I'm seeing a lot of comments appearing below the line on websites and blogs stating that it has now been proved that the apparent chemical attack on a suburb of Damascus was caused by the rebels, not the Assad regime - a startling claim. Oddly, few links seem to be appearing alongside those comments to back them up.
After scouring the internet, this looks to be what people are talking about. It’s a report from a newish U.S. online news organisation called Mint Press News:
It hasn’t been reported much elsewhere – except by the Russian and Iranian press, who are reporting it quite extensively, and by websites like Daily Kos and Anti-War. The rest of the world’s media appears to be ignoring it, maybe with good reason.
The lead reporter, however, is Dale Gavlak, who also reports for the BBC (mainly about Jordan). So it’s from a mainstream reporter, who also reports for AP and NPR.
It looks credible – but whether it is or not, who knows?
If true, it’s dynamite. But if it is, why are no mainstream media organisations beyond Russia and Iran reporting it, as far as I can see. Presumably, they think it’s complete rubbish.
Update: A shaft of light into this foggy affair comes from Adi at Biased BBC - though it doesn't entirely dispel the fog.
U.S. conservative website PJ Media dismisses the story and describes Mint Press News as a Shia-advocacy site - anti-American, anti-Saudi, anti-Israel, with a distinct #Occupy-style tinge. The Anti-Defamation League are on their case, PJ Media says.
If Mint Press News is as bad as PJ Media say, why's an experienced freelance/BBC reporter (whose work has also appeared in places like The Times of Israel) writing for such an outfit?
Update: A shaft of light into this foggy affair comes from Adi at Biased BBC - though it doesn't entirely dispel the fog.
U.S. conservative website PJ Media dismisses the story and describes Mint Press News as a Shia-advocacy site - anti-American, anti-Saudi, anti-Israel, with a distinct #Occupy-style tinge. The Anti-Defamation League are on their case, PJ Media says.
Correspondents and staff writers include writers and analysts with experience contributing to Iran’s Press TV, J Street, Russia Today, Al-Jazeera, Occupy Wall Street, AlterNet, TruthOut and Electronic Intifada. The site promises to run stories through a “social justice” lens.
Yahya Ababneh, who shared a byline on the story with Gavlak, is a contributor to Al-Quds Al-Arabi [Abdel Bari Atwan's old paper], an anti-U.S., anti-Saudi pan-Arab newspaper that praised the 9/11 attacks as “the end of the U.S. empire” and called Osama bin Laden just “half a terrorist.”If so, that still leaves me wondering about Dale Gavlak, a reporter BBC website articles frequently describe as "the BBC's Dale Gavlak" - such as here (from June this year), here (from April this year), here (from March this year), here (from January this year) - to cite only examples from this year.
If Mint Press News is as bad as PJ Media say, why's an experienced freelance/BBC reporter (whose work has also appeared in places like The Times of Israel) writing for such an outfit?
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DeleteGood question about Dale Gavlak. A clarification has now appeared on the Mint Press story.
ReplyDeleteClarification: Dale Gavlak assisted in the research and writing process of this article, but was not on the ground in Syria. Reporter Yahya Ababneh, with whom the report was written in collaboration, was the correspondent on the ground in Ghouta who spoke directly with the rebels, their family members, victims of the chemical weapons attacks and local residents.
Not such a lead reporter now, is she? AP actually got in touch with blogger 'the Tap' to distance themselves from this story.
Associated Press contacted us to confirm that Dave Gavlak is an AP correspondent, but that her story was not published under the banner of the Associated Press. We didn’t claim this was the case, we merely pointed to Gavlak’s credentials to stress that she is a credible source, being not only an AP correspondent, but also having written for PBS, BBC and Salon.com.
It's not looking good. But back in May, Reuters were reporting possible sarin use by rebels.
U.N. has testimony that Syrian rebels used sarin gas: investigator
"Our investigators have been in neighboring countries interviewing victims, doctors and field hospitals and, according to their report of last week which I have seen, there are strong, concrete suspicions but not yet incontrovertible proof of the use of sarin gas, from the way the victims were treated," Del Ponte said in an interview with Swiss-Italian television.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/05/us-syria-crisis-un-idUSBRE94409Z20130505
That's interesting, Beeboidal.
DeleteSo Dale Gavlak acted more as a proof-reader/editor for Yanya Ababneh than as a reporter here? A good deal hinges on the reliability of Yahya Ababneh as a reporter then.
I'm highly sceptical. The Saudi conspiracy angle in particular is making me very suspicious - especially given what seems to be Mint Press News's agenda.
That said, it's not really that hard to believe that the rebels might have been responsible - whether by accident or design. People have been worrying about chemical weapons falling into their hands for ages - especially into those of the nastier al-Qaeda-affiliated factions.
I suppose it's that which keeps people (mostly on blogs) open to the possibility that this report - or some element of this report - could be true. Possibly.