Is It Real or Is It AP?

Michelle Malkin has just posted the AP's response to CentCom's request for clarification or retraction of the "burning Sunnis" story. Being the chickenshits that they are, the AP went to USA Today with their response - instead of CentCom. Bottom line - the AP stands by their story...

"We have conducted a thorough review of the sourcing and reporting involved and plan to move a more detailed report about the entire incident soon, with greater detail provided by multiple eye witnesses. Several of those witnesses spoke to AP on the condition that their names would not be used because they fear reprisals.

The police captain cited in our story has long been known to the AP reporters and has been interviewed in his office and by telephone on several occasions during the past two years.
He is an officer at the police station in Yarmouk, with a record of reliability and truthfulness. His full name is Jamil Gholaiem Hussein."

Well then I'm sure Jamil Gholaiem Hussein won't mind going through CentCom's vetting process for approval to make authorized statements to the media...

The AP has a rock solid history of using questionable sources and covering the war in Iraq in the most biased manner possible. Take Bilal Hussein - the AP photographer that had such a close connection to the terrorists killing our soldiers that they posed for candid photos for him. (and also the source for the claims of Willy Pete in Fallujah back in Nov 2004).

This is nothing more than ass-covering by the AP. Notice that the AP said nothing about the other 15 unauthorized sources from CentCom's list.

And just to pour more gasoline on the fire, the AP released another story about the "burning Sunnis" with more anonymous sources to back up their claims. Of course the AP used their standard canard - "they wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals". Bull Crap - they are anonymous because they are just more of the same - unauthorized sources.

My money goes on CentCom. The AP has done nothing to earn my trust. If anything, they have demolished an inkling of trust I may have had in them years ago.

One interesting note - the Iraqi Resistance Reports on AlBasrah.net made no mention of the Sunnis burned alive story. Now if anyone was going to scream "civil war" and "atrocities", it would be AlBasrah. The fact that there is no mention of the incident in their reports does lead one to wonder. Is is real or is it AP?

Previous Related Posts:
More Unauthorized Sources for the AP
Uh-Oh Looks Like the AP is in Deep Doo-Doo