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September 26, 2006
How Wrong Was the NIE Reporting?
Allah shows the differences between how the NIE was reported, and what it actually says.
It won't happen, but this inconsistency does let the reporters off the hook - you don't have to protect a dishonest source. Something tells me, though, we'll never get a name. Reporters these days seem more interested in 'access' than in actually making sure their stories are accurate.
This is a case where what was reported conflicts with what was actually stated in a government paper. It doesn't have to be a total embarrassment for the media - they can restore some integrity by refusing to protect those who broke the law and gave them this information.
So far, the media is failing this test.
An example, from MSNBC:
The war in Iraq has become a “cause célèbre” for Islamic extremists, breeding deep resentment of the U.S. that probably will get worse before it gets better, federal intelligence analysts conclude in a report at odds with President Bush’s contention of a world growing safer.Here's what the NIE actually said:
The Iraq conflict has become the cause celebre for jihadists, breeding a deep resentment of US involvement in the Muslim world and cultivating supporters for the global jihadist movement. Should jihadists leaving Iraq perceive themselves, and be perceived, to have failed, we judge fewer fighters will be inspired to carry on the fight.Emphasis mine. That last sentence gives the story a bit more nuance, wouldn't you say? A bit more context? Who wrote this sorry excuse for a news story?
Jennifer Loven of the Associated Press. Yes, this Jennifer Loven.
Posted by slublog at September 26, 2006 09:09 PM
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