At Jihad Watch we have never shared in the general enthusiasm for the Ayatollah Sistani, with his classification of unbelievers as “unclean” on a par with blood, urine, and feces, but there is no doubt about which side the mainstream media is on in Iraq, and it appears that the AP story we posted here on May 22 is inaccurate.
Gateway Pundit (thanks to Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi) has details from the Iraqi press, including a denial from Sistani’s office.
This instance of media irresponsibility and dishonesty illustrates yet again the “Good News is No News” dictum about which the estimable David Chavarria writes at Outside the Wire: “It is an interesting look at how news from Iraq is ‘made.’ As I watched and listened to this interview, I couldn’t help asking myself, ‘Is this the way all / most reporters are? If it is, how much does that skew the news we get?'”
A great deal, my friend. A great deal, and not just in relation to Iraq, either.
UPDATE: Not so fast.