More than meets the eyes

3 newspapers, the same headline, 3 different versions.

This was what sgwatchDOG recently discovered. A recent piece of news from Agence France-Presse (AFP) mentioned that the proposed ASEAN human rights body would use peer pressure, instead of sanctions. Disappointing, but expected at this stage of things.

But what made sgwatchDOG more worried was the 3 versions of this report found online. A Dow Jones version had this at the end of the article.

ASEAN has a long-standing policy of noninterference. Civic groups have criticized the bloc for not taking a tougher stand on rights violations among its members, particularly Myanmar.

Strongly worded. And also strangely missing from other versions. Perhaps an added comment from Dow Jones.

TODAY was even more "exciting", providing 2 versions. The PDF version (the version that looks like the printed paper) had this portion

Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are pressing to water down the terms of reference to ensure the human rights body is largely an advisory panel. Brunei has not stated its position, the official said.

but this portion below was missing

Under the charter, a human rights body would be established in a region that includes countries with poor human rights records, such as military-run Myanmar, which is subject to international sanctions.

The text version of the same article on TODAY's website was even more "watered down" (to borrow the phrase). The paragraph on "pressing to water down" (see quoted paragraph above) that appeared in the PDF version suddenly disappeared...

By now, you must be confused. Which is the original version? Your guess is as good as sgwatchDOG's, but the version found here could be close to the original...

Lessons learned? When you see a reprint of a news agency article (e.g. AP, AFP, Reuters, etc), don't assume that it is a full reprint. There's more than meets the eye.

p.s. Google the headline [ASEAN human rights body to rely on ‘peer pressure’] to see the different versions (there are a few more versions that sgwatchDOG didn't mention) in cyberspace.