I have not been following the Jamil Hussein case as closely as I should have so if I’m repeating someone, my apologies, but there is one point notably absent from the Jamil Hussein scandal coverage….
Why did AP stop using him as a source?
If you look at the infamous 61 stories wherein the AP used Jamil Hussein as a source, you see the following pattern of attributions:
April: 6 Attributions
May: 16 Attributions
June: 14 Attributions
July: 4 Attributions
August: 4 Attributions
September: 5 Attributions
October: 1 Attributions
November: 8 Attributions
December: ZERO Attributions.
Jan 2007: ZERO attributions (to date.)
In the 8 months AP has been using Jamil Hussein as a source, they have never gone a month without him. Only during the pre-election run up did they go to him less than once per week. (on average) Yet suddenly, he disappeared.
It should be noted the last time AP used Jamil Hussein as a source was November 26, just hours after Curt started questioning who Jamil Hussein was. Since Curt’s work became noticed in media circles, AP has never again used him as a source.
It seems curious.
But then again, maybe not.