America - Newsweek Strikes Again

Yesterday Newsweek said they got their story wrong about a US interragator flushing the Koran down the toilet. See my earlier post. But they continued to spin, finger point and do damage control. Powerline notes they just couldn't stand that their "gotcha" story fell apart. Seeing what havoc they could reek with this kind of accusation and in a stunning display of arrogance, Newsweek reports on another incident. As Powerline says:

I think that a fairer take on Evan Thomas's article on the fiasco would be "Newsweek strikes again," or (consistent with the Newsweek convention) "NEWSWEEK strikes again."

Here is Thomas's new allegation:

More allegations, credible or not, are sure to come. Bader Zaman Bader, a 35-year-old former editor of a fundamentalist English-language magazine in Peshawar, was released from more than two years' lockup in Guantánamo seven months ago. Arrested by Pakistani security as a suspected Qaeda militant in November 2001, he was handed over to the U.S. military and held at a tent at the Kandahar airfield. One day, Bader claims, as the inmates' latrines were being emptied, a U.S. soldier threw in a Qur'an. After the inmates screamed and protested, a U.S. commander apologized. Bader says he still has nightmares about the incident.

"Credible or not..." What arrogance! So, Newsweek goes from using anonymous sources to terrorist sources with a grudge! Absolutely amazing.

As usual, old media are so arrogant and confident in their superior jounalist skills, they go to press without factchecking. A fatal flaw - one bloggers rarely make. For as Powerline reports:

Mr. Bader Zaman Bader (assuming it's the same fellow) was released from Guantanamo Bay seven months ago. He was so distraught over the nightmare of watching the desecration of the Qur'an that, upon his release, he failed to mention the incident when questioned by journalists from the Associated Press and China's Xinhua.

Another former prisoner, Bader Zaman Bader, said he was interrogated "150 times" by his American jailers but never abused. - via Military.com 23 SEP 2004

One of the prisoners released from U.S. detention, Bader Zaman Bader, has demanded that the United States compensate him for three years of his life spent in custody, China's Xinhua news agency reported on 22 September. Bader said that he has a "right" to demand compensation since he "was innocent and the U.S. military failed to prove any charges" against him. According to the report, Bader is the first Afghan prisoner released from U.S. custody who has demanded compensation from the United States. - via Radio Free Afghanistan 23 SEP 2004

Do these people know no shame?

I think the blogsphere should start a boycott of Newsweek magazine. That's assuming anyone in the blogsphere reads Newsweek.

UPDATE

I ment to comment on something Powerline noted.

In an email message last night, the Indigent Pundit noted that Thomas appears not to have performed a Google search on Bader Bader before repeating his tale yesterday. I would add that none of the four (count 'em) NEWSWEEK reporters with whom Thomas collaborated on his story yesterday appear to have done such a search either.

They had no intention of doing so. Look at what Thomas said. "More allegations, credible or not..." In other words they don't care who makes the claim. It was nice when they thought they had a government source saying it but when that evaporated they settled for a former inmate at Gitmo. It doesn't matter so long as Newsweek can damage the US and the military.

You watch, from now on when a batch of inmates is released from Gitmo they'll all shout one by one "I'm Spartacus" "I'm Spartacus" and we'll have Newsweek to thank. There will be so many Korans down the toilet Gitmo will be overflowing with sewage.
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