Posted on 08/30/2011 7:31:54 AM PDT by Adam Taxin
A quote often (mis)attributed to German National Socialist propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels is “If you repeat a lie often enough, people will believe it.”
That thought process certainly appears to have been absorbed by the Washington Post. Friday’s Post blared a headline “Mormon Glenn Beck: Hurricane Irene and East Coast earthquake a ‘blessing’ from God,” connected to an article by Elizabeth Tenety in its “On Faith: A Conversation on Religion and Politics” section.
Tenety’s first paragraph reads:
"Not willing to be outdone by Pat Robertson, Glenn Beck recently weighed in on God’s communication by way of natural disasters, telling his listeners that this week’s East Coast earthquake and hurricane are a 'blessing' and a message from God to 'be prepared.'"
After that headline and first paragraph, the article – which some people admittedly do go on to read after reading the headline and lead paragraph -- becomes fairer. Tenety goes so far as to include Beck’s actual words, which had everything to do with preparedness and nothing to do with any sort of “blessing” beyond a reminder from God that “you’re not in control” and a suggestion to “be prepared.” ...
Later on, the article includes information about Mormonism’s emphasis on preparedness in terms of food storage, as well as video clips of Beck and (regarding "Becoming Provident Providers":) Mormon elder Robert D. Hales.
Of course, damage is done via misleading headlines and lead paragraphs, as the Washington Post editors are cynically aware. And, in this case, it worked beautifully.
In dutiful Big Media fashion, "New York" magazine ...
[Remainder of full article self-removed due to examiner.com/FreeRepublic.com excerpting agreement ... for that part, please go to the link, but only if your virus software is up-to-date and on!). To continue, please go to http://www.examiner.com/jewish-culture-in-philadelphia/wash-post-skews-beck-be-prepared-words-into-irene-earthquake-are-blessing .]
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
Local radio talk here (WTAM 1100) was running with it as well. But the afternoon drive host is generally illiterate past the headlines.
That was the point. So people would take the misleading headline and repeat it incessantly so it would “become truth.”
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