Newsweek Told Koran Flush Story Was 'Slam Dunk'

Scrapple Face ^ | 5/16/05 | Scott Ott

[delacoert]

"If there's a bright side to this story," said Mr. Whitaker. "At least our anonymous sources are safe, unharmed. And of course, our advertisers now know that Newsweek has great credibility in the Arab world, despite the bad feelings that Muslims have about America in general."

Outrageous statements!

[delacoert]

Oops. Scrappleface. :/

[pookie18]

It is clear their editorial staff consists of complete morons. Even the famous Isakoff should have known better--A whole big book down a toilet?! ---Pleeeeeessse!!!!

In Spikey's defense, he only reads comic books...

[cookcounty]

"An unnamed former top government official told a Newsweek magazine reporter that his story, about a U.S. military guard at Guantanamo prison flushing a Koran down a toilet, was "a slam dunk,""

OK, Newsweek, then slam-dunk it !!!! We're waiting. People are dying.

[cookcounty]

Oh, I bought it! I'm no better that Issakoff!!!!

[HamiltonJay]

For those unschooled in professional journalistic ethics, Mr. Whitaker explained that a retraction demands a higher standard of evidence than an ordinary news item.

So you can report something as fact that isn't with a lower threshold than you can't report something saying you were WRONG?? Yea... that makes a lot of sense....

Here's the truth, even if the story was 100% true, newsweek editors should have known better than to publish such a story at a time of war, knowing it would incite passions and undermine war efforts! Amazing these folks thing we can't handle 9/11 footage, but hey, run with a Quran flushing story uncoberated...

[No Truce With Kings]

"Unfortunately, quite a few FReepers believe this to be real..."

I didn't know there were that many liberal Freepers. . .

(Incoming!! Donning flame-proof clothing.)

[Zacs Mom]

aw geez! This reads like a variation on cBS's handling of Rathergate ...... along the lines of: Hey, just because we can't prove that the statement is true and/or valid doesn't mean we don't stand behind it!

[Andy from Beaverton]

Latest I heard was it was one of the terrorist trying to clog his toilet, so he used his own Koran to do it.

[kevkrom]

Unfortunately, quite a few FReepers believe this to be real...

Scott Ott has a knack for making his satire almost too believable...

[jpl]

Of course that's about ninety percent of all news nowadays.

[pookie18]

aw geez! This reads like a variation on cBS's handling of Rathergate ...... along the lines of: Hey, just because we can't prove that the statement is true and/or valid doesn't mean we don't stand behind it!

Fake...but accurate! ;-)

[tertiary01]

The legacy of "Deep Throat".

[JeffersonRepublic.com]

"In an effort to help in the grieving process, the magazine's publisher said that immediate family members of the dead would receive a free 90-day trial subscription to Newsweek."

Blahahaha!

I believe Newsweek might try this new marketing idea.

[xcamel]

BarfWeek should be flushed.

[builder]

Newsweek's next course of action will be to hire an in-house lawyer to "investigate" how they got the story wrong.The final report will state NO political bias against this administration, just a rush to print the facts.

Besides, the story can't be shown to be false when Newsweek feels the facts are "false but accurate."

[ArmedNReady]

"Mr. Whitaker explained that a retraction demands a higher standard of evidence than an ordinary news item."

But of course, there is no standard of evidence to print a story in the first place.

[NRA1995]

"You don't just rush to press with a retraction until you nail down the facts"

How about not rushing to press with a story till you have the facts, you jackass????

[Rummyfan]

I know it's from Scrapple face but I really really do hope that this incident is the end of Newsweak!

[Americanexpat]

Is this article for real? I find it hard to believe that anyone could make a "Let them eat Cake" statement like this.

Send the families a free 90 subscription? Is this arrogance or what? If it is true and this is Newsweek's attitude towards lies and people dying then the MSM is even more corrupt and seditious than I thought.