Michelle Malkin’s Video Report on the “Destroyed” Mosques
Michelle Malkin has a video report on the mosques that AP described as “destroyed.”
Her main point, I think, is to point out the pitfalls of “rumor-based reporting” in Iraq. My problem is with rumor-based reporting that pretends to be more, but really isn’t. Tell us what you know and what you don’t know, Big Media, and we’ll all be better off.
Hurriya’s Mosques — Still Standing…
Hat tip: Patterico…
Bill's Bites (72c8fd) — 1/22/2007 @ 8:31 amHello? Anybody?
Jim Treacher (15574e) — 1/24/2007 @ 10:18 amHello, Jim.
FWIW, I agree that rumor may have played a role in the Jamil Hussein saga. I reviewed the 61 AP/Jamil Hussein quotes posted by Curt at Flopping Aces, and then tracked down and read the underlying articles. After reading those articles, I think there are really only 50 unique incidents that can be sourced to Capt. Jamil Hussein because some of Curt’s list were duplicates, and a few had multiple reports by Jamil Hussein. However, regardless of how many reports there were, reading all the articles helped me to form some impressions:
1. There seemed to be more Jamil Hussein reports of Sunni victims than Shiite victims, although I base that statement on the circumstances and neighborhoods in which the incidents occurred and not on a clear statement of the victim’s affiliation. Further, in Jamil Hussein’s last and most recent reports, he specifically noted Shiite attackers but I did not find any reports that expressly noted Sunni attackers – although that doesn’t mean there weren’t any, especially in cases with Shiite victims and unknown attackers.
2. In general, the Sunni victim reports seemed more vague and lacked details when compared to the reports of attacks on Shiites, which usually listed names or occupations that might enable a person in the area to verify the incident.
Based on these two observations – that there appear to be more reports of violence against Sunnis and/or by Shiites, and that the reports of violence against Sunnis were considerably more vague than other reports – reading the Jamil Hussein articles left me with the impression that reports of violence against Sunnis might be based on rumor.
Having said that, I don’t doubt the authenticity of all the reports (although I think it’s possible some might have been exaggerated). Most of the Sunni victim cases occurred in areas patrolled by the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior forces, forces that are thought to be Shiite-controlled and some of which are believed to commit atrocities against Sunnis. Thus, reports by Sunnis about atrocities in these areas might reflect a built-in Sunni bias but they would also be hard to verify through government and other sources if they did occur. While these incidents might be exaggerated, rumor might be the best or the only way to learn of about some of these incidents.
DRJ (f4c219) — 1/24/2007 @ 11:23 amOk, Jim, do you want a comment?
I am not at all impressed by the pictures of Iraqi soldiers that Michelle Malkin has posted. They all seem fat and out of shape. Careless in their dress and personal grooming. Barrack-room layabouts and not disciplined combat soldiers.
nk (4d4a9d) — 1/24/2007 @ 11:38 amNot really. Just thought it was funny.
Jim Treacher (15574e) — 1/24/2007 @ 12:06 pmOkay.
Nevermind.
DRJ (f4c219) — 1/24/2007 @ 12:27 pmBTW I agree with Patterico on this issue, and I also agree that Jim Treacher posts good and often funny comments. I agree with NK, too. I guess that makes me the most agreeable person here.
DRJ (f4c219) — 1/24/2007 @ 12:31 pmDoes not!
Jim Treacher (15574e) — 1/24/2007 @ 5:54 pmThoughts from Omar at Pajamas Media regarding the events in the Iraqi Parliament today:
Maybe the Iraqi Parliament knows something about al-Mashadani that we don’t but, according to this 11/28/06 AP/USA Today article, al-Mashadani was the name of the only named victim in the AP’s “6 Burning Sunnis” story and the tribal name of the other 5 Sunni victims:
DRJ (8b9d41) — 1/25/2007 @ 4:41 pmCorrection: The PJ Media article was by Mohammed, not Omar. My apologies.
DRJ (8b9d41) — 1/25/2007 @ 4:42 pmAnother correction, maybe: This AP article says the Sunni who disagreed with al-Maliki in Parliament today was Sunni legislator and cleric Abdul-Nasser al-Janabi, not al-Mashadani. Curious.
DRJ (e69ca7) — 1/25/2007 @ 9:56 pm