Shooting of Reuters Journalist in Iraq Justified, Says Pentagon

[Newsjock]

Source: Associated Press

The 2005 shooting death of a Reuters journalist in the midst of a firefight in Baghdad was justified because U.S. soldiers believed the camera protruding from an unmarked car was a rocket propelled grenade, the Pentagon's internal watchdog has concluded.

In an 82-page report, the Defense Department's inspector general also said that Reuters safety practices contributed to the death of sound technician Waleed Khaled, and the wounding of cameraman Haider Kadhem.

While the report was critical of how the initial investigation was conducted -- saying the military unit's investigating officer did not follow correct procedures -- it nevertheless concluded that a "preponderance of evidence establishes that the cameraman and driver took actions during the incident that reasonably led U.S. soldiers to believe they were confronting hostile intent."

... According to the report, the military unit's investigating officer did not follow correct procedures -- the officer didn't interview all personnel at the scene, did not get written statements from the shooting team members, and did not fully investigate the scene.

Read more: http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003817484

[Sabriel]

1. Apparently everything we do is "justified"

It's justified by someone with a massive report full of BS.

[Frisbee]

2. Hell...

a Blackwater merc could have drug the guy out of the car and shot him execution style in front of witnesses, and still no charges would be filed. So we should have expected any other outcome in this situation?

[Hissyspit]

3. Did the report use the 'clusterfuck' anywhere?

If it didn't, it's not credible.

[miles 2 go]

4. I wonder what the reporter was getting ready to report.

Yeah, I'm frikkin suspicious of everything!

[Peace Patriot]

5. The U.S. military investigator conveniently lost the wounded cameraman's tape

of the incident:

"Later, the video of the incident, which was taped by Kadhem, was accidentally lost when the investigating officer mistakenly took it home to Louisiana with him. It was mailed back to Iraq, but never arrived there. --Reuters

And Reuters' Editor-in-Chief seems to be suffering from Stockholm's syndrome:

"Reuters Editor-in-Chief David Schlesinger said he believes the inspector general took the case seriously and came up with positive recommendations. --Reuters

I review a lot of South American news--particularly news of the leftist/social justice movement that has swept elections all over the continent during the last half-decade--and I find that Reuters reporting on these issues is as bad as that of the Associated Pukes. They publish outright lies and disinformation, as well as heavily slanting all stories toward the interests of global corporate predators, war profiteers, Bushites and fascists. So it doesn't surprise me that Reuters' Editor-in-Chief is covering for the Pentagon. And it certainly leads me to wonder what this "editor" has been doing the news stories of the journalists in the field--in Iraq and other Bushite killing zones.

[Doctor_J]

6. Winning hearts and minds

When the candy from the Iraqis has been consumed, we can expect some more from the world's journalists.

[bdamomma]

7. just another way of theirs not to get the news to us.

[gratuitous]

8. Another load of bullshit

And yet when the survivors of the victims of our murderous depradations react with righteous anger, there's a steady parade of idiots traipsing across my teevee screen to tell me how all these "terrorists hate us for our freedoms" and how anyone who isn't for their brutal and immediate extermination is unpatriotic or something. And what's worse is the number of otherwise canny people who will believe this and repeat it.

[izzybeans]

9. Camera? Grenade? Camera? Grenade? Hmmmm.

That's a toughy.

Saying the Pentagon is full of shit is redundant.

[truebrit71]

10. And in other news the National Weather Service predicted that rain water will get you wet....

..don't you get it yet? It is NEVER the military's fault...

:puke:

[Doctor_J]

11. They're going to need CSPAN4 to cover the multitude of war crimes trials of *CO

:thumbsup: