Posted on 02/14/2006 6:28:43 AM PST by Tolik
American news media have suffered in recent years. Thanks to the Internet and talk radio, millions of Americans have ceased relying on The New York Times and CNN for their written and televised news.
But it is difficult to recall a greater blow to the credibility of American news media than their near-universal refusal to publish the Mohammed cartoons originally published in a Danish newspaper that have brought about worldwide Muslim protests.
This loss of credibility owes to two factors: dishonesty and cowardice.
Everyone and his mother knows why the networks and the print journals haven't shown the cartoons -- they fear Muslims blowing up their buildings and stabbing their editors to death. The only people who deny this are the news media. They all claim that they won't show the cartoons because of sensitivity to Muslim feelings.
Which brings us to the other reason for the latest blow to the news media's credibility: They are lying to us. If some politicians were telling lies as blatantly as the news media are now, the media would be having a field day exposing those politicians and calling for their removal from office. But, alas, what TV news station will criticize another TV news station? And what newspaper or magazine will criticize another newspaper or magazine?
So, without anyone in the media holding them accountable, the news media continue to believe they can fool nearly all the people all the time when they say they are not publishing the cartoons out of respect for Muslim sensibilities.
Why is this false?
First, major papers in virtually every European country have published the cartoons. It is inconceivable that European papers are less concerned with Muslim sensibilities than American media are. If anything, in Europe they are more pro-Muslim given their anti-Israel and anti-American views and given that they live in countries with far greater numbers of Muslims than live in America.
Second, the reason to publish the cartoons is not to offend Muslims; it is to explain the most significant current news event in the world. How can anyone understand the Islamic riots without having seen the cartoons that triggered them? If millions of Christians rioted after cartoons were published in the Muslim world, does anyone doubt that the Western press would publish them, or that it had the obligation to do so?
The argument that people can see the cartoons on the internet is specious. Anyone could see the photos of the abuse of Arab prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison on the internet, yet the news media presented these photos day after day for weeks.
Third, the American press has routinely published cartoons and pictures that insult Christians and Jews. The Los Angeles Times published a cartoon depicting the stones of the Western Wall of the Jewish Temple, the holiest site to Jews, as spelling out the word "HATE" and showing a religious Jew bowing down before it. And what newspaper did not publish a photo of "Piss Christ," the Andres Serrano work of "art" depicting a crucifix in the artist's urine?
American newspapers "insult" every group whenever they feel like it, but no one riots, burns and kills because of it.
Fourth, the ban on depicting Mohammed applies to Muslims, not to non-Muslims. It is remarkable that American newspapers, so frightened of any breakdown between church and state, are suddenly guided by Muslim religious prohibitions.
Fifth, the argument that publishing the images would inflame Muslims' passions is another coverup for cowardice. No American newspaper or TV news show exhibited the slightest concern with inflaming Muslim passions when they endlessly published and depicted Abu Ghraib abuse photos.
If the liberal news media in America -- conservative Fox News and The Weekly Standard have shown the cartoons -- admitted they feared being hurt if they showed the cartoons, one would have respect for their honesty, if not their courage. But the liberal news media's lack of courage coupled with their dishonest justifications make for a devastating commentary on American news media.
One should not be surprised. A few years ago, New York Times foreign affairs reporter John Burns reported -- to his great credit -- that some of the most prestigious American news organizations had made a deal with Saddam Hussein not to report negatively about his regime in exchange for being allowed to have a Baghdad news bureau.
When it comes to taking on conservatives, Catholics, evangelicals and the like, liberal news media are Supermen. When it comes to confronting real evil, however, the news media are Mickey Mouse.
I would like to announce a new contest:
A Cartoon drawing contest that will ally the left and right wings of this nation like no other.
it is the Great 2006 Mohammed-Off Cartoon Slam!
The winner gets a virgin.
http://www.theleftwingresponse.com/
The 10 Commandments
Big Pharaoh
http://bigpharaoh.blogspot.com/2006/02/10-commandments-yesterday-night-i-had.html
The 10 Commandments
Yesterday night I had a very strange experience. I was on bed and I suddenly saw my PC on fire.
A voice came out of the fire telling me “The Big Pharaoh, I am Allah, I chose you to carry a message to my beloved Muslims. I know they are not happy with how they are looked upon internationally and especially in the Western world. I know they are trying to find ways in order to remedy that and this is why I will give you 10 commandments to post on your blog. I just hope they listen to me”
1.Thou shall not have westophobia. The west is not plotting against Islam, they don’t give a hoot about your religion nor the religion of this old Hindu man walking in downtown Calcutta, India. The West is busy with far more important things.
2.Thou shall remember that millions of Muslims in Europe have far more rights than non-Muslims in Arab/Muslim lands (for more info, contact the Christian villagers of el-Udaysaat) So quit playing the victim here. I simply don’t buy it.
3.Thou shall understand that the West is a pool of ideas and people. In the west you will find: Non-muslims who love Islam (Karen Armstrong and Prince Charles), non-Muslims who hate Islam (J-Posten and Oriana Fallaci), converts to Islam who love Islam (Murad Huffman, Roge Garoudi), converts out of Islam who hate Islam (Hirshi Ali and Ibn Warraq). So for heaven’s sake, you can’t paint the West with one brush.
4.Thou shall understand that the West gets their info on Islam not from your preaching nor from the books you translate to them but from your actions.
5.Thou shall riot and protest when Muslims kill other Muslims (for more info, contact the Shia families of Iraq and Darfur Sudanese)
6.Thou shall try to riot and protest when Muslims kill non-Muslims. If that’s not possible, at least try to do commandment 5.
7.Thou shall NOT riot over cartoons published 4 months ago. Try to riot over cartoons published 2 months ago. At least it might make more sense that way.
8.Thou shall not boycott an entire nation because a single newspaper, TV channel, radio station, politician, actor, actress, etc, etc, in that nation said or wrote or drew something that offended you. Why? Because its stupid and childish to do so and it further hurts your image.
9.Thou shall incorporate the values of liberal democracy. The Catholics of Italy, the Anglicans of England, the Buddhists of Korea, and the Shintos of Japan have done so. I don’t see a reason why you can’t do so as well.
10.Your leaders should know that what was OK in the year 706 might not be OK in the year 2006. I won’t get upset if you changed a few things in the laws and regulations as long as you continue to profess faith in me, pray to me, fast during Ramadan, give alms, and perform Hajj if you’re capable of doing so.
Decency demands the above should not have been printed either.
For once the American media is playing it right, if for all the wrong reasons.
Frankly, I'd like to se the west protesting, among other things, the capture and beheading of innocent civilians by Muslims.
Ouch. Funny and hurts.
The clear message of the MSM's craven refusal to provide complete coverage of the cartoon conspiracy to its readers and viewers is that TERRORISM WORKS!
Way to go, MSM.
Willfully or not, the MSM is a reliable ally of terrorists. (Okay, maybe its just a hostage with the Stockholm Syndrome.)
Happens all the time here. Some Freepers whip out their broadbrush and go to town. It makes them feel real good and oh so patriotic.
Great post. Thanks for the ping.
http://www.theleftwingresponse.com/
Funny.
MSM are the biggest pu$$ies I have ever seen. They continually pull punches on stories to have entree in places of power. That is why their ratings are slipping, that is why they are no longer relevant to Americans. When the Passion of the Christ came out everyone of the MSM movie critics panned it because they were afraid to fall out of line with their buds. Now they are afraid of physical violence from the Muslims. And they are the biggest hypocrits saying that they are doing it out of religious sensitivity when they have never been sensitive to Christians'feelings. They are going to be outed on their spinelessness and lying.
You have to have a subscription to see the 'toons on this link. Do you know of any free links?
the subscription should be free.
I heard one of the Denver papers did it too.
No, firstly if an image is in the news I want to see it.
Now, I agree that the federal government should never have paid for Serrano's work and the Los Anglese Times should not have created a cartoon insulting something sacred, but that's not what's going on here.
Is making an image of Mohammed insulting something sacred? Not to me and If I should produce one -- say to illustrate a children's book, which is the issue that started this -- I would expect it not to be taken as one. Those that do are in the wrong and it is important that we ALWAYS make that clear.
At one time people understood respect for the religious beliefs of others. No longer.
I disagree with you and many other conservatives and strongly.
They are just plowing the ground for major dissent to accompany the Presidents visit to Pakistan in early March.
There is also the "bonus" of more jihadis recruited from these text messaged "riots" to use against our soldiers.
And the UN and the EU ARE trying for special legislation that "limits" religious satire RIGHT NOW.
I think the way things are going the EU and the Marxist left will continue to do the dhimmie thing while passing legislation that will harm Christians and Jews.
No it wasn't. It was intended to stand up to intimidation via the threat of violence. Depicting Mohammed -- assuming you are not doing something like depicting it in a jar of urine -- is not an insult. The ones who think it is are the ones who have a problem.
His show today is excellent. Comparing the triviality of the hunting story with the magnitude of the cartoon story they won't touch.
I am also a fan because I learn new things every time I listen.
Bump
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