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The BBC and Bin Laden |
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In my opinion, responsible news outlets should discuss any bin Laden-related news with a degree of skepticism. The BBC, unlike some of its American counterparts, displays exactly this kind of skepticism.
Is it possible that Osama bin Laden is simply dead? I know the guy is supposedly savvy, but how easy would it be for an old man to survive in one of the most dangerous and unstable parts of the world for nearly seven years, while being constantly hunted by the world’s most powerful military? Would it be a real stretch to imagine that
A) He died of an illness
B) He died in an explosion or some other kind of attack, but his body was never found
C) Whoever was sheltering him got sick of him and murdered him?
Now, the funny thing is that I’m starting to wonder if the BBC shares my doubts about bin Laden’s well-being. First off, they put all of their headlines having to do with him in quotes.
Bin Laden tape voice ‘authentic’.
‘Bin Laden’ in Palestinian call.
New ‘Bin Laden tape’ threatens EU.
Additionally, the BBC seems to maintain a light touch of skepticism throughout its articles, talking about the tapes “attributed to bin Laden” and noting that he has not been seen alive on video since 2004. They have also wondered aloud before about his death. Likely they are just being good journalists, and do not have concrete reasons to doubt that he is still alive. And some conspiracy theorists, of course, believe that the BBC edited footage of Benazir Bhutto saying that bin Laden was dead - but I leave you to do your own Googling for that.
No matter what, I commend the BBC for their skepticism - it helps remind us that he’s not invincible, and it helps cut down on that whole “15 minutes of hate” phenomenon that seems to crop up whenever a new tape comes out.
if he is dead, the GOP will have to get themselves another candidate for president; McCain will be biting it in order to make good on his promise to chase Osama “to the gates of hell.”
Alright, you said the same thing. Grapes.
Shit, if he is dead then I can’t chase him to the gates of hell any longer without it just being a n enormous waste of my time. Memo to McCain you are about ten minutes from hell buddy (look in the mirror) if anything you’ll meet him there.
“Old man”? I know you’re a bunch of whippersnappers here, but the guy is only 50.
More important than his age is his health, but who knows whether the information about his health problems is accurate?
Fair enough - 51 I guess, according to wikipedia. I guess I think of him as an old man because he looks so haggard in every picture you see of him. With the life he’s lived and the constant stress he’s under (or was under), is it really that much of stretch to imagine that he’s aged well beyond his years?
average life expectancy in afghanistan according to the 2007 CIA World Fact Book is 43.9 years old (granted he’s a saudi, where the expectancy is in the 70s, but he hasn’t been living the saudi life for quite some time). I’m definitely a whippersnapper, but by Afghani standards Bin Laden is definitely an old man.
Whether bin Laden is alive or dead, the latest tape (attributed to the second in command and not easily verifiable) seems like a pathetic attempt to stay relevant and terrifying. A few months ago, they threatened the people of Pakistan; now they’re threatening the people of Israel. It seems like the tapes are just a lame way to keep the al Qaeda name in the press and to drum up fear for al Qaeda around the world. The BBC might be skeptical or they might just be bored.
On a tangent related to the BBC, it seems their coverage of Pakistan has been rather bare-bones lately. Anyone else notice the same thing?
Benazir Bhutto said that Osama was murdered by Omar Sheikh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIO8B6fpFSQ