Airstrike flattens 15 homes in Ramadi?
On November 15th, the L.A. Times ran a story titled "Iraqi resident says U.S. airstrike kills 30." The article had this to say:

Baghdad - A U.S. airstrike in the restive town of Ramadi killed at least 30 people, including women and children, witnesses said Tuesday.

....

A Times correspondent in Ramadi said at least 15 homes were pulverized by aerial bombardment and families could be seen digging through the ruins with shovels and bare hands.

I would try to debunk this myself, but Patterico has already done an admirable job of showing the complete lack of journalistic integrity on the part of the L.A. Times. Can anyone honestly say that they are surprised? This is just an example of why distrust between the military and the media is at an all-time high.

As you read Patterico's blog entry on this article, take note of the fact that the report is entirely based on the word of an Iraqi stringer employed by the Times. In military intelligence circles, this is known as "single-source reporting", and is generally considered untrustworthy and unsuitable intelligence for launching an operation. Apparently, it is good enough for mass publication to the American public.

Unfortunately, there are a number of other holes I could blast in their story, but I would have to cross, or at least stray dangerously close to, the OPSEC line in order to do it. Suffice it to say that, as a military forward air controller who recently worked in Al Anbar province, and who read the airstrike summaries Coalition Air Operations Center's (CAOC) webpage, an airstrike big enough to level 15 houses would require multiple sections of aircraft and enough ordnance to be highly unusual for any city in Iraq.

Hat tips to Patterico's Pontifications, Mudville Gazette, and Blackfive.  ¶ Saturday, November 25, 2006