Public Eye
January 30, 2007 4:15 PM

Questions Surround Haifa Street Video

(AP)
Did Lara Logan's piece on the "Battle for Haifa Street," posted to CBSNews.com, include video obtained from Al-Qaeda? That's the question on the mind of a number of bloggers, including Michelle Malkin. Writes Nibras Kazimi:
What I'm interested in is the footage of dead Iraqi soldiers that Lara Logan claims was “obtained by CBS.” But this footage was first released by Al-Qaeda!

Al-Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq released 8 minutes of cell phone footage through its media arm, the Al-Furqan Institute for Media Productions, under the title ‘Some of the Casualties of the Heretics in Haifa Street After Sunday’s Fighting, January 7, 2007, in Baghdad.’ The grainy images were of six or seven bodies wearing Iraqi military fatigues with ‘carry-out’ lunch boxes strewn about them. The images were probably taken by a cell phone, judging by quality. In one scene, a close up is shown of a soldier shot through the head, probably executed.



The footage “obtained by CBS” is identical to that put out by Al-Qaeda. But Logan makes no mention of Al-Qaeda’s video and does not address the implication that the footage she used was off an Al-Qaeda video. And if it’s not off the Al-Qaeda video, then how did she get footage identical to the one used by Al-Qaeda? This needs to be explained.
I asked CBS News Vice President Paul Friedman about the video.

"I can assure you this was not from Al-Qaeda," said Friedman, who declined to identify the source. "Whenever we can identify the source of information or video, we want to do that," he added. "There are some rare cases when we have to protect the source. In this case, we needed to do so, because it’s literally a matter of life and death."

"The fact that same video shows up in more than one place is something that happens every day," said CBS News spokeswoman Sandra Genelius. "We occasionally use video from an Al-Qaeda Web site and we identify it. In this case, we didn't get it from Al-Qaeda, so we didn't identify it as such."
Tags:
Lara Logan ,
Haifa ,
Paul Friedman ,
Sandy Genelius
Topics:
CBS News Issues
Add a Comment See all 17 Comments
by centralcal-2009 February 1, 2007 3:14 PM EST
I think you pretty much nailed it sfrvn!
Reply to this comment
by osamabin1 January 31, 2007 8:18 PM EST
I did get the tape from a third source. It was from a guy who said to me, "See if you can give this footage to Jane Fonda Logan, and, by the way, I hate the troops." This sources was, believe it or not, JOHN KERRY!!!
Reply to this comment
by bradigan--2008 January 31, 2007 7:03 PM EST
The issue about the video coming from Al-Queda and CBS can be explained (although this might be the truth) by both of them having got it from a 3rd source. The interesting part to me is that both CBS and Al-Qaeda (aparently) are together in thinking the video "Is Too Important To Ignore." Nice to see such unanimity between American media and our enemy.
Reply to this comment
by janefinch January 31, 2007 5:28 PM EST
Considering that the "questions" are from the usual tiny blogospheric echo chamber that has these types of "questions" about the bad MSM, I'm not sure why it's "news" on this blog.

Didn't they learn anything from Jamil-gate?
Reply to this comment
by osamabin1 January 31, 2007 4:30 PM EST
I was the intermediary (al-Qaeda operative) who gave the footage to Lara Logan. CBS paid me $1000 for the tape. That money will be used by our brothers to kill US troops. Reports that Ms Logan is a card-carrying member of al-Qaeda are not true. Her membership expired last year. Allah is great!
Reply to this comment
by bryanha2 January 31, 2007 3:31 PM EST
CBS says that the tape didn't come from Al Qaeda. How does anyone at CBS know that for sure? Baghdad is the most complex battlefield US troops have ever faced. The Iraqi Police have a notoriously hard time keeping infiltrators out of their ranks. If CBS has a proven way to tell friend from foe in Baghdad, it should share its methods with the IP and the US military.

The fact is, Logan's tape is a camera master or a dub of a camera master. a href="http://hotair.com/archives/2007/01/31/lara-logan-and-her-terrorist-footage-it-is-too-important-to-ignore/" The evidence for and implications of that are here /a . This needs to be explained, and "We can assure you" won't cut it after Rathergate.
Reply to this comment
by one_american January 31, 2007 3:29 PM EST
CBS is stonewalling the public, refusing to be transparent with its source of the video.

CBS + Laura Logan = Al-Queda Propaganda

Remember, CBS, if you harbor or support terrorists, our military is coming after you - and rightfully so!
Reply to this comment
by rightvswrong January 31, 2007 3:08 PM EST
Ahhh, isn't it exciting for CBS News Public Eye to actually have some intelligent dialogue on their self-serving, pontificating blather blog. This site offers nothing but equivocating pander for MSM propaganda. Lara Logan?....Puhleeeese - if ever there was a Christiane Amanpour wannabe lil' Lara is it. Stop putting up the CBS corporate-line Brian and get lil' Lara's Producer IN FRONT of a camera, and ask him/her where the footage came from...it wasn't a CBS camera person I'll betchya!
Reply to this comment
by patrioticduo January 31, 2007 1:45 PM EST
Hey Pete,

What does Bush, Cheney or Michelle Malkin have anything to do with this? Nothing! And your contemptuousness is irrelevant.

But the issue is, can the MSM and people like LL accept the new scrutiny they find themselves under? People like me now have a voice - right here, right now.

No longer am I required to accept what the media force feeds me. I doubt things about the Government AND I doubt more things about the MSM.

And in this propaganda war, I would hope that my small comment here might help an Iraqi child to grow up in peace, safety and happiness just like you did.
Reply to this comment
by peterbaldwin-2009 January 31, 2007 1:20 PM EST
Patrioticduo:

No one wants to discuss an ersatz controversy manufactured out of whole cloth to prod CBS to do a Dan Rather on Lara Logan. It's not going to happen, except inside the Bush bubble.

Lara is embedded with US troops - not al-Qaeda - and has been for several years. Her reporting, I believe, has educated Americans about the unvarnished, harsh reality on the ground while giving a voice to foot soldiers, impacting public opinion. (Note that her attackers - Brian and Michelle - are safely stateside as Bush and Chaney were during the Vietnam war). The people aren't falling for your attempts to smear Lara as an al-Qaeda sympathizer. You have only, and rightly so, earned the people's contempt.

Maybe we should talk about how Kerry, Pelosi and Clinton met with Maliki in Baghdad, while commander-in-chief Bush met with him in Jordan? Bush was missing in action in Vietnam and went into hiding during 9-11. Let's talk about that, too.

And, we'd like to hear about your experiences in Iraq.

Reply to this comment
by dbclaw January 31, 2007 12:52 PM EST
Ms. Logan relies on video that is identical to a video previously released by Al-Qadea.

"'The fact that same video shows up in more than one place is something that happens every day,' said CBS News spokeswoman Sandra Genelius."

No doubt this is true. Why isn't Ms. Genelius more concerned that the video one of her reporters uses the same one that is released by a band of murderous thugs??

Ms. Geneluis answers with a non sequiter:

"'We occasionally use video from an Al-Qaeda Web site and we identify it. In this case, we didn't get it from Al-Qaeda, so we didn't identify it as such.'"

Not directly pulling the video from the enemy's web site does not address the issue: Ms. Logan used video released by our enemy. If she did not know it was from Al-Qaeda, she should say so and CBS can take steps to insure they do a better job of sourcing their material.


Reply to this comment
by woodie4827 January 31, 2007 12:47 PM EST
I don't watch CBS news, nor do I often visit the CBS website so I have no clue who lara is, but this response to questions about the video she used is refreshing. I came here from the Malkin site. I enjoyed the tolerant and courteous comments about Malkin and others.
Reply to this comment
by patrioticduo January 31, 2007 12:46 PM EST
Look at the comments from CBS subscribers above. What do you notice about them all? Not a single one of them addresses the point at hand. Did LL source video from Al-Qaeda? Well maybe, maybe not. But let's talk about that. But no, the only thing the leftists do is shout down the alternative viewpoint with ad-hominem attacks. Almost never do they address the important questions of the situation. The question remains, how is it that the very same material that Al-Qaeda is now using as propaganda on their website is now being published by CBS WITHOUT ANY REFERENCE, QUALIFICATION OR EXPLANATION as to the nature or sensitivity of the source of the video?
Reply to this comment
by ronmwanga January 31, 2007 2:09 AM EST
I totally see thenitpicker's point and agree with it. However, blogs do start sensitive conversations that must be adressed. Something tells me that if this was ignored it might snowball in the right-of-center blogopshere. And this is the best forum to address it. I hope this ends the speculation.
Reply to this comment
by thenitpicker January 31, 2007 1:39 AM EST
Why would you even acknowledge this completely unfounded B.S.? Hasn't Logan put her *** enough on the line for CBS not to have to answer the niggling questions of people who have never, ever been right about anything?
Reply to this comment
by bustalib January 31, 2007 12:21 AM EST
Like Dennis Miller said,"at least when you get hate mail from the right you know it will be spelled corectly."
Reply to this comment
by peterbaldwin-2009 January 30, 2007 11:04 PM EST
As Michelle, Nibras and Brian "global warming is a hoax" M. fade into irrelevance and oblivion, let us all smile and wave good bye. The Right's noise machine is white noise now - elevator music. No one is listening anymore, guys. The Oboma/Madrassa smear and the Pentagon attack on pro bono lawyers demonstrates that no one is listening anymore. You are alone in the Bush bubble now.

Lara Logan is a giant and you are a confederacy of dunces trying to take her down. You look silly and petty. Your heroes Bush and Chaney are finished.

Reply to this comment
See all 17 Comments

Exclusive Webshow

Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie." Watch Now

About Public Eye

Description for Public Eye