Fog of War (TNR admits Beauchamp lied -- my title)

The New Republic ^ | 12/10/2007 | Franklin Foer

[Talking_Mouse]

For months, our magazine has been subject to accusations that stories we published by an American soldier then serving in Iraq were fabricated. When these accusations first arose, we promised our readers a full account of our investigation. We spent the last four-and-a-half months re-reporting his stories. These are our findings.

::very big snip::

In retrospect, we never should have put Beauchamp in this situation. He was a young soldier in a war zone, an untried writer without journalistic training. We published his accounts of sensitive events while granting him the shield of anonymity--which, in the wrong hands, can become license to exaggerate, if not fabricate.

When I last spoke with Beauchamp in early November, he continued to stand by his stories. Unfortunately, the standards of this magazine require more than that. And, in light of the evidence available to us, after months of intensive re-reporting, we cannot be confident that the events in his pieces occurred in exactly the manner that he described them. Without that essential confidence, we cannot stand by these stories.

[JennysCool]

we cannot be confident that the events in his pieces occurred in exactly the manner that he described them.

What a wussy "retraction."

[Talking_Mouse]

What do you expect? They’re a wussy “paper”.

[lp boonie]

What were the lies?

[cpanter]

In other words..... the editors were caught not doing their job and continued to print the stories of a liar because of one simple reason - they liked the stories he told.

[Darksheare]

Basically everything Beauchamp wrote.

[MizSterious]

Oh please. Beachamp did exactly what he knew was expected of him: trash the war, trash the troops.

[alloysteel]

From that last paragraph in the article:

“... we cannot be confident that the events in his pieces occurred in exactly the manner that he described them.”

Not that Beauchamp flat out lied, but he “rearranged” fact.

A fine distinction, that.

[BOBTHENAILER]

::very big snip::

That's the best part of this post. The VERY BIG SNIP of a POS periodical.

[aculeus]

By the weekend, the Standard's editor, William Kristol, published an editorial that, without evidence, pronounced the Diarist an open-and-shut case.

The nerve of this Bag of **** accusing Kristol of acting "without evidence".

[chopperman]

He was a young soldier in a war zone, an untried writer without journalistic training.

Why would someone need journalistic training to just tell the truth?

[SJSAMPLE]

He was a young soldier in a war zone, an untried writer without journalistic training.

Being a "young soldier" and lacking "journalistic training" has NOTHING to do with it.

The guy lied, made up tons of shit and TNR printed it. The people who need "journalistic training" are the editors who didn't attempt to verify or corroborate any of what Beauchamp wrote.

[y6162]

Jayson Blair..Beauchamp.. Foer..dead..

Leftist print what they hope is true, not what is true.

New Republic is dead if Foer is still there on Monday.

[Ann Archy]

Hey Frankie....you put him there cause he’s married to one of your other writers and you knew he would write what you wanted him to....ala Plame/Wilson.

[Ann Archy]

“I’m sorry that anyone was offended” type of apology....PHONY!

[Jacquerie]

TNR freely used “conservative” in their fourteen page, smoke filled, obfuscating retraction to describe and deride those who questioned the accuracy of Beachamp’s imagination. They just can’t help themselves.

[donna]

we cannot be confident that the events in his pieces occurred in exactly the manner that he described them

This and the apology from Erin Burnett for calling President Bush a monkey are good examples of bad character.

[wildbill]

Classic Clintonism:

It depends upon what “occurred” means.

[Theresawithanh]

By reports on this, Mr. Beauchamp wanted to be the next Hemingway. Guess he’ll have to settle for being just another disgraced liar.

[weegee]

“fake but ACCURATE”. They stick by the stories if not the specifics.