Or not.
I've been highly skeptical of the numbers that have been reported from the recent Iraqi vote. Sunday morning I actually heard NPR say that turnout was something like 80-90% (yes, really). Since then the number seems to keep dropping. And the footage of people dancing in the street? Some of them have been soldiers, and you know that there are US Marines or Army troops not far away from them. Knowing that news people can't go far without military escort doesn't help the credibility of the other footage, either.
You would think that the media would learn, but they never do. Even Jon Stewart seems to have bought into it this time, which surprises me. He seemed reluctant earlier in the week to refer to "Mess o' potamia" because of the recent news. Of course, we all know how this plays out by now. The first report is trumpeted to the heavens, establishing the storyline. Corrections come later after interest in the story has waned, and many people never hear of them. And on and on...
Posted by Jason at February 4, 2005 12:26 PM