The Truth about Jamal Khashoggi Is Much More Complicated than Originally Claimed
Excerpt: The brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was an outrage, and the Saudi regime needs to endure some short-term consequences from the United States government in order to deter them from ever pulling a reckless stunt like this again. That having been said, it is now clear that the narrative around Khashoggi’s work as a columnist that was reported immediately after his death was not entirely accurate. Credit the Washington Post for going back and doing additional reporting — and relaying to readers the revelations that are not so flattering or reassuring about their former colleague. ... Perhaps most problematic for Khashoggi were his connections to an organization funded by Saudi Arabia’s regional nemesis, Qatar. Text messages between Khashoggi and an executive at Qatar Foundation International show that the executive, Maggie Mitchell Salem, at times shaped the columns he submitted to The Washington Post, proposing topics, drafting material and prodding him to take a harder line against the Saudi government. Khashoggi also appears to have relied on a researcher and translator affiliated with the organization, which promotes Arabic-language education in the United States. This . . . makes Khashoggi look less like an independent journalist and more like an agent of another country that was, if not an enemy of Saudi Arabia, then certainly a rival. (Scroll down for this story. ~Bob)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment