Seriously? The AP is so desperate for “balance” that they’re now quoting the paranoid accusations of a terrorist group as boilerplate “balance”?
Because here’s what the AP wrote about the indictment filed against Hezbollah by the UN commission:
The court is widely expected to accuse members of Hezbollah of being involved in the killing, something the Shiite militant group has insisted it will not accept.
The Iran- and Syria-sponsored group fiercely denies any role in the killing and says the tribunal, jointly funded by U.N. member states and Lebanon, is a conspiracy by Israel and the United States.
Seriously? What next, the ravings of Jared Loughner as a defense of why he murdered six and shot 13?
Really, just when I think the AP can’t stoop any lower, I get to read drek like this.
Update: Yes, it’s the official boilerplate. From their latest article on the Hariri indictments:
The Iran- and Syria-sponsored Hezbollah calls the tribunal a conspiracy by Israel and the United States.
This is what now passes for journalism: Quoting a conspiracy theory as if it’s a legitimate rebuttal to the facts at hand.
NY Times too:
Last week marked another surge in tension when Hezbollah and its Christian allies withdrew from a government led by Mr. Hariri’s son, Saad, in a dispute over the international tribunal, which has divided the nation. Hezbollah supporters believe it is hopelessly compromised, little more than an American-Israeli tool to bludgeon the movement. Mr. Hariri’s supporters believe the vehemence of Hezbollah’s reaction only underlines its guilt in the assassination.
I know that it’s attributed to Hezbollah’s supporters, but it’s given the same weight as the belief that Hezbollah is behind the killing of Hariri.