Editor&Publisher: The Press ignored the Haditha story for months

[DeepModem Mom]

When the Press Dropped the Ball on Haditha
Haditha is back on the front pages with news that eight marines now face serous charges for the alleged massacre in Iraq. But the press showed remarkably modest interest in the subject after it was first reported last March.
By Greg Mitchell

....Following the killings in Haditha 0n November 19, 2005, it took months for an official investigation to begin. An Associated Press story from Baghdad in June quoted Hassan Bazaz, a Baghdad University political scientist, complaining that strong interest belatedly being shown by Western news media in the alleged U.S. misconduct is only now catching up with common views in Iraq. ``There is nothing new or surprising for Iraqis,'' said Bazaz. ``The problem is that the outside world has been isolated from what happens on the ground in Iraq. What the media says now is only a fraction of what happens every day.''...

***

(Thomas Ricks of the Washington Post) traced the now-familiar timeline: Haditha killings in November, nothing reported until Time magazine story in March, very quiet again until Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) told reporters on May 17 the shocking news (after he was briefed on the incident) that what happened in Haditha was "much worse than reported in Time magazine." Murtha stated that the investigations would reveal that our troops overreacted, and they killed innocent civilians in cold blood. It was a thunderbolt at the time.

But here’s what happened next, according to Ricks: “The reporters present barely focused on what Murtha had said. When the congressman finished his statement, the first reporter asked about Iraqi security forces. The second asked about U.S. troop withdrawals. The third asked about congressional support for Murtha's resolution calling for a U.S. pullout from Iraq.

“Finally, the fourth asked about Haditha. Murtha responded with a bit more detail: ‘They actually went into the houses and killed women and children. And there was about twice as many as originally reported by Time.’ Even then, his comments captured little attention and were not front-page news. It took a few days for the horror of what Murtha was talking about to sink in.”

This is shocking, on one level, but on another, not surprising, because the media had pretty much ignored the Haditha story after noting Time’s scoop back in March....

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003524629

[Buzz Clik]

1. It's been clear from the outset that Murtha was appalled by the lack of coverage.

He was also stunned by the fact that the military was on the verge of burying the story completely. In effect, Murtha put his body in the path of the bulldozer.

We owe him much.

[DeepModem Mom]

2. I second that! nt