LATimes 0-4; At Odds With AP

Given four opportunities, the LATimes continues to not report the existence of satellite evidence that shows Italian agents were speeding toward a US checkpoint. Worse, as the Italians exonerated the US soldiers of intent, the LAT appears to be getting ever more stridently anti-US in its coverage of the Sgrena/Calipari incident.

Here are the first two paragraphs of the LAT story:

Italy on Monday sharply challenged a U.S. Army report exonerating its soldiers in the shooting death of an Italian intelligence officer near Baghdad, directing blame at poor coordination among military authorities and the stressed, inexperienced American soldiers in charge of dangerous checkpoints in Iraq.

In a 52-page report released Monday night, Italian officials disputed U.S. findings about key details of the shooting and said the Americans had failed to provide adequate warning as to the presence of the after-dark checkpoint.

Compare that to the first two paragraphs of the AP story, as picked up by the OCRegister:

Italian investigators blamed U.S. military authorities for failing to signal there was a checkpoint ahead on the Baghdad road where American soldiers killed an Italian agent, concluding in a report that stress, inexperience and fatigue played a role in the shooting.

The investigators found no evidence, however, that the March 4 killing of intelligence agent Nicola Calipari was deliberate. The Italians also didn't object to many of the factual findings contained in a separate American report made public Saturday.

Quite a difference in tone, eh? "Sharply challenged" vs. "no evidence ... didn't object."

The LAT does not mention that the Italian report exonerated US soldiers until paragraph 7 (vs. paragraph 2 in the AP report), and even then they "but" it:

The Italian report concurred that the shooting of Calipari was not deliberate, but it criticized U.S. forces for failing to establish "the most elementary precautions" for vehicles approaching checkpoints.

Without seeking out a balancing quote from any Italian who supports engagement in Iraq and a moderate position on the Sgrena/Calipari incident, LAT also treats us to a quote from the Italian Communists:

"I am humiliated," said Oliviero Diliberto, national secretary general of the Italian Communist Party, which backs the newspaper that Sgrena works for. "It is a shame that once again, the Americans treat us like servants."

As if we care. Oliviero, fetch my slippers -- presto!

See also:
LAT 0-3 on Sgrena Story
LAT Busted on Sgrena Story