Muslims stage anti-US rallies over Koran abuse report

There are at least 15 people who might say Newsweek is fairly unethical. They can't say it, however, because they're dead.

Newsweek apologized to them.

Did you read the question?

I was actually asking as a general thing - hoping to remove it from this particular scenario - but whatever.

I am aware that it is a bit of a detour for the thread.

A responsible journalist will have more than one credible source for every story.

If the source is not credible--you decide that BEFORE running the story--not after.

They knew their source was not credible, but didn't care. They wanted an anti-Bush, anti-Iraq war scoop.

Well. They got one. I hope they have to pay for what they've done.

Well, indeed: that should be.

But, especially re 'scandals', it seems to be impossible. (Actually I'm sure, most would have been still unknown, if for every story more than one [credible] source had been taken.)

I agree with Walter.

The pertinent line from the WaPo story:



Hell, it was true when the guy first told him, it's true now! They just didn't know the Muslim world was gonna blow up over it, seeing as we've been torturing and killing their fellow citizens for some time now and they seem pretty much okay with that, so how does tearing up and flushing a book rate?

Cycloptichorn

soooo... let me see how far we've gone...

There is a thread referring to gun control and demanding media control, another thread talking about the nation's #2 communist propaganda organ, and one more thread where the author says in the first post: "While I don't sympathize with much about the deaths (merely more evidence of the degenerative nature of Islamic societies - they'll kill each other based on a vague rumor that their fanatical religion has been tarnished. I doubt Christians would start killing each other on a flimsy Al Jazeera rumor that Al Qaedans flushed the New Testament down the toilet. And if they did that would be good riddance to bad rubbish.)..."

Has anybody paid attention to the situation in the ME? No? Hmmm....

Interesting:

White House says Newsweek report damaged U.S. image

and

Pentagon says story on Koran desecration "irresponsible"

http://www.kfvs12.com/Global/story.asp?S=3351333

Al Jazeera: Updated on: Tuesday 17 May 2005, 0:01 Makka Time, 21:01 GMT

Lead Headline: Kuwaiti women win political rights

Top News
• Uzbek violence spreads as toll rises
• Several killed in Iraq blast
• Aid worker abducted in Kabul
• US report: Iraq rewarded Russians

Arab World
• Darfur summit opens in Libya
• Palestinian death strains ceasefire
• Israelis grilled in al-Aqsa attack plot
• Israel bars Mahathir from Jerusalem

Global
• US report: Iraq rewarded Russians
• Yukos ex-boss trial verdict awaited
• Abbas secures more Japanese aid
• Magazine casts doubt on Quran report

Special Reports
• Taysir Alluni: A reporter behind bars
• In pursuit of Arab reform
• Palestine: The people and the land
• Iraq under occupation

Most Emailed Stories
• Protests over Quran report grow
• Brazil summit policies at odds with US
• Fuel cell to run on blood
• Palestinians mark day of catastrophe
• US Palestine policy called hypocritical


So - The first edition of Tuesday May 17 Al Jazeera has 2 mentions of the Qu'ran flap; A 4th Bullet under "Global News", referrencing Newsweeks "Doubts" concernining the allegation, and a 1st Bullet under "Most emailed" referrencing the May 14 Global News article which is the core of the flap. The current Global News "Top Stories" include 5 articles on the Ethiopian political situation, an article on Turkish military action against Kurdish rebels, 2 articles referencing the reported CIA attack on the Al Queda leader in Pakistan, an article on unrest in Uzbekistan, and an an article referrencing Annan's UN reform initiative. It ain't big news on Al Jazeera, and its pretty much the same both on Al Bawaba and Al Arabiya - mention, but no big play. Its undeniably there on The Arab Street, but it appears not to be an obsession at the moment.

I hope the story wasn't true. Showing disresepect for a prisoner's religion would be an improper way to question him. Where, however, is the probe into taking Western civilians hostage, threatening to kill them to blackmail their countries, and sawing their living, screaming heads off? This is a double standard a mile wide.

And now,

Revel--

I didn't see anyone say anything hateful about Muslims. The equivalent is tearing up a Bible in front of a lot of Christians.

They would be mad--but they wouldn't be so damaged the government would demand an apology.

Perspective.

Its really not bad at all.

If it did happen, I don't see how it would be useful, but no biggie. This opinion doesn't equate with hatred of Muslims.

Not being a Christian myself, I asked my wife who is. Her response to the destruction of the Bible was this. "I feel sorry for them." I asked her if she would riot or cause trouble. She said "Why. That doesn't make any sense to cause death and damage because a Bible was destroyed."

U.S. "Deeply Disturbed" by Reports Uzbek Troops Fired on Protestors
Rice says U.S. is encouraging Uzbek government to make reforms

Washington -- The United States is "deeply disturbed" by reports that Uzbek troops fired on demonstrators May 13, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said during the daily press briefing May 16.

"We certainly condemn the indiscriminate use of force against unarmed civilians and deeply regret any loss of life," Boucher said.

According to news reports, Uzbek government soldiers opened fire on thousands of protestors in the eastern Uzbekistan city of Andijan May 13 after demonstrators stormed a jail to free 23 men accused of "Islamic extremism." Some reports have put the death toll in the hundreds.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, returning May 16 from a trip to Iraq, told journalists that the United States is "still trying to understand" what happened in Andijan. "The main preoccupations are now to encourage everybody to forgo any further violence, to help with the refugees that went into Kyrgyzstan out of Uzbekistan, and to try to deal with the consequences right now of this set of issues," she said, according to an Associated Press account of the briefing.

"We have been encouraging the [Islom] Karimov government to make reforms, to make the system more open," she told reporters. "This is a country that needs, in a sense, the pressure valves that come from a more open political system."

Boucher said the United States continues to urge the Uzbek government "to exercise restraint, stressing that violence cannot lead to long-term stability. And we've made that point with senior Uzbek authorities in Washington and Tashkent."

Boucher also condemned the armed attack by the demonstrators on the prison in Andijan and other government facilities as "the kind of violence that we cannot countenance in any way."

"There's nothing that justifies acts of violence or terrorism, and we're very concerned at reports of either the release or the escape of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan members," he said.

The United States has designated the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) a terrorist organization.

Boucher said the United States is urging the Uzbek government to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organizations full access to the region, both "so we can get the facts … [and] so they can help take care of people that may need their help."

"We also urge the Uzbek government to restore full access to news broadcasts and the Internet for its population, so people can know what's going on," he said.

"But we also want to continue to make the point that the stability in Uzbekistan ultimately depends on their government reaching out to the citizenry and instituting real reforms, political reforms, economic reforms, the rule of law, and addressing its human rights problems," Boucher said. "We're disappointed in the degree of progress we've seen, and we will continue to work with the Uzbeks to address all these areas."

He noted that the United States has documented in its annual human rights reports and elsewhere that the tag of "Islamic extremist" has been used too broadly by the government of Uzbekistan, "and that there needs to be more respect for people who want to peacefully exercise their religion."

However, "no one can deny that Uzbekistan has faced a problem of terrorism by real extremists who are violent, who are trying to overthrow the government and kill people, and those people need to be dealt with as well," Boucher added.

He reiterated U.S. support for the Uzbek government's fight against terrorism while again citing the U.S. government's long-standing call for democratic reforms that "allow people who have a peaceful view of Uzbekistan's evolution to find an outlet in the political system for that view."
Created:16 May 2005 Updated: 16 May 2005

I think Newsweek is a complete shitrag, just like almost every other magazine, and their "journalists" are lazy f*cking morons with an axe to grind, just like almost every other journalist. It's the way of the world. It's what happens when your society decides that accountability should be done away with.

But the fact that people were killed over this just shows how important religion is to a lot of muslim extremists. That's f*cked up, and they are complete f*cking scum.

F*cking A, kicky. You tell 'em. Me, I stutter.

IT NEEDS TO BE SAID AGAIN

This story ran in Newsweek in the first place, without appropriate corroboration, because of Newsweek's intense desire to publish a story that would embarrass the Bush Administration.

Newsweek says that "there was absolutely no lapse in journalistic standards here." Some are taking Newsweek to task for that statement. As an editorial in today's Wall Street Journal says: "But if printing such an explosive allegation based on the memory of what a single, anonymous source claims he read is standard Newsweek procedure--no documents were even produced--its readers must wonder about the rest of its content too."

But .. Newsweek says that there was no laps in journalistic standards. Before we can gauge whether or not that statement is correct we need to have some idea of just what journalistic "standards" Newsweek is measuring itself by.

Might I submit to you that the Newsweek journalistic "standards" bear close resemblance to the following:

1. The Bush Administration didn't rely on faulty intelligence in its move to depose Saddam Hussein; instead, Bush "lied."
2. Any story from an anonymous source critical of a Republican president, no matter how thinly based or weakly corroborated, must be initially believed as true and may be reported as such if deadlines are close.
3. Any story from an anonymous source critical of a Democratic president must be initially believed as untrue and should only be published out of a fear that some other news organization is going to publish it before you do.
4. Torture of Muslims is a widespread and accepted part of the U.S. military culture.
5. Virtually all of the detainees being held in Guantanamo are innocent and should be immediately released, perhaps with reparations payments for their incarceration.
6. Every action involving the U.S. military under other than a Democratic commander in chief will, within no less than 21 days, become a "quagmire."
7. There is no legitimate reason for the application of U.S. military force overseas under a Republican president until after the nuclear tipped missiles are actually launched.
8. There is no reason not to apply U.S. military force overseas under a Democratic president.
9. Anti-war activists are prone to tell the truth. Military officials are prone to lie.
10. Reporters never lie, unless they work for The Washington Times or the Fox News Channel.
11. America is great because of its government, so long as that government is controlled by Democrats.
12. If the United States government is controlled by Republicans, America is not great.
13. Freedom has nothing to do with America's greatness, no matter who is in control of our government.

Yeah .. I could go on with the list, but you get the idea. Newsweek had a story that could embarrass the Bush Administration and denigrate our military. Under Newsweek's loose standards the story ran. It fit the template ... that template being that any story critical of the Bush administration, our war effort in Afghanistan or Iraq, or our military must be given every benefit of the doubt.

And people died.