[Dean's World] Dave Price: Yet More Beauchampery

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Posted by Dave Price:
Yet More Beauchampery
http://www.deanesmay.com/posts/1189441337.shtml


   Another publication gets caught running [1]a fake story about tragic
   events in Iraq that didn't actually happen.

     The Minaret first learned parts of Bree's story were false when Joe
     himself posted a comment at the bottom of the original Minaret
     story. The soldier, who had already been home for weeks, said he
     was never missing or out of contact with his family.
     "Dear everyone who reads this article. This is the real Joe Laro,
     now back from AFGHANISTAN- NOT IRAQ. Just wanted to make it clear
     that I was never in Iraq, and never missing, and no little kids
     ever exploded in front of me. I would greatly appreciate it if you
     just took this article down because none of it is true.- Joe Laro"

   In fairness, it's not clear whether the false claims were intended to
   serve an antiwar agenda or just a ploy for attention from an
   emotionally disturbed student, and The Minaret is a college newspaper
   with relatively minimal resources for fact-checking. Still, it's
   pretty incredible any paper can run a story claiming a soldier who was
   never in Iraq is missing there, when a couple calls to family to check
   the basic facts of the story would have quickly discerned the truth.
   Did they want to believe?
   Meanwhile, the Beauchamp saga itself [2]continues to unfold, with a
   couple new details emerging:

     Beauchamp was the subject of a second investigation, which found
     him guilty of violating his unitâs operational security for which
     he could have been thrown out of the Army.

   It appears he was demoted as a result. At [3]HotAir, Michelle Malkin
   interviews Michael Goldfarb, and attempts to interview TNR editor
   Franklin Foer.

References

   1. http://www.theminaretonline.com/news/2007/09/07/NewsFeatures/Student.Source.Fabricated.missing.Brothers.War.Story-2904664.shtml
   2. http://pajamasmedia.com/2007/09/new_republic.php
   3. http://hotair.com/archives/2007/09/09/new-vent-checking-up-on-the-new-republic/