The Newsweek Screwup/ Freedom of Speech

[-=WingZero=-]

I've just read of the Newsweek story that said that American soldiers defiled the Quran. This has caused outrage in the Muslim world and endangered the lives of thousands of US soldiers to an even greater extent which now brings up my point.

Who does Newsweek think they are? What was going through their minds when they printed that story? I feel its because its their liberal bias/ hatred of Bush and this clouded their judgement, to them this was a great story to get at the Bush administration's biggest mishap in Iraq, and never took into account the seriousness of the issue or its consequence.

This now brings up the dangers of freedom of speech (something I feel should be edited, as do most of my generation). Things like these are very dangerous and Newsweek will be directly blamed for any American deaths in Afghanistan due to the riots that broke out because of this story. Stories like these should never be printed, and worst of all we now know that it was false (again showing that it was their political bias that compelled them to do this). I just want your opinions on this since it is a huge blow to freedom of speech the liberals of the US IMHO.

Link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7870840/?GT1=6542

[Tekumze]

My personal fear is that the news was right and that this was the least painful way of "getting out" and denying everything happened.

WHatever is the truth I think news should not be edited but "made up" news should be severely punished.
Sure something like this can always happen but I think the fear of the truth coming out is better then leting the privileged few censor it.

[smack]

Do you have any links to that article appearing online? How about it's title so we can look for it.

Freedom of Speech is a great topic, and I'd like to read what Newsweek said about the Quran...

[Sulla]

Newseek should certainly be hauled over the coals for this,
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/05/1...uran/index.html

It is a perfect example of how freedom of speech comes with a certain level of responsibility. The ironic thing is that many people remain apathetic to the links between freedom of speech and responsibility. They will be the first to whine when they lose it *wink* .

[hormiga]

What does this have to do with freedom of speech? I dont think "freedom of speech" includes the freedom to release false information...

I think the "liberal biais" (or whatever biais) is more or less a myth: news papers are out to get the next "big scope" and they screw up sometime. Yeah this was a pretty big FUBAR but I dont think it sets back the freedom of speech.

Oh and no I dont think they should be held accountable for riots or whatever... blame that on the fanatics and the misled masses of ignorant people that feel the need to kill people over a book.

[meh_cd]

I heard that their "source" was someone who couldn't even corroborate the story himself/herself. Sounds like "my friend's friend said this and that..."

[the Black Prince]

we already had the whole source argument in britain over the doctor david kelly case and the BBC...

if such a story is true, and can be proven to be true, then the article has a right to be in the public eye, though obviously carefulyl worded by any editor...


but if the story is uncorroborated... thats outrageous (in fact its technically illegal if the story is false, its defamation)

no right thinking editor should ever publish something if he doesn't have the full facts and is able to prove his story. the trouble with the media today is its story first, selling it first, facts and damage 2nd. they don;t give a damn who they hurt by their stories, they just want to sell stuff and if it happens to be true, even better.
and when someone steps up to them and says you should at least think first before you publish they wave freedom of speech in freont of his face as if they have a democratic right to print whatever the hell they like regardless.

[Zuwxiv]

That story directly caused the deaths of some 60 people, if I am not mistaken. This is not an issue of free speech. This is a criminal act that should be punished.

Although stricter controls on freedom of speech would be better... For instance, you can't scream fire in a movie theater, or numerous other things. That means that we don't have real freedom of speech.

[Garbarsardar]

n its latest edition, Newsweek's editor writes that its original source is not sure where he saw the assertion.

"We regret that we got any part of our story wrong, and extend our sympathies to victims of the violence and to the US soldiers caught in its midst," the editor, Mark Whitaker, writes.

In its new account, the magazine says that one of its reporters spoke to "his original source, the senior government official, who said that he clearly recalled reading investigative reports about mishandling the Koran, including a toilet incident".

"But the official, still speaking anonymously, could no longer be sure that these concerns had surfaced" in a forthcoming report by the US military, the magazine added.

Mr Whitaker told the Reuters news agency that he no longer knew whether the occurrence was genuine.

"As to whether anything like this happened, we just don't know," he said.

That from BBC

It's the most lame excuse I heard especially since it caused 16 dead and over 300 injured...

[the Black Prince]

printing heresay never got anyone anywhere... except in the deepest possible trouble, head first

[Big War Bird]

My hunch is that the flushing of the Quran probably did happen, my only hope is that they also wiped their asses with it first.

The muslim reaction to this 'news' has been marvelous. Days of rioting over the lurid disposal of a copy of a copy a of copy of what some guy hallucinated while smoking dope in a cave to escape his wife is just a little bit over the top don't you think!! I sometimes wish I could be that infantile so I could nuke every towel head that ever burned an american flag :angry :w00t

As for Newsweek troubles. My guess is that they are in a lot of it. I'll bet a fair number of the families are going to sue over this.

Can they argue that their journalism was covered by the first amendment. They will try, but in order to win they would have to show their story accurate, something they cannot currently do.

If they fail to do that them they would have to show that they could not have reasonably forseen that the story would cause the rioting that it did. Here they would be on even flimsier ground. After all the turmoil over Abu Grahib or any number stories true or otherwise, claiming ignorance just doesn't wash.

[MoROmeTe]

Maybe... Shhhh, it's all a huge conspiracy theory... but maybe, the story Newsweek ran is true. It is certainly coherent with paterns of methods that American interogators (Abu Ghraib, anyone?) are reported to have used before (psychic torture). What if Newsweek is now retracting because of pressure by the government and the Army? What if free speech was really present there? We for sure can never really find out if any Qumran was flushed sown a toilet.
And then it like throwing the basket cause of one rotten apple. Freedom of speech shuld be upheld even in the light of such errors, if errors they be. Only that responsability must be taken by those concerned.

[ajimenez3]

What cuased this was a lack of Media checks and balances. It used to be that the editor of a newspaper would not print a story unless the reporter could produce three indepentent sources for the story.

Nowdays it is perfectly alright to release a story with one unamed source that no one else can verify and the majority of the time the unamed source never really existed, just a made up person.

At the least the editor should be fired and as well as the reporter. As far as Legal action I do not know I am torn on what can or should be done. While it is not alright to yell fire in a movie theater the people who went and killed becuase of the story are the only people responsible for the murders.

The News medias need to take a deep inward look and tighten their ethical standards before they become no better than the National Enquire or other such rags.

I know now that Newsweek is one magazine that I will take with a grain of salt.


Semper Fi

[Pra]

Who does Newsweek think they are? What was going through their minds when they printed that story? I feel its because its their liberal bias/ hatred of Bush and this clouded their judgement, to them this was a great story to get at the Bush administration's biggest mishap in Iraq, and never took into account the seriousness of the issue or its consequence.

Your judgement is clouded by your own bias. A short time ago Newsweek printed a story praising the Bush Administration and Bush himself; the article talked about how Bush might actually have been right and how freedom is trickling in to the Mid-East.

This now brings up the dangers of freedom of speech (something I feel should be edited, as do most of my generation). Things like these are very dangerous and Newsweek will be directly blamed for any American deaths in Afghanistan due to the riots that broke out because of this story. Stories like these should never be printed, and worst of all we now know that it was false (again showing that it was their political bias that compelled them to do this). I just want your opinions on this since it is a huge blow to freedom of speech the liberals of the US IMHO.

What generation do you speak of? Why do you keep blaming their political bias? Why don't you blame their capitalistic urges of selling the 'hot story' to make large sums of equity? Are you speaking of the riots as happening at this moment? I do relent that Newsweek should have exacted a degree of caution in their article, but surely we should not talk about limiting Freedom of Speech because of something like this. However, if we do know that Newsweek acted with mendacity then legal action should be taken, and the hearings should be publicized; it is simply libel.

Nonetheless, we should be telling our soldiers to maintain a degree of civility. I understand that during war times such measures can not be enforced all the time (my father and mother were in the army); yet we should not limit the tenets that our Founding Fathers fought for. Moreover, there are allready important measures set in place to limit such misuses of our basic rights.

[Rand Al Thor]

My hunch is that the flushing of the Quran probably did happen, my only hope is that they also wiped their asses with it first.

That position my friend is why Radical Muslims are and will continue killing innocent people. Thanks for giving them even more reasons to hate us.

Days of rioting over the lurid disposal of a copy of a copy a of copy of what some guy hallucinated while smoking dope in a cave to escape his wife is just a little bit over the top don't you think!!

Christians do it all the time, they seem to think it is reasonable.

[Augustine]

Christians do it all the time, they seem to think it is reasonable.

Yeah you're right. Why, just last week I saw a homeless guy take a dump in a church parking lot, and I went and murdered an entire orphanage.

[meh_cd]

Originally posted by Rand Al Thor@May 16 2005, 06:35 PM
Christians do it all the time, they seem to think it is reasonable.

They riot and kill dozens of people?

[Carsomyr]

If I'm not mistaken, they can't find anyone who committed the act and they can't even find an accuser.

[Gelatinous Cube]

Sayeth Newsweek: "Oops."

[Augustine]

If this is proven false, those responcible for the article should all lose their jobs, and then get taken in a back alley and beaten with a sack of coconuts.

Then be forced to drink the coconut milk. :sick