Posted on 08/20/2004 10:31:43 AM PDT by areafiftyone
Media Matters for America Asks Top Booksellers to Review Policies on Selling 'Unfit for Command'; David Brock Calls AntiKerry Veterans Book 'the Hitler Diaries of this political season'
To: National Desk, Political Reporter
Contact: Naomi Seligman of Media Matters for America, 202-756-4108
WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- On the heels of the August 19, 2004 Washington Post article shining the light that a key allegation in "Unfit for Command" is false, Media Matters for America (MMFA) called on three of the nation's leading booksellers to, at the very least, inform customers about the book's false allegations and lies. David Brock, president and CEO of MMFA, today wrote a letter to Wal-Mart, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble calling on each to reassess "the responsibility of book sellers when it becomes established that prominent non-fiction books are based on false information."
"There is something fundamentally wrong when a book that is rampant with falsehoods and misinformation is published and sold as non-fiction," said David Brock. "Consumers are being misled by John O'Neill, Jerome Corsi and Regnery Publishing as they are extensions of the right-wing machine."
Salon.com's Eric Boehlert reported today that the Kerry campaign has said that Regnery, the right-wing publisher of "Unfit for Command," should consider pulling the book from bookstores, citing the widespread falsehoods throughout the book.
Brock specifically asked Wal-Mart, Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble to consider taking action -- if not simply pulling it from the shelves -- then prominently calling attention to one of the many refutations of the book, including items on posted http://www.mediamatters.org. "Customers should be made aware that Unfit for Command is a paid political hatchet job, full of false allegations and lies," Brock said.
MMFA has researched and monitored coverage of Unfit for Command and as recently as Aug. 6 revealed that co-author Jerome Corsi had a history of making bigoted and inflammatory comments. Corsi posted offensive anti-Islam and anti-Catholic comments as an active participant in discussions on FreeRepublic.com, a far-right website. Subsequently, MMFA noted O'Neill appeared to distance himself from Corsi and Corsi later publicly apologized for his offensive rhetoric.
The Washington Post article shows Thurlow's current account is false when compared with contemporaneous records of Swift boat veteran Larry Thurlow. Thurlow, who commanded a Navy Swift boat alongside Kerry in Vietnam has been vocal in questioning Kerry's Bronze Star award, claiming that the boat never came under fire on March 13, 1969. The Post reported today that according to the Thurlow's military files recording the events of March 13, 1969, "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" were directed at "all units" of the five-boat flotilla, including Kerry's.
Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit, progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. Media Matters for America is the first organization to systematically monitor the media for conservative misinformation -- every day, in real time -- in 2004 and beyond. For more information, log on to http://www.mediamatters.org.
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/© 2004 U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
This ... from the people that brought you F911
Typical Dems scrambling to throw as much feces in the air so they can confuse the issue as much as possible.
Well that explains why Barnes and Nobles has it on hold! I can't believe Barnes and Nobles is being stopped from selling a book by Media Matters!!! BWAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAA What idiots they are. Amazon is selling it and so are alot of other places!
I just ordered from buybooks.com - they're saying 1-2 weeks at the moment.
Was there a disclaimer at the beginning of F911? Was the a warning when purchasing The Clinton's books? I think not.
Translation: Left Wing PAC
Is it me or is the media and the left completely ignoring the fact that Thurlow is disputing the REPORT THAT LEAD TO THE MEDALS?
This is amazing! Since when have retailers given a rat's hind end about the "truthfulness" of books? If there is an issue here, it will be decided in the courts, not the checkout counters.
Scared? Man, I guess so.
David Brock... conservative until Hillary seduced him to join the Dark Side Of The Force.
Do you think this policy ought to apply to such works of fiction as Against All Enemies (by Richard Clarke), The Politics of Truth (by Joe Wilson), and My Life (by Bill Clinton).
The left shows its dirty face, and its real agenda of censorship, intolerance, and eventually destruction of all those who dare oppose them.
Let me tell you something about Barnes & Nobles. When some hackers defaced the "UNFIT FOR COMMAND" book and replaced the title with "FIT FOR COMMAND", I contacted Barnes & Nobles to complain. They sent me an e-mail saying that they weren't hacked and that it was a glitch in their system. Barnes & Nobles are the biggest dam liars on the face of the earth!
Does anyone know who funds these people? or how to find out who funds them?
Maybe Mel Gibson can get a film version of Unfit For Command out to the indie theatres before election day. That would frost Hollywood over worse than the "Day After".
Yeah, that name caught my attention, too.
What a smarmy little creep. Ecch!
David Brock, the sodomite.
Exactly -which- allegation is false?
Liar liar - Brock's on Fire. The former brat prince of the right wing tells us, once again, that he lied, once again. And 10 years later, the whole sad cadaver of the Clarence Thomas - Anita Hill story is resurrected.
David Brock, in his earnest mea culpa, now says that while he piled all that dirt on Anita Hill, he didn't even try to dig for the real story. He did it, he says, in the name of conservatism. He did it, he admits, in the name of his career.
LIBERAL ORGANIZATION ALERT!
Or Molly Ivins book? Or any of the other 50,000 books trashing Bush?
WTF?
Where were these "upholders of truth and justice" when Dick Clarke's book was exposed for its lies? Were there calls to stores to yank Joe Wilson's book when he was exposed as a liar?
Liberals. You ALMOST have to laugh at their hypocrisy.
ALMOST. But not quite!
Bookstores are treading on thin ice if they undertake to guarantee the veracity, or lack of it, of every book they sell. This would be virtual suicide if they did.
A Brent Bozell III he ain't - and no, its not Media Research Center. Conservatives, beware.
Isn'the letter full of slander/libel?
Cant someone on the GOOD team sue them?
For God's sake, when you are given a huge issue, grab it. What could Kerry or the media possibly say about sucha statement against censorship? Let Kerry come back and defend the call for censorship.
I stopped reading right there and just skimmed down to see what sort of inflammatory and assinine statement he was making this time. But when I got to --
...on FreeRepublic.com, a far-right website.
-- I felt better.
Why is this not tortious interference in Regnery's right to sell books? Regnery should sue David Brock and his megamillion-dollar blog for every penny they've got.
"David Brock... conservative until Hillary seduced him to join the Dark Side Of The Force."
Anyone who could be seduced by Hillary needs to be on the dark side. Yuk.
That's it, now I have to go buy it!! Anything stirring up the Dems this much has got to be worth owning.
So they will also fight to stop the F911 book coming out next month?
They can't call outright for burning the book but they are asking for the next best thing. It is incredible what the left thinks it can get a way with. If you use the same logic Media Matters is using, then "Tour of Duty" should get the same treatment.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....what about the MULTITUDES of Bush-bashing books that are prominently displayed at Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc...I suppose they are all based on gospel truth, right?
HYPOCRITES!!!!!!!!
You know, because Kerry is using federal funds for his campaign, it might just be possible to bring a suit charging that he is using government action in an effort to thwart the authors' First Amendment rights.
I don't see bookstores directing employees to hide copies and lie to customers about a NYT and Amazon best seller. I do see overzealous bookstore employees taking matters into their own hands, however. If fired, I'm sure they would wear their dismissal as a badge of honor.
You know, because Kerry is using federal funds for his campaign, it might just be possible to bring a suit charging that he is using government action in an effort to thwart the authors' First Amendment rights.
Dear CEO:
In light of an August 19 report in The Washington Post (titled "Records Counter a Critic of Kerry") proving that a key allegation in the new book Unfit for Command by John E. O'Neill and Jerome R. Corsi is fraudulent, I'm writing to express my concern that by continuing to sell Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry as a work of nonfiction, prominent book retailers are complicit in a literary hoax.
The Post reported on August 19 that "[n]ewly obtained military records of one of Sen. John F. Kerry's most vocal critics, who has accused the Democratic presidential candidate of lying about his wartime record to win medals, contradict his own version of events." This is but the latest in a long line of evidence that Unfit for Command is a fraud, with no basis in reality and no attempt to convey the truth. Slate.com editor Jacob Weisberg has described the book as a "scurrilous book accusing Kerry of being a war criminal and faking his injuries in Vietnam"; it's important to keep in mind that official military records (as well as the statements of all but one of Kerry's crewmates) flatly contradict the lies in Unfit for Command.
With the revelations of August 19, it's clear that Unfit for Command is the Hitler Diaries of the current political season -- a complete fraud. As you know, and as Salon.com reported on August 19, "[T]here is a long-standing tradition by reputable publishers of withdrawing titles that prove to be hoaxes or frauds." I would hope that in the case of Unfit for Command, Regnery, the book's publisher, would do the right thing and withdraw it from publication. However, given Regnery's history as an irresponsible publisher, I have no expectation, nor should you, that it will act responsibly with respect to this deeply flawed book.
I therefore ask you to consider what is the responsibility of a bookseller when a prominent work of nonfiction is found to be based on false information. As the president and CEO of Media Matters for America, a nonprofit organization that seeks to rid the U.S. media (including book publishing) of conservative misinformation, I ask you to consider taking some action on Unfit for Command -- if not simply pulling it from the shelf -- to alert your customers that this book is a paid political hatchet job, full of false allegations and lies. One way you could do so is to prominently place on your Unfit for Command product page a link to -- and excerpt from -- one of the many refutations of Unfit for Command and the organization behind it.
In addition to the August 19 Washington Post report, I'd also like to draw your attention to my organization's website, www.mediamatters.org, where we have documented, since Unfit for Command's publication, several false and grossly contradictory statements made by the so-called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. Of particular interest may be the bigoted and hate-filled prior writings of Unfit co-author Jerome Corsi, for which he has publicly apologized. Other resources you may wish to consider making available to your customers include FactCheck.org, a project of the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center, which has debunked Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, and the August 18 Slate.com piece titled "Unfriendly Fire: Liar vs. coward in the Vietnam ad war," by William Saletan and Jacob Weisberg.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
David Brock
Mr. Godwin, please pick up the white courtesy phone.
Mr. Godwin, please pick up the white courtesy phone.
There are few people in America as disgusting as that little prick, David Brock.
And nobody in the media will call them censors for doing so. Sickening.
I can't believe they would do such a thing. The implications are frightening.
The same could be said for pro-Kerry books.
I think that Kerry and company's attempt at censorship should be an even bigger story than the book and ads themselves
FROM Human Events Online:
Kerry Supporters Want Your Business
Posted Aug 20, 2004
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has released the names of 200 "business leaders" who endorse his campaign.
Below is a partial list of these executives who both want your business and want Kerry in the White House.
*NOTE BUSINESS #3
CORPORATION -- EXECUTIVE
Anheuser-Busch -- August A. Busch IV, President
Bank of America -- Charles K. Gifford, Chairman
Barnes & Noble -- Leonard Riggio, Founder and Chairman
Bear Stearns & Co. -- William Hayden, Senior Managing Director
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics -- Bobbi Brown, CEO
Choice Hotels International -- Stewart Bainum, Jr., Chairman
Citigroup -- Lou Susman, Vice Chairman
Costco Wholesale -- Jeff Brotman, Chairman
Crate and Barrel -- Gordon Segal, CEO
Donna Karan International -- Donna Karan, Founder
Dreamworks SKG -- Jeffrey Katzenberg, Co-Founder
Esprit -- Susie Tompkins Buell, Co-Founder
Gap -- Robert J. Fisher, Chairman
Gateway -- Theodore Waitt, Chairman
Google -- Eric Schmidt, CEO
Hasbro -- Alan Hassenfeld, Chairman
Levi Strauss -- Robert Haas, Chairman
Lillian Vernon -- Jonathan Shapiro, President
Liz Claiborne -- Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg, Founders
Loews Hotels -- Jonathan Tisch, Chairman and CEO
Miramax Film Corporation -- Harvey and Robert Weinstein, Co-Chairman
Morgan Stanley -- Raymond McGuire, Managing Director
Paramount Pictures -- Sherry Lansing, Chairman, Motion Picture Group
Panera -- Ron Shaich, CEO
Sony Music Entertainment -- Michele Anthony, Executive Vice President
Sony Motion Picture Group -- Amy Pascal, Chairman
Sony Pictures Entertainment -- Michael Lynton, Chairman and CEO
Starwood Hotels & Resorts -- Barry Stenlicht, Chairman and CEO
Vera Wang -- Vera Wang, Founder
Viacom -- Tom Freston, Co-President
Warner Music Group -- Edgar Bronfman, Jr., Chairman and CEO
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts -- Fred Kleisner, Chairman and CEO
Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. Conservative misinformation is defined as news or commentary presented in the media that is not accurate, reliable, or credible and that forwards the conservative agenda.
For the first time, Media Matters for America has put in place a system to monitor the media for conservative misinformation – every day, in real time -- in 2004 and beyond.
Media Matters for America’s website — www.mediamatters.org — is the principal vehicle for disseminating research and information through a range of initiatives:
Media Monitoring: Comprehensively monitor a cross section of print, broadcast, cable, radio, and Internet media outlets to identify conservative misinformation.
Media Analysis: Analyze the monitoring data, including broader trends in media coverage of politics and public policy, and post reports detailing the ways in which conservative misinformation is disseminated through media. Reports will include:
- Rapid-response items documenting conservative misinformation in each news cycle, posted to the website in real time.
- Longer research and analytic reports, appearing several times per week.
- Occasional reports of a broader scope, delving deeper than daily and weekly material.
Katie Barge brings a wealth of research experience to Media Matters for America from the range of research positions she has held on presidential, gubernatorial, and senatorial campaigns. Most recently she worked in the research department on Senator John Edwards' presidential campaign. Barge is a graduate of Wesleyan University and is the Research Director at Media Matters for America.
David S. Bennahum is an author, journalist, and leading new media thinker. He was one of the founding writers with Wired magazine and is a frequent television and radio commentator on issues relating to technology and society. His writing has appeared in Slate, The Economist, New York magazine, and The New York Times; his next book, titled Fair Play (Gotham Books), traces the evolution of the concept of team sports in modern society. Bennahum is a Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America and assists in guiding online communications and technology strategy.
Duncan B. Black holds a PhD in economics from Brown University. He has held teaching and research positions at the London School of Economics; the Université catholique de Louvain; the University of California, Irvine; and, recently, Bryn Mawr College. He also has been involved with grassroots political activism. Black is a Senior Fellow at Media Matters for America.
David Brock is the author of four political books, including the forthcoming The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy (to be released this month by Crown). His preceding book, Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative, was a 2002 New York Times best-selling political memoir in which he chronicled his years as a conservative media insider. Brock serves on the advisory board of Democracy Radio Inc. and is the recipient of the New Democrat Network’s first award for political entrepreneurship. He is the President and CEO of Media Matters for America.
Nicole Casta has worked in government relations for the National Organization for Women (NOW) and The National Partnership for Women and Families, monitoring and analyzing a range of policy issues including: civil rights, educational equity, reproductive rights, women’s health, and workplace fairness. Casta, a graduate of Wellesley College, is a member of the Research Department at Media Matters for America.
Jeremy Cluchey has conducted education policy research for the Albert Shanker Institute and has worked on federal workforce issues as a fellow with the Partnership for Public Service. Originally from Maine, he studied English and government at Wesleyan University and spent a semester in India, Nepal, and Tibet studying regional politics and history. Cluchey is a member of the Research Department at Media Matters for America.
Amanda Fazzone was assistant managing editor of The New Republic and has contributed to Salon, Slate, Spin, TimeOut, Washington City Paper, and two anthologies of contemporary American writing. Her articles for The New Republic have been covered by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NPR, and she has worked as an editor on two books. Fazzone is Web Editor at Media Matters for America.
Jamison Foser has extensive experience in progressive research, communications, and strategy, having worked for nearly a decade in national politics. Most recently he served as Research Director at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) for the 2002 cycle. He is Senior Adviser at Media Matters for America.
Michelle Jeung is an intern at Media Matters for America.
Terry Krepel has worked for newspapers for more than 17 years as a reporter, designer, and editor. He is the creator and editor of ConWebWatch, which monitors conservative news websites. He holds a master's degree in multimedia journalism from Arkansas Tech University. Krepel is Web Editor at Media Matters for America.
Marcia Kuntz most recently ran the Alliance for Justice’s Judicial Selection Project, where she had primary responsibility for all reports, op-eds, and other written materials produced by the project. Previously, she served as minority counsel for the housing subcommittee of the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services and as legislative counsel to Representative Barney Frank (D-MA). Kuntz is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Chicago Law School. She is the Editorial Director at Media Matters for America.
Shant Mesrobian most recently worked at Congressional Quarterly, where he covered House of Representatives legislation and was a contributing politics writer. His byline has appeared in The New Republic, The American Prospect, National Journal, and Campaigns & Elections. Mesrobian is a graduate of the University of Southern California. He is a member of the Research Department at Media Matters for America.
Jessica Moore has a broad range of experience in online journalism, most recently serving as Web Producer for PBS' nightly news program The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. As Web Producer, Moore produced award-winning websites for NewsHour, PBS, and MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. She is a recipient of a 2004 South Asian Journalists Association Award for coverage of Afghanistan's rebuilding. Moore holds a bachelor of arts in English from Penn State University and is earning a master's degree in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University. Moore is Web Editor at Media Matters for America.
Kevin Nix has worked as a research analyst on Capitol Hill, as well as a policy researcher and writer for statewide and national public affairs campaigns. Nix received his bachelor's degree from Tulane University and his master’s in Government from Johns Hopkins University. He is a member of the Communications Department at Media Matters for America.
Carlyn Reichel is a summer 2004 intern at Media Matters for America.
Colin Rhinesmith is an intern at Media Matters for America.
Melissa Salmanowitz has developed both editorial and political press experience through internships at U.S. News & World Report and the press departments of U.S. Representatives Carolyn McCarthy and Richard E. Neal. Salmanowitz, a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, is a member of the Communications Department at Media Matters for America.
Andrew Seifter has experience organizing, advocating and fundraising for several progressive not-for-profit groups, including the Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and the State PIRGs. He holds a bachelor of arts from the University of Michigan and a master of science from the London School of Economics. Seifter served as a research assistant for a Member of the British Parliament. He is a member of the Research Department at Media Matters for America.
Naomi Seligman has worked extensively as a communications professional developing and managing media strategies for campaigns, elected officials, and not-for-profit organizations. Most recently, Seligman was the communications director for the Violence Policy Center (VPC). She has also served as a press secretary in both the Senate and the House of Representatives and has functioned as director of outreach on the Small Business Committee. Seligman is leading the Communications Department at Media Matters for America.
Brian Szymanski is a technologist and independent media activist. He has been actively involved in computer recycling, independent radio, Free software, and anti-war and human rights activism. Szymanski attended Cornell University and is a member of the Technology and Online Community Department at Media Matters for America.
Gabriel Wildau most recently worked as a policy analyst for General (Ret.) Wesley K. Clark’s presidential campaign. Wildau also has interned at The American Prospect. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brown University in 2003 and is a member of the Research Department at Media Matters for America.
Oliver Willis has worked as a Web developer and information architect on several media-related Web projects. He also boasts extensive experience in political blogging and authors his own site, which has been profiled in The Boston Globe, in Baseline magazine, and on PBS. Willis attended Florida Atlantic University and is a member of the Technology and Online Community Department at Media Matters for America.
Avi Zollman most recently worked as a foreign policy researcher for former Vermont governor Howard Dean's presidential campaign. Prior to the campaign, he graduated from Marlboro College and was an intern with the House International Relations Committee. Zollman is a member of the Research Department at Media Matters for America.
The more I read of this I'm half tempted to file the lawsuit myself, charging the Kerry campaign backed by fedearal funds needs to be enjoined from attempting to intimidate authors, publishers, and booksellers from exercising their right of Free Speech. I'd like to see Judicial Watch or the ACLU prepare that lawsuit. I'm sure most people realize we have NEVER suppressed books because we disagree or even think they are "wrong" about some facts, especially not in the middle of a Presidential Campaign. This type of stuff is getting dangerous, because the left is inherently dangerous.
Where was Kerry for the past 19 years?
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