12/20/2004

Ugly Reporting Wrongs Rumsfeld


Human Events Online Allan H. Ryskind had this to say and he is absolutely right:

It may not have been conscious sabotage of the defense secretary, but it's hard to believe otherwise.

Nowhere was the media's irresponsibility on the Iraq conflict more acutely demonstrated than in the barrage of ugly news reports on Donald Rumsfeld's exchange in Kuwait with Spc. Thomas Wilson, an exchange that is still reverberating across the country.

Hold the presses!

Let's rewind back to December 9, 2004, when Matt Drudge and, subsequently Desert Rat, were reporting that Chattanooga Times Free Press reporter Edward Lee Pitts, an embedded reporter, was filing a report about what took place that day.

Only problem is, and I remember this VERY clearly, Mistah Pitts is full of himself...and full of shit!

Read again Pitts words in his infamous, self-serving email titled "Way to go":

I just had one of my best days as a journalist today...While waiting for the VIP, I went and found the Sgt. in charge of the microphone for the question and answer session and made sure he knew to get my guys out of the crowd...(DR Note - Read: SETUP) So during the Q&A session, one of my guys was the second person called on. When he asked Rumsfeld...the place erupted in cheers so loud that Rumsfeld had to ask the guy to repeat his question.....The great part was that after the event was over the throng of national media following Rumsfeld- The New York Times, AP, all the major networks -- swarmed to the two soldiers I brought from the unit I am embedded with....From what I understand this is all over the news back home...

So!

It's all about the reporter...

You know, my grandmother always used to say "the more things change...the more they stay the same....."

And she was right.

This thing didn't pass the smell test from Day One...

I rest my case.

DR