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In a post mortem, @mikiebarb asks what information led the NYT to present the subject of Caliphate as an ISIS member.
In his answer, @deanbaquet is telling on himself.
He and @nytimes still take as gospel 3 truths that experts have long debated if not debunked:
In his answer, @deanbaquet is telling on himself.
He and @nytimes still take as gospel 3 truths that experts have long debated if not debunked:
1. “He convinced de-radicalization experts who said they believed him.”
Radicalization theory is *not* reliable as an authoritative litmus test, and has long been understood as a flawed, self-serving tool.
Radicalization theory is *not* reliable as an authoritative litmus test, and has long been understood as a flawed, self-serving tool.
Rethinking Radicalization, a report from the @BrennanCenter at NYU, is almost a decade old. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/rethinking-radicalization
This Q&A “The Myth of Radicalization” has been up on the @ACLU’s website for a while now, too. https://www.aclu.org/other/qa-myth-radicalization
And @NYPDnews was forced to repudiate their report “Radicalization in the West” as part of a settlement for the police department’s illegal spying on Muslim communities.
The debunked theories in the report were used to buttress the NYPD spying program. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna737101
The debunked theories in the report were used to buttress the NYPD spying program. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna737101
Serious journalists know these things about radicalization theory, and accordingly don’t rely on the advice of “de-radicalization” experts.
The Times would do well to follow suit.
The Times would do well to follow suit.
2. “We had two sources in the intelligence community in the American government saying he was an ISIS member who went to Syria.”
The IC obviously has a thumb on the scales, but maybe this can be a lesson to seek out other non-government sources as experts on these questions?
The IC obviously has a thumb on the scales, but maybe this can be a lesson to seek out other non-government sources as experts on these questions?
3. “He was on a No Fly List and that’s not so easy to get on.”
People on the No Fly List will tell you the exact opposite.
It’s *very* easy to get on the NFL and incredibly difficult to get off. https://vimeo.com/464994751
People on the No Fly List will tell you the exact opposite.
It’s *very* easy to get on the NFL and incredibly difficult to get off. https://vimeo.com/464994751
If you don’t want to trust the people affected, The Times itself has reported over and over again on the governments abuse of watchlists like the No Fly List.
Here from the NYT Ed Board in 2014: Terror Watch Lists Run Amok https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/19/opinion/terror-watch-lists-run-amok.html?smid=em-share
Here from the NYT Ed Board in 2014: Terror Watch Lists Run Amok https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/19/opinion/terror-watch-lists-run-amok.html?smid=em-share
Here, in 2019:
Judge Rules Terrorism Watchlist Violates Constitutional Rights https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/04/us/politics/terrorism-watchlist-constitution.html
Judge Rules Terrorism Watchlist Violates Constitutional Rights https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/04/us/politics/terrorism-watchlist-constitution.html
And just last week, reporting that the Supreme Court sided with 3 Muslim men represented by @CUNY_CLEAR and @theCCR who were put on the No Fly List just for refusing to spy on their own communities. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/10/us/supreme-court-muslim-fly-list.html
As an institution, The No Fly List proves nothing more than the federal government’s power to use the specter of terrorism to make people’s lives hell.
