Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Katrina - Reuters source of murder and rape fiction?

Is Reuters the source of all the murder and rape rumors at the Superdome?

In this report the Guardian cast doubt on all the horror stories of rape and murder at the Superdome.

There were two babies who had their throats slit. The seven-year-old girl who was raped and murdered in the Superdome. And the corpses laid out amid the excrement in the convention centre.

In a week filled with dreadful scenes of desperation and anger from New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina some stories stood out.

But as time goes on many remain unsubstantiated and may yet prove to be apocryphal.

New Orleans police have been unable to confirm the tale of the raped child, or indeed any of the reports of rapes, in the Superdome and convention centre.


New Orleans police chief Eddie Compass said last night: "We don't have any substantiated rapes. We will investigate if the individuals come forward."

And while many claim they happened, no witnesses, survivors or survivors' relatives have come forward.

Nor has the source for the story of the murdered babies, or indeed their bodies, been found. And while the floor of the convention centre toilets were indeed covered in excrement, the Guardian found no corpses.

During a week when communications were difficult, rumours have acquired a particular currency. They acquired through repetition the status of established facts.


Yes they did as the world's media rushed to condemn America and portray her as evil. Even some in the American press repeated the story. As late as yesterday CNN was still spreading the rumors. It was all part of an all out assualt on President Bush.

So how does this square with this BBC report that quotes some witnesses as saying they witnessed murders and rapes?

"They killed a man here last night," Steve Banka, 28, told the Reuters news agency before he left on Sunday.

"A young lady was being raped and stabbed.

"And the sounds of her screaming got to this man and so he ran out into the street to get help from troops, to try to flag down a passing truck of them.


The caption under the picture reads "Death was everywhere, both inside and outside the Superdome"

On Saturday morning Africa Brumfield, 32, sat with relatives near the corpse of a young man in streets around the convention centre.

He had died on Friday night as he walked in the street.

"There is rapes going on here. Women cannot go to the bathroom without men. They are raping them and slitting their throats," she told Reuters.


Notice anything similar about these accounts other than the crimes themselves?

The BBC is using Reuters as the source for the stories and not the victims themselves!

Is Reuters the source for all of these rumors? Someone should investigate this and those responsible, if guilty, should be punished.

Will any of this make it onto the BBC website or newscasts? I doubt it. Prove me wrong Paul.

Kudos to the Guardian for reporting the story, maybe there is some hope for them after all.
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