« Al Qaeda, Homeland Security Faltering | Main | The Pathology of the Tehran Times »
February 23, 2006
A Press Failure?
Alan Dershowitz and William Bennett have written an odd-couple op-ed in the Washington Post asserting that the press has failed us throughout the Danish cartoon affair:
Since the war on terrorism began, the mainstream press has had no problem printing stories and pictures that challenged the administration and, in the view of some, compromised our war and peace efforts. The manifold images of abuse at Abu Ghraib come to mind -- images that struck at our effort to win support from Arab governments and peoples, and that pierced the heart of the Muslim world as well as the U.S. military.I think that last assertion is correct, and I wish more newspapers would admit that they haven't published the cartoons largely because they're afraid someone will end up dead if they do.The press has had no problem with breaking a story using classified information on detention centers for captured terrorists and suspects -- stories that could harm our allies. And it disclosed a surveillance program so highly classified that most members of Congress were unaware of it.
In its zeal to publish stories critical of our nation's efforts -- and clearly upsetting to enemies and allies alike -- the press has printed some articles that turned out to be inaccurate. The Guantanamo Bay flushing of the Koran comes to mind.
But for the past month, the Islamist street has been on an intifada over cartoons depicting Muhammad that were first published months ago in a Danish newspaper. Protests in London -- never mind Jordan, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Iran and other countries not noted for their commitment to democratic principles -- included signs that read, "Behead those who insult Islam." The mainstream U.S. media have covered this worldwide uprising; it is, after all, a glimpse into the sentiments of our enemy and its allies. And yet it has refused, with but a few exceptions, to show the cartoons that purportedly caused all the outrage.
The Boston Globe, speaking for many other outlets, editorialized: "[N]ewspapers ought to refrain from publishing offensive caricatures of Mohammed in the name of the ultimate Enlightenment value: tolerance."
But as for caricatures depicting Jews in the most medievally horrific stereotypes, or Christians as fanatics on any given issue, the mainstream press seems to hold no such value. And in the matter of disclosing classified information in wartime, the press competes for the scoop when it believes the public interest warrants it.
What has happened? To put it simply, radical Islamists have won a war of intimidation. They have cowed the major news media from showing these cartoons. The mainstream press has capitulated to the Islamists -- their threats more than their sensibilities.
Posted by Conor at February 23, 2006 01:19 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.insidesocal.com/MT/mt-tb.cgi/195
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference A Press Failure?:
» hawaii flower from hawaii flower
[Read More]
Tracked on November 22, 2006 05:28 PM
Comments
The press seems to be only interested in making money, not reporting real news. I have noticed that the press almost always downplay events in other countries unless the US has troops involved in those events. This is why I get most of my news from the BBC and the Daily Show.
Posted by: Steven Berler at February 23, 2006 06:14 PM
This is a very interesting idea that you have picked up on. I did not think about the press this way until I read the website mentioned above. Without printing the images, the press seems to be biased in what it portrays. They seem to be concerned for their own skins only. They were never worried about endangering more soldiers by enraging Muslims with the mistreatment of prisoners in Abu Ghraib. I agree that the government should not condone the torture of prisoners, but the public has right to know about what all the outrage is about with the cartoons as well.
Posted by: Flin at February 23, 2006 07:59 PM
After thinking about what Steven said about the press, I find myself kind of terrified. If the press is twisting this story, what else are they twisting? While it is a scary thought, what can we do about it? I think the best way to go about the situation is to listen to all press - different newspapers, news shoes, radios and simply keep an open mind. As far as the cartoons go - I think the main reason for the lack of real press is that with releasing the truth comes more danger. As the public, are we willing to sacrafice the safety of some people for a true story?
Posted by: Priya Kumar at February 27, 2006 08:31 PM