Thursday, May 26, 2005
Howie Kurz Protecting Newsweek
Howie Kurz fails to distinguish between Newsweek's reporting that a military investigative report found that Koran desecration actually occurred and the mere reporting of allegations of such desecration by Islamic detainees. Kurz writes
Newsweek's story was not that detainees had alleged Koran desecration. That was old news. The White House and Pentagon would not have reacted to that. Newsweek's story was that the American military investigation would report that the allegations were, in fact, true.
More reports of allegations by detainees of Koran abuse do not substantiate Newsweek's story even if they wer "seen by Isikoff's source." They also do not cast White House reaction to that story in a "slightly different light."
Just to review: Newsweek made a specific error, saying this would
be in a forthcoming military investigative report, and had to apologize and
retract. But that never meant there was no Koran desecration--in fact, The Post
reported such a charge in 2003 (as did other outlets later), but the charges
were always attributed to detainees. Even these documents (which I'll bet were
seen by Isikoff's source) atrribute the allegations to detainees. But that casts
the outraged White House and Pentagon reaction in a slightly different light,
doesn't it?
Newsweek's story was not that detainees had alleged Koran desecration. That was old news. The White House and Pentagon would not have reacted to that. Newsweek's story was that the American military investigation would report that the allegations were, in fact, true.
More reports of allegations by detainees of Koran abuse do not substantiate Newsweek's story even if they wer "seen by Isikoff's source." They also do not cast White House reaction to that story in a "slightly different light."
# posted by Thomas A. Becket : 9:41 AM
