FNC’s Harrigan: Not First In The Cellblocks?

> Update: 7:36pm: An FNC insider e-mails: “Are you kidding? The Pentagon Channel is an in-house newsletter for the Defense Department…it’s not a television network. The Guantanamo Bay Prison officers made a mistake when they said who was there first — and those prison officers called the public affairs office at the Pentagon today to tell them about their error. It’s amazing how concerned everyone is with what we’re doing. Steve Harrigan was the very first TV reporter granted access to occupied, non-compliant cellblocks at Guantanamo Bay Prison.”

Pentagon Channel reporter Sean Lehman was surprised to read this morning’s TVNewser post about FNC’s access to Guantanamo Bay:

“I found Steve Harrigan‘s article proclaiming himself as the first journalist inside the blocks at Camp Delta pretty interesting, especially given the fact that my videographer and I were both in the blocks and videotaping in June,” he e-mailed. “You can see the 30 minute special “Recon: Inside the Wire” on our Web site. Also, a journalist from the New Yorker was in the blocks just after us.”

“Then again, accuracy doesn’t seem to get in the way of a lot of Fox News stories does it?,” Lehman added.

> Update: 5:35pm: “The New Yorker’s Jane Mayer has an extensive piece in this week’s issue [July 11 & 18 cover date] which begins with her description of being inside the cell blocks,” an e-mailer says. “Obviously, she beat Harrigan to the punch [and, unlike Harrigan, doesn’t waste her time hyping herself.]”