Benghazi Attack Reported as a Protest Over an Anti-Islam Film
Early coverage described the Benghazi consulate attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens as an angry mob protesting a film that mocked the Prophet Muhammad.
The spontaneous-protest framing matched the Obama administration's early account and blunted Republican criticism weeks before the election.
What was reported
Early coverage described the Benghazi consulate attack that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens as an angry mob protesting a film that mocked the Prophet Muhammad.
What actually happened
NPR's initial report said a mob surrounded the consulate to protest the film, a framing echoed by wire copy and later by administration officials. In October 2012, State Department officials told reporters there had been no protest outside the compound before the attack. A 2014 bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report found analysts had wrongly reported a protest and were slow to correct the error.
The proof
State Department officials' October 2012 briefing said there was no protest, and the January 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee report found the protest reporting was erroneous.
The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:
Benghazi Attack Reported as a Protest Over an Anti-Islam Film — Debunked. State Department officials' October 2012 briefing said there was no protest, and the January 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee report found the protest reporting was erroneous. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/benghazi-attack-protest-over-video/
Original reporting
- NPR: U.S. ambassador to Libya, three other Americans killed in Benghazi attackhttps://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2012/09/12/160992840/u-s-ambassador-to-libya-three-other-americans-killed-in-benghazi-attack
Corrections, findings & records
- Reason: State Department says there was no mob in Benghazihttps://reason.com/2012/10/10/state-dept-no-mob-in-benghazi-whistleblo/
- BuzzFeed News: Senate Intelligence Committee finds protest reporting was wronghttps://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/johnstanton/senate-intelligence-committee-benghazi-attack-was-preventabl
- Channel 4 News: No protesters at U.S. mission in Benghazihttps://www.channel4.com/news/no-protesters-at-us-embassy-in-benghazi
Archived copies
Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.
- Archived copy: NPR: U.S. ambassador to Libya, three other Americans killed in Benghazi attackhttps://web.archive.org/web/2/https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2012/09/12/160992840/u-s-ambassador-to-libya-three-other-americans-killed-in-benghazi-attack