CNN magically transforms “twitterers” into “unnamed sources”

Which will vanish from CNN sooner – its last viewer or its last remaining shred of credibility? It’s a race down to the wire.

At a time when the Iranian thugocracy has clamped down on foreign reporters, CNN still managed to get some great quotes from unnamed pro-democracy protesters. Unfortunately for CNN, the sharp-eyed folks at BNO News figured out why they were unnamed – the quotes were actually tweets that had been posted by an anonymous Iranian Twitterer called PersianKiwi.

Here are PersianKiwi’s original tweets posted in the morning hours of June 24:

they were waiting for us – they all have guns and riot uniforms – it was like a mouse trap – ppl being shot like animals #Iranelection 6:53 AM Jun 24th from web I see many ppl with broken arms/legs/heads – blood everywhere – pepper gas like war – #Iranelection 6:35 AM Jun 24th from web

Later in the day, CNN.com posted the following story:

TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) — Security forces wielding clubs and firing weapons beat back hundreds of would-be demonstrators who had flocked to a square in the capital on Wednesday to continue protests against an election they have denounced as fraudulent, witnesses told CNN. “They were waiting for us,” one source said. “They all have guns and riot uniforms. It was like a mouse trap.” “I see many people with broken arms, legs, heads – blood everywhere – pepper gas like war,” the source said.

Similar unnamed “sources” tell us that Ashton Kutcher is heading for the store to buy some cheese and crackers. But we’re not putting in a story.

Uh-oh. Looks like we just did.

Source: Gawker via MediaBistro.com