Posted on 01/05/2007 6:07:51 AM PST by 68skylark
January 5, 2007: The Associated Press has again put out an Iraq story detailing events that did not happen. This time, it involves an airstrike that, " killed a family of four during a firefight." However, according to the press desk of Multi-National Forces-Iraq, no air strike happened during that firefight, and MNF-I also reported that which six insurgents were killed by American troops in Baghdad on January 1. This is the second time in roughly six weeks that the AP has been caught fabricating events.
In November, the AP's report of six people being burned by in an attack on a mosque, cited a Captain Jemil Hussein of the Iraqi police. This report was challenged by Central Command and the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior, who pointed out that they had no record of a Jemil Hussein in their initial searches. The AP has stood by the story, yet this questionable Iraqi police official has not been quoted once since the story was questioned – despite being used in dozens of stories prior to the controversy. After several weeks of investigating, several blogs, including Flopping Aces, found very little evidence that Captain Hussein existed – until the AP reported that an arrest warrant was issued by the Ministry of the Interior for Hussein, whose phone has conveniently been turned off.
This is the latest media scandal involving phony news. In August, Reuters had to pull photographs that had been doctored to create the appearance that Israeli air strikes in Lebanon were doing more damage. Other photos taken during the summer fighting were discovered to have been staged by Hezbollah. In 2005, media reports that guards at Guantanamo Bay had flushed a Koran turned out to have no basis in fact (the actual flushing was done by detainees).
This pattern of misreporting is being noticed by blogs, most notably Flopping Aces (www.floppingaces.net). One of the Iraqi reporters for the AP, Quais Abdul Raazzaq was recently interviewed, and made statements that appeared to be biased. Other blogs have been digging deeper into some of the reporting. And the skepticism about media reporting about Iraq seems to be increasing. In December, the Gallup Poll reported that 56 percent of Americans believe the mainstream media's reporting of the situation in Iraq is inaccurate.
The continued stonewalling by the Associated Press is only going to make matters worse for them. Not only are bloggers sniffing around and posting their findings, but the call for an investigation is growing louder. With the AP now making up an air strike, it seems the case of Jemil Hussein was not isolated, but instead part of a pattern of misreporting and a focus on milestone casualties (the United States recently suffered its 3000th casualty) rather than signs of progress. Reports from the AP regarding Iraq clearly cannot not be trusted. For accurate information, people can turn to the newsrooms of Multi-National Force-Iraq (www.mnf-iraq.com) and Central Command (www.centcom.mil).
We really shouldn't be too hard on the AP for the Jamil Hussein matter -- lots of people have imaginary friends who tell them what they want to hear. Of course, most of those folks are in the 2-3 year old age range.
These folks need a product liability lawsuit to untangle their twisted little mind games!!!!
THE DETENTION OF AP PHOTOGRAPHER BILAL HUSSEIN
http://www.ap.org/response/response_092006a.html
One of many reasons the AP is pulling their stunts.
I, for one, will email this story to everyone on my lists. I think it needs to spread quickly.
The Dems are getting scarier. I hope this wakes LOTS of people up!
Thanks for the posting.
Has much to do with the Congressional election being over.
This should probably have a multiple word choice: Libs, Leftists, MSM, etc., could be inserted there with equal value, unfortunately.
They are actively trying to undermine a war. They need to be charged with treason.
Be still Cliff!
It's only the tip of the Iceberg.
The biggest thing the Ethiopians have going for them is the lack of Imbeds and not much press coverage.
We will be destroyed from within and they won't be charged.
Now that is scary.
"until the AP reported that an arrest warrant was issued by the Ministry of the Interior for Hussein, whose phone has conveniently been turned off."
Yep. They made up another 'lie' to cover their first 'lie'.
No, it would get ugly and bloody before that happens.
I'm not sure what's going on with this "arrest warrant." Perhaps CPT Hussein really exists. If so, that doesn't automatically confirm a lot of the outlandish things he's been quoted as saying -- I'm really interested to learn more about this.
The AP, Reuters, CNN, etc... are nothing more than tools for Socialists. That is their one and only function.
I never read or watch anything from these 'news' outlets without first understanding that we are dealing with people who possess the mentality of snide 7th grade girls... schoolyard marms with no self control, totally self absorbed in giant waves of petty emotion, and utterly hell bent on getting their way.
> In December, the Gallup Poll reported that 56 percent of Americans believe the mainstream media's reporting of the situation in Iraq is inaccurate.
Inaccuate is when they misspell somebodies name.
What the MSM is selling is flat out lies and propaganda.
I just find it very 'convenient' that the AP is the one reporting an 'arrest' of the same person they 'claim' they got the information from.
I don't believe a word of either story.
The AP has fantasy friends? LOL Is Jamil Hussein a six foot rabbit by any chance?
I don't care what reasons you seem to think the AP is "pulling their stunts". If a reporter was detained, then they detained him for damned good reasons. The US Military isn't like what you see in 1930s movies. They don't come in and "dictate" what civilians do, even in a war zone. That is a crock of crap that the MAIN STREAM MEDIA plays up. American civilians in a war zone are protected IF POSSIBLE. If they are there of their own accord, they may be told not to go to certain areas, but the military isn't going to pick up some American reporter "just cuz they don't like him". If he has put himself in a position of passing intelligence to the enemy though, you can bet your ass they will go after him. -- Period. The AP and other agencies have NO RIGHT TO SPIN THE NEWS.
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