Patterico's Pontifications

1/2/2007

Does the AP Have a “Scandal” on its Hands?

Filed under: General,Media Bias,War — Patterico @ 12:13 pm



Eason “Saddam appeaser” Jordan says:

If an Iraqi police captain by the name of Jamil Hussein exists, there is no convincing evidence of it – and that means the Associated Press has a journalistic scandal on its hands that will fester until the AP deals with it properly.

And the AP responds with a dismissive wave of the hand:

Kathleen Carroll, AP executive editor, told E&P today that she had not read Jordan’s latest item, posted Monday, and likely would not.

(H/t Armed Liberal; emphasis mine.)

This attitude is quite similar to that expressed by humor columnist Joel Stein in today’s L.A. Times (h/t ada):

DON”T E-MAIL me. . . . I don’t want to talk to you; I want to talk at you.

. . . .

I get that you have opinions you want to share. That’s great. You’re the Person of the Year. I just don’t have any interest in them.

. . . .

A lot of e-mail screeds argue that, in return for the privilege of broadcasting my opinion, I have the responsibility to listen to you. I don’t. No more than you have a responsibility to read me. I’m not an elected servant. I’m an arrogant, solipsistic, attention-needy freak who pretends to have an opinion about everything. I don’t have time to listen to you. I barely have time to listen to me.

Heh. That sums up the attitude of the AP‘s Kathleen Carroll towards Eason Jordan and other critics of the Jam(a)il Hussein stories.

The difference is, I’m pretty sure that Joel Stein is kidding. Kathleen Carroll isn’t.

If Carroll were inclined to listen to her critics, she might want to check out Bob Owens’s attempt to corroborate the events described in the 40 of the 60 Jam(a)il Hussein stories. After doing the grunt work, he concluded:

I was completely unable to find a definitive corroborating account of any of Jamil Hussein’s accounts, anywhere.

Owens’s work is not definitive, as he readily admits. His limitations include a lack of access to Lexis/Nexis, and a lack of fluency in foreign languages that limits his search to English-language stories. But his research is likely to be a springboard for further research by people who are not so limited.

Remember how Eric Boehlert said:

Warbloggers also make a big deal that I didn’t mention that the AP has used Jamil Hussein as a source for approximately 60 articles, which proves they’re not obsessed over a single story, but think it represents a wider, systemic problem. But warbloggers have had a month to dissect those 60 articles that quote Hussein and, as far as I can tell, they haven’t found a mountain of factual errors in any of them.

As Boehlert phrases it, his claim is still true . . . but the fact that Owens was unable to find definitive corroboration for a single one of the 40 stories he looked at should be a cause for concern for the AP — that is, if they cared at all what their critics say.

Ms. Carroll, I’ve got “news” for you: this is not going away. The bunker mentality is not going to work.

P.S. While I want to know more about Jam(a)il Hussein, I continue to believe that it is a mistake to focus on his “existence” to the exclusion of focusing on the other problems with the AP story. I am primarily concerned with the fact that the initial AP story on the “burning six” reported that four mosques were burned. The AP later dialed that back to one mosque, but never admitted error. I’d like to see pictures of those mosques — a possibility that Armed Liberal has dangled in front of us for days. Pictures like that would be a hard fact that we could compare to Jam(a)il Hussein’s story — and if they contradict him, then Owens’s lack of corroboration for 40 other stories takes on new significance.

27 Responses to “Does the AP Have a “Scandal” on its Hands?”

  1. Here you go again, getting all testy with the AP.

    Seriously, I agree that Ms. Carroll doesn’t seem happy that this story won’t go away and, on a side note, I’m not as convinced as you are that Joel Stein is “just kidding.” But I think Steve has already telegraphed the liberal response to any evidence there were no mosques burned. As he commented in an earlier thread, it’s been over a month and the repairs have probably already been made.

    To put it in legal terms, if you want to challenge the AP, the burden shifts to the reader to immediately disprove the truth of the story. Or, to put it in the vernacular, “You snooze, you lose.”

    DRJ (51a774)

  2. This “controversy” gives me tired head and puts me to sleep. Unless you guys can unkill the 150,000 – 650,000 Iraqis who have been killed as a direct result of this war by attacking “biased liberal media” stories, I ain’t interested.

    Xanthippas (a4855e)

  3. What is APs corporate structure. How does the AP continue to be a news source with such conduct.

    davod (5fdaa2)

  4. Ms. Carroll reminds me of a character in one of my kids’ books, Edwina: the dinosaur who didn’t know she was extinct. In the book a young boy, aptly named, “Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie”, tries to publicly protest Edwina’s existence by holding up a sign in front of her that says, “This is not happening!”

    Jamfish (c74f14)

  5. And yet you, tired head and all, chose to comment on a story you ‘aint’t interested’ in. Makes sense.

    I disagree with Patterico on the point that the mosques are the point of no return. Since the A(w/t)P did correct that part of the story (however sneaky) they will simply say that they corrected it and just failed to mention it.

    The existence (lack thereof) of Jami(a)l Hussein and his 60+ stories for A(w/t)P is the ‘holy grail’ of the story.

    He hasn’t been used since this broke and the (other) MSM can’t even find him. If his safety was an issue, he wouldn’t be a named source for 60+ stories, giving his name, rank and location would be enough for anyone to find him (if he did exsist).

    16k people (iraqis) died in Iraq this year. Either this year was very good or the previous estimates were very bad. Considering Lancelet said 655k people in 5 years, you may want to look more into that Xanth.

    Lord Nazh (d282eb)

  6. The AP is a combine that is supported by fees paid by the media outlets that use their stories, davod.

    Do any of the bloggers who complain about the AP actually pay for all the content they use from the AP?

    Neville Chamberlain (80a4fa)

  7. As a prosecutor, you should know Stein is an alleged humor columnist.

    Bradley J. Fikes (6f0d05)

  8. Eason Jordan calls out al-AP on Jamilgate!Updated and bumped: al-AP “responds”…

    CENTCOM says AP’s Iraqi police source isn’t Iraqi police — Part 27 — Continued from this post. When I heard Eason Jordan had crawled out from under his rock I figured the best thing to do was just ignore him,…

    Bill's Bites (72c8fd)

  9. Look at Carroll’s statements in Editor & Publisher today. She says the area in which the Captain works(worked?) was not only dangerous, but was “ethnically cleansed.” http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003526364
    Is this the start of the “we can’t produce him because he’s dead” story? Or can one use the “ethnically cleansed” comment to help determine where his sympathies lie (Sunni or Shiite) depending on who did the cleansing? And what “ethnic cleansing” is she referring to? That phrase carries huge implications—was the area where he was stationed the subject of a wholesale tribal/religious/political wipeout of a part of the populace? And finally, if it’s too dangerous to get hold of him now, how was it the AP continually reached him for the 60 or so stories quoting him?

    Kyle (dca2a1)

  10. Well, if the good Captain is dead (or in a coma), Bob Woodward can interview him and then tell us the real truth.

    Old Coot (581b7e)

  11. We are as likely to get a straight answer from the AP as we are from Lucy Ramirez, Dan Blather, and Mary Mapes. They have lied and can’t afford to back down. Therefore, any AP story that uses similar “sources” (word used loosely) is automatically suspect. If they could produce Jamail Hussein him, they would. They can’t, so they stonewall.

    The truth may be out there, but it does not reside with the AP.

    Bill M (b7df02)

  12. Compare & contrast the present scandal with Rathergate. From the most cynical perspective, CBS’ “mistake” – which led to exposure & embarrassment – was the publish the PDFs of the fake memos on its website. After which, the bloggers pounced & revealed the “evidence” to be a crock.

    The Associated (with terrorists) Press, on the other hand, may be taking the smarter tack. If you just make stuff up, and then get indignant when asked for evidence, what can outsiders to expose a possible lie? Just make stuff up & stonewall (if that’s what the AP is doing; I don’t really know), and then, apparently, you’re bulletproof.

    Brian (d5c090)

  13. Did the right wing bloggers who were offered a free trip to Baghdad to look for the good captain ever work up the nerve to go?

    Neville Chamberlain (80a4fa)

  14. Eason Jordan is playing for page views or whatever they call them. He’s merchandising residual “insider contacts” in Iraq, which almost certainly died (horribly?) years ago. The AP’s blog dilemma to him is a springboard not a predicament.

    steve (bdafe4)

  15. AP Continues Stonewalling on Jamil Hussein…

    The AP continues to stonewall on presenting any evidence corroborating the 60+ stories that featured Jamil Hussein as a witness….

    A Blog For All (59ce3a)

  16. Neville,

    Did the right wing bloggers who were offered a free trip to Baghdad to look for the good captain ever work up the nerve to go?


    I don’t know. Did Eason Jordan ever come through with the tickets so they ould go to Iraq?

    DRJ (51a774)

  17. Neville:
    Did the members of the left-wing Associated Press who can travel first-class at company expense to Baghdad and look for the good captain ever work up the integrity to go?

    Perfect Sense (b6ec8c)

  18. […] Flopping Aces: “Eason Jordan Urging AP To Investigate” Confederate Yankee: Gone in 60 Stories: The Grunt Work Confederate Yankee: Gone in 60 Stories Richard Miniter: Jamil Hussein and Confedeate Yankee Ace of Spades: Cool Facts About Police Captain Jamil Hussein Ace of Spades: “Katty Carroll To Critics: Drop Dead” Patterico: Does the AP have a “scandal” on its hands? Video at Hot Air: Brit Hume covers Jamilgate Allah on Eason Bruce Kesler: AP & Eason Jordan & MSM Self-Responsibility Armed Liberal: It’s just a scratch […]

    Right Voices » Blog Archive » Please Help Sponsor Michelle Malkin’s Trip To Iraq! (1466f5)

  19. #13
    Neville, apparently they have lives (unlike you, who trolls, and me, who cannot resist the urge to point out the follies of a simpleton like you). According to this post: http://michellemalkin.com/archives/006634.htm, not only are they going, they are planning to spend some time embedded with the troops.

    Some Other Steve (SOS) (649c9f)

  20. Neville Chamberlain

    Your question about whether Michelle Malkin has the nerve to go to Baghdad has been blown to smithereens by Makin’s announcement of a full trip – not at Eason Jordan;s expense – to expose much more of AP’s lies. Bad timing, sunshine !

    (BTW, your screen name is appropriate. You appear to belong to the appeasement end of the opinion spectrum – like spineless AP itself.)

    JohninLondon (1075b6)

  21. I wonder if the “military embed” status will afford Michelle the freedom of movement and go-to-the-source access as Eason Jordan’s proposed venture.

    She promises answers to “unresolved questions–not only about Jamil Hussein and the Hurriya six burning Sunnis allegations, but also about the AP four burning mosque story discrepancies and the many other AP sources that our military has publicly challenged..”

    It’s not like an embed gets to hand a morning check list to a military driver and interpreter. There aren’t any “let’s-stop-here-for-a-minute” meanderings on a combat or patrol mission. If an assigned PAO escorts her, as MAJ McClung did Oliver North, I can see dividends.

    I still question Eason Jordan’s scruples and motives, but he might have fashioned a plan that would work. This seems like a vanity ploy. Meaningful answers aren’t likely with this game plan.

    [She didn’t promise answers, nor could she. She promised to do reporting to address those issues. Are you suggesting that military embeds are safe? — P]

    steve (bdafe4)

  22. I’m suggesting a military embed cannot task a patrol to Hurriyah to photograph mosque damage and then swing by the police station a few miles away.

    Eason Jordan’s idea – at least I understood it – would have allowed for private itineraries. How do you determine the provenance of media stringers any other way?

    [Part of the problem is not nobody — not the AP, and not Michelle — can safely stroll into a police station in al-Khadra, if that’s where Hussein really is (as the AP says). As I understand it, that area is essentially controlled by insurgents. I almost did a post on that fact this morning, but I’m waiting for a source to give me quotes. You could be right that Jordan had something better planned. If he did, he should say so. And if he can get it done, he should offer it. But at this point, you don’t know anything about either end — so why not save the criticism until you actually know something? — P]

    steve (bdafe4)

  23. Brian wrote:

    The Associated (with terrorists) Press, on the other hand, may be taking the smarter tack. If you just make stuff up, and then get indignant when asked for evidence, what can outsiders to expose a possible lie? Just make stuff up & stonewall (if that’s what the AP is doing; I don’t really know), and then, apparently, you’re bulletproof.

    Well, of course. And the Associated Press is busy trying to protect itself as an acceptable source; if it fails on Jamil Hussein, then it loses credibility in reporting — and that’s all it has on which to trade.

    This is the AP’s version of Jayson Blair. At least the editors of The New York Times understood that their credibility rested on what action they took concerning Mr Blair, and he was promptly shown the door. The AP could have saved itself a lot of headache and heartache if it said, “Oops, perhaps our editorial control has lagged here; we’ll investigate promptly, and remove any bad journalists we discover.”

    They didn’t do that, because they were more afraid that the admission of error on one story would harm their reputation than excising the cancer would do.

    As Richard Nixon discovered, it isn’t the crime, but the cover up that is the real problem. The AP would have weathered this problem easily, if they’d only adhered to proper journalistic ethics and professionalism.

    They chose otherwise.

    Dana (3e4784)

  24. I cannot help but be reminded of the fate of Danny Pearl. The idea that reporters should be wandering about amidst the bad guys, reliant upon their goodwill to keep their heads on their shoulders (literally!) is desirable but seems rather out of touch.

    That is true, scarily, in much of the Muslim world—remembering that Pearl was kidnapped not outside the Green-zone of Baghdad, but in secular Pakistan. (In January 2002, so, no, it would be hard to blame Bush for his death.)

    Lurking Observer (ea88e8)

  25. Secular Pakistan? What planet are you on LO?

    Muslims killing Hindus and Buddahists all the time there. Musharrif is hiding (or allowing to hide) al Queda and Taliban. The only thing keeping him in power is his intelligence service that is (and always has been) actively supporting Taliban.

    Nuclear Pakistan is a greater threat to whirrled peas than Eyeran at this point.

    Dubya (c16726)

  26. Technically, Pakistan is a secular state. AFAIK, it is not ruled by Sharia law, and it is not governed by religious authorities. It is a secular state compared with Saudi Arabia or Taliban-led Afghanistan or Iran.

    Which isn’t to say that the Islamic fundamentalists don’t hold great sway, or that ISI isn’t thoroughly permeated with Wahhabiists intent upon spreading that version of Islam about. Although, here, too, it would seem that ISI is far more interested in Musharraf’s demise (in which case they get to come to power and obtain control over Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent).

    I’m also not sure how many Buddhists are actually in Pakistan (and one suspects most of the Hindus decamped for India long ago).

    Lurking Observer (ea88e8)

  27. […] UPDATE: As I said two days ago: While I want to know more about Jam(a)il Hussein, I continue to believe that it is a mistake to focus on his “existence” to the exclusion of focusing on the other problems with the AP story. I am primarily concerned with the fact that the initial AP story on the “burning six” reported that four mosques were burned. […]

    Patterico’s Pontifications » Breaking: Jamil Hussein Has Been Found (421107)


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