Press Play with Madeleine Brand
"Fog of War" in Age of Drones, Belle Gibson, and Facebook’s News Grab
We take a two-part look at today’s White House revelation that two aid workers were accidentally killed by a U.S. drone strike in January. They were being held by Al-Qaeda. What kind of intelligence was behind the strikes, and how did it go so wrong? We also get the backstory on Adam Gadahn, an American member of Al-Qaeda originally from Orange County. Gadahn was also killed in January by a separate U.S. drone strike.
By Madeleine Brand • • 51m ListenWe start today with a two-part look at the news, revealed today, that two aid workers were accidentally killed by a U.S. drone strike in January. They were being held by Al-Qaeda. What kind of intelligence was behind the strikes, and how did it go so wrong? We also get the backstory on Adam Gadahn, an American member of Al-Qaeda originally from Orange County. Gadahn was also accidentally killed by a separate U.S. drone strike in January. Next, in our weekly web roundup, we look at the controversy surrounding Belle Gibson, the wellness blogger who faked having cancer. Then, Poet and memoirist Sarah Manguso on keeping a diary for 25 years. And finally, a look at Facebook’s attempt to bring in more revenue by pulling entire news articles onto its site, rather than just allowing for links.
Banner Image: A member of the Carabiniere's paramilitary police stands outside Giovanni Lo Porto's family house in Palermo, April 23, 2015. A U.S. drone strike in January targeting an al Qaeda compound in Pakistan near the Afghan border inadvertently killed an American and an Italian who had been held hostage for years by the group, U.S. officials said on Thursday. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
