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NATURAL BORN KILLERS. Yup, thanks to the right-wing bloggers, Jamil Hussein is now in danger. Editor & Publisher reports:
Associated Press Executive Editor Kathleen Carroll on Friday criticized those who questioned the existence of an AP Iraq source, who was proven this week to be real, saying the scrutiny has now endangered the man's life. "I never quite understood why people chose to disbelieve us about this particular man on this particular story," Carroll told E&P, referring to Jamil Hussein, an Iraq police captain. "AP runs hundreds of stories a day, and has run thousands of stories about things that have happened in Iraq."Carroll pointed out that critics should be more concerned with the fact that Hussein could face imprisonment for being a source to journalists than how AP handled the situation. "A man who is a legitimate police official who has talked to journalists is threatened with arrest for doing so," she said. "Doesn't that bother anybody other than me? Officials being threatened with arrest for talking to reporters ought to be of concern."...But while Iraqi officials -- who had denied the man's existence -- eventually aided AP by confirming Hussein's existence, they also added a new danger to the source, threatening him with arrest for speaking to journalists. According to Iraqi officials, they may seek AP's help in identifying Hussein as a source in order to prosecute him. Carroll said the news organization had not decided what it would do if asked to participate in such an identification."Should that happen, we'll cross that bridge when it comes to us," Carroll said. "When we found out he was the subject of an arrest warrant, we talked to him. But his phone has been turned off and we don't know where he is. We are unaware if he has been arrested."Those are not encouraging signs. When people "disappear" in Baghdad it usually means something bad has happened.
--Garance Franke-Ruta
