Shocka: Leftist Newspaper Columnist Actually Accepts Responsibility
The invaluable Tim Blair, with the help of some of his readers, directed our collective attention to Sunday Age (Australia) columnist Terry Lane and his recent column about "U.S. war crimes" in Iraq based on the testimony of "former U.S. Army Ranger" Jesse MacBeth and his "fight in Iraq."
Regulars of the right Blogosphere already know that MacBeth was not, in fact, a Ranger and never served in Iraq, having washed out of Army boot camp. The false statements MacBeth made in that guise, however, are now staples in European and some American leftist circles, a sort of latter day John Kerry Winter Soldier, telling the Left what it wants so desperately to hear about our soldiers.
Blair and company set about correcting the record and revealing Lane's lies and then, shock of all shocks, rather than complain about how he was set up or about how while MacBeth may be fake the story he told was all too genuine, Lane actually stood up and took responsibility. From his statement:
Wow.
Any chance of booking Lane for a tour of the newsrooms of the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, CBS and CNN?
We could call it the "Speaking Truth to Power Journalistic Ethics Tour 2006" and pass out commemorative plastic turkeys.
Regulars of the right Blogosphere already know that MacBeth was not, in fact, a Ranger and never served in Iraq, having washed out of Army boot camp. The false statements MacBeth made in that guise, however, are now staples in European and some American leftist circles, a sort of latter day John Kerry Winter Soldier, telling the Left what it wants so desperately to hear about our soldiers.
Blair and company set about correcting the record and revealing Lane's lies and then, shock of all shocks, rather than complain about how he was set up or about how while MacBeth may be fake the story he told was all too genuine, Lane actually stood up and took responsibility. From his statement:
There are three unforgivable sins in journalism: plagiarism, fabrication and failing to check the facts. I am guilty of the last.
It came about like this. My attention was drawn to what looked like a professionally packaged documentary video in which "US Ranger" (I now know that that is bogus) Jesse Macbeth recounts his experiences as a soldier in Iraq, where he claimed to have served for 16 months.
I was completely taken in by his fake sincerity. That, I suppose, could be excusable for any person with no responsibility to check bona fides, but in my case I fell for it because I wanted to believe it. That is inexcusable. As soon as I was made aware of what I had done I offered my resignation to Peter Fray, the editor of The Sunday Age. I have embarrassed the newspaper for which I have written since the first issue which makes me ashamed.
There are no excuses. No extenuating circumstances. Opinion writers are not expected to be objective and disinterested but that doesn't give licence to be indifferent to facts. I should have checked.
Wow.
Any chance of booking Lane for a tour of the newsrooms of the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, CBS and CNN?
We could call it the "Speaking Truth to Power Journalistic Ethics Tour 2006" and pass out commemorative plastic turkeys.
