Timing Can Be Harsh
rantingprofs.com
By Cori Dauber
All week long 60 Minutes Wednesday has been advertising a segment based on an interview with the Italian journalist shot by American soldiers at a checkpoint just as she was about to reach the airport, and freedom, after having been held hostage in Iraq.
Tragically for 60 Minutes, today was the day the joint American/Italian investigating team's preliminary report became available -- at least to NBC. And while the speed at which the car was driving remains in dispute, one key finding jumps out:
In Italy, agent Calipari was given a state funeral, but the investigation found he himself may have committed a fatal error. He reportedly chose not to coordinate his movements with the U.S. military for fear it would jeopardize his efforts to free the Italian hostage.
I don't see anything on the DOD web site, so it looks as if NBC just got an early peek.
But the 60 Minutes piece is about to look pretty bad real fast.
The whole segment centers on the journalist's claims that the US positions to date are lies. "The Army isn't talking," intones Scott Pelley. Of course, that's because their report isn't out yet, not because they aren't going to be talking. But one of the key points of the piece is that the speed of the car shouldn't have mattered because the Italian secret service agent had briefed the Americans before hand and was on the cellphone as the car proceeded.
Oops.
At that point it becomes a piece about the appropriateness of American checkpoint procedures, which is certainly an appropriate topic, but one they barely have time to explore since they spend so much time on the journalist's claims that there were no lights, no hand signals, and so forth. (Interesting that she is so certain none of that happened that she's willing to charge the Americans with "lying" when she was in the back seat, by the way.)
This is one piece that's going to look the worse for wear in a week. But that's the price for building an entire news piece around one source and one source only.
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MSNBC.com
Report clears U.S. in friendly fire incident
Italian negotiator failed to coordinate rescue with U.S. military
By Jim Miklaszewski
Correspondent
NBC News
Updated: 7:37 p.m. ET April 13, 2005
BAGHDAD - The friendly fire shooting at a U.S. military checkpoint last month in Baghdad wounded Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena and killed intelligence agent Nicola Calipari.
Now, NBC News has learned that a preliminary report from a joint U.S.-Italian investigation has cleared the American soldiers of any wrongdoing and provides new details into the shooting.
Intelligence agent Calipari had just negotiated Sgrena's release from Iraqi kidnappers on March 4 when the two and a driver headed for the Baghdad airport in a compact rental car.
It was dark when the Italians turned onto a ramp leading to the airport road where the U.S. military had set up a temporary checkpoint.
The investigation found the car was about 130 yards from the checkpoint when the soldiers flashed their lights as a warning to stop. But the car kept coming and, at 90 yards, warning shots were fired. At 65 yards, when the car failed to stop, the soldiers used lethal force — a machine gun burst that killed Calipari and wounded Sgrena and the driver.
Senior U.S. military officials say it took only about four seconds from the first warning to the fatal shots, but insist the soldiers acted properly under the current rules of engagement.
The investigation failed, however, to resolve one critical dispute: The Americans claim the car was racing toward the checkpoint at about 50 miles per hour, the Italians say it was traveling at a much slower speed.
In Italy, agent Calipari was given a state funeral, but the investigation found he himself may have committed a fatal error. He reportedly chose not to coordinate his movements with the U.S. military for fear it would jeopardize his efforts to free the Italian hostage.
Sgrena, meanwhile, disputes the military's account and says she has little confidence the investigation will reveal the truth.
As a result of the incident, the U.S. military will review its procedures regarding the use of lethal force at checkpoints, but senior military officials say they'll take no action that would put American soldiers at greater risk.
© 2005 MSNBC Interactive
© 2005 MSNBC.com
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