Knowing is half the battle!

February 1, 2005 4:58 PM

Iraqi militants claimed...to have taken an American soldier hostage and threatened to behead him... The posting, on a Web site that frequently carried militants' statements, included a photo of what that statement said was an American soldier, wearing desert fatigues and seated on a concrete floor with his hands tied behind his back. The figure in the photo appeared stiff and expressionless... Looks like a bunch of newspapers got duped.
posted by furtive (32 comments total)

Shoot. I forgot to include the article that I quoted from.
posted by furtive at 4:59 PM on February 1, 2005

Dan Rather stands by the story, even if the photo is unproven.
posted by HTuttle at 5:01 PM on February 1, 2005

And of course the original CNN article.
posted by furtive at 5:02 PM on February 1, 2005

Not just newspapers. Take a look at the warbloggers. Froth on them lips, I'd say.
posted by Wulfgar! at 5:02 PM on February 1, 2005

I've been wondering when they'll disguise one of their own in military garb and try to get some prisoners freed with that?

This was either a desperate or humorous move. I'm leaning towards desperate.

But it is pretty damned funny that it was reported as an abduction instantly (before the editor'd even looked at the pic, I'm guessing).
posted by fenriq at 5:07 PM on February 1, 2005

What appears to be the offending web site.
posted by furtive at 5:08 PM on February 1, 2005

what's a warblogger, mommy?
posted by jsavimbi at 5:08 PM on February 1, 2005

*cough*
posted by fandango_matt at 5:10 PM on February 1, 2005

But you know, the (tighty wighty righty) bloggers have replaced the Main Stream Media (that's MSM to you tiny motherfuckers) what with all their fact checking and all.
posted by Wulfgar! at 5:11 PM on February 1, 2005

fandango_matt: sorry, didn't mean to steal your thunder. I saw this on google news and when I searched threads for 'soldier' and 'captured' nothing came up.

Cheers!
posted by furtive at 5:14 PM on February 1, 2005

lol.. I'm sorry but I laughed as soon as I saw the original photo. How did anyone not spot this was a doll?
posted by MrBobaFett at 5:15 PM on February 1, 2005

The CNN article provides a quote from Dragon Models USA explaining the photo is of its toy, "Special Ops Cody." The company's web site, however, shows a different "Special Ops Cody" [click to enlarge image].
posted by quam at 5:16 PM on February 1, 2005

Cobra wanted for questioning.
posted by Kwantsar at 5:17 PM on February 1, 2005

The editor drooling over the scoop probably didn't notice the readily apparent fakeness of the soldier.

On Preview: quam, are you saying they've kidnapped the real Special Ops Cody and Dragon Models is trying to foist off some imposter while the real Cody rots in a shoebox in Iraq? Scramble the Delta Force! Let Chuck Norris introduce them to some slow motion karate ass kickin' action!
posted by fenriq at 5:18 PM on February 1, 2005

Do they make Bush/Cheney action figures? Cause, I've got an idea that involves Barbie and her friends and some compromising positions...
posted by shoepal at 5:18 PM on February 1, 2005

The weapon in the 'hostage photo' looks much like the weapon in the toy pack, imo.

I wonder if there is a Metallica poster behind the flag in the photo?
posted by quam at 5:19 PM on February 1, 2005

Don't ask, don't tell if you are a doll...sorry, 'action-figure'.
posted by alteredcarbon at 5:19 PM on February 1, 2005

Re: the original site, is there anything like Babelfish that works for Arabic? This story would be much better if the surrounding text was all phrased in the form of a joke...
posted by cmyk at 5:19 PM on February 1, 2005

Looks like a bunch of newspapers got duped.

How were they duped? A group released a photo and then newspapers reported about the photo, noting that the claims of the group could not be verified.
posted by gluechunk at 5:20 PM on February 1, 2005

You owe me a beer, furtive!
posted by fandango_matt at 5:21 PM on February 1, 2005

EXCLUSIVE! INCONTROVERTIBLE PROOF OF OSAMA BIN LADEN'S CAPTURE:



(from here)
posted by Krrrlson at 5:47 PM on February 1, 2005

Nighttime rescue mission already begun.
posted by HTuttle at 5:58 PM on February 1, 2005

How were they duped? A group released a photo and then newspapers reported about the photo, noting that the claims of the group could not be verified.

Well, the photo isn't exactly realistic-looking, or is journalism really to the point of just copy-paste what you find on some fanatic's website?
posted by odinsdream at 6:19 PM on February 1, 2005

odinsdream, that was a rhetorical question, right?
posted by HTuttle at 6:21 PM on February 1, 2005

Am I wrong or did I read via Yahoo News this afternoon - I only scanned the article - that the group associated with this photo was a "little known" organization? Who tipped all the media off to this, then, if hardly anyone knew who the group was or could vouch for its bona fides?
posted by raysmj at 6:23 PM on February 1, 2005

I think, in hindsight, they were saying the group was previously unknown before claiming responsibility for the kidnapping of the three Japanese people. I still wonder how much was known about the group, if much at all - or about how this site gets its information, etc.
posted by raysmj at 6:36 PM on February 1, 2005

HTuttle, yes. Journalism is about more than just parroting what you found on the internet, and then saying "Hey, i don't know how credible this is." Apparently gluechunk didn't understand that.
posted by odinsdream at 6:47 PM on February 1, 2005

Helluva prank. Wish I'd thought of it!
posted by five fresh fish at 7:14 PM on February 1, 2005

Who tipped all the media off to this, then, if hardly anyone knew who the group was or could vouch for its bona fides?

Regardless of the realness of the soldier, these guys are hardly "bona", surely!
posted by Aknaton at 9:43 PM on February 1, 2005

posted by CunningLinguist at 4:36 AM on February 2, 2005

is journalism really to the point of just copy-paste what you find on some fanatic's website?

just noticing, huh? :-)
posted by quonsar at 5:26 AM on February 2, 2005

G.I. D'oh!
posted by kirkaracha at 7:04 AM on February 2, 2005