<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">FYI.<br><div><br><div>Begin forwarded message:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);"><b>From: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;">FAIR <<a href="mailto:fair@fair.org">fair@fair.org</a>><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);"><b>Date: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;">May 15, 2013 3:13:55 PM CDT<br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);"><b>To: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;"><a href="mailto:mkb3@mac.com">mkb3@mac.com</a><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);"><b>Subject: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;"><b>Iraq Then, Syria Now?</b><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px;"><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium; color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);"><b>Reply-To: </b></span><span style="font-family:'Helvetica'; font-size:medium;"><a href="mailto:fair@fair.org">fair@fair.org</a><br></span></div><br>
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<div><p><span style="font-size: smaller;">Having trouble reading this message? Access it on our website: <a href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=6nM0b4sfnfe4a0CiaRcfxu6elNWUJ7g7">http://wp.me/p2AI9o-nmb4</a></span></p><p><a href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Uy5yabKMoVssecGo3mGAhe6elNWUJ7g7"><img width="252" hspace="5" height="108" border="0" alt="Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR)" src="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/592/images/fair-header-cropped.jpg"></a></p><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>
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<td width="600" valign="top" height="400" align="left"><p style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;" dir="ltr"></p><p style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;" dir="ltr"></p><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size: 16px; font-family: Arial; background-color: transparent; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Action Alert</span></span></div><p style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;" dir="ltr"></p><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:24px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Iraq Then, Syria Now?</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><b>New York Times</b></span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, sarin and skepticism</span></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p><span style="font-family: Arial;">5/15/13</span></p>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">During the run-up to the Iraq War, the </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">New York Times</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> amplified erroneous official claims about weapons of mass destruction (FAIR Action Alert, </span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=oKLgrsZm6DuRORzdrQxh%2F%2B6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">9/8/06</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">). Looking at the paper's coverage of allegations of chemical weapons use by Syria, some of the same patterns are clear: an over-reliance on official sources and the downplaying of critical or skeptical analysis of the available intelligence.</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">In "Syria Faces New Claim on Chemical Arms" (</span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=fy2b30J0HRoOWfxCsjCdvu6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">4/19/13</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">), the paper told readers that, according to anonymous diplomats, Britain and France had sent letters to the United Nations about "credible evidence" against Syria regarding chemical weapon use. On April 24, the </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Times </span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=flYd8Gi1yAwejynvQuVc%2Bu6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">reported</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> that Israel had "evidence that the Syrian government repeatedly used chemical weapons last month."</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The next day (</span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=3F%2FUtrNbVGxz%2BZNOEiWcU%2B6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">4/25/13</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">), the </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Times </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">reported that, according to an unnamed "senior official," the White House "shares the suspicions of several of its allies that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons." The article spoke of the "mounting pressure to act against Syria," adding, "Some analysts say they worry that if the United States waits too long, it will embolden President Bashar al-Assad."</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">And then on April 26, under the headline "White House Says Syria Has Used Chemical Arms," the </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Times </span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=u9CH1m5HpmOXlXiUGbdrQe6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">reported</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">:</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The White House, in a letter to congressional leaders, said the nation's intelligence agencies assessed ''with varying degrees of confidence'' that the government of President Bashar al-Assad had used the chemical agent sarin on a small scale.</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The story included a source, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D.-Calif.), who presented the intelligence as more definitive: She "said the agencies actually expressed more certainty about the use of these weapons than the White House indicated in its letter."</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">An </span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=3%2FZN7mwE185CD3fFGAU3qe6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">April 27 </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">Times</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;"> report</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> warned that there were dangers in waiting too long to respond to the charges that Syria has used chemical weapons:</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">If the president waits for courtroom levels of proof, what has been a few dozen deaths from chemical weapons--in a war that has claimed more than 70,000 lives--could multiply.</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">In following days, the accusations of chemical weapons use were presented uncritically as the premise for political stories: pondering how the White House would "respond to growing evidence that Syrian officials have used chemical weapons" (</span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=TEYPF4%2BSnozkoHpLN0Exiu6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">4/28/13</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">) or noting Republican attacks on the White House following "revelations last week that the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, is believed to have used chemical weapons against his own people" (</span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=gBHFNi%2Fk7RL9ZGIU7uHjtO6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">4/29/13</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">).</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">On May 5, the </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Times</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> was again </span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=EecydGbuicKgYJpE9Mivp%2B6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">weighing in</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> on the political ramifications:</span></div><p style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:11pt;margin-bottom:0pt;margin-left: 36pt;" dir="ltr"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Confronted with evidence that chemical weapons have been used in Syria, President Obama now finds himself in a geopolitical box, his credibility at stake with frustratingly few good options.</span></p>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Then, on May 5 came an unusual shift: Carla Del Ponte, a member of a United Nations team investigating human rights abuses in the Syrian civil war, claimed that the UN had collected evidence that chemical weapons had been used in Syria--but by the rebels, not by the government. </span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">After running a </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Reuters</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> dispatch on May 6, the </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Times</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> published its own piece on May 7, a </span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=FIwqRic9dHNnpS%2FZu4QTbu6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">report</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> that talked about "new questions about the use of chemical weapons." But the emphasis was clearly on rebutting the charges: The paper reported that the White House had "cast doubt on an assertion by a United Nations official that the Syrian rebels...had used the nerve agent sarin." The piece included three U.S. sources--one named, two unnamed--who questioned the Del Ponte claims.</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The article went on to reiterate that the White House was weighing other options based on "its conclusion that there was a strong likelihood that the Assad government has used chemical weapons on its citizens."</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Outside the </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">New York Times</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">, though, doubts about the evidence pointing to Syrian use of poison gas were evident from the very start. </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">McClatchy</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">'s Jonathan Landay (</span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=cYwbFEyN57%2FHsVk%2BgP9vMe6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">4/26/13</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">) reported that one source characterized the U.S. intelligence as "tiny little data points" that were of "low to moderate" confidence.</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">An April 30 </span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=hxE61DhUwDd2WxNPJL0yOO6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">report</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> from </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">GlobalPost</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> noted that a "</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">spent canister" at the scene of one attack "and the symptoms displayed by the victims are inconsistent with a chemical weapon such as sarin gas." A subsequent </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">GlobalPost </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">dispatch (</span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=hdLl1hZd0QuZBfy0hGbhyvvE2sVN9sjR"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#0000ff;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">5/5/13</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">) reported that blood samples tested in Turkey were not turning up evidence of sarin exposure.</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">NBC </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">reporter Richard Engel (5/8/13) traveled to Syria with rebel forces to examine evidence they had collected. He seemed to concur with the </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">GlobalPost </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">reports that the chemical exposure could very well have been from a type of tear gas.</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">By May 7, </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">McClatchy</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> was </span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Ge%2B%2Bt3CLykEIijwaVtgEFu6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">reporting</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> that the case was looking weaker, noting that </span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">no concrete proof has emerged, and some headline-grabbing claims have been discredited or contested. Officials worldwide now admit that no allegations rise to the level of certainty.... </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Existing evidence casts more doubt on claims of chemical weapons use than it does to help build a case that one or both sides of the conflict have employed them.</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">It is clear that the </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Times</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> has promoted a storyline that treats the chemical weapons claims as more definitive than they are, and has given scant attention to subsequent revelations about the evidence. </span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">In a recent column (</span><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=sjsvg6W4D4Y50y3fv3JsN%2B6elNWUJ7g7"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">5/5/13</span></a><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">), </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Times </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">public editor Margaret Sullivan argued that the paper still faces problems with its credibility based on its reporting about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction over 10 years ago. </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">The </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Times </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">"pledged more skeptical and rigorous reporting" going forward, and Sullivan argues that the </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Times </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:#ffffff;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">"has taken important steps" in that direction.</span></div>
<br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">But does the paper's handling of the Syria chemical weapons stories demonstrate that the paper has learned lessons? Or is it repeating the same mistakes?</span></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">ACTION:</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break">
Ask the </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">New York Times</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> public editor to evaluate the paper's reporting on Syria and chemical weapons. </span></p><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><p><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">CONTACT:</span></p>
<span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">New York Times</span><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Margaret Sullivan, Public Editor</span></div>
<a style="text-decoration:none;" href="mailto:public@nytimes.com"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">public@nytimes.com</span></a><p><b> </b></p>
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<h1 style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">TAKE ACTION!</span></span></i></b></h1><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">ACTION:</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"><br class="kix-line-break">
Ask the </span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">New York Times</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> public editor to evaluate the paper's reporting on Syria and chemical weapons. </span></div>
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</b><p><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">CONTACT:</span><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;"> </span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:bold;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">New York Times</span></p><p><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#000000;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:none;vertical-align:baseline;">Margaret Sullivan, Public Editor</span> <a style="text-decoration:none;" href="mailto:public@nytimes.com"><span style="font-size:16px;font-family:Arial;color:#1155cc;background-color:transparent;font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline;">public@nytimes.com</span></a></p><p><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="mailto:public@nytimes.com"></a><a style="text-decoration:none;" href="mailto:public@nytimes.com"></a></p><p style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;" dir="ltr"></p>
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