NPR Selling the "Death By Newsweek" story

[Orrex]

In the 9:00pm GMT hourly broadcast of headlines, NPR's Corva Coleman reported that the Whitehouse approves of Newsweek's retraction as a "first step" toward correcting their error. Additionally, Colemen stated, without clarification, the Newsweek story "resulted in the deaths of fifteen people" in Afghanistan.

Admittedly, I'm not 100% certain that that quote's verbatim, but it's accurate in essence.

I know that hourly headlines are no venue for an intricate back-and-forth between debaters, but this is ridiculous. Since we're already getting the "Newsweek killed Afghanis" mantra 24/7 on the MSM, it's a shame that NPR has chosen to jump on the bandwagon.

It's not Coleman's fault per se, since she's just reading what's on the paper in front of her, but it's an ugly reflection upon NPR.

[Alpharetta]

1. I wonder how NPR knows it caused the death of 15 people

did they vet that statistic?

[bpilgrim]

2. why don't they HANG the RIGHT for their much WORSE 'errors'

why don't they INTERVIEW some of the FORMER detainees?

peace

[The_Casual_Observer]

3. Just in case we missed the point, NPR is making clear, over and over

Newsweek is the cause of all the trouble in Afghanistan, never mind that the riots had nothing to do with the prison thing, and everything to do with conditions there. This is the biggest smokescreen they have devised in months.

[crispini]

4. I just wrote them a SCATHING note

and included this link to the DOD newsbriefing:

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2005/tr20050512-secdef2761.html

relevant part:

Q: Do either one of you have anything about the demonstrations in Afghanistan, which were apparently sparked by reports that there was a lack of respect by some interrogators at Guantanamo for the Koran. Do either one of you have anything to say about that?

GEN. MYERS: It's the -- it's a judgment of our commander in Afghanistan, General Eikenberry, that in fact the violence that we saw in Jalalabad was not necessarily the result of the allegations about disrespect for the Koran -- and I'll get to that in just a minute -- but more tied up in the political process and the reconciliation process that President Karzai and his Cabinet is conducting in Afghanistan. So that's -- that was his judgment today in an after- action of that violence. He didn't -- he thought it was not at all tied to the article in the magazine.

Ya'll, why not do the same? I really enjoyed telling them off. They used to be so respected and now they're regurgiating RW swill! :mad:

[whistle]

5. NPR, the newest foster child of MSM and being fully groomed...

...as comfortable media whores and journalistic neo-cons. Guilt by projection and deflection.

Sorry, but the deaths of Afghanistan's are the result of the American occupation and the visual presence of U.S. troops there. The Newsweek story just coincidental and is the only the latest BushCo scapegoat.

<snip>
Wake Up and Smell the Fascism

In "Fascism Anyone?," Laurence Britt identifies 14 characteristics common to fascist regimes. His comparisons of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto, and Pinochet yielded this list of 14 "identifying characteristics of fascism."

1.) Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
2.) Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
3.) Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause

<more>
<link> http://www.oldamericancentury.org/14pts.htm

[Coexist]

6. Sentences don't kill people

People kill people