Actions have consequences - Newsweek apologizes for Quran story by Geezer

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Actions have consequences - Newsweek apologizes for Quran story

POSTED BY: GEEZER
UPDATED: Thursday, May 26, 2005 23:51
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Sunday, May 15, 2005 12:22 PM

Keep the Shiny side up

Sorry about the dead and injured, folks. Our bad.

Quote:
NEW YORK (AP) - Newsweek magazine has apologized for errors in a story alleging that interrogators at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay desecrated the Quran, saying it would re-examine the accusations, which sparked outrage and deadly protests in Afghanistan.

Fifteen people died and scores were injured in violence between protesters and security forces, prompting U.S. promises to investigate the allegations.

"We regret that we got any part of our story wrong, and extend our sympathies to victims of the violence and to the U.S. soldiers caught in its midst," Newsweek Editor Mark Whitaker wrote in a note to readers.

http://www.wtop.com/index.php?nid=104&sid=519505

And from Newsweek.

Quote:
How did NEWSWEEK get its facts wrong? And how did the story feed into serious international unrest? While continuing to report events on the ground, NEWSWEEK interviewed government officials, diplomats and its own staffers, and reconstructed this narrative of events...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7857407/site/newsweek/

and from the same article...

Quote:
Extremist agitators are at least partly to blame, but obviously the reports of Qur'anic desecration touch a particular nerve in the Islamic world.

Duh. Do ya think? Then maybe you should make damn sure of your facts before making such accusations, maybe?

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Sunday, May 15, 2005 12:50 PM

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL

You'd think that given the extremely tenuous nature of the situation in Afghanistan, people would be much more thorough in checking out this kind of story.

In America, you could burn a Bible and Christians wouldn't riot. They'd be upset, but I doubt that violence would ensue.

But in strongly Muslim-majority countries without freedom of religion (like Saudi Arabia or Taliban-era Afghanistan) things like this are taken much more seriously. They see this sort of thing not as merely destroying a copy of the Qu'ran, but as an affront to Islam and the Umma in general and themselves in particular. Having spent some time in Oman, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq, I've seen how deeply held these beliefs are.

This was just shoddy journalism on Newsweeks part. Knowing the potential repurcussions of publishing such a story (not just in terms of loss of life but also a loss of what little credibility America has in Muslim nations) you'd think that Newsweek would have been much more careful about it. They ought to be ashamed of themselves for contributing to the deaths of the Afghans, for the weakening of our image and for the loss of influence we have in that fledgling democracy.

_______________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

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Sunday, May 15, 2005 1:41 PM

GINOBIFFARONI

The problem is Newsweek saying " our bad " still doesn't mean it didn't happen, critics will say they are trying to brush the issue aside by accepting blame for what may or may not have actually happened.

Investigations by the US military also will always hold doubt, how can an organization be responsible to investigate themselves with serious self interest question on the line.

These are just some of the reasons why the International Red Cross, etc are there to monitor the condition and treatment of prisoners. When the US government started this " illegal combatant " nonsense, they not only declared themselves above international law, but also exposed themselves to problems like this.

When you try to make up the rules to suit yourself, the truth becomes irrelavant.

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Sunday, May 15, 2005 1:48 PM

GINOBIFFARONI

" People are dead because of what this son of a bitch said. How could he be credible now? "

Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita, quoted by Newsweek

Hmmmmmmmm

Is he talking about the Newsweek reporter ? , or perhaps either Bush or Blair on the WMD issue.

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Sunday, May 15, 2005 3:08 PM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by GinoBiffaroni:
The problem is Newsweek saying " our bad " still doesn't mean it didn't happen, critics will say they are trying to brush the issue aside by accepting blame for what may or may not have actually happened.

At least I didn't title the thread "Newsweek LIED about Quran flushing" based on one rather cryptic sentence in a so far unverified memo, like some around here would.

Let's see how things turn out, instead of rushing to judgement.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Monday, May 16, 2005 2:18 AM

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL

Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:

At least I didn't title the thread "Newsweek LIED about Quran flushing" based on one rather cryptic sentence in a so far unverified memo, like some around here would.

ROFLMMFAO!!

Quote:

Let's see how things turn out, instead of rushing to judgement.

You know this only works one way, right? If Bush seems to be doing something bad, it's rush-to-judgment time. But if someone of *ahem* a different political stripe, let's just wait and see what the evidence says. Hypocrites.

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I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

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Monday, May 16, 2005 6:26 AM

CONNORFLYNN

I dunno..I think both sides tend to rush to judgement and spin it to meet their own ends.

This is just another example of poor journalism. A race to see who can put out the biggest story, whether or not it is fully substantiated. I think that there should also be a higher level of journalistic responsibility.

In my opinion making the Quran flushing an issue in this article AND embellishing it, just points to a desire to inflame the Middle East and devout muslims. It's no different then showing an American burning an American flag ( It used to cause an uproar in the US..now folks can't be bothered to care).

There are no journalistic standards anymore. It used to be that you could read an article and "believe" it had integrity. Now, I can't think of a single news piece that I have read where I didn't first determine what bent it was followed by a healthy dose of skepticism.

PS.. Armageddon is upon us. Hillary and Newt are buddies. You tell me that isn't frightening ROFLMAO.

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Monday, May 16, 2005 8:20 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Ah Geezer- ever the defender of the military, the police, the coporations, and the powerful.

You know, I would be more appreciative of this thread if the news media had ALSO issued multiple mea culpas for the lousy reporting on the rush to war, WMD, the Medicare fiasco, the (lack of) reporting on the "Bush lied" UK memo, and all the other half*ssed/ biased/ sloppy reporting that they've done in the past six years on behalf of a pathological administration. Judith Miller of the NY Times, for example, just took Chalabi's fantasies about WMD and spewed them all over the NY Times without any verification whatsoever, and those stories put considerable weight behind the invasion. (Never mind that Chalabi had already been discredited by the CIA.)

www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_
id=1000523774

Now Newsweek gets all squirmy about it's story, which may have caused 15 deaths and may be true. What about the USA military and Iraqi dead? Did you know, for example, that the number of USA military casualties from Bush's Mideast Adventure is over 6000, NOT 1500?? In a break from previous reporting, the military command has decided that if the wounded die on their way to Germany, or in the German hospital they are not counted by the military as having died "in" Iraq. THAT'S why "they" don't want pix of the coffins coming home- it might be too easy to get an accuate body count! Cute, huh?

I'll be waiting for an apology on that little item, but I won't be holding my breath.

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Monday, May 16, 2005 9:15 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
Ah Geezer- ever the defender of the military, the police, the coporations, and the powerful.

Funny, I always considered Newsweek part of "...the corporations, and the powerful."

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Monday, May 16, 2005 9:35 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Oh please Geezer, I knew you would say that... except when they're trumped by Bush & Co.

Let's see- you couldn't decide if the commandment was about "killing" or "murder". You identify with Mal and and Zoe because of their "optimism" but kind of miss their relationship with authority. You are all tweaked about the 15 dead due to THIS story, but not about the 6000+ dead in Iraq. (Your first line would work even better about the WMD coverage.) You support "our troops" except when they're getting killed, in which case you support the command structure all the way up to that lying SOB in office.

Do you make a POINT of missing the point?

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Monday, May 16, 2005 9:50 AM

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
Do you make a POINT of missing the point?

My God. You wonder why Geezer et al don't listen to you? Because you come from the stand point that you can't possibly be wrong and therefore won't listen to the opinions of others (especially those of a conservative/pro-military perspective). You seem to think that if someone's beliefs run contrary to yours, it isn't because they've made an informed (but alternate) decision--it's because they're stupid. Why should anyone bother interacting with you? You've made it manifestly clear that all you're interested in is 1) trashing the administration, 2) trashing the military, and 3) trashing the U.S. in general. And as an conservative Republican military veteran of Afghanistan and Iraq, that's awfully irritating. It's clear we're not going to agree. But the least we can do is agree to disagree and leave each other alone. Run along, now.

_______________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

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Monday, May 16, 2005 9:59 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
Oh please Geezer, I knew you would say that... except when they're trumped by Bush & Co.

Let's see- you couldn't decide if the commandment was about "killing" or "murder". You identify with Mal and and Zoe because of their "optimism" but kind of miss their relationship with authority. You are all tweaked about the 15 dead due to THIS story, but not about the 6000+ dead in Iraq. (Your first line would work even better about the WMD coverage.) You support "our troops" except when they're getting killed, in which case you support the command structure all the way up to that lying SOB in office.

Do you make a POINT of missing the point?

Sorry. I thought for a moment that I might have the privilege of discussing what I wanted in my own thread without having to deal with the "Protector of Evil" label and an inquisition about something from another topic entirely.

I keep forgetting that no one except yourself has a right to an opinion, and that any variation from your party line makes one fair game for insult, derision and hatred. Sort of makes trying to actually have a discussion with you an excercise in futility.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

Edit: Oh,darn. Crossposted with Inevitable. Now it's gonna look like a right-wing conspiracy to pile on poor SignyM.

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Monday, May 16, 2005 10:00 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

I'm not claiming that Geezer disagrees with me. The problem is he disagrees with HIMSELF. And it's not because Geezer is stupid. Far from it, he is a very bright individual.

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Monday, May 16, 2005 10:04 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Hello Geezer.

Oh yes, poor me! (sob sob) That's okay, no offense taken. In any case, I think I've made my point, so I'll be out of this thread.

Have a nice day, y'all.

Edited to add: On reflection, I apologize for stomping around in hobnail boots.

Have a nice day- again.

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Monday, May 16, 2005 1:11 PM

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL

Quote:
Originally posted by Geezer:
[Edit: Oh,darn. Crossposted with Inevitable. Now it's gonna look like a right-wing conspiracy to pile on poor SignyM.

ROFLMMFAO

_______________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

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Monday, May 16, 2005 1:12 PM

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL

Quote:
Originally posted by SignyM:
I think I've made my point, so I'll be out of this thread.

Thank GOD.

_______________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

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Monday, May 16, 2005 1:18 PM

SIMONWHO

Isn't it weird that we can hold people prisoner without trial, end their civil rights, torture them for information and things are relatively quiet. Then a news story gets published about a book getting destroyed and suddenly the Islamic world is up in arms?

There's some weird value judgements going on in the world today.

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Monday, May 16, 2005 3:41 PM

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL

Quote:
Originally posted by SimonWho:
Isn't it weird that we can hold people prisoner without trial, end their civil rights, torture them for information and things are relatively quiet. Then a news story gets published about a book getting destroyed and suddenly the Islamic world is up in arms?

There's some weird value judgements going on in the world today.

Isn't really weird how people can see innocent third-party non-combatants being brutally beheaded by Muslim fanatics and not get upset, but when prisoners are stripped naked and photographed they lose their minds?

Weird value judgments indeed.

What I find absolutely disgusting--forget weird--is how the left will give the benefit of the doubt to the Muslim fanatics, but won't extend the same to the military forces of their own country.

_______________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

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Monday, May 16, 2005 5:11 PM

GINOBIFFARONI

" These are just some of the reasons why the International Red Cross, etc are there to monitor the condition and treatment of prisoners. When the US government started this " illegal combatant " nonsense, they not only declared themselves above international law, but also exposed themselves to problems like this. "

I would have made this point reguardless of who made this decision. Not allowing the Red Cross in to monitor
A) Makes it look like something is going on

B) Puts the people serving in these places in the worse possible position in reguards to liability, look at the Iraq prison scandal.

C) Opens your own people up to the same treatment

" let's just wait and see what the evidence says "

I'm saying the damage has been done, the evidence, the truth for that matter is irrelevant. The perception of what may have happened has and will continue to do this damage, and it is not the fault of the poor bastard in Gitmo, it is the way this situation has been handled from day one. Secret Trials, secret investigations.... no amount of evidence will be completly accepted.

" Looking for a place to happen
Making stops along the way "

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Monday, May 16, 2005 11:34 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

Hey Inevitable- thanks to your gracious acceptance of my apology (not) I decided re-open my participation in this thread. I guess actions really DO have consequences, don't they?

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Tuesday, May 17, 2005 12:01 AM

SIMONWHO

Quote:
Originally posted by InevitableBetrayal:
Quote:
Originally posted by SimonWho:
Isn't it weird that we can hold people prisoner without trial, end their civil rights, torture them for information and things are relatively quiet. Then a news story gets published about a book getting destroyed and suddenly the Islamic world is up in arms?

There's some weird value judgements going on in the world today.

Isn't really weird how people can see innocent third-party non-combatants being brutally beheaded by Muslim fanatics and not get upset, but when prisoners are stripped naked and photographed they lose their minds?

Weird value judgments indeed.

What I find absolutely disgusting--forget weird--is how the left will give the benefit of the doubt to the Muslim fanatics, but won't extend the same to the military forces of their own country.

_______________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

Er, how does my comment in any way give the benefit of the doubt to Muslim fanatics? If you actually read it, it's a judgement against Muslim fanatics for being more concerned about the pages of a book than human beings.

And once more, two wrongs don't make a right. I firmly believe that our nations (the US and the UK) are better than theirs so let's keep proving that by acting like civilised human beings and not go down to their level.

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 5:46 AM

HERO

Quote:
Originally posted by SimonWho:
Isn't it weird that we can hold people prisoner without trial, end their civil rights, torture them for information and things are relatively quiet. Then a news story gets published about a book getting destroyed and suddenly the Islamic world is up in arms?

There's some weird value judgements going on in the world today.

I agree. I read everyone's posts and I think most of the discussion is irrelevant. The ultimate responsibility here lies with the American government's irresponisble decision to detain all these people in the first place. I think everyone can agree that we would be far better off if we had just chopped their heads off on live TV like the rest of the world seems to prefer.

Our commitment to human rights and values, continues to cause us trouble.

Perhaps we should require our media to submit to govt censors to ensure their stories send the right message. That works in other countries as well.

If we executed our prisoners and our less cooperative media, then not only would our immediate problems be solved, but our long term ones as well, after all the terrorists would no longer want to fight us, cause it'd be like fighting themselves. We could join them and together we and the terrorists could bring down all the worlds Democratic governments and wipe the Jews from the earth. Because ultimately its not about the Koran, the war on terror, or anything else, its about killing jews, enslaving women, and concentrating power in the hands of radical Islamic clerics. And I think we can all get behind that, since we can't seem to get behind those who oppose them.

H

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Wednesday, May 18, 2005 10:08 AM

SIMONWHO

I don't think anyone can see the current United States government joining forces with a terrorist group. After all, one of those two is a group who doesn't care about human life, attacks targets even when thousands of civilians will die, ignores basic human rights and hides behind their projected image of being "religious", all to promote their new world order.

Just because Stalin invaded Nazi Germany doesn't mean he was a good guy. Just because you think the US government is acting illegally, immorally and illogically doesn't mean that you support the other guys.

>> I think everyone can agree that we would be far better off if we had just chopped their heads off on live TV like the rest of the world seems to prefer.

I think you'll find "the rest of the world" is actually a good deal more civilised than you think. For example, we consider capital punishment an abomination. How about you?

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Thursday, May 19, 2005 8:18 PM

PIRATEJENNY

do you truly believe that the violence in Afganstan has to do with a article in NewsWeek!!!

which happens to be old news anyway!!

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Wednesday, May 25, 2005 9:12 PM

NEUTRINOLAD

Did anyone read the March story in Harper's, Flushed With Enthusiasm?
http://www.harpers.org/TheArmyWeHave.html
I guess Harper's needs to hire away Newsweek's Afghanistan circulation department. Yup, that's the only logical explanation I can conjure.
My, isn't the sky a pretty shade of polka-dot today?

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Thursday, May 26, 2005 11:51 PM

NEUTRINOLAD

Answer came there none.
But that was hardly strange,
As they had been,
And done,
And gone.

So let's have no more foolishness that it is the reports, and not the actions, that provoke the response.

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