Re:New York Times retracts core of podcast series ‘Caliphate’
by cheezymoogle on Saturday December 19, 2020 @12:11PM
(#25478922)
I'd recommend the 2019 pseudo-blacklisted documentary Salafistes^1 (released as Jihadists in the US) if you want an unvarnished view of Salafist Islam.
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Re:New York Times retracts core of podcast series ‘Caliphate’
by ehsankia on Saturday December 19, 2020 @03:33PM
(#25480916)
Did we listen to the same podcast? It still had a lot of information and value even if you entirely remove Chaudhry's story. And even for his story, it was very clearly presented as not fully certain. I wouldn't call it "nearly-fiction", it's closer to your average True Crime podcast where you are presented with the known information and it's up to you to decide if you believe it or not.
Re:New York Times retracts core of podcast series ‘Caliphate’
by ivraatiems on Saturday December 19, 2020 @04:52PM
(#25481561)
It absolutely did have a lot of other information in it. However, the mistake here was so substantial that it's hard for me to feel like I can trust the rest of its reporting. Remember, it was not presented as true crime - it was presented as investigative journalism. I don't hold average true crime podcasts, which are usually non-experts quoting secondary sources in an obviously non-expert context, to the same standard.
I'm not sure retracting a years-old podcast is going to be enough to rebuild trust. I need to hear how the NYT is going to engage some actual experts on this, and I want to hear their perspectives on the story Calpihate presents. The fundamental questions the podcast asked are still very live: What was it like to live under ISIS? How did that organization operate in the areas where it had control? And so on.
Editing to add: I'm not sure how to trust further work from Rukmini Callimachi. The fact she's still working at the Times, with no information on how they'll be vetting her work, is concerning.