Finland Helsingin Sanomat

Deja Vu: Helsingin Sanomat Reports on Headless Bodies in Iraq Once Again…….

This story is getting old. This makes the third time the Helsingin Sanomat –and other news orgs– have had the wool pulled over their eyes by the news wire services. (subscription only)

“Irakista löytyi päättömiä ruumiita. BAGDAD. 20 päätöntä ruumista löydettiin maanantaina hylättyinä lähelle poliisiasemaa Baquban kaupungin lähellä, Irakin poliisi kertoi. REUTERS–AP

Headless bodies found in Iraq. Bagdad. 20 headless bodies were found on Monday abandoned near a police stateion near the city of Baquba, Iraqi police say. REUTERS-AP

But wait! The BBC reports that the Iraqi police deny the existence of such an atrocity.

“Meanwhile, Iraqi police denied earlier reports that 20 headless bodies had been found dumped near Baquba.”

I reported earlier this and last year about the same kind of bogus reporting by the HS. The first time around the HS refused to reprint a retraction/correction. The second time around they printed that “it looks like the story might be false. Perhaps they’ll get it right the third time around and apologize for repeating the same mistakes. Well, three’s a charm. *L* KGS

Update: The HS’s own LEO PUGIN is hanging tough in his “analysis” of the violence in Iraq in today’s foreign news section of the Helsingin Sanomat(31.10.07). Pugin again rehashes the same account of “twenty headless bodies” already discounted by Iraqi and US sources.

“Baquban läheltä löydettiin lisäksi 20 ruumista, joiden päät oli hakattu irti. /In addition, twenty bodies with heads hacked off were found near Baquba”

The tenacity of the paper should be admired, but it comes at the expence of the truth…..

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