this. you weren't involved in it were you?? hmmm??
"Jamil Hussein"
all 1,958 news articles
http://news.google.com/news?ie=ISO-8859-1&hl=en&oe=ISO-8859-1&tab=dn&ncl=1111331846
"They are being taken in."
I'd change that to, "They are willing accomplices." ;)
Well, they have fellow travellers at al-Reuters and willing dupes at CBS/NBC/ABC/CNN/etc....
Bastards ... all!
It takes character to apologize, and I haven't noticed much of that showing forth in the usual suspects.....
If the U.S. Military Command issued a Press Release, why is the name of the issuing officer blocked out? Is there an official U.S. military website where the Press Release is posted?
I have no idea.
You are right. They know how to make the news, literally. We are losing the PR war.
WOW!
Very nice site, and the music is perfect!
Thank you!
Allow me to apologize for rising to AP bullsh!t bait. It does not change my opinion that something different must be done, besides "stay the course". MNF press has been misleading as well, admittedly not near to the degree of the rest.
I will apologize for believing an AP report, as soon as you apologize for believing a report signed
"Very respectfully,
LT XXXXXX
XXXX X XXXXXXXX
Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
MNC-I Joint Operations Center
Public Affairs Officer"
Public Affairs Officers are by their very title, public people. It does NOT compromise Operational Security to quote a PAO by name. So which is worse? Believe a blatant lie that is published by AP, or believe Lt. XXXXXX? I contend that we should thoroughly vet any source. Alas, neither the press nor MNC-I nor MNF-I (the military public reporting groups) send their stories to FR for proper review and vetting prior to going to print. Live with it.
FARS any info yet on this?
Were you one of the 'get out of Iraq now Bush is a moron' emotional reactors to this story, Son? Were you one of the ones mocking those who questioned the story's veracity?
If so, apologize. If not, no need to comment.
(IIRC, you swallowed this story without question, didn't you? Made Bush look bad, and so you believed it, didn't you?)
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