Even though his story "changed repeatedly" on each retelling, no one else in the mainstream media had shown any interest in looking any deeper into Massey's claim that his battalion consisted of "psychopathic killers" who on one "unforgettable" occasion filled a tractor-trailer with the bodies of scores of Iraqi civilians.
Indeed, even his own supposed crime — shooting a 6-year-old child in the head — turns out to be a fantasy. Confronted by Harris, he claimed "that's what my unit did" — but couldn't provide details. Nor could he name even a single Marine to corroborate any of his stories.
Massey, significantly, was discharged after suffering a nervous breakdown. In other words, he was what's known as a Section Eight — that is, crazy.
Both Harris and Michelle Malkin, whose column appears on the preceding page, asked several of the media outlets that had hyped Massey's claim for a reaction.
(Typical was Rex Smith, editor of the Albany Times-Union, who said "it would have been much better if we had the other side." No kidding.)
These supposed news outlets published Massey's claims without even trying to verify them — or, in some cases, without even getting a pro forma response from the Pentagon.
During Vietnam, the news media promoted a similar showcase of the anti-war Left called "Winter Soldier," which also featured first-person allegations of U.S. war crimes. Eventually, it came out that the claims were a total fraud.
Now, the same crowd is at it again. And, once again, their media allies are playing along.
How much more proof is needed that the mainstream media are nothing less than shrill propaganda outlets for the Bush-bashing anti-war crowd, willing — almost eager — to undermine the efforts of America's fighting men and women?
Michelle Malkin has a round-up of the Massey fiasco.
The media don't need no stinkin' proof. Especially not when they have an agenda to push.
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