Comments on: Newsweek: Koran Toilet Story Wrong

By: Jim Ausman

Jim Ausman — Sat, 04 Jun 2005 02:37:09 +0000

So after a Pentagon review, it appears that soldier peed on a Koran, but did not flush one down the toilet.

Boy you guys look foolish.

By: Cao’s Blog » Damn Right I’m Questioning Your Patriotism!

Cao’s Blog » Damn Right I’m Questioning Your Patriotism! — Fri, 27 May 2005 05:44:54 +0000

[...] against the terrorists and have even gone to alleging stories of U.S. guards at Guantanomo flushing the holy Qu’aran down a toilet enraging Muslims worldwide. Now you& [...]

By: The Indepundit

The Indepundit — Thu, 26 May 2005 05:08:52 +0000

Media Slander

WE'RE MAD AS HELL, and we're not going to take it anymore! As much as journalists feel that they are the guardians of the First Amendment, its true protectors are standing watch in Iraq, Afghanistan and places no one will...

By: Smithford

Smithford — Wed, 18 May 2005 19:54:06 +0000

Come on... you really believe that this story is not true??? ROFL This was a forced retraction. Our government has authorized torture. To us as a people we do not see objects as possessing anything. However, we as a people do have compassion for other people. I think it was compassionate of the "torturer" to harm a book instead of a human being. If I had been in the same situation, I would probably be in prison for disobeying the commit torture order, but if give no choice except "slice off his toes or flush this book" then I'd flush the book too. Anyone who believes this didn't happen is a shallow mind. Look up "Northwoods Project" to open up your mind.

By: Pennywit.Com

Pennywit.Com — Wed, 18 May 2005 04:58:09 +0000

So Many Facets, So Little Time
I can't believe the number of angles in the Newsweek story; an industrious blogger could fill screen upon screen with pontifications and deliberations if he were to explore the issue thoroughly. But it is literally impossible for a single blo

By: brenda vonahsen

brenda vonahsen — Tue, 17 May 2005 21:51:21 +0000

"Our original source later said he couldn't be certain about reading of the alleged Qur'an incident in the report we cited, and said it might have been in other investigative documents or drafts." So basically, the essence of the report is true. It's just not in the report originally cited. And the adminstration, who can't figure out who committed treason by outing Valerie Plame, who deemed the Geneva Convention as "quaint" as justification for torture. that administration is to be trusted in this case also. Sorry, I didn't swallow the blue pill.

By: cassandra duncan

cassandra duncan — Mon, 16 May 2005 18:42:42 +0000

What i wrote to newsweek editor:
I am very upset that you reported news that put my family in danger do you not think about the devastation you cause when you report things about the middle east that only inflame the situation? What your paper reported on interrogation techniques did not benefit anyone. It only put our soldiers in danger. Congratulations.
Do you know what itâs like to worry every time you hear an explosion?
Do you know what itâs like to cry when your brother and sisterâs are killed?
Do you know what itâs like to try to protect your children from harm?
Do you know what itâs like to wake in the middle of the night to guns firing?
Do you know what itâs like to wonder if itâs the last time your family will be together?
Do you know what itâs like to hold your breath waiting on the list of dead to be posted?
Do you know what itâs like to live in a country where people talk about your family with hate?
Do you know what itâs like to watch your child break down because his dad is gone?
Do you know what itâs like to spend every waking moment with a knot in your stomach?
Do you think Iâm from another country?
Well youâre wrong.

Life of a military wife.

By: GP

GP — Mon, 16 May 2005 17:19:50 +0000

What Newsweek did is horrible. As with all media (liberal or conservative) there is incredible pressure to rush out scandalous, headline grabbing stories at the expense of accuracy and ethics. Editorial boards should of course be permitted to publish stories like this. But when a story could have a negative impact on our war effect and directly endanger our troops, they need to report with absolute assurance in the facts and have a real discussion on whether the story is worth publishing. Newsweek failed on both accounts.

However, the people inciting the violance over a Newsweek story are the ones at fault here. Newsweek didn't cause anyone to do anything. These people are lunatics. While Newsweek should certainly be censured by its readers, I would prefer everyone to stop blaming Newsweek for violance.

By: Louise Cocchiaro

Louise Cocchiaro — Mon, 16 May 2005 17:10:00 +0000

Newsweeks apology just isn't good enough.. Their faulty reporting has caused deaths , many injuries and really damaged America's reputation..

They should be charged with murder and boycotted...

By: Phil Smith

Phil Smith — Mon, 16 May 2005 15:00:49 +0000

FLUSH NEWSWEEK.

I visited my local bookstore today, gathered up all copies of Newsweek, proceeded to the rest room and attempted to flush them down the toilet. It didn't work very well, but I hope to do better with next week's issue. Perhaps a few thousand of you out there will be inclined to do the same.

By: Blind Mind's Eye

Blind Mind's Eye — Mon, 16 May 2005 14:59:37 +0000

So much for media accountability…
Accountability of the professionals, the alleged point of differentiation between bloggers and professional journalists. Well just how many heads are actually going to roll from this one:

NEW YORK - In its issue dated May 9, Newsweek magazine report...

By: carpeicthus

carpeicthus — Mon, 16 May 2005 14:05:20 +0000

Something got screwed up here royally, and whomever is responsible should have to pay. It seems like the person responsible is the source, though -- Newsweek is hopefully leaning on him. If he was making up crap, he should be exposed. If there really is a legitimate discrepancy in report drafts, which can be explained by there being a *lot* of reasons an incident like that would be left out of a final copy of a report, then it raises a whole new set of questions. But for people who say that running a story with corroboration from a U.S. official makes you an "enemy propagandist," please, take a deep breath and realize that you have gone totally insane. You're just making words up. You might as well call them a bunch of devil monkeys who throw exploding bananas from their perch on the Sky Kingdom of Kazimiran. Partisanship has diven you nuts. Sure, there's something cathartic about saying crap like that, just like there's something cathartic about believing Bush is really a Nazi. It makes living in your own little world so much easier. Take a deep breath, count to ten thousand, take a vacation from politics, whatever. Get back to sanity.

By: Ramblings' Journal

Ramblings' Journal — Mon, 16 May 2005 13:17:15 +0000

Newsweek fallout: Muslims don't believe apology, still upset Muslims in Afghanistan and Pakistan are still upset with the United States on the heels of Newsweek's apology for their false contention two weeks ago that Guantanamo Bay interrogators flushed the Koran down a toilet.The apology, released on the 'net...

By: Ramblings' Journal

Ramblings' Journal — Mon, 16 May 2005 13:01:29 +0000

Newsweek lied, people died --Turk 182
Newsweek printed a story two weeks ago about supposed desecration of the Koran at Guantanamo Bay.The story insisted that military interrogators at the prison there desecrated the Muslim holy book, with one supposedly flushing a copy of the Koran down...

By: James Joyner

James Joyner — Mon, 16 May 2005 12:49:49 +0000

Jim, I added an update to that post later in the day after your comment and others. Clearly, the Newsweek story was the thing that was used to spark the violence. My instinct remains that the leadership which incited the violence, though, was motivated primarily by internal political considerations and the "Koran flushing" report was merely something that could motivate the masses.

And, sure, it's possible that there was pressure from on high for the guy to recant. On the other hand, given the obvious implications of the story for American soldiers in harm's way, one would think that more than a single source would be sought before running with the allegations.