A Little Self Confession

If I should disappear into the loving hands of US interrogators for five years could you please take any confessions and self-professions I might make with a wee grain of salt. Here's NPR in the last two days as they parrot the US CIA/military allegations against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed:

• Montagne (on ME, June 5, 2008): "Among the group is Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the confessed mastermind of the attacks. He has not been seen in public since his arrest...more than five years ago."
• Siegel (on ATC, June 5, 2008): "Among them Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has boasted that the attacks were his idea..."
• Montagne (on ME, June 6,2008): "...it was the first time the self-professed mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks has been seen in public since his arrest more than five years ago."

For a little contrast look at this report from CTV (Canada). Notice how it opens with identifying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed as "the reputed mastermind." The CTV report also mentions a few interesting tidbits that Jackie Northam failed to mention:

"A sound feed to journalists from the courtroom was turned off twice. The first time, a soldier told reporters it was because a detainee was discussing a medication he had been given, which was a privacy issue.
But his defense attorney, Navy Cmdr. Suzanne Lachelier, told The Associated Press later that the prisoner had been discussing his five years as a prisoner of the United States.
The sound was also turned off when another defendant discussed early days of his imprisonment. Judge Ralph Kohlmann said that in both cases sound was turned off because classified information was discussed."

***

"It's an inquisition. It's not a trial," Mohammed said in broken English, his voice rising. "After torturing they transfer us to inquisition-land in Guantanamo."

Well, what do you know, the audio gets cut when that nasty little topic of torture pops up. I guess the military, like NPR, wants to avoid such a distasteful subject, even when it's been noted and documented.