Sunday, May 15, 2005

Why The Media Needs Watchdogs

One can understand how journalists can get some details wrong. One can even understand how, in the rush to get a story published/released, crucial details might get overlooked.

However, there is no excuse for shoddy journalism that results in worldwide rioting because someone didn't bother to not only check facts, but relied on unidentified sources and those with a known anti-American agenda to push a story of dubious nature.

I refer to the recent Newsweek story that claims that US soldiers tore up a copy of a Koran and flushed it down a toilet. Newsweek claimed that this happened.

Newsweek has a worldwide audience and distribution.

Muslims reading this story in Afghanistan predictably started rioting against the US presence in Afghanistan on reading the story.

Coincidence? I think not.

The Newsweek story put lives needlessly in danger because of a bogus story.

Will Newsweek be held accountable for their reporting? Doubtful.

UPDATE 9:16PM EDT 5/15/2005:
Captain's Quarters takes a gander at the Newsweek mea culpa and finds it wanting. Where was the self-righteous self-critiquing and self-examination by the 'exempt media' before publishing stories of dubious origin? Had this been a fellow blogger, Newsweek would have tarred and feathered the blogger within inches of their lives. Instead, we see that Newsweek has a different standard for itself and one for everyone else.

We're only asking that the same standards apply to everyone. Oh, and it would be interesting to investigate whether the publication of the claims was done with malice or on purpose. In retrospect, it certainly appears to have been published on slim evidence.

And this mess has clearly grown beyond Newsweek's control considering that riots may continue in various parts of the globe as Muslims 'learn' of the 'desecration.'

No comments: