From Emily: "The Times was the first major western publication to cast
doubt on the claim that “conventional chemical weapons” had been used.
In a blog post published at around 12:40
UTC on 21 August, the Times wrote: “Chemical weapons experts said the symptoms depicted in
the video were inconsistent with the use of a conventional chemical
weapon, like sarin or mustard gas.”
As is common practice for the Times, that sentence was
later removed and
then replaced with an
amended version – without mention or issuance of a correction –
significantly altering the initial claim that had implied CW use was
unlikely:
The videos, experts said, also did not prove the use of chemical weapons, which interfere with the nervous system and can cause defecation, vomiting, intense salivation and tremors. Only some of those symptoms were visible in some patients."
