Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Iraq Body Fraud
Nat'l review ^ | July 26, | Alston B. Ramsay

Posted on 07/26/2005 11:23:30 AM PDT by Mobile Vulgus

Shortly before the war in Iraq started, a small outfit named Iraq Body Count (IBC) coalesced in the ether of cyberspace with a singular goal: to tabulate the civilian deaths resulting from a U.S. invasion. The group predicted famines and plagues, citing U.N. surveys that said there would be "starvation and homelessness for millions," and at least "two million refugees." Within weeks IBC web counters, replete with the image of bombs dropping from a plane, peppered left-wing websites and noted the escalating civilian casualties, updated as soon as the now-massive IBC database was.

Two years later, those same counters are still omnipresent on the web, and they’ve just pushed past the 25,000 mark. But it’s a recently released IBC report parsing thousands of clips that’s getting all the mainstream media attention. Even though IBC is as partisan as they come, the media took the bait — hook, line, and sinker. And in the rush to publish the blaring headers of the report — U.S. forces killed four times as many civilians as "anti-occupation forces"! — hardly anyone examined the underlying data.

None of this is to belittle the sobering fact that civilians have been and continue to be killed in Iraq. The problem, however, is that an organization with an obvious axe to grind is getting attention from numerous media organizations — and people are actually taking it seriously. Hard-and-fast numbers on civilian deaths would certainly be a boon to the national and international discourse on Iraq, but IBC is doing nothing more than blindly throwing darts at a dartboard. Unfortunately, the target this latest go-round was media attention and widespread disinformation. And Iraq Body Count hit the bull’s eye.


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: innocentcivilians; iraq; iraqibodycount
Yeah the old story that we are killing more than Saddam did is ABSURD.
1 posted on 07/26/2005 11:23:31 AM PDT by Mobile Vulgus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Mobile Vulgus

bump


2 posted on 07/26/2005 11:25:49 AM PDT by lowbridge
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mobile Vulgus
the media took the bait — hook, line, and sinker.

I'm so surprised. I always thought the 'media' was disinterested and objective. It's almost as if this is a cooperative venture. What a shock.

3 posted on 07/26/2005 11:26:51 AM PDT by siunevada
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mobile Vulgus

If you look at the numbers, then it means that we are supposed to be killing 40 civilians day in and day out. Such a figure is obviously incredible. Only those who want to be fooled would fall for it.


4 posted on 07/26/2005 11:38:08 AM PDT by bagman (We're all Britons now!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mobile Vulgus
Molly ivens ate this crap up and regurgitated it in her column. She then had to print an apology. If molly had to apologize for every lie she told, her column would be nothing but one long apology.
5 posted on 07/26/2005 11:44:31 AM PDT by ozzymandus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: CHARLITE; tiamat; SJackson; Tolik; Mobile Vulgus

"fickle mob" found a good tidbit here


6 posted on 07/26/2005 11:51:47 AM PDT by King Prout (and the Clinton Legacy continues: like Herpes, it is a gift that keeps on giving.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: King Prout

Thanks for the ping!


7 posted on 07/26/2005 12:00:17 PM PDT by Tolik
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: ozzymandus
her column would be nothing but one long apology.

Catch 22?:"I apologize(lie) for apoligizing(lie) for aplogizing(lie)...infinitum

8 posted on 07/26/2005 12:05:43 PM PDT by antaresequity
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson