UPDATED: Jill Carroll

Jill Carroll was kidnapped January 7 in Baghdad; her Iraqi translator killed. Tuesday, Jan. 17, her captors, the so-called “Revenge Brigade,” released a videotape to Al-Jazeera demanding the US release all female prisoners in Iraq within 72 hours or else she would be killed.

Wednesday, Reuters reported: US confirms holding 8 women prisoners in Iraq

“We have eight females. They are being held for the same reasons as the others, namely that they are a threat to security,” said Lieutenant Aaron Henninger, a spokesman for the U.S. military detentions operation.

Then, yesterday evening we noticed these reports coming out:

There was this brief item was posted on DEBKAfile:

Iraqi justice ministry reports early release for insufficient evidence of 6 of 8 Iraqi female prisoners held by coalition forces
January 18, 2006, 7:05 PM (GMT+02:00)

The announcement, not confirmed by US officials, was made the day after the abductors of American journalist Jill Carroll, 28, threatened to kill her in 72 hours if all Iraqi women prisoners were not freed. Carroll was kidnapped 10 days ago, her Iraqi translator shot dead.

The BBC also covered it: Iraq detainees to be freed early

Iraq’s ministry of justice has told the BBC that six of the eight women being held by coalition forces in Iraq are to be released early.

[And…]

The US forces have refused to confirm the releases, but say they would not be based on any operational activities.

Which I took to mean, “We don’t negotiate with terrorists, so this has nothing at all to do with the demands of the ‘Revenge Brigade.'”

Saying one thing while something else altogether is happening is nothing new these days. It is practically to be expected. I was dismayed, however, to hear this morning on NPR‘s Morning Edition— what I have come to trust as a serious news program —a report about Carroll that mentioned her captors demands and the official US Iraqi statement; but mentioned nothing about the reports of prisoner releases. I was wrong on this see below. [I’ll update with the text of the NPR report when it becomes available this evening.]

OK, I listened to the audio of the story posted online. This is the pertinent part:

Today Iraqi officials called for the US to release half a dozen female detainees. The Iraqi’s say it’s a routine request not related to the abduction.

That’s not all that objectionable when compared to the Associated Press article this morning (see below.) But, I swear that’s not how I heard it. Of course, I am not a morning person, and was apparently mistaken. That’s what I get for going off half-cocked first thing in the morning.

Now this isn’t exactly a high level scandal that goes to the very core of our democratic system, but it is troubling just how hard it is to discern the truth[.] when even trusted, serious news sources simply report on Especially early in the news cycle when there’s nothing much to go on except ‘official’ government statements and omit information to the contrary conflicting news reports. Even if DEBKAfile and the BBC (and Al Jazeera and ABC Australia) got it wrong, aren’t their reports now part of the story? Shouldn’t an honest inquiry address, and attempt to confirm or deny conflicting reports?

What is this symptomatic of? Deference to power? Laziness? The chilling effect of outside media criticism? Fear of getting it wrong when findings don’t jibe with the official line?

These questions are still worth asking. However, in a different context. Different than the context of my having misheard a news report and flown off the handle prematurely.

PS: This is how the Associated Press is reporting it this morning. Could this be closer to the facts? Iraq Ask U.S. to Free Six Iraqi Women

The U.S. military has said eight Iraqi women are in military detention. An Iraqi government commission reviewing detainee cases recommended to U.S. authorities on Monday that six of them be released.

An official from the Human Rights Ministry, which sits on the commission along with representatives of the Defense and Justice ministries, said the call to free the women was not made in response to demands from Carroll’s kidnappers, who gave authorities until Friday night to free the women.

“There was no outside pressure on the commission” to recommend releasing the women, said the official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared reprisal from insurgents. “This recommendation came after we studied the women’s files provided by the American military.”

I still take that last part to mean, “We don’t negotiate with terrorists, so this has nothing at all to do with the demands of the ‘Revenge Brigade.'”

Jill Carroll was engaged in serious journalism when she was captured. As we hope for her safe release, don’t we owe her story the courtesy of serious journalism? Yes. And I feel horrible for the way I construed the NPR piece this morning.