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Sunday, May 15, 2005

Nothing to See. Move Along

Newsweek has retracted the rumor it spread about a Koran being flushed down a toilet at Gitmo. More than a dozen people were killed in a number of violent protests by Moslems in various countries.

Instapundit notes the two aspects of the incident that are important. I will be fascinated to see whether the press ignores the fact that they jumped to believe the worst about US forces without checking such an explosive charge more than they ignore the fact that in Islam such a thing leads to multiple deaths in outrage over the charge. Quite the dilemma, eh?

But hey, in our day I am just grateful that our press isn't paid by our enemies to write for them.

Or should I be more disturbed that they work against us for free?

UPDATE: I should be more clear on the press dilemma. Really, the press dilemma is amusing. Their obvious defense to a little biased piece that turns out to be rumor is that when dealing with normal people, nobody would riot and kill, now would they? But arguing to defend Newsweek that a certain subset of Islam is just nuts and that too many of the normal types refuse to shun the whackos is just too alien to Newsweek's world view to contemplate.

So Newsweek's reputation (and Islam's too for that matter) will fall to the magazine's need to defend their broader multi-culti view that Third World people are always victims and that we always have to understand their rage.

Will Newsweek understand the rage of people upset at their decision to print the rumor? Even if we don't riot?

UPDATE: Regarding the Instapundit link. I must say that while I anticipated the "Islam has the problem" defense, I actually didn't predict it--I didn't think the press would possibly go there.