CLIFF'S NOTES
by Cliff Kincaid

DEAR FELLOW MEDIA WATCHDOG:   5/24/05

RICHARD M. SMITH, THE CHAIRMAN AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF    Newsweek, says that, "…we got an important story wrong, and honor requires us to admit our mistake and redouble our efforts to make sure that nothing like this ever happens again." Newsweek editor Mark Whitaker expressed "regret" about the flawed Newsweek story and said that Newsweek extended sympathies "to victims of the violence and to the U.S. soldiers caught in its midst." Newsweek assistant managing editor Evan Thomas noted that the spark was apparently lit at a May 6 press conference by Imran Khan, a Pakistani cricket legend and critic of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf. Khan brandished a copy of Newsweek and read the report about U.S. investigators confirming that a copy of the Koran had been flushed down the toilet. The governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan are both threatened with destabilization because of the fallout from the Newsweek story. Soon, however, the story changed to pictures of Saddam Hussein in his underwear. Al-Jazeera, which had exploited the Newsweek story, said it wouldn't show the pictures because they were too offensive. This exposed their anti-American agenda. 
 
IRONICALLY, EVAN THOMAS HAS BEEN TEACHING A COURSE AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY'S   John F. Kennedy School of Government on "the ethical, moral and practical issues that recur in news delivery." It looks like he flunked his own course. We suggest dropping him a postcard about this. Washington Post media reporter Howard Kurtz says that editor Whitaker didn't see the final version of the story before it appeared because he was traveling on personal business and managing editor Jon Meacham was out of town on an interview. Incredibly, Whitaker tells Kurtz, "Everyone here did the right thing." New York Newsday quoted Michael Isikoff, the main author of the false story, as saying, "I believe Newsweek has been clear up the line that they don't see any evidence that anybody, much less me, did anything wrong." Newsweek claimed it had "sources" for the story and yet we found out it was one source—still anonymous—whose information was erroneous. Nobody did anything wrong? As Rep. J.D. Hayworth said, "Newsweek lied and people died."  We are suggesting sending a postcard to Rep. Hayworth about this. Rep. Deborah Pryce asked, "How many more lives have to be sacrificed until credibility can be returned to our newsrooms?"

ABC NEWS REPORTER TERRY MORAN GARNERED ATTENTION WHEN HE CHALLENGED White House spokesman Scott McClellan's request that Newsweek do more to correct the damage it has done. Moran said, "Who made you the editor of Newsweek? Do you think it's appropriate for you, at that podium, speaking with the authority of the President of the United States, to tell an American magazine what they should print?" McClellan might make a better editor, considering that Newsweek editor Whitaker wasn't even there to review the final draft of the dubious story.

THE DISCREDITED DAN RATHER AND MARY MAPES HAVE RECEIVED BROADCAST JOURNALISM'S most prestigious award—the Peabody—for their 60 Minutes II Abu Ghraib story. General Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had asked Rather to hold the story and the photos of prisoner abuse because of the damage that would be done. The U.S. military had already started an investigation. After the photos aired, terrorists beheaded American Nick Berg in retaliation. CBS based its report, in part, on claims by Staff Sgt. Ivan "Chip" Frederick, who wanted to blame his own criminal conduct on higher-ups. Frederick eventually pleaded guilty for his actions at Abu Ghraib and is serving an eight-year prison sentence. Investigations have found no official policy of condoning the abuse or torture of prisoners.   

THE CREDIBILITY OF THE MEDIA CONTINUES TO GO DOWNHILL. TO THE CREDIT OF THE NEW York Times, it put together a committee to examine how the paper could increase readers' trust. The committee has issued a report noting that the paper printed 3,200 corrections last year. But on May 21, the Times published another correction; this one was a doozy. It said: "An article on May 6 described a demonstration at Princeton University against the proposal by Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader and a Princeton graduate and board member, to bar filibusters on judicial nominees. The writer, a freelance contributor who is a Princeton student, did not disclose to The Times that before she was assigned the article, she had participated in the demonstration. The Times does not ordinarily allow its writers to cover events in which they have taken part, and the paper's staff and contributors are not permitted to join rallies or demonstrations on divisive issues. The writer says she was unaware of these policies." This correction reminds me of the time when the Times Supreme Court reporter, Linda Greenhouse, marched in a pro-abortion rights demonstration. She stayed with the paper and still covers the court. In fact, she just wrote a book based on exclusive access to the papers of Justice Harry Blackmun, author of the court's controversial 1973 pro-abortion decision.

IT HAS BECOME FASHIONABLE TO BASH THE UNITED STATES, EVEN DURING A TIME OF WAR.   Pepsi-Cola President Indra Nooyi, a native of India who is a U.S. citizen, delivered a speech in which she compared the United States to a middle finger—the same finger used for obscene gestures. She claims she has been taken out of context. So here's the appropriate part of her speech: "The middle finger anchors every function that the hand performs and is the key to all of the fingers working together efficiently and effectively. This is a really good thing, and has given the U.S. a leg up in global business since the end of World War I. However, if used inappropriately—just like the U.S. itself—the middle finger can convey a negative message and get us in trouble. You know what I'm talking about. In fact, I suspect you're hoping that I'll demonstrate what I mean." Nooyi says that her remarks "were misconstrued and depicted in a different context as unpatriotic. Although nothing could be further from the truth, I regret any confusion or concern that I may have inadvertently created." Bloggers led the way in calling attention to her controversial comments.

SPEAKING OF BIG CORPORATIONS, JACK CASHILL'S PIECE ON ENRON SHEDS LIGHT ON A possible Hillary link to the scandal-ridden company. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton's finance chairman, David Rosen, is on trial in Los Angeles because of charges that the Clinton campaign hid the true costs of a million-dollar fundraiser in 2000. It remains to be seen whether Hillary will be directly implicated. Her presidential ambitions could go down in flames.

WE HAVE POINTED OUT THAT THE "NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR MEDIA REFORM," HELD recently in St. Louis, was sponsored by the Free Press, a Massachusetts-based group that received $400,000 from the George Soros-funded Open Society Institute. Linda Foley, president of the 35,000-member Newspaper Guild, made headlines at the event by alleging, without evidence, that the U.S. military had "targeted" journalists in Iraq and had a "cavalier" approach toward their deaths. Mark Hyman of Sinclair Broadcasting has taken the lead in drawing attention to this outrageous comment. We suggest sending a postcard to Ms. Foley, urging her to quit smearing U.S. soldiers trying to safeguard the democratic experiment in Iraq. Hyman has called on Foley to resign. We agree with that. We need your support to accomplish real media reform.

For Accuracy in Media
Cliff Kincaid
Editor