Framing the Newsweek Debate: Did a Magazine Error Cause Riotous Outrage, Or Did A Policy of Torture?

When fully half of all the top blog/news links being shared by bloggers focus on a single topic, it's obviously a hot one. That's the case of Newsweek's retraction of a story about desecration of the Koran during detainee interrogations at Guantanamo Bay prison and some critics' contentions that the article caused riotious deaths in Afghanistan.

But the debate is wide-ranging among bloggers, some of who have a reputation for blasting MSM -- mainstream media -- for careless reporting. The National Debate blog notes that no one's died from mistakes by bloggers, and conservative blogger Michelle Malkin has taken up the slogan "Newsweek Lied, No One Died."

But the Light of Reason blog points out that Newsweek's three-paragraph article certainly didn't cause the riots; military torture did, and problems will continue to fester until an administration that supports such policies does what the media have done -- admit mistakes and apologize rather than pursue what amounts to censorship.

BlogPulse's trend graph today plots the word "truth" against four separate entitiies: Media, President Bush, the Pentagon and Bloggers.



Other viewpoints are offered by Ranting Profs, Instapundit, and even Russian news sources.

On ABC's "Nightline" last night, Newsweek Editor Mark Whitaker noted that Pentagon sources viewed the article and information before it went to print and expressed no concerns until 11 days after it was published. Meanwhile, Editor and Publisher releases results of its latest survey on the gap between journalists and uthe public on many issues, including freedom of the press.

Who IS "The Piano Man"?
In Great Britain, the identify of a mysterious, unnamed, unspeaking person called "The Piano Man" has made the world stage. The man was found wandering on an English beach in early April and hasn't spoken a word since -- but performs beautifully on the piano.

BLOGPULSE TREND GRAPH OF THE DAY: Where do you worship? A BlogPulse trend graph highlights weekly religious activities depending on the venue.