Today's AP coverage exposes collusion with Blackwater By Kathlyn Stone

[Demeter]

OpEdNews

Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_kathlyn__071002_today_s_ap_coverage_.htm





AP released a report this morning containing Blackwater head Eric Prince's rebuke to the Congressional committee providing oversight on the Blackwater killings.

"Blackwater Chief Defends Actions in Iraq"

WASHINGTON - The founder of Blackwater USA on Tuesday vigorously defended his private security company against charges of covering up Iraqi civilian deaths, saying 30 of its contractors have been killed while protecting U.S. diplomats and no Americans have died while under its watch.

"There is no better evidence of the skill and dedication of these men," Erik Prince said in remarks prepared for a congressional hearing and obtained by The Associated Press. Prince said there has been a "rush to judgment based on inaccurate information."

The article by AP's Richard Lardner was pre-written using Prince's comments and carefully planned for release this morning. It was on my homepage by 10 est, just as the hearing was set to begin. How did Lardner know Prince "vigorously defended" his company's actions if his testimony had not yet taken place?

The AP story will become the "official" version adopted by newspapers and radio and TV stations around the world. The AP story gives only Prince's version. Why is AP spinning for Blackwater? Why is AP taking part in neocon perception management?







Authors Website: www.kathystone.squarespace.com

Authors Bio: Kathlyn Stone is a Twin Cities, Minnesota-based writer covering science and medicine, health care and other national and international polices that affect our daily lives.

[Kagemusha]

1. My dumb suggestion: Prince's statements had already been faxed to the AP

I don't think that's a new practice, so what he was going to say was well known to the AP writer before the hearing itself.

[EFerrari]

4. The thing is, the AP didn't only quote him but characterized

his delivery. That's different.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. because it is an assault on all thinking americans. they cannot afford

any questions, any complaints, or any investigations. The more we learn, away from the PR spin of AP and MainStreamMediaWhores of america, the worse the reality becomes.

[EFerrari]

3. We should go to the link and bump this article.

It's a great illustration of the corporate media rewriting reality.

[unhappycamper]

5. I met Kat in DC in January.

Way to go Kat! :yourock:

[antiimperialist]

6. the soldiers who wrote the NYT op-ed and died

Regarding those two soldiers that were part of the 7 who wrote the NY anti-war op-ed and died: I'm not mentioning names, but...those who don't care about the lives if innocent Iraqis have no reason to care about the lives of innocent Americans.

Did they really die in accidents?