The role of the Canadian press in the Maher Arar fiasco presents some interesting parallels to the Judith Miller run-up to Iraq reporting fiasco. Miller, at the time a NY Times correspondent, was used by anonymous administration sources to publish deceptive information intended to aid in the selling of the Iraq War. While it was never clear how much she actually believed of what she wrote the consequences are obvious and the damage has been done.
The Arar fiasco, as reported in today’s NY Times business section, included CTV’s (Canada’s largest private TV network) main nightly news show broadcasting that information from ”senior government officials in various departments” showed that Mr. Arar had given Syrian officials information about Al Qaeda and terrorist cells in Canada.
Juliet O’Neill published a 1,500-word, front-page article in The Ottawa Citizen under the headline ”Canada’s Dossier on Maher Arar.” Her article cited leaked documents and a ”security source.” They revealed, the report said, that the Canadian police had ”caught Mr. Arar in their sights while investigating the activities of members of an alleged Al Qaeda logistical support group in Ottawa.”
The NY Times reports that â€although the leaks have now been shown to be completely false, Scott Anderson, The Citizen’s editor in chief, said last week that he had no regrets about publishing the report. ”Just the opposite. The story stands up completely,” he said.â€
Anderson’s response is absurd. The issue here is the laziness of reporters who will run with anyone’s garbage for a front-page scoop and the weakness of editors who refuse to push their reporters to do the hard work of serious journalism. Leaks from anonymous sources may be a necessary journalist tool but their use requires the hard work needed to verify them before destroying someone’s reputation or helping to start a war.