A week ago, I questioned a Wall Street Journal editorial claim that "Last year ABC News reported that 11 top al Qaeda figures broke only after 'waterboarding,' which induces a feeling of suffocation and is the most controversial of the known techniques employed." I cited a Media Matters report stating that no such ABC News report was broadcast, which I confirmed in the Nexis news database by searching transcripts of ABC News broadcasts.
However, it turns out that the WSJ was referring to an article published on ABCNews.com that a reader sent to me today. Here is the relevant text:
Of the 12 high-value targets housed by the CIA, only one did not require water boarding before he talked. Ramzi bin al-Shibh broke down in tears after he was walked past the cell of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the operational planner for Sept. 11. Visibly shaken, he started to cry and became as cooperative as if he had been tied down to a water board, sources said.
I apologize for not finding it sooner. I've emailed Greg Sargent to ask him to update the Horse's Mouth post (Media Matters now has a correction up).
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