FAIR’s new Action Alert (8/18/14) calls out the New York Times for not covering a major Amnesty International report on US torture—shortly after the paper announced a new policy of calling torture by its right name.
If you send a message to the Times, please leave a copy in the comments thread to this post.
UPDATE:
New York Times Responds on Torture (8/21/14)
Dear Ms. Sullivan,
As a journalist myself, I urge you in the strongest terms to break with NPR and others who refuse to call toture by it’s true name. I refer specifically to Amnesty International reports on torture perpetrated by US Special Forces in Afghanistan (and as reported to me via FAIR). There are, shamefully, many other instances of torture by US personnel.
These are the kind of crimes – waterbording, etc. – for which we executed Japanese war criminals. They cannot be (conveniently) converted to “harsh interrogation” [NPR] or simply ignored, misreported or under-reported as with the NYT.
I no longer contribute to NPR as a result of this. I will if more cogent response is not forthcoming, drop my subscription to the New York Times.
Sincerely yours,
Mark Seth Lender
[The above was CC’d to the ombudsman for NPR]
Ms. Margaret Sullivan, because of political posturing and journalistic cowardice your rag, the New York Times, will not look into why the paper, despite its new policy about calling torture by its right name, has so far ignored Amnesty’s report documenting direct US involvement in Iraqi, Afghan, or other practices of US authorized torture. It seems that the times is only interested in own anglo-american prestige.
[Email to Sullivan at NYT]
The world is disgusted with the total moral failure of the United States.
The principal cause of this total moral failure is the complacency, complicity and sometimes eager contributory part played by American media.
Outside the bubble of American Exceptionalism and American media fantasy where American Interests are the fundamental essence of all things newsworthy, we in the wider world see it for what it is; moral, social and financial bankruptcy. Are you too far gone?
Torture is torture.
Crime is crime.
When are you going to talk about the crimes and dealing with the criminals?
The world is watching.
Yours Sincerely,
Allen L Jasson
I suppose I should add “With humble apologies to Americans who still have genuine pride and dignity and have resisted this failure all the way”.
Dear Margaret Sullivan,
One week ago, Amnesty International released a report detailing American forces’ involvement in torturing Afghan civilians. To date, as far as I know, there has been no mention of Amnesty’s findings in The Times, despite their extremely disturbing nature. Is this an oversight, or a policy decision? I would appreciate knowing. When I worked at The Times, back in the early 1960s, I took pride in Adolph Ochs’s statement, which, if I recall correctly, was displayed in the lobby of the 43rd St. building: ”to give the news impartially, without fear or favor, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved”. I would like to believe that’s still a guiding principle at the paper, though I’ve witnessed a few regrettable lapses during the intervening 50 years.
Sincerely,
Richard Khanlian
Santa Fe, NM
Calling it as they won’t see it
Good Afternoon Margaret Sullivan,
Why is your newspaper ignoring Amnesty’s report that DOCUMENTS DIRECT US involvement in torture in Afghanistan?
I always have respected THE NEW YORK TIMES until fairly recently – you no longer seem particularly interested in fair unbiased reporting of topics that paint the US in an ILLEGAL light – TORTURE IS ILLEGAL, IN SPITE OF BUSH and CHENEY’S USE OF IT. In fact, those two have been thumbing their noses at authorities ever since they left office – WHY?
IF THEY WERE DEMOCRATS, THEY’D ALREADY BE IN PRISON FOR “CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY” – WHY NOT REPUBLICANS? COULD IT HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH YOUR OWNERS AND THEIR POLITICAL VIEWS?
TORTURE IS TORTURE – IT IS ILLEGAL – AND, YET, OUR COUNTRY IS USING IT MORE AND MORE, I GUESS BECAUSE BUSH AND CHENEY HAVE GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT….
Do you risk losing your job IF YOU REPORT ON THE ON-GOING USE OF ILLEGAL TORTURE?
If not, why aren’t you reporting this story on the front page of THE NEW YORK TIMES?
I’ll be curious to hear your response….
Regards, Patti Guthrie
Dear Ms. Sullivan,
After hearing about the Amnesty report on US-caused civilian casualties and torture in Afghanistan, and downloading it for my foreign policy class, I looked for an article in the NYT…but the Times has studiously ignored it.
It’s a very important report. Why does it merit no mention in the Times?
This is very worrisome.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Sanders
Hello Margaret Sullivan—
Given your incredibly brave decision to call torture torture – after only a decade of our doing it – I’m puzzled about why you haven’t covered Amnesty International’s recent report on torture. Please do so immediately, so we can put more pressure on our complicit Attorney General to prosecute the war criminals in the Bush and Obama Administration who are responsible.
Susan Harman
Code Pink
Oakland, CA
Dear Ms Sullivan,
As your internet pages refuse to open -possibly because I refuse cookies?- I have not been able read the NYT since several years, but I understand that finally it has decided to call torture by its name, rather than hiding it under propaganda terms like ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’.
Yet the AI Afghanistan report apparently still is too hot too handle?
I have worked in Afghanistan for many years and had actually heard from terrified Afghan friends from Wardak about the ‘special operations forces’ behaviour there.
Back in 2012 it was about ‘loud music and dancing’ which unsettled the local population which over the 10+ years of US occupation had grown sort of accustomed to the regular army’s behaviour but did not know what to make of this weird novelty.
In early spring of 2013 however, the echos from Wardak became so alarming -people being abducted, tortured, murdered- that I contacted your excellent reporter Carlotta Gall who then was on a sabbatical but in touch with your Kabul office which she had managed for many years, and she agreed that such rumours deserved to be checked.
It so happened that before she could arrange that, the matter had gone public with president Karzai ordering the special forces out of Wardak within two weeks. An order shamelessly ignored by US forces which at the same time assured the Afghan government that ‘of course they would oblige as after all Afghanistan is a sovereign country’ …
I wonder what the NYT would have made of the story if it had managed to be prepared by its reporters before it went viral by other means?
So I would hope that now that ‘War on Terror’ NewSpeak apparently is being abandoned by the NYT -which is highly appreciated, better late than never- you will give due attention to the AI Afghanistan human rights report -which I am convinced touches on only the tip of a huge iceberg of similar excesses- and will continue doing so in future as we can expect many more such cases if the dismal ‘Partnership Pact’ between Afghanistan and the US does get signed in its actual form. President Karzai has good reasons to refuse to sign it.
It grants total impunity to the special forces which would stay behind, not in any manner accountable to the Afghan government while recent past has proven beyond doubt that the US government refuses to properly investigate and punish their crimes, preferring to blame the Afghans which it is training as cannon fodder to do the dirty work for the special forces and most of all, take the blame when such crimes are uncovered.
Sincerely,
(signed)
Dear Margaret Sullivan,
Given the decision by editors at your paper to call torture by its rightful name, I am so far disgusted that the New York Times has not yet covered Amnesty International’s recent report on United States participation in the torture of people in Afghanistan. Please do so immediately. Below is a PDF link to the aforementioned report.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA11/006/2014/en/c628b1a4-821f-4168-a583-ac4a6159986e/asa110062014en.pdf
-Sena
Ms. Sullivan & NY Times,
I am conflicted in criticizing your paper because of your recent policy abandon euphemisms when reporting on torture. I applaud your leadership. Yet I find it puzzling that you have thus far ignored egregious cases of torture committed by US “Special Forces.” Having witnessed the horror of torture by “Special Forces” in another country, I encourage you to shine your powerful light upon well-documented cases of US complicity in torture and extrajudicial executions of Afghans.
I am your august does not want to encourage a view that you are hypocritical or xenophobic. Kindly give some space to the Amnesty International report “Left in the Dark” (August 11, 2014).
http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/ASA11/006/2014/en/c628b1a4-821f-4168-a583-ac4a6159986e/asa110062014en.pdf
I will appreciate hearing from you.
Respectfully,
Max White
Country Specialist, Indonesia and Timor-Lesté
Amnesty International USA
+1-503-292-8168
503-544-0690 cell
Dear Ms. Sullivan,
I am greatly concerned thay your paper, despite its new policy about calling torture by its right name, has so far ignored Amnesty International’ s report documenting direct US involvement in Afghan torture. Abuses have been widely reported by many other reliable sources, and yet the New York Times remains silent on this important issue. I strongly request that the “Paper of Record” pick up this story and report on it as is appropriate.
Thank you,
Mr. Kelly Locker
Thou shalt not bear false witness by not printing the truth
Hearing that the NY Times had finally decided to call torture, torture made me think of the Onion article where the CIA suddenly realizes it has been using black highlighters on declassified documents all these years.
You are supposed to report the facts. Not contribute to the downfall of our Democracy by cow towing to elected officials.You no longer deserve the label “The 4th Estate” because you and the rest of the main stream media no longer do serious investigative reports that matter to fabric of our society. The news should be more than just sensationalism.