Al-Quaeda-DogTapes

From 911Encyclopedia:

In August 2002, CNN obtained the so called Al-Quaeda-Dog Gas-Tapes. What wasn't examined on their authencity and origin, was supported by Dr. Rohan Gunaratna. CNN broadcasted these tapes only 3 weeks before the 1-year anniversary of the Sep11th attacks. Dr. Rohan Gunaratna, the so called "specialist" of Al-Quaeda is omni present since September 2001. He works for one of the only "terrorist study centres" in United Kingdom, which is supported by the States. It is the "Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence" and was founded in 1996. http://www.st-and.ac.uk/academic/intrel/research/cstpv/staff.html Among the Honorary Research Associates we find Dr. Bruce Hoffmann from the US ThinkTank Rand, who promoted a controversial article about a possible attack against Egypt or the "enemy" Saudi Arabia. Dr. Rohan Gunaratna is one of the few "prophets", who was asked already on October 2nd, 2001, about a possible "threat of chemical or biological terrorism or just something from the minds of conspiracy theorists?", which he expected. 3 days later Bob Stevens (->) died from anthrax. Nic Robertson from CNN, who obtained these dog tapes and some older Bin laden tapes, reported on Sep11th- already from Kabul: "5:58pm and Nic Robertson is reporting "heavy air detonations" in kabul, afghanistan" http://europe.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/correspondents/robertson.nic.html He "covered the U.S. air strikes on Baghdad in 1998, refugee exodus from Kosovo in Albania, Montenegro and Macedonia and was on one of the helicopters carrying the first wave of NATO troops entering Kosovo in June 1999, and on the road with British Paratroopers all the way to Pristina, Kosovo" http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/robertson.nic.html Robertson did the daily videophone reports from Kabul and later interviewed the Northern Alliance. Robertson was in Afghanistan during the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 1996 and organised the first live satellite links out of Iran and Iraq. About the dog tapes: "...Frederick R. Sidell, a chemical weapons expert who worked at the Army Medical Institute of Chemical Defense, said he doubted that sarin or cyanide was used. He called the video unsettling, but said it was not clear that the dogs had died... ...Asked why the C.I.A. failed to obtain the archive before CNN, Bill Harlow, the agency's spokesman, replied, "There are more of them in Afghanistan than there are of us, and they are paid better." http://www.afgha.com/article.php?sid=16029 CNN's contributor Garrick Utley ("Meet the Press") is regular guest at the Cfr, who was a big supporter of a war against the Iraq. His last visits at the CFR had been on May 2 , 2002 " The News About the News " and January 9 , 2002: " Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Demands a Pagon Ethos " http://www.cfr.org/public/resource.cgi?pers!1827 On August 21st, 2002 it was revealed, that both CNN and CBS paid money for the "dog tapes" . CNN paid $30,000 and CBS a "very nominal, very standard" fee for its tapes, said Marcy McGinnis, senior vice president of news coverage. Source: http://www.nandotimes.com/entertainment/story/505045p-4025258c.html

Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz criticized CNN as having "gone a little bit overboard in hyping these tapes." FOX news supported Kurtz with a newspaper ad criticizing CNN for changing its story on paying for al-Qaida videotapes. "CNN ... Caught? said the full-page ad in one edition of The New York Times. CNN had been protested in November 2002, for their Pro-Iraq war coverage.