War reporter found dead

[emad]

The UK's BBC reports that:

A former Sky News correspondent who resigned after allegedly faking a report on the war in Iraq has been found dead at his home, it has emerged. James Forlong, 44, was discovered just after 0230 BST on Saturday at Hove in East Sussex. He had worked for the satellite news channel for 10 years and former colleagues at Sky have expressed shock at the news. The journalist resigned in July after allegations a report during the Iraq war had been faked. The move followed Sky's announcement it had suspended Mr Forlong and another journalist and opened an investigation into the claims.

On Monday, a Sussex Police spokesman said: "We can confirm that a 44-year-old man from Hove was found dead at his address in the early hours of Saturday morning." He said the circumstances were not thought to be suspicious and a post-mortem was due to be carried out on Tuesday. Nick Pollard, head of Sky News, said: "This is a terrible personal tragedy and a shocking blow for James's family. "Everyone here sends their deepest sympathies to James's wife and children."

The disputed footage was part of a pool report made available to other news organizations and was also shown on ITV News. It was said to involve a missile launch from submarine HMS Splendid in the Gulf.

<snip>

source:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3168220.stm

resignation story (July): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3078693.stm

[IMayBeWrongBut]

1. This is a confusing story.

What exactly was said in his report that was untrue? anyone know?

[emad]

2. In case you can't read the second link, it says:

Sky journalist resigns over 'fake' report


Sky News journalist James Forlong has resigned after allegations a report during the Iraq war had been faked. His resignation came after Sky announced it had suspended Mr Forlong and another journalist and opened an investigation into the claims.

The Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday that a BBC documentary on the war would show Mr Forlong narrating a clip supposedly of a missile launch from a submarine in the Gulf.

But the newspaper claimed the documentary, Fighting the War, which is due to be screened on Sunday, will say Sky used archive footage to mock up a missile launch.

'Public interest'

Sky said in a statement: "(Our) correspondent James Forlong has resigned following an investigation into allegations that a report by him from submarine HMS Splendid in March contained misleading images and information.

"The report was shot and edited completely on location."

The BBC has so far declined to comment on the report or give details of the incident featured in the documentary.

It said the series "reveals how the war was fought but also how it was reported. We believe it is in the public interest to let viewers know the truth."

Sky had suspended Forlong, as well as producer Lucy Chaytor while it investigated the charge.

The disputed footage was part of a pool report made available to other news organizations and was also shown on ITV News.

[KellyW]

4. Yes, I can tell you what he did

They (skynews) took old film of a training exercise and said that it was film of the sub crew launching a TLAM at Iraq on the day of the report.

[revcarol]

3. Sky=Fox

but in Britain they take lying by reporters seriously.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

11. "Sky = Fox" only happened a few months back...less than a year ago

did Fox merge with Sky....if i remember correctly :shrug:
this reporter worked for sky for 10 years...before murdock bought it

[E_Zapata]

5. We can't rule out,

that maybe the report wasn't faked, but that he wasn't supposed to release the story.

Wasn't there an issue about a missile being shot from a US ship that landed in Kuwait? Or one where the missile hit by 'accident' the oil pipeline to Syria or Jordan......and the US denied it was us.

Who knows? missiles, US ships, reporters. I don't believe anything I hear these days.

And now a suspicious death? hmmmmm.

[knowledgeispower]

8. My thoughts exactly

When I first read this I thought of those exact two incidences, where a missile hit Kuwait and a lot of people were saying it came from a U.S. warship. That was never really resolved, neither was the errant missile that hit the Syria-Jordan pipeline. Maybe the story inadvertently proved that the U.S. WAS behind one of those two incidences.

[goforit]

6. It looks like "the group" didn't want him to spill the beans!!!

Once caught, more important info would come out!!!

UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!..........Cheney works damn hard sweeping under
rugs!!!

[T_i_B]

7. First Kelly, now this.

Although I must admit I don't know too much about what it was he apparently made up.

The first casualty of war is the truth. Never more so then with the invasion of Iraq.

[zanana]

9. They're "suiciding" like lemmings over there!

It doesn't rain THAT much, does it? (sarcasm intended)

[VolcanoJen]

10. kick

:dem:

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Stop with the conspiracies!

The links supplied, as emad pointed out, say what happened - the reporter used film of a dummy launch sequence, and stock footage of a missile launch, and claimed it was the real launching of a missile; when in fact he wasn't on the submarine when it sailed at all. A BBC team was, and their film showed that the launch sequence was a bit different (there's no 'launch' button - it's done with a computer mouse), and that the reporter wasn't there. There's no claim that the submarine didn't fire a missile.
See eg http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism_fraud (wow, Wikipedia already has the news about his death in it!), or http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,999743,00.html for the details.

Sad, really - he wasn't inventing any important fact, just a bit of 'we were there' footage.