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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsABC, NYT Repeatedly Lied About CIA Operative Robert Levinson
ABC News and The New York Times have known since 2007 that Robert Levinson, the ex-FBI agent who was kidnapped in Iran, was not, as the U.S. government and his family claimed, an independent businessman: He was working for the CIA. The Times report today discloses this timeline; ABC News report does notbut a source at the network confirmed to Gawker that ABC reporters discovered the CIA connection in 2007 as well. At the request of the government and Levinsons family, however, both outlets repeatedly stated, without any caveats, that Levinson was on a business trip when he was captured. A review of their coverage indicates that ABC News did so at least 7 times, and the Times at least 3 times.
Its one thing for a news outlet to keep secrets at the request of the government, or in order to keep someone safe. Its another thing to affirmatively and knowingly spread lies. And this isnt the first time the Times has knowingly repeated false information at the request of the CIA. The paper was criticized in 2011 after it revealed that it had known that Ray Davis, an American accused of murder in Pakistan, had been a CIA contractor, even as it repeated false statements from Barack Obama claiming he was a diplomat.
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http://gawker.com/abc-nyt-repeatedly-lied-about-cia-operative-robert-lev-1482879951
lake loon
(99 posts)Together they're one big happy family. ... the Soprano family. What will it take to break the yoke of plutocratic fascism that has metastasized in this nation?? I once thought we needed another Teddy Roosevelt. Then I thought we needed another FDR. Now I'm certain we need another Lenin
factsarenotfair
(910 posts)TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)whatever he and his associates had been working on. I know that everyone here thinks we should reveal everything at all times, but a guy's life was in the balance.
KG
(28,753 posts)underpants
(182,925 posts)1. releasing this info would have endangered him
2. we have CIA types working in all sorts of industries
3. those news operations have to show that they can keep a secret in order to build up trust with contacts.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)Sorry...but, that doesn't work out well in the long run.
3. those news operations have to show that they can keep a secret in order to build up trust with contacts.
11 Bravo
(23,926 posts)FarCenter
(19,429 posts)is like believing Han Solo went to Chalmun's Cantina for a drink.