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Friday, June 03, 2005

DESECRATE THE QUÁRAN. WAS NEWSWEEK EVER IN ERROR? ©

It was late on a Friday evening. On the east coast, network nightly newscasts had already aired. The calm and stillness of the weekend was setting in. Some were readying for bed, others for a night on the town. It was time to leave the hustle and bustle of the workweek behind; it was time to enjoy the weekend.

What better time for the Whitehouse to release a story that might bring controversy? Customarily, people leave thoughts of global chaos for the weekdays. Saturdays and Sundays are considered days of rest. The media respects this time-honored tradition. Therefore, if details of a story could be damaging, if they might defeat an intended Bush plan, this administration reveals them in the quiet of a Friday night, and so it was with this story.

On Friday night, June 3, 2005, the true story of the Quáran [Koran] was made public. Newsweek did not report the story; they were beaten, battered, and badly bruised. They could take no more chances, no more criticism. The Whitehouse had won their battle with this periodical. Newsweek editors partially retracted their earlier report “GUANTANAMO, A Scandal Spreads.”

On May 9, 2005, Newsweek had published a piece stating, American interrogators had flushed a Quáran down the toilet. Unheard of, not possible, or so the Whitehouse claimed. American servicemen and women would never do such a thing. Remember Abu Ghair.

In the days immediately following the May 9th missive, Spokesman Scott McClellan berated the magazine, its reporters, editors, and their policies. Speaking on behalf of the President, Mr. McClellan questioned the use of an anonymous source. A tale such as this is “too important” and warrants more scrutiny before it is placed in print. He stated Newsweek has done “irreparable damage” to the reputation of the United States.

Later, the President and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld chimed in. Each claimed Newsweek was the cause for riots and bedlam; their carelessness caused fifteen deaths. Ultimately and sheepishly, Newsweek correspondents Michael Isikoff and John Barry affirmed, they had only one source, and that source was unwilling to speak on the record. Newsweek editors were embarrassed. Reluctantly they admitted they were in error; the statement should not have been published. It would be a while before this magazine was ready for another skirmish. Yet, the results of another investigation on the mistreatment of the Quáran were revealed on this Friday, June 3.

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