BROOKE GLADSTONE: Two days after the rescue, the Washington Post ran a cover story with the headline: She Was Fighting to the Death; Details Emerging of Soldier's Capture and Rescue. In the following weeks those emerging details contradicted the original story, but most of them were buried deep within the paper. The scattering of facts left Post columnist Richard Cohen confused and dissatisfied with his paper's coverage.


RICHARD COHEN: I don't know what's going on. It may, it may just be that the original report was false and the, and you know somebody at the Pentagon got it wrong. Maybe somebody at the Pentagon spun it. All I know is, as a reader, I'm confused by what happened. What bothered me was that there wasn't a single story that came right out and said either the first story was wrong or we don't know any more what the truth is or we have reason to doubt it.

But you know, it's, it's an example it seems to me of the press -- and I single out the Washington Post here, but it's representative -- of simply not being able to say to the reader -- we don't know any more! You know? Just - just like you might say to a friend.
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