So far the Khashoggi story has been all about anonymous Turkish officials using leaks to excitable Turkish media to change the course of world history. Very few of those sources even claim to have personally heard the horrifying audio of torture and murder.
The worst might all be true, but it's amazing how easily Western journalistic standards (don't laugh!) have been bypassed by simply laundering sensational claims through Turkish media. Third-hand Western stories keep forgetting to remind readers how shaky the evidence is.
I've been following this story intensely because I think it's enormously important. I don't know what happened to Khashoggi and I'm not ready to exonerate anyone, not by a long shot. But we need more solid information to process than a bunch of unnamed Turkish sources.
That should be taken as a warning by U.S. and Saudi officials as well as the Turkish government. This has been allowed to remain a bubbling cauldron of rumors from shadowy sources for too long already.
Enormous decisions worth billions of dollars and affecting thousands of people are being made based on a media narrative that largely consists of uncorroborated rumors from a Turkish regime that isn't exactly devoted to honesty and freedom of the press.
One way or another, whatever the story turns out to be, reputable officials must start going on the record very soon for the sake of the entire world, beginning with Khashoggi's family. If these horror show audiotapes exist, it must be confirmed by U.S. officials with names.
And if they DON'T exist, then U.S. officials with names have to call B.S. on the Turks, or get Erdogan and his officials to forcefully denounce wild and unauthorized leaks. If there's some audio but it's not fully authenticated, then SAY THAT. Some discipline must be enforced.
Diplomats need breathing room to make momentous and delicate decisions. That's understandable, especially when they face truly agonizing decisions. But the White House and State Dept. need to do some basic rumor control on Khashoggi RIGHT NOW. /end
