Pentagon: Hersh report 'journalist malpractice'

[nolabels]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/05/17/iraq.abuse.main/

Pentagon: Hersh report 'journalist malpractice'
Official denies existence of secret interrogation squad

Monday, May 17, 2004 Posted: 12:47 PM EDT (1647 GMT

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Officials in the Pentagon and the U.S. intelligence community Monday flatly denied a New Yorker magazine report that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved a clandestine unit to crack down on terrorists held at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, where inmates were abused.

The article, by Seymour Hersh, quotes a former intelligence official saying the unit's instructions were, "Grab whom you must. Do what you want." The report also says the CIA pulled its people from involvement in interrogations at the prison in October "because it was out of control."

"This is the most hysterical piece of journalist malpractice I have ever observed," said Lawrence DiRita, spokesman for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, in response to Hersh's report.

A senior intelligence official said the article contains "fantasy," adding, "I haven't found any truth in it."

The unit described simply does not exist, the intelligence official said.

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

[xultar]

1. My Dear, it seems yo do-eth protest too much... n/t

[Jacobin]

2. Funny how NONE of their responses are clear denials

They lambast the reporter, call it "outrageous" but never never never say "no, its not true"

The classic "non-denial, denial"

These fuckers should all be in chains at the Hague.

[DrWeird]

6. Yeah, it's all "CAN'T PROVE IT! CAN'T PROVE IT!"

"ANONYMOUS SOURCES!"

Nothing in the way of a denial.

[Terran]

19. Mmm, not exactly.

"The unit described simply does not exist, " said the Intelligence official.

That looks like a flat-out denial to me, except in the most technical way. 'Er, well, Hersh didn't describe it *exactly*, so therefore...'

[Rolling Titanic]

27. Nope,

It just means that the unit Hersh is describing doesn't exist. Some other description of a unit with the same function may yet exist.

The denial requires one to assume that this well respected journalist made the story up out of whole cloth a la Jayson Blair.

[hang a left]

34. That didn't cross my mind.

These spinners really keep you on your toes.

[eatstomach]

48. Was Jayson Blair well respected before he blew his cover?

What makes a reporter turn against the people by making up stories?

[stickdog]

54. Plus, the "official" is unnamed. (nt)

[hang a left]

20. I did read that "the unit didn't even exist"

that's a pretty strong denial. Having said that I sure hope that Sy is correct on this. He has written some scathing articles recently and I would hate to see him discredited, when he is a voice that we need right now.

He is gonna get called out on Hardball tonight. Let's hope he has done his homework.

[aquart]

25. Uh. Black op. Technically does not exist. Existence is DENIED.

Never saw Mission Impossible?

[hang a left]

35. LOL n/t

[NMLobo]

51. If any of your IM force

is caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.

This tape will self destruct in 5 seconds.

cue the theme song...

dut dut da da dut dut da da dut dut da da dut dut da da doodle ooo,.. doodle ooo,... doodle ooo ....etc.


now it's stuck in your head isn't it??? :evilgrin:

[Snazzy]

31. Rice: "As far as we can tell there is really nothing to the story."

But you can't "tell" because it is so highly classified.

This struck me as a (possible) very sneaky non-denial.

[symbolman]

Okay, Pentagon

then PROVE it's NOT true..

:)

[Beetwasher]

3. I AWAIT THE LAWSUIT!!!

Them's fighting words! Bring it on boys! Sounds like you got a case, what are you waiting for?

[Just Me]

18. A lawsuit AGAINST the P-gon: libel and slander!!!

Assholes!!! :grr:

[rocktivity]

37. THEM'S FIGHTING WORDS, ALL RIGHT!

Bring it on, you durned flea-bitten ijit galoot!

:headbang:
rocknation

[nolabels]

46. Were you refering to what was going on here

http://www.counterpunch.org/mariner03222003.html
March 22, 2003
Ducking the First Amendment
Richard Perle's Planned Lawsuit Against Seymour Hersh

By JOANNE MARINER

Seymour Hersh, the celebrated investigative journalist, is no stranger to the pressures of reporting on controversial issues during wartime. After the verdict was handed down in the criminal prosecution of the My Lai massacre, a story he broke during the Vietnam War, he felt so threatened by angry soldiers that he went into hiding.

It is a telling sign of the times that Hersh is once again under attack for his reporting. Last week, just as Hersh was giving a speech in which he publicly warned that journalists were frightened and intimidated, senior Pentagon advisor Richard Perle was telling the New York Sun that he planned to file suit against Hersh for libel.

Another sign of the times (or perhaps just a hallmark of the Bush Administration): Perle has a strategy for evading constitutional protections against this action. Although Perle is an American, Hersh is an American, and the magazine in which Hersh printed his allegedly defamatory article is published in the United States, Perle told the Sun that he would file suit in Britain.

Known as the "libel capital of the world" because of its plaintiff-friendly rules on defamation, Britain has nothing remotely comparable to the First Amendment's protections for freedom of the press. In the U.S. courts, Perle would have to prove that Hersh's statements were false and that they were made with "actual malice," making it likely that his suit would be dismissed in the early stages of litigation. In England, where the law establishes a rebuttable presumption that a defamatory statement is false, Perle stands a far better chance of dragging Hersh into a long and costly court battle.
(snip)

[stickdog]

55. It's still a bluff. Discovery, no matter how oblique, is the last thing

neocons want.

[lovedems]

4. Hersch had a kick ass comment on CNN this morning.

When Hemmer pointed out these quotes Hersch said, "Yeah, that is what they said when I reported the Mai-Lai incident (and the other story he broke, can't remember which one it was). I knew they would respond like this."

Smackdown! He has seen the denials before. He should get an award.

[NeonLX]

7. Yer right, he deserves an award...

...but he'll probably get a ticket for a one-way trip on a small plane.

[librechik]

17. Hersh's awards; (Pulitzer) and a little FU to Kissinger & Perle

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Seymour-Hersh

snip
His work first gained worldwide recognition in 1969 for exposing the My Lai massacre and its cover-up during the Vietnam War, for which he received the Pulitzer Prize for international reporting.

His book The Price of Power: Kissinger in the Nixon White House won him the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times book prize in biography.

Hersh has written a total of eight books and contributed to the PBS television documentary, Buying the Bomb (1985).

Hersh currently contributes regularly to The New Yorker on military and security matters. A 2004 article investigated exactly how Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld circumvented the normal intelligence analysis function of the CIA in their quest to make a case for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. His coverage of Richard Perle in another article lead Perle to say that Hersh was the "closest thing American journalism has to a terrorist." Perle threatened to sue Hersh for libel in England where the standard of proof is much lower, but later dropped the case.

[gratuitous]

5. More non-denial denials

And look at the careful phrasing: "The unit described simply does not exist." Easy follow-up questions for CNN: Did the unit ever exist? Does it continue to exist, just no longer in the form described?

Those are the freebies for CNN. If they want more actual questions that professional journalists would ask, they can contact me, and for a modest consulting fee, I'll be happy to supply them.

[mouse7]

8. "Hitlery wrote the article and forged Hersh's name on it"

You know it's coming.

"Clenis wrote it!!!"

[Window]

28. Hitlery & Clenis

LOL!

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. Ok DoD is late by how many DAYS? They usually start

the characgter assasination within hours...

This means that they were really shocked....

GO HERSH GO

[salin]

10. sadly for the Pentagon

facts and reports from multiple directions (the military's own investigation, the IRC report, etc.) seem to support this explanation much more than the Pentagon's response of "it (policy changes, etc.) didn't happen" but "when it (actual massive violations of the Geneva Conventions) happened, we didn't know about it and know one is responsible"....

[qb]

11. Fair's fair... Hersh accused them of martial malpractice

(sarcasm)

[Wind Dancer]

12. Hersh seems to be one of the few

journalists willing to expose the truth. I have such an enormous amount of respect for him and his unwillingness to be intimidated by anybody.

He is a real hero for the second time! There is more to come.

[section321]

13. They seem a lot more upset about this than the outing of Valerie Plame

I guess this top secret information is nearer and dearer to their hearts...

[blm]

14. So then, let's see them file suit against Hersh for slander.

Don't hold your breath waiting.

[DoYouEverWonder]

30. Tell probably do it after Perle

files his suit against Sy. Oh that's right, Perle decided that suing Hersh wasn't such a good idea after all.

[roguevalley]

15. They protesteth too much.

[KittyWampus]

16. JAG Lawyers Corroborated Hersh's Story-See Thread Here

I cannot BELEIVE DU'ers are NOT PICKING UP ON THIS STORY!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=558966&mesg_id=558966

[Generator]

22. This makes me think of what another Du'er said

Wouldn't it be ironic(and it seems to be somewhat so) if those in the military brought down Bush?

[Francine Frensky]

21. Funny, Fox news is guilty of journalistic malpractice every day

Is that a real crime that can be prosecuted?

[ixion]

24. that was my thought

funny how no one minds that FAUX news commits journalistic malpractice on a regular basis.

Franly, given Hersh's outstanding credentials, I think they'll have a hard time making any viable case against him, so in that sense it's just bluster.

[xxqqqzme]

23. just curious.....

what is the penalty for 'journalistic malpractice'? Was 'nofacts' similarly attacked?

[Nlighten1]

26. Turn on CNN...that is journalistic malpractice

[Spazito]

29. Found this on Findlaw, VERY interesting reading on Presidential...

findings and covert actions which, if Hersh is correct, the President would have had to sign off on a covert unit.

Section 413b. Presidential approval and reporting of covert actions

(a) Presidential findings
The President may not authorize the conduct of a covert action by
departments, agencies, or entities of the United States Government
unless the President determines such an action is necessary to
support identifiable foreign policy objectives of the United States
and is important to the national security of the United States,
which determination shall be set forth in a finding that shall meet
each of the following conditions:
(1) Each finding shall be in writing, unless immediate action
by the United States is required and time does not permit the
preparation of a written finding, in which case a written record
of the President's decision shall be contemporaneously made and
shall be reduced to a written finding as soon as possible but in
no event more than 48 hours after the decision is made.
(2) Except as permitted by paragraph (1), a finding may not
authorize or sanction a covert action, or any aspect of any such
action, which already has occurred.
(3) Each finding shall specify each department, agency, or
entity of the United States Government authorized to fund or
otherwise participate in any significant way in such action. Any
employee, contractor, or contract agent of a department, agency,
or entity of the United States Government other than the Central
Intelligence Agency directed to participate in any way in a
covert action shall be subject either to the policies and
regulations of the Central Intelligence Agency, or to written
policies or regulations adopted by such department, agency, or
entity, to govern such participation.
(4) Each finding shall specify whether it is contemplated that
any third party which is not an element of, or a contractor or
contract agent of, the United States Government, or is not
otherwise subject to United States Government policies and
regulations, will be used to fund or otherwise participate in any
significant way in the covert action concerned, or be used to
undertake the covert action concerned on behalf of the United
States.
(5) A finding may not authorize any action that would violate
the Constitution or any statute of the United States.

more

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/casecode/uscodes/50/chapters/15/subchapters/iii/sections/section_413b.html

[Just Me]

36. Good find, Spazito!!! Thanks!!! *eom*

[Hekate]

32. My golly. Who should we believe?

Surely not Rummy, who lies only when his lips are moving.

Hekate

[rocktivity]

33. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt

A senior intelligence official said the article contains "fantasy," adding, "I haven't found any truth in it."
Then he added, "Of course, that's only because I had enough sense not to look."

The unit described simply does not exist, the intelligence official said.
NOT a direct quote. Besides, this could simply mean that the unit no longer exists, or it has suddenly and recently changed its name, form, mission, or personnel. Wasn't the Office of Special Plans supposed to be a fantasy, too? And the accusation that Bush had bin Laden family members flown out the USA right after 9/11?

DiRita, responding Monday, called Hersh "one of history's great conspiracy theorists."
The problem with those darned "therorists" is that they constantly makes so much sense. Move over, Hillary Clinton and Richard Clarke--once again, we hear the Repubs calling Hersh everything in the book EXCEPT a liar.

:headbang:
rocknation

[damnraddem]

38. OK, the Pentagon, and other Admin. officials, have denied the report.

That must mean that the report is true.

[Moderator]

39. nolabels

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
news source.

Thank you.

DU Moderator

[nolabels]

44. Excuse me, grammar and sentence structure is not one of my strong points

(snip)
Paragraphs.
There's no hard and fast rule for the length of a paragraph: it can be as short as a sentence or as long as it has to be. Just remember that each paragraph should contain only one developed idea. A paragraph often begins with a topic sentence which sets the tone of the paragraph; the rest amplifies, clarifies, or explores the topic sentence. When you change topics, start a new paragraph.

Be sure your paragraphs are organized to help your argument along. Each paragraph should build on what came before, and should lay the ground for whatever comes next. Mastering transitions can make a very big difference in your writing.

A matter of mechanics and house style: it's customary (at least in America) to indicate new paragraphs in most prose by indenting the first line (three to five spaces), with no skipped lines between paragraphs. Business memos and press releases tend to skip a line and not indent. (As you can see from this guide, most Web browsers use the skip-a-line-and-don't-indent style.) In papers for English classes, don't-skip-but-indent is preferable.
(snip)
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/p.htm

On Edit: I forgot to say (out of space anyway) "PLEASE", but feel free to torture me for breaking the rules, it really was accidental.
(if I could edit it I would, but the hour has past, I was just trying to bring the story)

ON second edit, forget the torure part, I cannot indure * and that too
Did I say I dispise * yet? :puke:

[never cry wolf]

40. Republican non-lie of the day

From the article:

The closest Rumsfeld came to addressing Hersh's article was when he said the world has "watched a free media publish stories of all types -- from the accurate to the grossly distorted."

Of course we all believe Sy's article to be the former rather than the latter.

On the same topic, here was the republican non lie of the day from yesterday:

Di Rita said: "Assertions apparently being made in the latest New Yorker article on Abu Ghraib and the abuse of Iraqi detainees are outlandish, conspiratorial, and filled with error and anonymous conjecture."


"No responsible official of the Department of Defense approved any program that could conceivably have been intended to result in such abuses as witnessed in the recent photos and videos," he added in the statement on the Pentagon's Web site.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=nm/iraq_abuse_pentagon_dc

I don't consider ANYONE in the admin to be very responsible.

[Chicago Democrat]

41. Classic Non Denial Denial....

Doesn't actually refute anything... Just ad hominem attacks and blustering.

Pulitzer Prize winner, MiLy massacre guy vs. Pentagon- Who do you believe?

[struggle4progress]

42. The Pentagon attacks Hersh two days in a row!

Sunday and Monday! Are they going to attack him tomorrow too?

They must be getting wobbly-kneed over there about something.

[mike1963]

43. But Rummy said (correctly for once) "Absence of evidence isn't evidence

of absence..."?

Thirty years ago, I would have loved to get hold of whatever these bastards are smoking...
:grr:

[crossroads]

45. "Pure fantasy!"

Just like the WMDs'!!!
:bounce:

[eatstomach]

47. Did Hersh name names?

Without names to go along with quotes it's a dead end.

[SayitAintSo]

49. Do you suppose Bushco* floated a "whopper" to Hersh

To potentially discredit him and diffuse the truth he already laid out that is so damaging ?

[Spazito]

50. Mr. Hersh is a rarity, a real investigative reporter...

they double and triple check their facts and often have documentation to back them up. This is not the first time he has faced off against a republican administration and knows exactly how they will react and planned according before his article was published.

[AnnitaR]

52. Seems like to me they wouldn't want to

piss Seymour off!

You'd think they'd realize he's got some major sources for his stories and that pissing him off would only make him dig harder for the dirt against them. Attacking Seymour's character seems like a really stupid idea.

I have a feeling that Sy is just sitting back in his chair with a big ole grin on his face. He's just letting them have all the rope they want!

[Kimber Scott]

53. Newsweek Reports the Same as Hersh

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4989422/

[anarchy1999]

56. Can we talk now about the outing of Plame and Novak's responsibility?

n/t