OOPS They Did It Again

Here's another example of AP reporters using the same talking points for their stories. This time the stories revolve around the trial of Saddam Hussein. Mariam Fam's article was exceedingly sympathetic to the "plight" of Hussein.

1. Hendawi, Hamza. "Saddam Argues with judge at start of trial for 1982 massacre of Shiites." 19 October 2005. AP. YahooNews. Posted at 1045 EDT

2. Hendawi, Hamza. "Saddm pleads innocent, scuffles with guards in stormy hearing." 19 October 2005. AP. NCTimes.com. Posted at 1819 PDT. **this is the article that contained material from the other two articles**

3. Fam, Mariam. "Even without power, Saddam remains defiant." 20 October 2005. AP. The Associated Press. Posted at 0936 EDT.

HENDAWI 2: "Gone were the Homburg hat and the cigar. So were a few pounds after nearly two years in an American military prison. Still, the swagger and the smirk remained, the bearing of a man accustomed to 23 years of unchallenged power."
FAM: "Gone were the Homburg hat, the cigar, the shotgun fired from a reviewing stand. So were a few pounds after nearly two years in an American military prison. Still, the swagger and the smirk remained, the bearing of a man accustomed to 23 years of unchallenged power."

HENDAWI 2: "...watching Saddam strike a pose reminiscent of the once-ubiquitous television pictures of him sitting at the head of a table surrounded by 'yes' men."
FAM: "...then leaned back in his chair, striking a pose reminiscent of the once-ubiquitous television pictures of him sitting at the head of a table surrounded by 'yes' men."

HENDAWI 2: "Saddam Hussein was defiant..."
HENDAWI 1: "A defiant Saddam Hussein..."

HENDAWI 1: "It ended with Saddam getting his way and he was allowed to walk independently, with the two guards behind him, out of the room for the break."
FAM: "The scuffle ended with Saddam getting his way. He was allowed to walk out independently, with the two guards behind him."

HENDAWI 2: "In Baghdad, Shiite construction worker Salman Zaboun Shanan sat with his family at home in the Shiite neighborhood of Kazimiyah, having taken the day off from work to watch the trial."
HENDAWI 1: "Shiite construction worker Salman Zaboun Shanan sat with his family at home in the Shiite neighbourhood of Kazimiyah, having taken the day off from work to watch the trial."

HENDAWI 2: "But across the Tigris River in the mainly Sunni Arab district of Azamiyah, some were embittered by the trial of Saddam, whose regime was dominated by Sunni Arabs who have no lost their power. 'Saddam is the lesser of evils', said engineer Sahab Awad Maaruf, comparing Saddam to the current Shiite-Kurdish led government. 'He's the only legitimate leader for Iraqis."
HENDAWI 1: "But across the Tigris River in the mainly Sunni Arab district of Azamiyah, some were embittered by the trial of Saddam, whose regime was dominated by Sunni Arabs who have now lost their power. 'Saddam is the lesser of evils,' said engineer Sahab Awad Maaruf, comparing Saddam to the current Shiite-Kurdish led government. 'He's the only legitimate leader for Iraqis.'

Three separate articles, released over two days at different times, by two different writers. This is the second one from the AP stable I have discovered while researching a story about Iraq coverage. Wonder how many have crept past unsuspecting news readers? I'll say it again - repetitious comments tend to sink in and stay while the rest ends up as background noise.