We have explored at length the AP’s cooperation with terrorist forces in Iraq. When the AP won the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography, for example, we thought it deserved the Pulitzer for felony murder. We published the comments of D. Gorton in support of our own analysis. Gorton elaborated his thoughts further in “Murder on Haifa Street.”
The AP now acknowledges it has serious issues with its coverage of the war. Unfortunately, they differ substantially with us on the nature of the issues. The AP believes it has been hamstrung by the government in its coverage of the war. According to AP chief executive officer Thomas Curley: “We are the only force out there to keep the government in check and to hold it accountable.” I wonder, however, who is to hold the AP accountable. Curley shows no inclination whatsoever to professional self-examination or introspection.
Curley believes the Bush administration somehow misused our armed forces and inappropriately restrained press coverage of the war. AP correspondent John Hanna leads his long report on Curley’s remarks at the University of Kansas: “The Bush administration turned the U.S. military into a global propaganda machine while imposing tough restrictions on journalists seeking to give the public truthful reports about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Associated Press chief executive Tom Curley said Friday.” Hanna’s report on Curley’s remarks touches on the the question of Bilal Hussein without acknowledging the existence of any troubling facts regarding Hussein’s work for the AP.
Hanna paraphrases Curley asserting that “the Bush administration had stripped hundreds of people, including reporters, of their human rights.” Our friend Mac Owens of the Naval War College observes: “As you can see, as usual, it’s all Bush’s fault.” Mac aptly asks: “Did he turn AP into a propaganda machine for Islamist insurgents too?”
To comment on this post, go here.
Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.