Article

2007-06-30 Iraq

US military accuses media of reporting 'false' Iraqi claims (Bloggers confirmed)

Followup to AP's "20 beheaded bodies found" story debunked? posted yesterday by Frank G.

Patience meter, not the surprise meter -- I'm getting damned tired of the willful lies of the MSM.

BAGHDAD (AFP) - The US military accused the international media on Saturday of exacerbating Iraq's violent tensions by reporting false claims of massacres which it said were deliberately fabricated by extremist groups.

This week several newspapers and agencies reported that Iraqi police had found 20 beheaded corpses in Salman Pak, just south of Baghdad. AFP did not carry the report after its sources were unable to confirm the rumour.

"It now appears that the story was completely false and fabricated by unknown sources," a statement from the US military said. "Anti-Iraqi forces are known for purposely providing false information to the media to incite violence and revenge killings, and they may well have been the source of this misinformation," the statement alleged.

Central Iraq is in the grip of a brutal war between rival political and sectarian forces, and insurgent death squads often murder civilians. It is often hard to find independent information on specific incidents.

"Extremists promote falsehoods of mass killings, collateral damage and other violence specifically to turn Iraqis against other Iraqis," Rear Admiral Mark Fox, chief spokesman for the US-led coalition in Iraq, said. "Unfortunately, lies are much easier to state, the truth often takes time to prove," he added, in the statement which urged the media to give US and Iraqi officials time to check out reports of violence.

Posted by Atomic Conspiracy 2007-06-30 06:58|| || Front Page|| [11140 views ] Top
File under: Iraqi Insurgency

#1 Uhhh, surprise meter....reading...zero.

Posted by anymouse">anymouse 2007-06-30 08:15|| 2007-06-30 08:15|| Front Page Top

#2 Once again the MSM aids and abets the enemy. They are either unwitting tools or misguided fools.

Posted by JohnQC 2007-06-30 08:17|| 2007-06-30 08:17|| Front Page Top

#3 Premeditation doesn't exclude foolishness. MSM argues they're better than blogs cause they 'fact check'. So, by their own standards, it isn't a mistake.

Posted by Procopius2k 2007-06-30 08:47|| 2007-06-30 08:47|| Front Page Top

#4 AFP did not carry the report after its sources were unable to confirm the rumour.

!
Maybe I'll start taking them a little more seriously.

Posted by Shipman 2007-06-30 09:47|| 2007-06-30 09:47|| Front Page Top

#5 Why don't they call unknown sources, Anti-Iraqi forces, Extremists and the AFP by their proper name, the ENEMY.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2007-06-30 09:58|| 2007-06-30 09:58|| Front Page Top

#6 #2: "Once again the MSM aids and abets the enemy. They are either unwitting tools or misguided fools."

No, John, they're witting tools and collaborators. Not so many years ago, they would have been called by their proper names: TRAITORS.

Too bad the gummint won't do to traitors today what they very properly did in WW II. >:-(

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2007-06-30 10:38|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/] 2007-06-30 10:38|| Front Page Top

#7 The US military accused the international media on Saturday of exacerbating Iraq's violent tensions by reporting false claims of massacres which it said were deliberately fabricated by extremist groups.

I suggest that we label this "The Rather Effect".

No, John, they're witting tools and collaborators. Not so many years ago, they would have been called by their proper names: TRAITORS.

Always right on the money, Barbara.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-06-30 10:44|| 2007-06-30 10:44|| Front Page Top

#8 AFP did not carry the report after its sources were unable to confirm the rumour.

What a difference an election makes.

Posted by mrp 2007-06-30 12:04|| 2007-06-30 12:04|| Front Page Top

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