Reuters' Lynch article brings grief to reporter

Washington Times ^ | July 25, 2003 | Robert Stacy McCain

[MarkDel]

A West Virginia newspaper reporter yesterday accused Reuters, the British news service, of putting her byline on a story about the homecoming of Pfc. Jessica Lynch that she didn't write. The reporter became an object of scorn by talk-radio hosts when the Reuters dispatch appeared, and she wrote a column yesterday for her newspaper explaining that the story was not hers. The controversy is particularly acute in the West Virginia hills, where Pfc. Lynch, from the tiny town of Palestine, is a very special heroine. Deanna Wrenn of the Charleston Daily Mail filed her story last week, at the request of Reuters, about plans for the homecoming of Pfc. Lynch, whose capture and rescue made her the most famous American soldier in the Iraq war, but when it appeared on the Reuters wire, she hardly recognized it. Ms. Wrenn wrote about her experience with big-city journalism yesterday: "This is from a story that Reuters news service ran this week with my byline: " 'Jessica Lynch, the wounded Army private whose ordeal in Iraq was hyped into a media fiction of U.S. heroism, was set for an emotional homecoming on Tuesday. ... Media critics say the TV cameras will not show the return of an injured soldier so much as a reality-TV drama co-produced by the U.S. government propaganda and credulous reporters.' "Got problems with that? "I do, especially since I didn't write it. "Here's what I sent last week to Reuters, a British news agency that compiles news reports from all over the world: 'ELIZABETH [W. Va.]

[MarkDel]

Reuters was not dumb enough to post a phone number on their website, so if any of you can find it, I'd love to see it posted here so I can call these vermin and give em a piece of my mind. However, I did find a link where you can send them e-mail and let them know what we think of their pathetic anti-american attitude.

http://www.reuters.com/helpSectionContactUs.jhtml

[Clara Lou]

Let's see-- Reuters, the NY Times, Maureen Dowd-- what do these all have in common?

[CedarDave]

Here is a formatted version:

Reuters' Lynch article brings grief to reporter


By Robert Stacy McCain
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

A West Virginia newspaper reporter yesterday accused Reuters, the British news service, of putting her byline on a story about the homecoming of Pfc. Jessica Lynch that she didn't write.
The reporter became an object of scorn by talk-radio hosts when the Reuters dispatch appeared, and she wrote a column yesterday for her newspaper explaining that the story was not hers. The controversy is particularly acute in the West Virginia hills, where Pfc. Lynch, from the tiny town of Palestine, is a very special heroine.
Deanna Wrenn of the Charleston Daily Mail filed her story last week, at the request of Reuters, about plans for the homecoming of Pfc. Lynch, whose capture and rescue made her the most famous American soldier in the Iraq war, but when it appeared on the Reuters wire, she hardly recognized it.
Ms. Wrenn wrote about her experience with big-city journalism yesterday:
"This is from a story that Reuters news service ran this week with my byline:
" 'Jessica Lynch, the wounded Army private whose ordeal in Iraq was hyped into a media fiction of U.S. heroism, was set for an emotional homecoming on Tuesday. ... Media critics say the TV cameras will not show the return of an injured soldier so much as a reality-TV drama co-produced by the U.S. government propaganda and credulous reporters.'
"Got problems with that?
"I do, especially since I didn't write it.
"Here's what I sent last week to Reuters, a British news agency that compiles news reports from all over the world: 'ELIZABETH [W. Va.] — In this small county seat with just 995 residents, the girl everyone calls Jessi is a true heroine — even if reports vary about Pfc. Jessica Lynch and her ordeal in Iraq.' "
Ms. Wrenn wrote that Reuters used only a single quote from her original article.
"Apparently, when Reuters asked me last week if they could use my byline, they weren't talking about the story I wrote for them last week. They were talking about a story I never wrote."
"I'm not sure what reporter or editor actually wrote the story that has my byline attached. ... I would like to make it abundantly clear that somebody at Reuters wrote the story, not me."
Radio talk-show hosts and their listeners directed their anger over the Reuters article toward Ms. Wrenn.
"When I got to work Wednesday, e-mail messages were flooding my inbox calling me everything but Peter Arnett," she wrote, referring to the former TV reporter who was fired after giving an interview to Iraqi state TV. She declined yesterday to say anything beyond what she wrote for her newspaper.
"I just wanted to make the point to the people [in Pfc. Lynch´s hometown] about the story," Ms. Wrenn said.
Reuters defended its coverage yesterday after Ms. Wrenn's account appeared on the Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal Web site.
"We always reserve the right to temper a story with copy from both sides of an issue to better service our global readership," Reuters said. "The advance story focused on the media controversy that has ensued since the rescue first took place. ... We feel strongly that our coverage of Private Lynch's return presents both sides of the issue fairly."
Reuters also said that "the controversy surrounding Private Jessica Lynch's capture and rescue is a story of global importance."
"The overnight advance story we carried was based on copy sent to us by Ms. Wrenn, who was working as a free-lancer for us at the time, and was supplemented by additional copy and editing from others Reuters staffers."
That's not how it looked from West Virginia.
"Apparently, when Reuters asked me last week if they could use my byline," Ms. Wrenn wrote, "they weren't talking about the story I wrote for them last week. They were talking about a story I never wrote. By the way, I asked Reuters to remove my byline. They didn't."
Wire services, like newspapers, routinely edit dispatches filed by stringers, often extensively. Newspapers similarly edit dispatches filed by wire services, usually to include additional information or context. But care is taken not to change the meaning of the original dispatches.
Reuters' coverage of the war has been criticized as biased against the coalition effort in Iraq, and particularly against President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair of Great Britain.
"I may not be a member of the world's largest multimedia news agency," Ms. Wrenn wrote. "But I learned at West Virginia University how to report fairly, which is what I thought I was doing for Reuters last week."

[tsmith130]

This story was covered on FNC this morning by Mike Tobin. I only caught the very tail end of it but from the sounds of it, it was NOT too favorable to Reuters. HA!

[MarkDel]

CedarDave,

Thanks for posting that.

Wouldn't it be a damn shame if someone were to dig up a Reuters phone number so they could be freeped?

[CedarDave]

This poor reporter learned BIG TIME about the sorry state of real world journalism. Unfortunately for her, her byline will still be there after her legitimate protests fade.

[joesnuffy]

Reuters ...Fairly Unbalanced

[dandelion]

Susan Heavey, "currently a full-time editor for Reuters news service"...

Her bio page lists some contacts, and she might be able to give some insight into the editorial process.

[sc2_ct]

Wouldn't it be a damn shame if someone were to dig up a Reuters phone number so they could be freeped?

Freep Away! Reuters Limited 85 Fleet Street London, EC4P 4AJ, England 1-800-REUTERS Or you can call the Customer Response Center at 1-800-435-0101 The Customer Services Director can be reached by email at: steve.arthers@reuters.com

[Godzilla]

Wasn't Reuters purchased about 10 years ago by the Saudi's. Any one out there know. Could explain alot.

[MarkDel]

It's my understanding that Reuters is owned by Brits, but I may be wrong.

[MarkDel]

Dandelion,

THANKS. That information could yield some results.

[CholeraJoe]

Reuters - "We distort, you comply."

[Steve_Seattle]

"Reuters also said that "the controversy surrounding Private Jessica Lynch's capture and rescue is a story of global importance."

It's very interesting that they see it that way. It really isn't that big a story (no bigger, that is, than hundreds of other stories that could be told about soldiers in war) unless you want to use it - as Reuters apparently does - to discredit the British/American war effort, to make sure there are no heroes in this war, and to undermine the credibility of the Pentagon and the Bush administration. It has struck me from the very start how the anti-war press has desperately wanted to discredit the Lynch story. They just won't let it go.

[Born Conservative]

Fox News Channel had this story on several times this morning, and included the fact that Reuters still will not call the 9-11 hijackers "terrorists".

[Stultis]

Ping!

[Timesink]

This is the nascent Mainstream Media Shenanigans ping list. Please freepmail me to be added or dropped.
Please note this will likely become a high-volume list.
Also feel free to ping me if you come across a thread you would think worthy of the ping list. I can't catch them all!

[Timesink]

This story was covered on FNC this morning by Mike Tobin. I only caught the very tail end of it but from the sounds of it, it was NOT too favorable to Reuters. HA!

Mike Tobin cut his teeth as an anchor and reporter for the NBC affiliate in the Huntington-Charleston, West Virginia market. You can be damn sure he was pissed off at seeing an adopted "hometowner" screwed over by the subhuman scum at Reuters.

[OldCorps]

just another smear job by the liberal media juggernaut. move along folk, nothing new here.

[lainde]

bttt