Revisionist History? Newsweek Accused of Editing Past Article
Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas)
Several news outlets are reporting that Newsweek has edited its 2015 story about Senator Tom Cotton to align and support recent allegations about his military service claims.
RT writes:
Newsweek has been accused of tinkering with its past reporting in order to lend weight to controversial accusations that Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) misrepresented his military service while running for Congress..The outlet ran a piece last week in which it highlighted claims that Cotton had wrongfully described himself as a former US Army Ranger during his first election campaign in 2012. Salon was the first to push the allegation, reporting that Cotton had wrongfully attributed himself to be a part of the elite unit during his tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rather, the Arkansas senator had attended a two-month training course at the Ranger school, earning him the right to wear the Ranger insignia while not actually serving in a Ranger regiment. And thus him describing himself as an Army Ranger is false.
TheBlaze writes:
In a strange move that perhaps serves as an example of just how far left-leaning media outlets will go to smear conservatives, editors at Newsweek decided to retroactively edit an article the outlet published more than five years ago to bolster an attack against Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton’s military record.
Newsweek jumped in the ruckus with both feet, but it is difficult to tell if they edited the past article before or after they entered the fray.
This underscores a previous contention I have about news vs. storytelling. Many have crossed the line into shaping a narrative to achieve a desired outcome – i.e. storytelling – vs. just reporting objective facts. Hollywood often goes the other direction and pass off fictional storytelling as fact. This shifts the burden on the consumer to sort out what is true and what isn’t.
What factors contribute to this?
There have been media research studies where it has been proven that people take shortcuts with the news information that they consume. Everyone is so busy with their daily lives, they often don’t have time to do a deep dive, so instead exercise trust. They evaluate a news source over a period of time and eventually trust what they have to say and rely on its reporting as fact.
Some would say this is laziness, but it’s really a survival necessity since we cannot delve into each and every issue with the limited time available in our lives.
However, this trust can be exploited… and often has been.
Category: "Teh Stoopid", Politics, Real Soldiers, Reality Check
“Who controls the past,” ran the Party slogan, “controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”
That is a quote from Truth Minister O’Brien in Orwell’s “1984.”
Newsweek apparently has become an appendage of Minitrue.
Ooh-the Ministry of Love will be around shortly to have a word with you.
And then off to Room 101 with you!
Oh, RATS!
Right here in Colorado, Democrat Jason Crow ran in 2018 on his credentials as an “Army Ranger” but AFAIK he never served in the regiment either.
So will Newsweek be excoriating him, too?
FWIW: Crow’s Wikipedia bio indicates assignments to the 82nd Airborne Div and the 75th Ranger Regiment. However, it doesn’t mention when or to what element of the 75th he was assigned.
His service with the 75th isn’t detailed in the text portion of his bio. His service with the 82nd is.
I’d love to see a FOIA listing of his assignments, including dates and duty positions.
His service shows that he was assigned to 82nd ABN as a 2LT (2002-2004) and then jumped to 75th RGR RGT when he was promoted to 1LT (2004-2006) and eventually to CPT before resigning his commission (2006), though he may have simply moved to the IIR. In his tweet to Tom Cotton about his service he is sporting BDUs and wearing a Tan Beret with a 2nd BN/75th RGR RGT Flash and 1LT rank smiling for the camera. Since his uniform is starched and everyone has shiny boots I would say they just got done with a parade.
But as GEN(Ret) Raymond Thomas, former SOCOM Commander, said knock it off Jason (you are both Rangers) and start working together with Tom to solve the nations problems!
I went to Ranger School as an E-3.
Did not have the luxury of the IOBC “Train Up” as Crown did.
Crow is a fucking clown and a two-hole Ranger.
Way to throw a honorable brother-in-arms under the bus.
He has to do so, as Crow is a rabid Trump hater, so much so that Piglosi made him an impeachment manager in the 2.0 kibuki op.
Back in my day, IOBC didn’t do anything to prepare us for Ranger School. But Benning did cut the basic course down from nine weeks to five, because all of us who were RA Infantry had to go to Ranger School. It was mandatory. The MI officers detailed Infantry in our IOBC class where thrilled they didn’t have to go, as they were not combat arms branched.
IOBC back in 05 was nothing but an extended Ranger Prep.
Waste of my time in many ways though I did learn several operational and philosophical components to various leadership and weapons procedures / systems.
Loosely translated, it is an OPORD prep.
Ranger school teaches the OPORD.
Yep, they always have. I still have those little wallet cards with the opord format.
I was always amazed at how the OPORD can be used in civilian life.
I used it academia. They got pissed because it was not their methods, per se, but it damn sure worked. Some lateral translation was needed, but the larger chucks of a research proposal were covered.
So, Crow is also a Blue Falcon?
Was not there beside him in the box?
Would not seem to think so.
What he said and commented about with respect to these threads?
Absolutely.
Bottom line: We do not toss honorable men under the bus.
Maybe Crow needs to go back and read the Creed.
Or ask why Bat Boys get the boot without the Tab after a “run” in unit.
Never seen a Bat Boy claim Ranger without the Tab.
MI Ranger: source link for Crow’s assignments, please?
From a review of recently archived copies of the article, the change happened sometime between 24 October 2020 and 24 Jan 2021. The 24 October 2020 article has the original language, while the 24 Jan 2021 now has the Minitrue-approved language.
Kinda hard to do that when you don’t control the system on which the articles are archived.
Newswho?
“NEWSSPEAK”
Randolph Hearst grins.
Fuck Newsweek sideways with my Ex-Wife wearing a strap-on, they and the rest of the mainstream media are little more than Pravda for the DNC!
Cancel culture rules – depends upon who you are, or who you know, or what you know about who you know. Or something.
Yep, storytelling. Facts no longer matter. Who tells the best story wins. Not sure what they win, but it must be something very valuable to somebody somewhere.
Me? I just don’t get it. It’s so much easier to just be truthful. Don’t have to waste a lot of energy keeping the lies sorted. Even those folks who don’t find lying to be morally repugnant can relate to how unnecessarily difficult lies can make one’s life. Take the easy way out – don’t lie. Telling the truth should appeal to the lazy among us. (Yeah, I will admit to being one of those always looking for the easy way to do whatever.)
No surprises with what Newsweek is doing to Senator Cotton. What can you expect from a rag purchased for $1?
In 2010, the Washington Post sold Newsweek for $1 and assumption of debt to Long-time Californian Democrat Sidney Harmon (co-founder of Harmon Kardon, later Harmon International). At the time of Newsweeks purchase, Harmon’s wife, Jane Harmon, was a California Democrat and multi-year Representative to the US Congress.
Jane Harmon is an interesting woman, worth spending a few minutes researching over your local internet.
I just read her Wiki bio. Interesting is an understatement.
Newsweek to change their name to Newspeak.
Nice.
Their new slogan: “Rectifying the past.”
Rectum hell, damn near killed him
Orwell was ahead of his time.
Based on what we’re seeing here, seems he was 37+ years early with the title for 1984.
Ah, 1984. Back when socialism was a bad thing, free speech was a good thing, and Reagan was getting re-elected.
Who knew “1984” was to become history for 2025.
Orwell makes Nostradamus look like a low budget tarot card reader.
“Orwell makes Nostradamus look like a low budget tarot card reader”
BWAHAHAHAHA
Honest question here…Do you have to be assigned to the 75th to be an “Army Ranger”? Tom Cotton seems to have described himself as such, without being assigned to that regiment. Is there a difference between “Army Ranger” and “Ranger Qualified”? I’ve been following this site for many years and I think there has been a distinction made but I am not Army so don’t really understand as much as many contributors to. Thanks!
It just so happens we had an article about this topic just a few days ago. Buried in there is also a link to a discussion on the topic a couple months back.
https://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=109859
Simple answer from a former Army Ranger with both a tab and a combat scroll: No.
I actually read the Salon article. In it they go out of their way to insinuate that Ranger school itself is easy.
Maybe they should chat with the 40 to 60 percent who fail to get the tab.
Or the girls that got nine recycles and two years of train up.
They missed out on a lot of essential command time so the Army could feel good about itself.
Plus, a general officer as a lane grader to make sure the passed their patrols. Back in my olden times, the only Ranger students recycled were those who sustained injuries or couldn’t pass the swim or other physical tests. There was no recycle for failure as PL or APL.
…they….
Plus, I never ever heard of anyone getting recycled more than twice. But then the School wasn’t trying to supply Rangers to the bats.