In the wake of Israel's deadly July 30 attack on the Lebanese village of Qana, Associated Press writer Katherine Shrader reported that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had canceled a trip to Lebanon after Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and other Lebanese officials apparently made clear she “was not welcome to visit.” But numerous subsequent AP articles -- including one written by Shrader herself -- simply reported that Rice had “cut short her diplomatic mission” or “scrap[ped] her planned meeting” with Saniora, ignoring entirely the AP's earlier report that the Lebanese government had asked her to postpone the trip.

Shrader's original article quoted Saniora refusing to discuss anything with Rice “other than an immediate and unconditional cease-fire” and noted that “infuriated Lebanese officials said they had asked Rice to postpone the visit,” despite her statement indicating that the decision to postpone the meeting was hers. From the July 30 article:

Stymieing Rice's diplomatic mission, Israel's early morning missile strike sparked protests in Beirut and forced Rice to cancel an expected visit Sunday with Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora.

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Speaking in Beirut, Saniora said the attack on Lebanese civilians demonstrates a cease-fire is the only option. “There is no place at this sad moment for any discussions other than an immediate and unconditional cease-fire as well as international investigation of the Israeli massacres in Lebanon now,” he told reporters.

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She has spoken by phone to Saniora to express the condolences of the U.S. government and its citizens and let him know she wouldn't be coming. But infuriated Lebanese officials said they had asked Rice to postpone the visit.

Either way, Rice was not welcome to visit Lebanon, an ally.

“In the wake of the tragedy that the people and the government of Lebanon are dealing with today, I have decided to postpone my discussion in Beirut,” Rice said. “In any case, my work today is here.”

Numerous other print outlets similarly reported that, while Rice stated that the decision to postpone the trip was hers, the Lebanese government's version of events differed. A July 31 Washington Post article acknowledged that "[v]ersions vary on who made the decision" and quoted from both Rice and Saniora's respective statements. The New York Times noted that Rice had canceled the meeting and reported that Saniora “made it clear that in any case Ms. Rice would not be welcome in Beirut on Sunday.” And a July 31 Chicago Tribune article reported that "[i]n a rebuff to Rice, the Lebanese government responded to the bombing by telling the United States' top diplomat that she wasn't welcome in Lebanon unless the U.S would support an immediate cease-fire." The Tribune further noted that this “forced Rice to cancel her visit to Beirut later in the day.”

But in subsequent articles on this development, the AP has failed to acknowledge the disagreement surrounding whose idea it was to cancel the meeting. AP writers Thomas Wagner and Kathy Gannon reported in a July 31 article that the “stunning bloodshed in Qana increased international pressure on Washington to back an immediate end to the fighting. ... The attack prompted U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to cut short her Mideast mission to return home Monday.” AP writer Deb Riechmann's July 31 report noted that Rice had “cut short her diplomatic mission in the Mideast.” The same day, AP writer Nedra Pickler reported that the Qana attack had “prompted Rice to cut her trip short,” and Tom Raum wrote that Rice “cut short her diplomatic mission to the Middle East without making an expected second stop in Lebanon.”

Moreover, in a July 31 article, Shrader herself ignored entirely the account of the Lebanese government, which she had reported a day earlier. Instead, Shrader simply noted that Rice “had to scrap” the meeting and that, prior to leaving, she called Saniora “to discuss her plans to announce a framework for a U.N. resolution.” Further, she reported that Rice had “disputed suggestions that this was one of her most difficult trips as secretary of State”:

Rice had to scrap scheduled meetings with Lebanese leaders in Beirut on the final full day of her trip after Israel attacked the Lebanese village of Qana, killing more than 55 people while they slept. Searing images of children's bodies being pulled from rubble were replayed on international television.

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A State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity about the sensitive diplomatic discussions, said Rice called Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora before leaving Monday to discuss her plans to announce a framework for a U.N. resolution. She also plans to dispatch her ambassador to Beirut to brief the prime minister in detail on the elements.

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Rice disputed suggestions that this was one of her most difficult trips as secretary of State, but acknowledged she might not be as self-reflective as people think.

“I have a particularly strong sense of commitment to Lebanon itself. These are wonderful people, it's a beautiful place, and it's had such trouble and such misery for such a long time,” she said. “It is hard to see what Lebanon is going through. It is hard to see what the Israeli citizens are going through. It's been way too long in the Middle East.”

In an August 1 profile of Saniora, however, AP writer Sam F. Ghattas reported that the prime minister's “stance hardened after an Israeli strike in the southern town of Qana that killed at least 56 people” and that he subsequently “canceled a visit by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.”