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Sunday, December 10, 2006

The AP floats another "Rebuttal" 
...via Editor and Publisher

In recent days, a handful of people have stridently criticized The Associated Press’ coverage of a terrible attack on Iraqi citizens last month in Baghdad. Some of those critics question whether the incident happened at all and declare that they don't believe our reporting.

Indeed, a small number of them have whipped themselves into an indignant lather over the AP's reporting.

Their assertions that the AP has been duped or worse are unfounded and just plain wrong.


Objection, your honor. The defendant's counsel assumes facts not in evidence.

By contrast, Hussein is well known to AP. We first met him, in uniform, in a police station, some two years ago. We have talked with him a number of times since then and he has been a reliable source of accurate information on a variety of events in Baghdad.


Yeah, I'm familiar with security procedures and police characters from two years ago. Doesn't mean a damn thing. A lot of people who were senior policemen two years ago have been sacked for having ties to insurgents, or just being out scumbags themselves.

This lady is scary naive.






...but all rebuttals are nothing more than a series of red herrings when AP cannot acknowledge that 1.) Their reliable sources lied to them when they said that four mosques were burnt down, 2.) That it's important to demostrate that their ostensible "sources" actually exist," and 3.) That it is important to be able to get SOMEBODY on the record, 4.) That it's not a great thing when your sources recant their tales, 5.) You don't have to be in Baghdad to point out that Captain Hussein's identity is seriously in question, 6.) "We've been to the neighborhood" dismissals are worthless without you telling us who's been in the neigborhood and what other stories they've written or contributed to. 7.) The New York Times, which also has people on the ground, was unable to confirm a damn thing beyond that one of the four burnt-out mosques has some minor fire damage in the entry way and the other three were fully intact.

The AP's Kathleen Connolly, that half-witted hack, that embarrassment to the journalism profession whose sacking I've already called for, is still mired in ad hominem logic and fallacy (and no, this paragraph is not an example of ad hominem logic in the logical fallacy sense).

Don't miss Flopping Aces.

Kathleen Connelly, you were wrong about the Green Helmet Guy and you are wrong now.

Kathleen Connolly, you may resign your post.

Splash, out

Jason

Comments:
An attempt to puff oneself up and face down opponents when you've got a zero hand is an acceptable tactic when playing poker. She wants us to think that the honorable Jamil Hussein is a pair of aces...

But do we want a transparently lousy poker player at the helm of the AP?
 
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