Here’s American journalism at its unfortunate best … an AP story:
VIENNA – Iran accused the U.S. on Friday of using “forged documents” and relying on subterfuge to make its case that Tehran is trying to build a nuclear weapon, according to a confidential letter obtained by The Associated Press.
The eight-page letter — written by Iran’s chief envoy to the U.N. nuclear agency in Vienna — denounces Washington’s allegations against the Islamic Republic as “fabricated, baseless and false.” The letter does not specify what documents Iran is alleging were forged.
It also lashes out at Britain and France for “ill will and political motivation” in their dealings on Iran. …
Read the whole story here. What you will learn is that the U.S. claims to have smuggled a laptop computer out of Iran containing documents indicating that Iran is actively involved in developing nuclear weapons. Iran claims that the U.S is supplying forged documents to the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The story’s author, William J.Kole, went to U.S. and French authorities, who were “not available for comment.” He then went to Britain’s foreign office, who said the accusations were not true.
Fair enough, we have the beginnings of a story here, with the AP actually reporting an allegation made by an Iranian official, which usually doesn’t happen. But it’s only the beginning, and unfortunately, also the end. There will be no attempts to uncover the documents or to follow up with Iranian officials who might have copies. Kole has done his job – he got the Iranian accusation, the denial. That’s the end, and not the beginning, of American journalism.
And the sad thing is that if you ask any journalist about this, he will tell you that Kole did his job – his only job, to get the he-said-and-then-he-said, and then to move on to the next story.
Sitting next to me on a bookshelf, standing out because of its sheer size, is Neil Sheehan’s A Bright and Shining Lie. I get a little teary-eyed when I think of the great journalists of our time. But then I remember that Sheehan and David Halberstam and Peter Arnett were exceptional for their time too – that the reason we remember their names today, and have forgotten all of the others, was that courageous journalism was as rare in the 1960’s as it is now.
Piece of Mindful 