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DeCapiGate
The Associated Press, Reuters, and a small Iraqi Independent news agency called Voice of Iraq released stories Thursday about the massacre of 20 men near Salman Pak, who were supposedly found decapitated on the banks of the Tigris River.
But something seemed inherently wrong with the accounts I read from the Associated Press. The only two sources for the Associated Press article were anonymous police, not located in Salman Pak, but from Baghdad (more than dozen miles away) and Kut (more than 75 miles away).
Because of this odd sourcing, I asked Multi-National Corps-Iraq and the PAO liaison to the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior to investigate.
I published their preliminary findings as they came out in Bring Me The Head of Kim Gamel.
This morning, MNF-I PAO published an official denunciation of this story:
June 30, 2007 Release A070630cWouldn't it be nice if the Associated Press had those same standards?
Extremists using false media reporting to incite sectarian violence
BAGHDAD, Iraq Friday, news media reported a mass killing in a village near Salman Pak where 20 men were allegedly found beheaded. It now appears that the story was completely false and fabricated by unknown sources.
Upon learning of the press reports, coalition and Iraqi officials began investigating to determine if the reports were true. Ultimately it was concluded the reports were false.
Anti-Iraqi Forces are known for purposely providing false information to the media to incite violence and revenge killings, and they may well have been the source of this misinformation.
Extremists promote falsehoods of mass killings, collateral damage and other violence specifically to turn Iraqis against other Iraqis, said Rear Admiral Mark Fox, spokesperson for MNF-I. Unfortunately, lies are much easier to state, the truth often takes time to prove, said Fox.
Not all media reports can be immediately substantiated by Government of Iraq or Coalition Forces. They must go through a process to verify such claims, to include checking with various Iraqi Ministrys, local police and security forces. Meanwhile, extremists have achieved their goal of spreading false information aimed at intimidating civilians and destabilizing Iraqi security.
Ultimately, media reporting based on verifiable sources will reduce the possibility of misinformation unnecessarily alarming citizens.
The Associated Press, Reuters, and Voices of Iraq should immediately apologize for publishing this completely false story, and push for immediate retractions. The Associated Press should admit full responsibility for not following good journalistic practices of verifying a story though legitimate responsible sources, as they were in a headlong, reckless rush to publish.
Update: Something somewhat related, from StrategyPage:
...the Japanese psychological warfare effort during World War II included radio broadcasts that could be picked up by American troops. Popular music was played, but the commentary (by one of several English speaking Japanese women) always hammered away on the same points;
1. Your President (Franklin D Roosevelt) is lying to you.
2. This war is illegal.
3. You cannot win the war.
The troops are perplexed and somewhat amused that their own media is now sending out this message.
(Thank Ace for the title of this post)
Update: AFP is now carrying the story.
The US military accused the international media on Saturday of exacerbating Iraq's violent tensions by reporting false claims of massacres which it said were deliberately fabricated by extremist groups.
This week several newspapers and agencies reported that Iraqi police had found 20 beheaded corpses in Salman Pak, just south of Baghdad.
AFP did not carry the report after its sources were unable to confirm the rumour.
OH wait.
I was going by the title of your thread.
Your link....says the beheadings didn't happen.
Whatever. Death, brutality, and violence are happening on a daily basis, on an almost unimaginable scale. I'm not going to quibble about 20 headless bodies.
Kathy - just wondering: knowing what you know now, do you still think invading and occupying iraq was a great idea?
Greast twist. No, I'm way too simple to get any of it.
What's with the MSM? Ignorance or purposefulness? Consider the education level and schools, then choose.
http://confederateyankee.mu.nu/archives/232015.php
I don't understand the response.
Knowing what you know now, do you thing invading and occupying iraq was a great idea? Surely you have an opinion one way or the other.
I don't understand the response.
Knowing what you know now, do you thing invading and occupying iraq was a great idea? Surely you have an opinion one way or the other.
I am sure the troops love to hear how some Americans consider them occupiers
we are not occupiers because to truly occupy means we dont want to leave, and frankly, we wish we could leave. We had logical reasons, we could go in, saddam financing palestinian terrorists, murdering his own people, our oil interests, him shooting at our plaining in no fly zone/ violating the terms of his surrender.
Actually, yes. I'm very disappointed at the administration, which I've made very clear. I don't think it hinged on WMD, there were many good reasons in our interests and those of the Iraqis for the invasion. Occupying force? Bit strong so far. It may come to that, not there yet.
