Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Another Black Eye for the New Republic
Michael Goldfarb over at the Weekly Standard has published leaked information from the Army's investigation of the three anti-troop stories by soldier Scott Beauchamp published by the New Republic and it's a killer:
...Pvt. Scott Thomas Beauchamp--author of the much-disputed "Shock Troops" article in the New Republic's July 23 issue as well as two previous "Baghdad Diarist" columns--signed a sworn statement admitting that all three articles he published in the New Republic were exaggerations and falsehoods--fabrications containing only "a smidgen of truth," in the words of our source.
[...]
According to the military source, Beauchamp's recantation was volunteered on the first day of the military's investigation. So as Beauchamp was in Iraq signing an affidavit denying the truth of his stories, the New Republic was publishing a statement from him on its website on July 26, in which Beauchamp said, "I'm willing to stand by the entirety of my articles for the New Republic using my real name."
As we lawyers dream of asking--so were you lying then or are you lying now?
We'll see what TNR editors say when they get back from 'vacation.' So far it's just cricket chirping.
UPDATE: Hugh Hewitt's producer, Duane Patterson, (back to blogging at Townhall) has some good thoughts on this mess. Since TNR confirmed all but one of Beauchamp's 'lies' after he had allegedly recanted, a lot of us want to know how exactly they blew the fact checking long after the stories were published. A small story, perhaps, but telling of the bigger lefty dominated media picture.
UPDATE II: Here's a telling bit from the TNR's doubling down last month on the apparent lies they had published, and which the editors claim were fact checked before publication:
Most important, we spoke with five other members of Beauchamp's company, and all corroborated Beauchamp's anecdotes, which they witnessed or, in the case of one solider, heard about contemporaneously. (All of the soldiers we interviewed who had first-hand knowledge of the episodes requested anonymity.) (Emphasis added). Yeah, I bet.
...Pvt. Scott Thomas Beauchamp--author of the much-disputed "Shock Troops" article in the New Republic's July 23 issue as well as two previous "Baghdad Diarist" columns--signed a sworn statement admitting that all three articles he published in the New Republic were exaggerations and falsehoods--fabrications containing only "a smidgen of truth," in the words of our source.
[...]
According to the military source, Beauchamp's recantation was volunteered on the first day of the military's investigation. So as Beauchamp was in Iraq signing an affidavit denying the truth of his stories, the New Republic was publishing a statement from him on its website on July 26, in which Beauchamp said, "I'm willing to stand by the entirety of my articles for the New Republic using my real name."
As we lawyers dream of asking--so were you lying then or are you lying now?
We'll see what TNR editors say when they get back from 'vacation.' So far it's just cricket chirping.
UPDATE: Hugh Hewitt's producer, Duane Patterson, (back to blogging at Townhall) has some good thoughts on this mess. Since TNR confirmed all but one of Beauchamp's 'lies' after he had allegedly recanted, a lot of us want to know how exactly they blew the fact checking long after the stories were published. A small story, perhaps, but telling of the bigger lefty dominated media picture.
UPDATE II: Here's a telling bit from the TNR's doubling down last month on the apparent lies they had published, and which the editors claim were fact checked before publication:
Most important, we spoke with five other members of Beauchamp's company, and all corroborated Beauchamp's anecdotes, which they witnessed or, in the case of one solider, heard about contemporaneously. (All of the soldiers we interviewed who had first-hand knowledge of the episodes requested anonymity.) (Emphasis added). Yeah, I bet.
Labels: The New Republic; Free Form Journalism
# posted by Roger Fraley @ 8:22 AM 
Comments:
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Now that the Islamo faschists have read that these stories have been debunked by the Weekly Standard, and now realize that our guys over there are all angels, might that mean less hatred toward the USA and a reduction in violence.
# posted by 
: 11:43 AM
: 11:43 AM
Peter,
in a time when an Abu Ghraib stays on the NY Times front page for 48 straight days, there is no room for complete and utter fabrication like this. Please do tell me, what good it is, to lie as Beauchamp has done ? And what good would be served, to not endeavor on a quest to verify the validity of such ?.....especially when the stories were indeed.......just stories.
in a time when an Abu Ghraib stays on the NY Times front page for 48 straight days, there is no room for complete and utter fabrication like this. Please do tell me, what good it is, to lie as Beauchamp has done ? And what good would be served, to not endeavor on a quest to verify the validity of such ?.....especially when the stories were indeed.......just stories.
...might that mean less hatred toward the USA and a reduction in violence.
Nah...the lefties will never stop hating the USA.
Nah...the lefties will never stop hating the USA.
Whether or not "there is no room for complete and utter fabrication like this", the fact remains that this story simply does not justify the foaming at the mouth by the neo con side of the blogasphere. Unless you think Abu Ghraib and some guy running over a pooch are equivalent. More minority mischief.
# posted by : 6:51 PM
: 6:51 PM
Peter,
the "foaming at the mouth" was on the part of the lib blogs, as a result of the stories. The challenge as to the reality of the stories, wcame as a result of the overt gleeful reaction by the loony left, regarding beauchamps fabrications.
Cause and effect.Truth and Lies.
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the "foaming at the mouth" was on the part of the lib blogs, as a result of the stories. The challenge as to the reality of the stories, wcame as a result of the overt gleeful reaction by the loony left, regarding beauchamps fabrications.
Cause and effect.Truth and Lies.
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