July 08, 2003

THE GUARDIAN'S BAGHDAD EDITION REPORTS

A good thing about liberated Iraq: new newspapers. A bad thing: new newspapers.

After an Iraqi newspaper ran a story claiming that U.S. Marines raped a young girl and left her for dead, U.S. officials persuaded the publisher to run a retraction and fire the offending reporter.

When a newspaper reported that American night vision equipment can be used to see through women's clothing, U.S. civil affairs troops visited the editors personally to let them look through the goggles.

Some of the claims are breathtaking:

-- The Assaah newspaper on Saturday claimed that the Israeli government ordered the modification of its export laws to flood Iraqi markets with Israeli goods. The paper urged Iraqis to carefully check Taiwanese or Chinese-made appliances for hidden Stars of David.

-- The same paper recently reported that American helicopters swooped down on construction stores in the southern city of Nasiriyah to steal building supplies.

Well, you know how American soldiers love their rebar and gypsum board. Luckily Robert Fisk is headed back to Iraq; he’ll put an end to this nonsense.

Posted by Tim Blair at July 8, 2003 12:54 AM
Comments

Hmm, sure some GI didn't drop a hometown paper from Berkeley on the street and some yutz just picked it up and started quoting from it at random?

Posted by: JSAllison at July 8, 2003 at 01:51 AM

Now we know where Jayson Blair will work next.

Posted by: Eric Jablow at July 8, 2003 at 02:26 AM

It's all about the plywoooooood!

Posted by: Brian J. at July 8, 2003 at 05:04 AM

Yeah, Fisk will stop them

As long as they are "no more than ten years old"

Posted by: DG at July 8, 2003 at 09:03 AM

"The paper urged Iraqis to carefully check Taiwanese or Chinese-made appliances for hidden Stars of David."

Hmmm. Could the reporter have read -

* Sudan pissed, Israeli battery found in computer equipment*

Posted by: John Anderson, RI USA at July 8, 2003 at 12:29 PM

Looks like the ABC communards have another reliable feed for the promotion of lies.

Posted by: d at July 8, 2003 at 01:29 PM

Has Fisk got his loo rolls?
I need to use one after reading his crap.

Posted by: Pete at July 8, 2003 at 07:36 PM

Nice effort, Timothy. Oh no! YOU'RE not biased!

Posted by: Some Bright Spark at July 11, 2003 at 03:10 PM