NBC's Richard Engel, Chief Foreign Correspondent for the network, invoked the false comparison during a June 22 interview on MSNBC's Keith Olberman program. In response to Olberman noting that major political upheavals such as the one in Iran often produce an identifiable martyr, Engel interrupted to tie the tragedy of Neda Soltani to Muhammad al-Dura. He characterized al-Dura as "a symbol of injustice" and termed Soltani's death "a similar moment." (...)
CAMERA contacted NBC to urge the network to set the record straight and clarify there is no similarity between Neda's death and the al-Dura story. On the contrary, they are oppposites, one being an undeniable killing and the other a media scandal of epic proportions and a libel against Israel. Although the NBC segment was a brief one, it offers a truly troubling insight into the network and its Chief Foreign Correspondent who has covered the Middle East extensively, but is seemingly unaware of the facts of the al-Dura case, including vast evidence showing Israeli soldiers could not have shot al-Dura and that on the same day in the same place Palestinians were continuously staging events and faking injuries.
(...)The failure of the mainstream media, including NBC, to investigate the al-Dura case and report the full facts has helped keep alive the pernicious lie that Israel shot Muhammad al-Dura.In particular, viewers should have been told about the dramatic ruling of a French court in May 2008 that concluded journalist Philippe Karsenty was justified in accusing the French network that broadcast the al-Dura story of fraud on the basis of the evidence. (MSNBC's Lester Holt actually did interview James Fallows in May 2003 and heard about that author's conclusion that Israel could not have shot al-Dura. The question is why NBC's Chief Foreign Correspondent seems unaware of the exposé. Nor did NBC report the French court findings.)NBC responded to CAMERA saying the complaint submitted was "a cheap shot" that sought to "discredit" Mr. Engel. Below are the June 22 MSNBC segment and the CAMERA exchange with NBC. In deference to the fact that NBC News President Steve Capus communicated privately via email with CAMERA, his letter is not reproduced in full but rather excerpted. CAMERA would be glad to publish it or any other response in full that NBC would provide to explain Engel's comparing Muhammad al-Dura to Neda Agha-Soltani.
Sheesh! NBC sounds just like the Obama Regime. Attack all inconvenient, accurate, perfectly legitimate, and important criticism.
NBC's behavior only reinforces analysis that the arrogant, truth-be-damned attitude of the Old Media hasn't changed, doesn't it?
And that's the network, whose own Brian Williams, bowed in submission to The Owe.
