Be more careful
Even in its new, cool, tabloid size the Independent still suffers from a lack of decent political columnists, in particular Johan Hari, who some people seem to adore but I've never really seen the point.Only one one issue -- the liberation of Iraq (as he would call it) does he ever seem aminated, for example this piece on March 26th (which I have edited only for length, see here for the full thing.
"Kenneth Joseph is a young American pastor who was so convinced that the current war would be waged against the will of the Iraqi people that he travelled to Iraq to act as a human shield. He was convinced that he would be welcomed by the Iraqis as a hero. Yet this week Joseph was explaining that his trip had "shocked him back to reality".
The Iraqi people told him that they saw the war as desirable, despite the inevitably high cost of
civilian deaths.They said - in footage he recorded on a hidden camcorder - that "they
would commit suicide if American bombing didn't start. They were willing to see their homes demolished to gain their freedom from Saddam's bloody tyranny. They convinced me that Saddam was a monster."
Every single anti-war protestor should - on the basis of this evidence and similar material I have offered in previous columns about the real wishes of the Iraqi people - reconsider their view. This is not "pro-war propaganda": Joseph was as anti-war as the most vehement members of the Stop the War coalition, but he was also an honest man who could not disregard the evidence of his own eyes."
Unfortunately 'every single anti-war protestor' should 'on the basis of the evidence' presented here, ignore everything Hari has to say. Private Eye notes this week that the whole story is false, see Counterpunch for the details.
This is not to be too hard on Hari, he has had the good grace to admit he was wrong,
"NOTE, written 25th Spetember 2003: It transpires that Kenneth Joseph was probably a bullshitter, and that his claimns were false. I should have checked his story out more rigorously before I used it. The full details of the Joseph affair can be found at the excellent Counterpunch website."
and journalists are going to get fooled, particularly if they write as often as Hari. But I do wish -- and this applies to this blog as much as proper journalism-- people would think a little more before relying on one source, even if it doe say what they want to hear, and particular if they are going to use it to lecture other people on what to do.
posted by Matthew @ 10/07/2003 09:30:00 AM
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