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Monday, January 08, 2007

How Media Bias Works

Another day, another American atrocity reported.

So what gives with the refusal of the media to stop reporting on alleged American crimes long after they are refuted or investigated?

To a public that does not pay close attention to this issue and for foreigners determined to believe the worst of us (Heck, who am I kidding? Plenty of Americans eat this up.), these recycled old stories appear as fresh new allegations and proof that we are no better than our jihadi enemies:

Several media outlets have been citing FBI documents claiming mistreatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. However, these documents are the basis of what is really a big non-story. Why? Because the allegations of torture based on these documents have already been investigated by the Department of Defense (DOD) in 2005 and found to have no basis in fact.

The documents in question? They are the same FBI memos that formed the basis of Senator Richard Durbin's comparison of Guantanamo Bay to the actions of the Nazis and Khmer Rouge, and have been released in the course of a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Now for what the media and ACLU won't tell you. The DOD investigations in 2004 and 2005 turned up very few incidents of mistreatment, and those incidents that did occur were often dealt with on the spot. Three of the incidents – and the response to them – are worth noting.

Follow the link for the details of the three incidents referenced.

It's almost as if the media believes America is evil.