terrshee's Diaryland Diary

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Damage Control

I'm mulling over the cost of a single mistake in the news.

I come under enough pressure to get things right for the financial markets. This segment of the news isn't a particularly nuanced business most of the time and sources are pretty cut-and-dried. But a lot of government officials now won't be quoted by name, so we have to rely on anonymous sources or refer to shadowy officials "on background." A couple of the larger news agencies are beginning to routinely protest the practice. It does seem rather pointless as the same people who want to be quoted only as a government official then often turn around and go on TV and say exactly the same thing.

And there is all the flap about the Newsweek story about the descretation of the Quran as an interrogation technique. The problem, of course, is that even if the retraction is sincere and honest, no one in the Islamic world will believe it; the Great Satan of the U.S. is merely lying to try to cover up their despicable practices and culpability.

I can't say I blame them. Even an ally like Italy gets a whitewash when it comes to our military behavior (witness the pilot who got off after the cable car accident or the lack of taking responsibility in the shooting of their security agent).

I don't know what the truth is in this situation. I certainly don't put it past the intelligence community to use someone's religious feelings against them given the other verified reports of prisoner abuse. On the other hand, I don't put it past a news organization to choose the more sensational story for publication, even when doubtful. I still get burned when I remember CNN doing a huge "expose" of one man's allegations of sexual abuse against Cardinal Bernadine that was later proven to be total bunk. News outlets have a responsibility to make sure what they print is true and accurate.

What I do believe is that this incident will only serve to cement anti-American feeling and provide the sort of conspiracy theory durability that will harden hearts and minds, and make it ever more difficult to establish peace and stability outside of our own borders. You can't do damage control where there is no one listening.

10:22 a.m. - 2005-05-17
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