Did NBC Cover Up Role of U.S.-Backed Free Syrian Army in 2012 Kidnapping of Richard Engel?

[marmar]

Published on Apr 17, 2015

http://democracynow.org - NBC News is at the center of a new controversy, this time focused on its chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel. Back in 2012 he and five other members of an NBC News team were kidnapped by armed gunmen in Syria. They were held for five days. Just after his release Engel spoke on NBC News and said this about his captors: "This is a government militia. These are people who are loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. They are Shiite." Well, earlier this week, a New York Times investigation prompted Engel to revise his story and reveal he was actually captured by Sunni militants affiliated with the U.S.-backed Free Syrian Army. In an article published on Wednesday, Engel said the kidnappers had "put on an elaborate ruse to convince us they were Shiite shabiha militiamen." According to the Times investigation, NBC knew more than it let on about the kidnappers. We speak to As’ad AbuKhalil, professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. He runs the Angry Arab News Service blog. He expressed serious doubts about the circumstances surrounding Engel’s captivity and release when the story first broke in December 2012.

[Wilms]

1. Seems as though Engel is an idiot, a useful idiot, or...

...a liar.

Have a look at his pedigree and access.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Engel

[leveymg]

3. If Engel is the "best and the brightest", the media is a virus that springs from a toxic hive brain.

It's clear that he's smart enough to know exactly what he's doing, and he obviously likes it.

[mazzarro]

2. No doubt the MSM in the West is as propagandistic as any other accused government media worldwide

The US mainstream media like to any other propagandistic enterprise has it ways of supporting the PTB in furtherance of their mutual benefits. And I hesitate to take their words in trust.

[whereisjustice]

4. An important story on our corrupt media. Great reporting.

[newthinking]

5. This is not rare. The media is producing false narratives, fake news, and regularly omits

important news items and facts.

We are far into Orwellian territory.

[Enthusiast]

6. "We are far into Orwellian territory." We certainly to fuck are.

We actually pay for it.