« Editor's Note: Lighter Posting the Rest of Summer | Main | Special Report: Scant Coverage of Obama Assassination Plot -- Irresponsible Or Cautious? »

August 11, 2008

Comments

Brad Jacobson

Ivins Anthrax Case Another Black Eye for Network News

Batocchio

Good overview. Greenwald's done some great work on this story, too.

Brad Jacobson

Thanks, Batacchio. Greenwald's work on this case has been excellent; I've linked to it two or three times within this piece. Larisa Alexandrovna is also another standout on this investigation.

Scarabus

Your basic argument is plenty convincing, and I'm with you all the way.

Nevertheless, I can't help regretting your focus on the term? concept? "circumstantial evidence." I know defense attorneys like to trumpet that the prosecution's case is "merely circumstantial," and jurors cite that as a reason for defying logic in their decisions. But really....

I don't know the legal terms, but I've always thought in terms of three types of evidence: forensic, circumstantial, and eye-witness. And that's in order of reliability.

Anyone who has had Psychology 101 knows how unreliable eye-witness testimony can be. (The most entertaining example involves the basketball teams' passing a ball while an "invisible" guy in a gorilla suit moonwalks among them.) Regardless, accurate or not, an eyewitness provides a discrete datum.

Forensic evidence involves direct stuff. Experts might argue about how to interpret the stuff, but there it is. Once again, though, a discrete datum.

A circumstantial case takes all available data, from all sources, and puts it together into a coherent narrative. Yeah, garbage in, garbage out. But an overall narrative, sound in logic, and supported by multiple data creates a structure that stands, even if one or several specific data are discredited.

Note to lawyers: If you allow me to serve on a jury, the overall circumstantial case is what will push me one direction or the other.

ARG in Chicago

Brad, another interesting tid-bit is that Pete Williams -- the NBC justice correspondent -- was once the chief of staff for a Congressman. The Congressman was a guy named Dick Cheney.

Gut instinct leads one to beleive there's much more to this story than one lone mad scientist.

An obvious conspiracy theory would be that the government put the antrhax out there to influence the public, and a couple of key Senators, into going to war with Iraq and passing laws which greatly expand the power of the executive branch.

Who in the executive branch would have had this on his agenda? And to what extent has he infiltrated other media outlets (besides NBC) with his people?

It's really hard to understand why this hasn't gotten more media attention.

-- ARG

Brad Jacobson

Good point about Pete Williams' old boss, ARG. I've noted that connection here in the past multiple times. It's impossible to believe his coverage isn't compromised by this former association -- the choices are: a) it is, b) he's a terrible journalist, or c)both. I wrote long ago that it's unethical for NBC News to keep him in this position. Every time I hear "Justice Correspondent" + "Pete Williams," I cringe. The only possible way this should be allowed is if NBC News and Pete Williams provided viewers with full disclosure each report, making clear his ties to Cheney. Of course that would be too awkward for NBC and off-putting to viewers, who would think, "Hey, why is this guy covering the Justice Department?" So it would never happen.

tenis oakley masculino

Yes, thanks i've already subscribed to your feed

Louis Vuitton Outlet

Nike Air Jordan can be a Gucci outlet renowned manufacturer label engrossed in fabricating fashionable Gucci outlet online couple for offspring, older individuals, men, and ladies. Gucci sale.

Nike Air Jordan is frequently popular as Jordan Concords during the small configuration and is also pretty admired Jordan 11 Concord and acknowledged due to products created of chic sports Jordan Retro 11 Concord activities boots who have rake in globally acknowledgement Jordan Retro 10 for being very resilient and cozy. Jordan 10 The label on the money gathering is supported about the label of Jordan 10 Chicago its holder Michael Jordan who was an amateur of latest Louis Vuitton Outlet solution footwear; he employed to get well-known Cheap Louis Vuitton Sale as being a faultless icon in the most recent strategy marketplace.

He commenced up New Orleans Saints Jerseys in 1985, the monetary gathering was commenced with Youth Saints Jersey some staff that everlasting fetched new creations Women's Saints Jersey for the business. But using the means of time Custom Saints Jersey boots received globally credits Custom NFL Jerseys and a great number of paying out clientele Customized NFL Jerseys who ended up most up-to-date tactic savvy Personalized NFL Jerseys population and preferred to put on boots of surplus well worth and content.

Now, using under consideration the Christian Louboutin Sale qualifications the fiscal gathering has, I Christian Louboutin Shoes ought declare that Nike Air Jordan has become toiling while in the wares of flexible Louboutin Shoes specifics which might be getting designed for people getting Louboutin Sale.

Assorted purely natural world about vogue Cheap Jordans and hope to produce a group on their couple of boot properly by Jordan 11 shopping into latest fashion. Nike Air Jordan 's boots are obtainable Jordan Retro 11 in divergent range- they offer a large kind of boots in divergent hues,Jordan XI creations, profile, and of course in divergent selling price. The cost construction of the boots differs from one method of Jordan 11 Concord a further; this really is fully approximately your possibility and likings.


When your allocation Cheap True Religion Jeans sanctions you to depart for remarkably charge boots with the True Religion Jeans then you definately should depart for it, since the finest,True Religion Cheap the standard.Any person who professes True Religion Outlet to love basketball just isn't a real follower of your game if he will not know the exploits of the best athlete who actually performed the game.

Just after all, you can find conceivably no Uggs On Sale basketball admirer who doesn't know the fame and exploits Ugg On Sale of Michael Jordan.

Even individuals that have been born Uggs following his retirement continue to be attentive to the echoes of the Jordan Uggs Outlet period as manifested from the acceptance of Uggs Boots quantity 23 in basketball jerseys, inside Uggs On Sale the variety of vain tries to emulate gliding from the Cheap Jordans air for a dunk that only His Airness can execute, and of Jordan 7 course, from the enormous recognition of Jordan sneakers hoping Jordan Retro 7 that some regular kid from an not known corner of the world Jordan 13 will someday have the game during the method that Michael Louis Vuitton Jordan did.

Michael Jordan's fame pass on not Louis Vuitton Outlet merely in the basketball courts he performed on, New Nike Air Jordans Shoes from his School days at Cheap Jordans North Carolina as many as his time for the NBA together with the Abercrombie And fitch Outlet and also the Abercrombie And fitch Online Washington Wizards, even at Spain for the 1992 Cheap Abercrombie And fitch Barcelona Olympics.

In each one of these locations and time, nike free run acquired repute for staying a fearless executioner with the most nike frees tricky photographs that has a penchant for taking the sport cheap nike free profitable shot once the game is about the line, and in Cheap NFL Jerseys inspiring his teammates to excel to NFL Jerseys greater heights. This only triggered men and women to Cheap Jerseys flock to watch him play, widening his
Nike Dunks base of supporters. For that reason, what's more, it enlarged the repute of Jordan sneakers, which has Nike Air Maxturn into carefully determined using the gentleman. As Air Max Shoesa result, Air Jordans happen to be worn all over Cheap Supras the place, with most hoping to at the very least Supras Shoes
emulate a number of his remarkable difficult court moves.

The comments to this entry are closed.

GET THE HOUND IN YOUR INBOX

  • Don't miss the latest media critique, scoop or satire.

    Enter Your Email:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

Help Support Truth in Media

  • This is a one-man operation. Your donations, which support timely research and investigations, are greatly appreciated and needed. Thanks for whatever you can give.

Search



Read Satire (Trans Fat 0g)

Never Again...Again