Shouting fire - Newsweek's blunder and our (Washington Times) response

Washington Times ^ | May 23, 2005 | Paul M. Rodriguez

[Former Military Chick]

The fallout over the now-retracted Newsweekstory about American GIs desecrating the Koran continues to spread amid opportunities lost to put some badly needed issues into context with respect to the Muslim world, how the Bush administration has responded and how the press manages to mess things up.

As someone who is no stranger to controversial stories and political firestorms, I have enormous sympathy for Michael Isikoff, the lead reporteronthe Newsweek story. As a former editor I sympathize with the top editorial brass at the weekly newsmagazine.

That said, I do have to wonder what was in their minds when assembling the story. They should have known it would be an extremely offensive itemtomanyin Islam, and thus a comment from a leading Muslim should have been included to help put the issue into context along with a response from a senior Bush official. Relying on a single source also was plain stupid.

The Bush administration properly condemnedtheNewsweek story, albeit a bit late and only when riots and mob violence lit up sectors of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East and people were killed. But so too has the administration overplayed its outrage and in the process fallen into claptrap PCisms about never desecrating the Koran or bad-mouthing the followers of the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him).

Such pandering to some of the most conservative elements of Islam really should be an affront to the much larger number of faithful Muslims who also should be offended when Islamic radicals desecrate Christian and Jewish holy books, churches, and temples, not to mention kill fellow Muslims.

The reality of the current wave of violence, of course, is far more deeply rootedthanjustthe Newsweek story.

[Former Military Chick]

I really do appreciate the level headedness of the Washington Times.

[nuconvert]

It's all the bloggers' fault...........

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1408657/posts

[Carry_Okie]

I see that you are posting in German:

Itemtomanyin, condemnedtheNewsweek, rootedthanjustthe.

In a global Internet, there is no spa-a-a-a-ace. :-)

[wildbill]

The Bush administration properly condemnedtheNewsweek story, albeit a bit late and only when riots and mob violence lit up sectors of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East and people were killed."

What second guessing 20/20 hindsight by Rodriguez. Until the riots, I doubt anyone in the administration had analyzed the ten word item as dangerously inimicable to US interests. They've had criticism before and don't try to censor the press. They were caught as flat-footed as Newsweek when the riots occurred.