Investigator investigated

Here's what you get when "journalist" Antony Loewenstein dabbles in investigative reporting:

Crikey Ed: This story originally cited national occupational health and safety unit director Dr Yossi Berger in Victoria in relation to Zionist advocacy conducted in the AWU; this reference has now been removed due to inaccuracy.

Australian Workers' Union national secretary Paul Howes is mystified at the targeting of Berger, or maybe not:

Why he picked on Berger was completely beyond me - except that he has a Jewish-sounding name.

I suppose Lowenstein assumed that Berger must be part of the Zionist conspiracy.

Well acquainted with Loewenstein's inaccuracy, Howes decided to confirm for himself Greens candidate Jamie Parker's recent attack on Jews (as quoted by Loewenstein):

These Jews provide cover for extreme actions if they occur. If there's a sniff of you being critical of Israel, such Jews will attack you and cut you loose.According to Howes:I called Parker to double-check that he had indeed made the statement, and I'm glad I did because he told me he never said it.

Howes concluding:

So Lowenstein has form, and Parker, as much as I disagree with him politically, does not. Although I have no problem with people of different opinions expressing their views, I find it incredible that respectable outlets such as the ABC, Crikey and New Matilda publish articles on occasions when the author doesn't get their facts right.

If Loewenstein was published only when he got his facts right he wouldn't be published at all.

Update Loewenstein eagerly anticipates the Sydney Writers' Festival:

@reginapritchard thanks, looking forward to all my sessions at #SWF2011 to talk Palestine, prose and politics.

Loewenstein may be able to talk about prose but he sure as Hell can't write it.