Columbia Spent U.S. Anti-Drug Aid on Hiding Government Ties to Drug Rings

yahoo.com, Atlantic Wire by Ujala Sehgal | Aug. 22, 2011 (News)

(Blog Post) The U.S.-funded counterinsurgency campaign against a Marxist rebel group in Columbia was viewed as so successful that it has become a model for strategy in Afghanistan. But things were not what they seemed: the Washington Post reports that U.S. ally and former president Alvaro Uribe has been implicated in "egregious abuses of power and illegal actions," involving U.S. aid an "possibly U.S. officials" -- all under the cover of fighting drug trafficking. ... Full Story »

Posted by Kristin Gorski

More Info

Tags Help
Subjects: U.S., Politics, Media, Health
Topics: Foreign Policy, National Security, Drugs, CIA, Bad Journalism
Stats Help
# Tweets: 1 (as of 2011-08-22)
Editorial Help
Posted by: Posted by Kristin Gorski - Aug 22, 2011 - 4:04 PM PDT
Reviewed by: Kristin Gorski (review), Dwight Rousu (review)
Content Type: Blog Post
Edit Lock: This story can be edited
Edited by: Kristin Gorski - Aug 22, 2011 - 4:18 PM PDT
Related Comments: Bad Journalism (4)

Reviews

Show All Comments
Show All | Notes | Comments | Quotes | Links
Kristin Gorski
1.8
 by Kristin Gorski - Aug. 22, 2011

Misspells the country of Colombia as "Columbia" multiple times in this two-paragraph blog post, even though in the written sources the reporter takes quotations from, "Colombian" is spelled correctly. Confusing. Not informative. Uses cliches throughout (e.g., "...but is that enough?")

Is this a hastily published blog post that wasn't submitted for any senior editor approval? Perhaps the reporter is an intern? If so, I hope this post is used for learning based on its shortcomings; it has many opportunities for "teachable moments" within it. (Most articles I've read in the Atlantic are much more professionally written than this!)

Kristin posted this story.
See Full Review » (20 answers)
Dwight Rousu
3.5
 by Dwight Rousu - Aug. 23, 2011

The allegations are very timely, as Obama has scheduled his push for the bush Colombia trade agreement through congress for September. This derivative reporting seems based upon WaPo investigative reporting.

See Full Review » (11 answers)

Comments on this story Help (BETA)

Sort by: Oldest | Newest Hide All Replies
NT Rating | My Rating

Ratings

2.4

not enough reviews
from 2 reviews (31% confidence)
Quality
2.4
Facts
2.0
Fairness
3.0
Information
1.0
Insight
1.0
Sourcing
2.5
Style
2.0
Accuracy
1.0
Balance
3.0
Context
3.5
Depth
2.0
Enterprise
3.0
Expertise
3.0
Originality
1.0
Relevance
3.5
Transparency
1.0
Responsibility
1.0
Popularity
2.5
Recommendation
2.5
Credibility
3.0
# Reviews
1.0
# Views
5.0
# Likes
1.0
# Emails
1.0
More
How our ratings work »
(See these related stories.)

Links Help

  • Ex-President Uribe denies ordering Colombia’s intelligence agency to spy on judges, foes

    The Washington Post, Associated Press | Aug. 18, 2011 (News Report)
    More than 20 agents of the DAS intelligence agency have been imprisoned for alleged roles in the spying. Two have pleaded guilty in exchange for reduced sentences.
    Posted by Dwight Rousu
    3.2
     See Reviews »

  • U.S. aid implicated in abuses of power in Colombia

    Washington Post by Karen DeYoung, Claudia J. Duque | Aug. 20, 2011 (News Report)
    The Obama administration often cites Colombia’s thriving democracy as proof that U.S. assistance, know-how and commitment can turn around a potentially failed state under ...
    Posted by Dwight Rousu
    3.7
     See Reviews »
    • Add a related link