AP continues to Loose Credibility

[Waffletush]

Not sure where to put this as it is news about Iraq, but not the WoT.

AP-parently No Evidence

A former top executive at CNN is calling out the Associated Press — saying he could find no evidence that one of its top Iraqi sources actually exists. Eason Jordan, who now runs a Web site devoted to Iraq news, says neither he nor the governments, news outlets, and bloggers trying to track down Iraqi police captain Jamil Hussein have been able to turn up even a family member, friend or colleague... and the AP isn't helping.

A spokesman says Hussein — who has been quoted in dozens of AP stories and is often critical of the United States — is someone they've talked to for years, but she would not respond to critics' demands to prove his existence.



Sounds like Michael Blair has a relative in iraq.

[ECW]

Sounds like he doesn't want to get his head shot off. Don't blame him for hiding out. Of course, I could be wrong. There is probably a very good reason they cannot find him. Perhaps it is an alias.

[BoogyMan]

There has been a huge bruhaha over this guy on the righty blogs for quite some time now. I read the other day that Michelle Malkin and some other blogger are planning a trip to Iraq to try and either locate the guy and substantiate the AP stories or prove he doesn't exist. Sounds like it should be interesting to watch this story progress.

[Flea_Bit_Monkey]

Who do these conservatives like Michelle Malkin think they are to doubt the mighty AP!

[lily]

Â*I read the other day that Michelle Malkin and some other blogger are planning a trip to Iraq to try and either locate the guy and substantiate the AP stories or prove he doesn't exist.Â*Â*

This I'd pay to see!

[Alonzo]

If malkin goes to Iraq, I'll personally pay for her stay.

I heard fallujah is nice this time of year.

[Flea_Bit_Monkey]

If malkin goes to Iraq, I'll personally pay for her stay.



Seriously? I can't stand her any more since I turned liberal, but if you are willing to pay I'll put you in touch with her,

[ECW]

If malkin goes to Iraq, I'll personally pay for her stay.

I heard fallujah is nice this time of year.


Make sure the ticket is only one way, OK?

[BoogyMan]

Â*I read the other day that Michelle Malkin and some other blogger are planning a trip to Iraq to try and either locate the guy and substantiate the AP stories or prove he doesn't exist.Â*Â*

This I'd pay to see!


Is she goes it will be interesting to say the least.

[Professor]

There could be so many reasons why they can't find AP. But right now it looks like a ghost.

[BoogyMan]

For someone who has been quoted so many times as a sole source for allegations and support for stories one would think that he would be much more easily found.

[piratemonkey]

Sounds like Michael Blair has a relative in iraq.


Speaking of sources...

Where exactly did you get the quote that started this thread?

[BoogyMan]

Hey Waffle, did you get this as a quote from Eason Jordan?Â*Â*Is it from Iraq Slogger?

I found this today:


SOURCE: Link Here (http://www.iraqslogger.com/index.php/post/486/The_APs_Jamil_Hussein_Scandal)

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.

This controversy and the AP's handling of it call into question the credibility, integrity, and smarts of one of the world's biggest, most influential, most respected news organizations, the New York-based Associated Press.

The back story: On November 24, the AP quoted Iraqi Police Captain Jamil Hussein as the source of a sensational AP story that began this way:

"Militiamen grabbed six Sunnis as they left Friday worship services, doused them with kerosene and burned them alive as Iraqi soldiers stood by."

It was a horrific report that was an AP exclusive - a story picked up and reported by news outlets across the U.S. and the world.

The U.S. military and Iraqi officials were quick to call the story baseless, saying there was no evidence that six Sunnis were burned to death in Hurriya and that there was no record of an Iraqi police captain named Jamil Hussein. The U.S. military and the Iraqi government demanded the AP retract the story and explain itself.

The AP fired back with at least three strong statements defending the initial AP report and provided a follow-up report from Baghdad quoting anonymous witnesses as confirming the original immolation story.

In the absence of irrefutable evidence that Captain Hussein exists and that the original AP report was accurate, bloggers and a few mainstream media journalists kept plugging away in an effort to get to the truth about whether there is a Captain Hussein and whether six Sunnis were burned alive that day.

Five weeks after the disputed episode, key questions remain unanswered, but what is clear is the AP has botched its handling of this controversy - and it's not going away until the AP deals with it forthrightly and transparently.

IraqSlogger's probe into the case is inconclusive, with conflicting and unconfirmed information regarding whether there's a Captain Hussein and whether the reported immolation happened.

Inquiries by others point to there being no Captain Jamil Hussein, although there is no proof of that.

While proof might yet surface to substantiate the AP's story - there is circumstantial but unreliable evidence in that regard - conclusive evidence has not yet materialized.

The AP has steadfastly refused to answer questions about this episode from IraqSlogger and other news outlets and bloggers.

In statements, the AP insists Captain Hussein is real, insists he has been known to the AP and others for years, and insists the immolation episode occurred based on multiple eyewitnesses.

But efforts by two governments, several news organizations, and bloggers have failed to produce such evidence or proof that there is a Captain Jamil Hussein. The AP cannot or will not produce him or convincing evidence of his existence.

It is striking that no one has been able to find a family member, friend, or colleague of Captain Hussein. Nor has the AP told us who in the AP's ranks has actually spoken with Captain Hussein. Nor has the AP quoted Captain Hussein once since the story of the disputed episode.

Therefore, in the absence of clear and compelling evidence to corroborate the AP's exclusive story and Captain Hussein's existence, we must conclude for now that the AP's reporting in this case was flawed.

To make matters worse, Captain Jamil Hussein was a key named source in more than 60 AP stories on at least 25 supposed violent incidents over eight months.

Until this controversy is resolved, every one of those AP reports is tainted.

When two governments challenge the veracity of your reporting, when there are reasonable doubts about whether your prime named source for a sensational exclusive story exists, when there's no proof a reported horrific incident occurred, when the news outlet responsible for the disputed report stonewalls and is stridently defensive, when the validity of dozens of other of your reports has been called into question as a result, then that news organization has a scandal on its hands, and that is where the AP finds itself.

Having learned from my own successes and failures and those of others, I know that a journalistic scandal can be handled effectively only when the news organization's management deals with it proactively, constructively, and transparently, with a readiness to admit any mistake, to apologize for it, and to take appropriate corrective action.

The AP has failed to do so in this case.

I, therefore, urge the AP to appoint an independent panel to determine the facts about the disputed report, to determine whether Iraqi Police Captain Jamil Hussein exists, and to share the panel's full findings and recommendations with the public.

Until this matter is resolved, the AP's credibility will suffer.

Meantime, IraqSlogger and others will doggedly pursue the truth in this case.

[ECW]

For someone who has been quoted so many times as a sole source for allegations and support for stories one would think that he would be much more easily found.


Unless he doesn't want to be found or he's using an alias to give his information to the AP.

[BoogyMan]

Unless he doesn't want to be found or he's using an alias to give his information to the AP.

I guess its possible, we will find out one way or another.

[Viper2]

If malkin goes to Iraq, I'll personally pay for her stay.

I heard fallujah is nice this time of year.


I take it you don't like her.

[Viper2]

Sounds like he doesn't want to get his head shot off. Don't blame him for hiding out. Of course, I could be wrong. There is probably a very good reason they cannot find him. Perhaps it is an alias.


I would tend to agree with you, as it would be the prudent thing to do.

[Viper2]

If malkin goes to Iraq, I'll personally pay for her stay.



Seriously? I can't stand her any more since I turned liberal, but if you are willing to pay I'll put you in touch with her,


Why did you make the mistake of becomming liberal ??

[Viper2]

There could be so many reasons why they can't find AP.Â*Â*But right now it looks like a ghost.


Perhaps, or on the other hand, this person just may not exist and someone has invented him for obvious purposes.

[Viper2]

For someone who has been quoted so many times as a sole source for allegations and support for stories one would think that he would be much more easily found.


Actually, I would have to respectfully disagree - see my previous post.

[Viper2]

Unless he doesn't want to be found or he's using an alias to give his information to the AP.

I guess its possible, we will find out one way or another.


My dear Watson - the game's afoot.

[BoogyMan]

I wish her well on what could be a very dangerous journey.

If anyone can ferret out the story, she can.

[Alonzo]

There could be so many reasons why they can't find AP.Â*Â*But right now it looks like a ghost.


Perhaps, or on the other hand, this person just may not exist and someone has invented him for obvious purposes.


Viper, if you were in Iraq as a reporter, do you want to be found?

[piratemonkey]

Who do these conservatives like Michelle Malkin think they are to doubt the mighty AP!


It looks like the rabid righties are wrong yet again.


BAGHDAD (AP) -- The Interior Ministry acknowledged Thursday that an Iraqi police officer whose existence had been denied by the Iraqis and the U.S. military is in fact an active member of the force, and said he now faces arrest for speaking to the media.

Ministry spokesman Brig. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, who had previously denied there was any such police employee as Capt. Jamil Hussein, said in an interview that Hussein is an officer assigned to the Khadra police station, as had been reported by The Associated Press.

and no explanation...

Khalaf offered no explanation Thursday for why the ministry had initially denied Hussein's existence, other than to state that its first search of records failed to turn up his full name. He also declined to say how long the ministry had known of its error and why it had made no attempt in the past six weeks to correct the public record.
http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003528028

[BoogyMan]

Ahhhh, a new twist to the story and its dated today. This one will be interesting to watch and see if it gets fully substantiated. If so, Malkin and others are going to look a wee tad silly.

[Drocket]

It looks like the rabid righties are wrong yet again.

Gasp. Shock. What a surprise.

Wonder what the next fake controversy will be to try to take attention off the fact that Iraq is a disaster?

[ECW]

It looks like the rabid righties are wrong yet again.

Gasp.Â*Â*Shock.Â*Â*What a surprise.

Wonder what the next fake controversy will be to try to take attention off the fact that Iraq is a disaster?


Sadly, there are more than enough REAL controversies that tell us what a tragedy this all is. Firing generals that tell the truth about a planned "surge" is the wrong move, more people are being killed each month by insurgents AND death squads, and the refusal of this administration to include Iraq's neighbors in any possible solution to the mess that is Iraq. The smoke and mirrors can't hide the truth any longer.

BTW piratemonkey, excellent job on exposing this "incident" for what it was: a load of BS. You are the man!

[BoogyMan]

BTW piratemonkey, excellent job on exposing this "incident" for what it was: a load of BS. You are the man!

I hate to burst that angry bubble ECW, but the story that piratemonkey shared with us was dated Jan 4, 2007. Pundits have been asking for proof of this guys existance for weeks. They say they have found the guy now. We shall soon see whether it proves to be true.

[ECW]

BTW piratemonkey, excellent job on exposing this "incident" for what it was: a load of BS. You are the man!

I hate to burst that angry bubble ECW, but the story that piratemonkey shared with us was dated Jan 4, 2007.Â*Â*Pundits have been asking for proof of this guys existance for weeks.Â*Â*They say they have found the guy now.Â*Â*We shall soon see whether it proves to be true.


Blame the Iraqi police for denying he even existed. They are the ones we supposedly "trained" to do the job. Maybe they sent neo-con campaign workers over there to train them how to obfuscate instead of police trainers to teach them how to hunt for the truth. Your willingness to hammer the AP shows your willingness to make this into something it was not.

[BoogyMan]

Blame the Iraqi police for denying he even existed. They are the ones we supposedly "trained" to do the job. Maybe they sent neo-con campaign workers over there to train them how to obfuscate instead of police trainers to teach them how to hunt for the truth. Your willingness to hammer the AP shows your willingness to make this into something it was not.

Hammer the AP? I think you need to actually read my posts in this thread ECW. I have maintained a "we shall see" attitude throughout my commentary.

Egads.....

[ECW]

Blame the Iraqi police for denying he even existed. They are the ones we supposedly "trained" to do the job. Maybe they sent neo-con campaign workers over there to train them how to obfuscate instead of police trainers to teach them how to hunt for the truth. Your willingness to hammer the AP shows your willingness to make this into something it was not.

Hammer the AP?Â*Â*I think you need to actually read my posts in this thread ECW.Â*Â*I have maintained a "we shall see" attitude throughout my commentary.

Egads.....


Doesn't ring very true, does it? Kinda like the "angry bubble" comment of yours...

[BoogyMan]

Blame the Iraqi police for denying he even existed. They are the ones we supposedly "trained" to do the job. Maybe they sent neo-con campaign workers over there to train them how to obfuscate instead of police trainers to teach them how to hunt for the truth. Your willingness to hammer the AP shows your willingness to make this into something it was not.

Hammer the AP?Â*Â*I think you need to actually read my posts in this thread ECW.Â*Â*I have maintained a "we shall see" attitude throughout my commentary.

Egads.....


Doesn't ring very true, does it? Kinda like the "angry bubble" comment of yours...


I guess it would since you refuse to actually read the thread ECW. :D

[ECW]

Oh, I read it alright but my "bubble" was no more an angry one than you actually "hammered" the AP.

Are we done here?

[BoogyMan]

Oh, I read it alright but my "bubble" was no more an angry one than you actually "hammered" the AP.

Are we done here?


Sure ECW, and as I said previously, we will see how this shakes out. They say they have found the guy and I am sure we will hear more about whether or not he actually has been found or not.

Time will tell.

[Flea_Bit_Monkey]

Hopefully Malkin will never come back! Stupid conservative liar, doubting our AP!

[lily]

Oh, I read it alright but my "bubble" was no more an angry one than you actually "hammered" the AP.

Are we done here?


Sure ECW, and as I said previously, we will see how this shakes out.Â*Â*They say they have found the guy and I am sure we will hear more about whether or not he actually has been found or not.

Time will tell.


From the article:

BAGHDAD (AP) -- The Interior Ministry acknowledged Thursday that an Iraqi police officer whose existence had been denied by the Iraqis and the U.S. military is in fact an active member of the force, and said he now faces arrest for speaking to the media.

I doubt we will be hearing much more of this boogy, so time actually won't tell, if history repeats itself........if this guy was arrested, he'll find himself in Abu Ghraib (sp) or some other hell hole, with no trial.

[Drocket]

I doubt we will be hearing much more of this boogy, so time actually won't tell, if history repeats itself........if this guy was arrested, he'll find himself in Abu Ghraib (sp) or some other hell hole, with no trial.

Unfortunately, he's probably far more likely to find himself in some back alley or empty field with a bullet in his head. Getting noticed in Iraq tends to be rather deadly.

[Buck Laser]

Here's the latest Associated Press's "loost" credibility.
WINGNUT ASSAULT AGAINST THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HITS MAJOR SNAG: THE FACTS.

The Associated Press has just struck back very hard against the wingnuts who have been sliming the news org over the case of missing police captain Jamil Hussein -- and it looks as if there may soon be lots of crow-eating going on in right blogistan.

For weeks and weeks a pack of howling rightwing bloggers, led by Michelle Malkin, has been slamming the Associated Press over a story the news org ran some months back about six Sunnis burned alive by Shiite attackers. The righty bloggers have struggled mightly to prove that the story was bogus, arguing that this "made up" story showed that the AP was treasonously devoted to spreading false news about how bad the war had gotten. They made this case mainly by pushing the idea that one source for the story, police captain Hussein, didn't exist, even though the AP stood fast by its story and even re-reported it by finding new witnesses to the atrocity.

One of the key pieces of evidence the wingers cited to make the case that Hussein didn't exist was the fact that Iraqi officials were claiming he didn't. Well, guess what? It looks as if Iraqi officials are now acknowledging that Hussein does exist after all. Here's what the AP is now runnning:

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Interior Ministry acknowledged Thursday that an Iraqi police officer whose existence had been denied by the Iraqis and the U.S. military is in fact an active member of the force, and said he now faces arrest for speaking to the media.

Ministry spokesman Brig. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, who had previously denied there was any such police employee as Capt. Jamil Hussein, said in an interview that Hussein is an officer assigned to the Khadra police station, as had been reported by The Associated Press.

The captain, whose full name is Jamil Gholaiem Hussein, was one of the sources for an AP story in late November about the burning and shooting of six people during a sectarian attack at a Sunni mosque.

The U.S. military and the Iraqi Interior Ministry raised the doubts about Hussein in questioning the veracity of the AP's initial reporting on the incident, and the Iraqi ministry suggested that many news organization were giving a distorted, exaggerated picture of the conflict in Iraq. Some Internet bloggers spread and amplified these doubts, accusing the AP of having made up Hussein's identity in order to disseminate false news about the war.

Khalaf offered no explanation Thursday for why the ministry had initially denied Hussein's existence, other than to state that its first search of records failed to turn up his full name. He also declined to say how long the ministry had known of its error and why it had made no attempt in the past six weeks to correct the public record.

Oh, dear. It will be interesting to see what Malkin, Curt of Flopping Aces, Powerline Blog's John Hinderaker, and all the other merry wingers who promoted this story have to say about this new development. Of particular interest will be to see what the hapless Eason Jordan, the former CNN chief who actually offered to fly Malkin to Iraq so the two could hunt for Hussein together, has to say about it.

These bloggers actually managed to kick up enough dust around this story that some mainstream news orgs were suckered into paying attention to this attack on one of their own and granting it a semblance of legitimacy. The truth, however, is that with a few exceptions, the righty bloggers and columnists pursuing this attack were never serious about discovering whether or not that original burned-alive episode happened. Their real goal was to scapegoat an enemy within at a time when their cherished war was devolving into a disaster, to discredit the messenger, and to sow doubts about the validity of the war imagery being brought back by that messenger -- imagery that was turning the American public against the conflict and causing their beloved leader and party to sink ever deeper in the polls.

More on this tomorrow. Much more.

--Greg Sargent

[Flea_Bit_Monkey]

Well, Malkin is in Iraq now, and no Jamil Hussein so far.