Monday, August 07, 2006

BBC News and Reutersgate

The BBC news programme Newsnight aired a segment on the Reutersgate story, interviewing a Reuters rep and a Telegraph journalist who were far from apologetic, and in general proposing the version that in "the fog of war" it's "inevitable" that distortions and falsifications occur - as examples,Tim Whewell, the segment's presenter, referred to filmed World War II appearances and speeches by Churchill which were actually staged by an actor, and to the photographs of prisoner abuse in Iraq by British troops which turned out to be faked.

The Telegraph journalist offered the argument that even if the photo of the dead child in a rescuer's arms was a fake, it still conveyed the tragedy of the event.

There was an "exclusive" long-distance interview with Adnan Hajj, but it didn't last long, because of what were apparently "technical difficulties". Hajj basically denied all the accusations, and claimed the photos were authentic.

Still, at least the story was aired - and "bloggers" were praised for their acuity and sharpness of vision. "Internet bloggers", viewers were told, were there to keep the MSM on its toes.

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