thenoobyorker asks: HIPSTER TERRORIST, JUST LOOK AT THIS “THE KILLS” INSPIRED PHOTO. Do you think that all of these new Al-Qaeda losses have something to do with Osama’s data?
» SFB says: While we don’t have the proof directly in front of us, the fact of the matter is, seeing all these deaths of key al-Qaeda figures within weeks of one another suggests the data had at least some role. Some of that data was probably time-sensitive and the kind of thing they would’ve had to act fast on to have any sort of effect. But the big question: Does the data offer information to break down the structure of al-Qaeda, beyond its leadership? (Also, the first half of your response = LULZ.) — Ernie @ SFB
The Daily Beast dissects the iconic photograph of the White House Situation Room as Navy SEALs raided Osama bin Laden’s Abbotobad compound, offering insight into the mysterious room. (For example: it’s not as mysterious as we might think. When not in use for top secret national security operations, any White House employee can hold meetings in the Situation Room). From coffee cups to a blurred photograph to secured laptops, no detail is overlooked.
Kudos to The Daily Beast for finding a new angle on this fairly-played-out story.
Today in newspaper front pages that remind you of the importance of tabloid journalism sometimes. The New York Daily News had a similar idea but with worse execution. (On a side note, Newseum, where we grabbed this page from, finally took the watermarks off their front pages — hopefully for good. We hope our campaign helped change their minds. We’d still like to see newspapers consider releasing their front pages under a Creative Commons license.) source
Today in The Daily Caller’s attempts to create guilt by association: OK, we get it … al-Qaeda didn’t want to assassinate Joe Biden. But did they really have to underline that point by using that photo? Read the full ProPublica article, which says this: “There is a note indicating that the vice president is not an important target because that position has less weight.” That’s all it said on the topic. Which didn’t even mention Biden, let alone Muppets.
And you probably will, based on the treatment of the situation room photo. (via ProducerMatthew)
» Bin Laden’s focus on U.S. led to rift
» Trading one deluge for another?
» Guantanamo inmates could get family visits
» Hedge fund billionaire guilty in major insider-trading case
» A student of history, Gingrich has his own to overcome
Today’s front page: Great to see the Washington Post doing this. It reminds us of an old friend of ours.
In her last days, my mother occasionally became confused....
”The reporter...
I can’t add much to what’s already been (and will be) ...
One of the perks of being an early employee...
Over the last 90 days, the Digg...
#FMMDI (at 30 Rockefeller Plaza)
We expect to learn more how bin Laden communicated, who he communicated with and how often he did it, what guidance did he pass on, what questions were passed on, how he operated, how he ran al Qaeda and what did other people expect from bin Laden.A U.S. intelligence official • Discussing what they’ve learned from the death of Osama bin Laden. Rather than devolving into a mere symbol of al-Qaeda, the official suggested that the U.S. gained ”real intelligence” from the raid, though much of that intelligence shows that planned attacks were merely “aspirational” in nature. Still, knowing the inner-workings of an organization known for its coordinated attacks is a huge deal. Other notable news from the raid: The group of Navy SEALS were prepped for a possible fight with Pakistani military and police — which is why the group was fairly large. source (via • follow)
The nays have it: Though some might find reason for disagreeing with Obama on whether or not to release death photos of the al-Qaeda leader, a NBC News poll puts that number strongly in Obama’s favor, though some of the people polled weren’t super-passionate about the issue. When we posed this question to our readers last week, we got a lot of passionate response on both sides. Which suggests that people passionate about this are really passionate. source
Barack Obama explains the Bin Laden thang to “60 Minutes”: Know how sure Obama was that Osama bin Laden was in that Pakistani compound? 55 percent. But he went for it anyway. Like a boss. source
New Osama bin Laden video released: ProducerMatthew got his hands on a 40-minute clip which starts out with a low-fi computer animation that shows rebels firing rocket launchers at American tanks within Bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound. (More here and here)
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