UNVERIFIED: Wael Ghonim was not permitted to speak

Submitted by John in Michigan, USA (United States), Mar 4, 2011 at 12:35

@hopeneverdies:

"Wael Ghonim was not permitted to speak on the stage by the bodyguards of Yusuf Al-Qaradawi"

I read that rumor too, about a week or so ago. Now it is everywhere.

The original report is in the Hindustan Times, which they attribute to the AFP Wire service. But, I would take that with a HUGE grain of salt, because a) all newspapers take the various wire feeds and re-write them b) some papers turn editorial license into poetic license c) the AFP site itself has no original wire statement to this effect, d) too good to be true; if true, why is the AFP and all major outlets, even Israeli ones, permitting themselves to be scooped by the Hindustan Times? and e) even the Hindustan Times attributes this to an AFP photographer (not a reporter), who is almost certainly a stringer. Do I need to remind anyone how unreliable are stringers?

Avoid rumors. These days, the verified reports are amazing enough! Also, rumor reward the side with the best propaganda, not the site with the truth.

Will the MB take over from the yuppies? Only one way to tell, wait. Right now, the military are in charge.

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