Errors and Omissions

I posted a story last week entitled 'Hearts and Minds' about the riots which had broken out across Afghanistan following a Newsweek story that a copy of the Koran had been flushed down a toilet at Guantanamo Bay by US interrogators. It would now appear that the story may not have been entirely true. It is pretty shoddy of Newsweek to have run the story without being 100% about the facts especially as it now gives the mainstream right wing media, which wouldn't recognise the truth if it wore a brightly coloured t-shirt saying "TRUTH", a chance to mock the 'liberal' media while continuing to broadcast their own highly selective Bush approved version of the 'news'. (It is worth pointing out that much of the Newsweek story is true and many of the allegations have previously been made and proven. This will no doubt get lost in the right wing feeding frenzy).

For example, the US have been running Operation Matador for the last week or so, aimed at clearing 'insurgents' from North West Iraq. It has had some success with several arms caches having been found, but at least 125 Iraqis have died and 9 US marines were killed late last week. I watched quite a lot of Fox News over the weekend and according to them Operation Matador was a massive success. So how did Fox report on the 9 marines killed? They didn't. Not a word. Is this how the most patriotic news station in the US treats its heroic war dead by ignoring them? It is deeply offensive.

Here's a link to some other news stories ignored by the mainstream. In this example the New York Times stands accused.