World Tribune.Com

I just sent this letter to World Tribune.Com, cc-ed to Con Web Watch and Media Matters for America.

To the editor:

Lt. Col. Tim Ryan’s Jan. 18, 2005 article, “Media’s coverage has distorted world’s view of Iraqi reality“, contains several serious misstatements of fact:

• The name of the director of C.A.R.E. believed killed in Iraq is Margaret Hassan, not Margaret Hassoon.
• Ryan castigates the media for not showing pictures of Hassan’s disembowelled body, found on the streets of Fallujah. But that mutilated body was not that of Hassan’s. Her remains have not been found.
• There were no “200-plus headless bodies” found in the main mosque of Najaf. As New York Times reporter Alex Berenson has said, “We didn’t report it because it never happened.”
• CNN did not broadcast a “special report” accusing the military of “lying to it,” as Ryan claims. CNN aired an ordinary report that did not use the word lie, although it did quote a Pentagon official as saying 1st. Lt. Lyle Gilbert’s remarks were “technically true but misleading.” Ryan admits as much in his article.
• It appears no story was ever published with the headline, “Seven Marines Die in Iraq Clashes,” according to Google and Nexis searches. It appears Ryan is referring to this AP story that moved around 2 a.m. Dec. 13, 2004. Ryan criticizes the media for failing to note that 50 insurgents were killed in this clash; however, as the story says, the military withheld details of the battle to avoid compromising their combat operations.

I hope that you will correct these serious misstatements of fact.

Incidentally, I have a more complete rebuttal on my blog.

Sincerely,

Derek Rose

UPDATE 2/5/05: So far I haven’t received any response, so I zipped off this email to the publisher, Robert Morton.

Dear Mr. Morton,

I sent the following letter to world@worldtribune.com Jan. 30, 2005 regarding factual inaccuracies in Lt. Col. Tim Ryan’s article, but have yet to receive a response. As editor and publisher, of course you bear ultimate responsibility for WorldTribune.Com’s integrity. I trust you will do the right thing and have your publication correct these serious factual errors.

Sincerely yours,

Derek Rose