Landing the Big One

Landing the Big One

Sunday, December 04, 2011

Iranian Press TV accused of making up stories about U.S. drone strikes in Somalia

Not really surprising, giving the silliness of some of their other fake reporting, but it is nice to see other people noticing. Here's a Daily Telegraph report, "Iranian Press TV accused of faking drone strike reports":
The channel, which is based in Tehran and broadcasts around-the-clock in English, claims that more the 1,370 people have been killed in 56 drone strikes since September - an average of 24 deaths per attack.

But an analysis of their reports by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found no evidence to back up the claims.
***
The US is known to have used drones in Somalia but Tony Burns, the director of operations at the charity Saacid, which is based in Mogadishu, said the cited casualty figures were "simply not possible".
***
A UN official told the Bureau: "Press TV is not a reliable source. It exaggerates and openly fabricates reports," while American diplomats said the reports were "wholly false".
The Iranian Department of Clumsy Disinformation gets another red card.

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