The Common Ills: AP repeats as fact single-sourced anonymous claim

Saturday, April 15, 2017

AP repeats as fact single-sourced anonymous claim

AP is trumpeting 'news.'

Not news.

'News.'

A chemical attack has taken place in Mosul.

And we're supposed to know it's true, understand, because they have an anonymous source.

Some unnamed Iraqi military officer says it happened.

Really?

A chemical attack happens in Mosul and the prime minister of the country, Hayder al-Abadi, is silent but an unnamed Iraqi military officer -- whose rank is never specified -- says it happened.

Whatever happened to the rule of three?

I guess AP doesn't really care.

They'll insist a chemical attack took place based on a single source.

What a proud moment for journalism, for AP and for humanity.

If you really want to end fake news, maybe you start by not reporting single sourced claims -- especially not reporting them as facts?

It's day 179 of The Mosul Slog.

AFP offers a timeline of the lengthy operation that is now six months old. AFP also reports:

IS holds territory in Iraq's Kirkuk province, as well as areas west of Mosul, and in western Anbar province, and also controls territory including the city of Raqa in Syria.
Losing these areas would still not eliminate the threat of bombings and hit-and-run attacks by the jihadists.
Iraqi "successes in Mosul obscure how (IS) has successfully been resurging in other provinces in Iraq," Martin said.

The jihadists have "reconstituted attack capabilities in Diyala and central Salaheddin," he said, referring to provinces where Iraqi forces had largely reasserted control after heavy fighting earlier in the war against IS.
The end of the battle for Mosul will also leave Iraq struggling with thorny political issues including control of recaptured territory in the north that is claimed by both the country's autonomous Kurdish region and its federal government.

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